Category: Baseball

In what seems almost comically timed after an all-time terrible performance on his souvenir jersey night, Marcus Semien hit the Injured List with a left hip flexor strain. In his place, the Mets are calling up Ronny Mauricio, who was just activated yesterday after a stint on the IL with a thumb injury.

To replace the now traded David Peterson on the active roster, Daniel Duarte is joining the club. And in one final move (for now), Jonathan Pintaro was returned to Syracuse after acting as the 27th man during yesterday’s painful doubleheader.

Duarte has thrown five scoreless innings so far for the Mets this year, striking out three and allowing one hit and one walk.

Semien had a truly terrible night in the field in Game 2 of the doubleheader, misplaying a number of balls beyond just the two errors he was charged with; for a player known for his defense, this was an especially embarrassing performance.

Mauricio will likely get many of the second base reps until Semien’s return, while the also newly reinstated Francisco Lindor holds down shortstop, allowing Bo Bichette to play third base. Brett Baty will likely play some second base in Semien’s stead as well.

Over the past two weeks the Jays are 6-5. The offense has scored 4.3 runs per game, a little better than the 4.1 they’ve averaged this year.

Hot

Andrés Giménez: Started 10 of 11. Hit .313/.343/.500 with 1 home runs, 3 doubles, with 3 RBI, 0 walk and 7 strikeouts.

His RISP numbers are continuing to drop .667 OPS now on the season, four weeks ago it was .973 and we were told how great he was with RISP. Now he’s hitting about the same with RISP or not. Still excellent defense. FanGraphs has him +8 outs above average, which is 8th in the MLB. Now if he could hit like he has the last two weeks and play that defense, we’d really have something.

Kazuma Okamoto: Started 11 of the 11 games. Hit .289/.400/.684 with 3 double, 4 home runs, 11 RBI, 6 walks, and 12 strikeouts.

He’s been amazing. And his defense looks fine. Fangraphs has him at a -1 outs above average. I think it will come up some. The play last night was terrible. Apparently he expect the throw to come from the catchers, not from the pitcher. I don’t know if it was a language thing or just a misunderstanding. I hate pickoff plays at second or third. I don’t understand the point. Pickoffs at first have enough errors to make any value you get out of it a wash, but I’m sure that at second and third, it is a negative value to the defense.

Davis Schneider: Played in 9 games, starting 7. Hit .250/.280/.583 with 2 home runs, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.

Maybe the time in Buffalo did do him well. Not many walked in the last two weeks but 4 extra base hits. And the team likes his defense in the outfield more than Sanchez’s. I’m not sure, FanGraphs has him at a -2 outs above average in the outfield (limited inning), Sanchez at a -6, in three times the innings. I guess they have a point, but it is close. Neither will be getting a Gold Glove anytime soon. But I wouldn’t be against giving Davis more playing time against RHP.

Daulton Varsho: Started 4 games. Hit .389/.421/.833, with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 5 RBI, 1 walks, 5 strikeouts and 2 steals.

Just four games, but they have been four very good games.

George Springer: Started all 11 games,. Hit .302/.404/.535 with 1 double, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, 7 walks and 9 strikeouts, with 3 steals and 0 caught.

Nice to see him hitting. The problem, when you have started the season poorly, no one notices when you start hitting. They talk about having him play outfield, but I don’t really think that’s a great idea. Of course, we have several guys who should DH.

Nathan Lukes: He’s played in all 12 games, starting 10. Hit .270/.289/.486 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 RBI, 3 walk and 8 strikeouts.

Not very hot, but hitting well. Good bat, good defense, not all that much to complain about. He isn’t hitting lefties at all, but that’s very limited at bats.

Yohendrick Pinango: Played in 6 games, starting 4. Hit .143/.294/.286 with 2 double, 0 RBI, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

And now he’s in Buffalo. He’ll be back.

Cold

Ernie Clement: Played in 9 games, starting 7. Hit .188/.212/.219 with 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 walks and 4 strikeouts. And a caught stealing.

Started 6 games at second, 1 at short and played short in a couple of other games. He’s been dealing with a hip injury of some sort, which would make it tough to hit. Hopefully it will improve soon.

Brandon Valenzuela: Started 4 games. Hit .250/.333/.313 with 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts.

He threw out 1 of 2 base stealers. Cold is a little unfair, but his .646 OPS isn’t great, in very few at bats.

Vladimir Guerrero: Started 9 of 11. Hit .243/.256/.351 with 1 double, 1 home run, 6 RBI, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. And 1 steal.

He’s looked worse in the last couple of weeks, not even talking walks, which he’s always been able to do. He had one hard hit ball, yesterday 100.3 mph line out the opposite way that Baseball Savant had as a .700 expected BA, but that was his only hard hit ball on the day. And nothing hit hard the day before either.

Jesús Sánchez: Started 7 games. Hit .130/.259/.174 with 1 doubles, 0 RBI, 3 walks and 9 strikeouts.

He’s had a bad couple of weeks in all ways. Seems to have lost his starting job in the outfield, because his fielding is so bad. He should DH. The two weeks before these two, he hit great. I wonder if the defensive issues are following him to the plate. He hasn’t always been this bad defensively. We were told that they are working with him.

Myles Straw: Played in 10 games, 5 starts. Hit .158/.227/.211 with 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts..

One of a number of guys not hitting well.

Alejandro Kirk: Played in 8 games, starting 7. Hit .222/.267/.259 with 1 double, 4 RBI, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.

14 steals against, no caught steal. He hasn’t been great since coming back.

Yohendrick Pinango: Played in 6 games, starting 4. Hit .143/.294/.286 with 2 double, 0 RBI, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

And now he’s in Buffalo. He’ll be back.

IL

Anthony Santander: Might get into a game before the end of the season. Who knows..

Addison Barger: He is to meet with ‘Blue Jays staff’ because ‘some soreness has crept in. Hopefully it is nothing. If they decide he’s ok, he’ll start a rehab assignment.

The Mets have placed second baseman Marcus Semien on the 10-day IL with a hip flexor strain.

Infielder Ronny Mauricio, who was just activated and assigned to Triple-A on Wednesday, has been recalled from Syracuse.

Additionally, right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte has been recalled, while Jonathan Pintaro, who served as Wednesday's 27th man, has been returned to Syracuse.

Semien played all of Wednesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs, committing two of the Mets' six errors as a team.

"It’s always going to be attention to detail with defense," Semien explained. "First step was not great on the first [error]. Seems like when I’m trying to pick the ball up and rush, the throw isn’t good. I feel like it’s a play that I could have saved and got the out and I didn’t. Those ones hurt. 

"Pop-up, same thing, drifted to the ball. The wind was a little funky out there, and just took my eyes off the ball. Those are plays that I want to make, plays that I want to make tomorrow to help us win."

Acquired this offseason in the trade that sent Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers, Semien has struggled offensively, hitting .214 with a 71 OPS+.

The A’s announced on Thursday morning that infielder/outfielder Zack Gelof will head to the injured list due to the hand injury he suffered on Tuesday night, with Alika Williams coming up to take his place:

The team evidently felt that Gelof’s hand injury was too severe to avoid a stint on the IL. Luckily there wasn’t any reported fractures or need for stitches so the team will hope he can avoid being on the shelf for any more than the minimum. He’ll be eligible to return next weekend at home against the Miami Marlins.

Taking his place on the roster will be Williams, who has spent the past couple of weeks down at Triple-A Las Vegas. He’ll likely return to his semi-regular duty with the big league team with Gelof down for a bit. He performed admirably during his first stint with the club so hopefully he can keep that going this time around.

On the bright side of things, the club did not place shortstop Jacob Wilson on the IL after he left last nights game. It seemed he had reaggravated the shoulder injury that placed him on the IL earlier this month. No word yet on his status so keep your fingers crossed for him.

We won’t get the results until they are announced on MLB Network on Thursday night at 5:00 p.m. ET, but the first phase of All-Star voting wrapped up at noon today. The leading vote getter from each league will earn a spot in the starting lineup. Currently that is Shohei Ohtani, who had a significant lead over fellow Dodger Max Muncy as of Monday’s last vote count update. Somewhat hilariously, Blue Jays’ utility player Ernie Clement is leading the American League over Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez. As usual, the voting process is being overrun by a particular team or fanbase, this time with the whole nation of Canada behind them.

Of course, this is why the All-Star Game doesn’t really move the needle the way it used to. On the one hand, it’s good engagement for the league to have fans voting on a whole ballot of options. On the other hand, a little pre-selection process wouldn’t hurt to keep fanbase size from dominating who makes the final cut. Of course, with the American League in general looking rough this season, and stars like Aaron Judge and Mike Trout, who are third and fourth in voting at last count, both injured, this was always going to be a wide open field in terms of who actually takes the field.

The top two vote getters at each position in each league, with six outfielder spots per league open, will advance to the second phase of voting. Phase 2 voting for fans will open at noon on Monday, June 29, with 72 hours for voting to be completed. This will be a whole new ballot, with Phase 1 votes not included. We’ll keep you updated on how the Tigers’ top players do, because fans will need to pile into that 72 hour window to get them the rest of the way.

Obviously Dillon Dingler and Kevin McGonigle deserve major consideration. Dingler has been the best all around catcher in the game this season but was last seen third behind the Athletics’ Shea Langeliers and the Blue Jays’ Alejandro Kirk, while McGonigle was third at the shortstop position behind the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., and Blue Jays’ shortstop Andrés Giménez at last report. Riley Greene is still in the mix among AL outfielders, and considering that six outfielders will make it to Phase 2, there’s still a chance Greene will make it into the second round of voting as well, although he was in ninth place as of Monday’s last released vote totals.

Considering how things went for the Tigers’ All-Star Game players last summer, it may be for the best if none of them make it. Blue Jays fans are stuffing the ballot box like crazy, and while it’s a nice honor, taking a break for a week wouldn’t hurt the three Tigers, as they’ve been carrying the load for the struggling Tigers in an injury plagued first half of the season.

The AL squad will be managed by the Blue Jays’ John Schneider, as the manager of last year’s World Series contending squad from the junior circuit. He’ll have Twins’ manager Derek Shelton as his backup along with the Blue Jays’ coaching staff. NL manager Dave Roberts has added Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol and Phillies manager Don Mattingly to his staff.

MLB All-Star Week will include the 2026 MLB Draft on July 11-12, the All-Star Futures Game for prospects on July 12, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 13, and the All-Star Game itself on July 14.

Monday night saw the conclusion of the 2026 North Carolina Tar Heels baseball season. While Carolina made it to the very last game possible, it ended in sadness. A defeat to Oklahoma in Game 3 of the College World Series championship series left the Heels a victory short of the program’s first ever national championship.

Understandably, that’s probably taken up a lot of your sports-watching attention of late, especially when it comes to baseball. However, as that’s been happening, there have been other Tar Heels out there playing baseball: the ones in the professional ranks, especially MLB. Now that the college season has come to a close, let’s check in on how the Carolina alumni in the majors have done while your attention has been elsewhere.

(Note: any stats mentioned are through games played on Monday.)

Michael Busch has been arguably the best UNC alumnus in the majors in recent years, having broken out as a legitimately good player after getting traded to the Cubs in 2024. While he’s a bit off the pace he set in 2025, especially in the home run column, he’s been pretty good for Chicago again this year. He’s put up a .773 OPS with 42 RBI on the season. However that being said, both he and the Cubs have been a bit off where they were expected to be coming into the season.

Busch was joined in Chicago by another Tar Heel this past offseason, when pitcher Trent Thornton signed there. He’s proven to be a very solid middle reliever for the Cubs to this point, posting a 3.15 ERA.

Pitcher Zac Gallen has been an ace for the Arizona Diamondbacks over the years, including helping them to the 2023 World Series. He was a free agent after last season but ultimately re-upped in Arizona. Unfortunately for him, it’s not been the prettiest of years. He’s made 16 starts on the season, but has an ERA over six and has seen his strikeout rate plummet from past years.

Having spent the last couple years with the Red Sox, pitcher Cooper Criswell joined the Mariners this past offseason and has been solid for them. He’s currently on the injured list, but he has a better-than-average 3.52 ERA out of Seattle’s bullpen over his 26 appearances.

Brendon Little appeared in 79 games out of the bullpen last year, helping the Blue Jays to an eventual World Series appearance. This season has not been as kind to him, as he’s given up 14 earned runs in 4.2 innings and is currently in the minors.

Ben Casparius and Nick Raquet are both pitchers who started their college careers at UNC and ended them elsewhere, but we’ll still give them a small check in. Both have been a bit iffy for their respective teams and are no longer on the major league rosters; Casparius on the injured list and Raquet in the minors.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on the MLB Tar Heels for the rest of this season, so best of luck to them.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Earlier this week, I asked you what the Cubs’ biggest need is right now: Starting pitching, relief pitching or improvement for the offense.

That article was posted before the Cubs lost two more starting pitchers, Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown, to the injured list.

Even so, you correctly identified starting pitching as the biggest need:

The hitters have bounced back in a big way against the Mets, scoring 29 runs in the first three games of the four-game series that concludes at Citi Field this evening.

The Cubs have, in part, addressed the starting pitching need by acquiring left-hander David Peterson from the Mets, as Josh noted in After Dark. The team announced this signing late this morning and I’d expect Peterson to start one of the games against the Brewers in Milwaukee this weekend. He last pitched for the Mets on Sunday. To make room for Peterson on the 40-man roster, right-handed reliever Yosver Zulueta was designated for assignment.

The Cubs still do need some relief help, as well, Hopefully they can add someone at or before the trade deadline.

Here are the results of the four national questions asked in the SB Nation Reacts survey this week.

This is fairly evenly split among the top three. The Guardians, who have won six AL Central titles over the last 10 seasons, always seem to find a way to win.

That’s worded a bit differently, to take into account all contenders. Honestly, I think the Cubs should have been included here. The Mariners have struggled this year after making the ALCS and coming agonizingly close to the World Series in 2025. They’ve had injury issues like the Cubs have, though not to their pitching staff. I think in the end they run away with the AL West.

Personally, I can take or leave either method. The “swing based” system they are returning to (as opposed to the timer system used for the last several years) is something that should help players, many of whom report feeling exhausted after trying to take as many swings as they can with a time limit.

I have seen four no-hitters in person: Jack Morris of the Tigers over the White Sox in 1984, Carlos Zambrano for the Cubs in 2008, Cole Hamels no-hitting the Cubs in 2015 and the combined no-hitter for the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 2024.

I’ve seen three cycles: Willie McGee in the Sandberg Game in 1984, Mark Grace’s for the Cubs in 1993 and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s for the Cubs last week.

Cycles and no-hitters are about equally rare. There have been 352 cycles in MLB history and 327 no-hitters.

Triple plays are about twice as common: 740 of them since 1876. I’ve seen one, turned by the Cubs in June 1983 — noted here on its 40th anniversary three years ago.

The four-homer game is the rarest of these. There have been only 21 four-homer games in MLB history. One of them was at Wrigley Field, by Mike Schmidt of the Phillies in 1976. I wrote that up here, too, on its 50th anniversary earlier this year. But I wasn’t at that game. So the four-homer game is the one I’d most like to see. Which would be yours?

This edition of SB Nation Reacts is sponsored by FanDuel.

If there is one thing New Yorkers love more than anything, it is a good headline. From the front page to the back of the tabloids, to the names lit up in the marquee lights that inspire the city that never sleeps. In a place that is never starved for things to do or people to see, Cam Schlittler’s starts have become a weekly must-watch event. Tonight’s feature in Boston brings Schlittler back home for another early chapter in a story that is already becoming special.

Schlittler has already inked his name into the history pages of one of the greatest rivalries in sports. However, after tonight, two of those three chapters will notably have the same opposition toeing the rubber: Connelly Early. Schlittler vs. Early. It is not Ali vs. Frazier, yet, but one can dream.

In the five-man rotation era, and with the reduced number of division games played each year, long gone are the days of consistently seeing the same starters line up against each other. Now fans are lucky if they get to watch their ace face the opposing ace more than a handful of times each season. That reality helps build the storyline tonight as, for the second time in four months, the Yankees’ top young arm will square off against one of Boston’s best young pitchers.

This got me thinking about some classic matchups of the past. What showdowns did each generation get to enjoy? Who measured themselves against each other within the rivalry, and how did they fare?

With apologies to Jack Chesbro and Cy Young himself, what feels right to call the first true “our guy versus their guy” matchup is Red Ruffing in the blue corner and Lefty Grove in the red. I decided to count no-decisions as ties or at least list them as such, so the records listed are wins-losses-no decisions. Over the course of the 1930s and 1940s, the former Red Sox righty Ruffing went 11-14-6 in 31 starts opposite his fellow Hall of Famer. Those 31 matchups were the most head-to-head meetings between Yankees and Red Sox starting pitchers that I could find.

Making a season’s worth of today’s starts against one opposing pitcher alone is an almost unbelievable concept. For reference, Gerrit Cole has made only 12 starts against the Red Sox during his entire Yankees tenure.

Another common matchup featured Mel Stottlemyre and Luis Tiant. These two faced off 12 times in the early 1970s around the same time five-man rotations became standard. In fact, they may have developed some type of common-law bond, as they faced each other four times between July 16th and September 17th of 1972 and then five more times during the 1973 season.

Stottlemyre went 6-5-1 in those matchups. The pair also combined for 13 complete games. Stottlemyre held the edge there as well, throwing seven of them.

Around the turn of the century, the rivalry featured one of its greatest pitching showdowns. Two of the fiercest competitors to ever take the mound squared off six times: Roger Clemens and Pedro Martínez. The number of matchups declines dramatically the closer you get to the present day, but this one stands out because of the October battles.

Clemens went 1-2-3 as a Yankee when facing Pedro and his former club, including getting obliterated in Game 3 of the 1999 ALCS at Fenway. However, that lone victory was a big one, coming four years later during another Game 3 rumble in Beantown. He later got a no-decision in the unforgettable Game 7, as his offense bailed him out of a tough start with a huge rally off Martínez in the eighth. Clemens and Pedro were both larger-than-life figures who ran hot, making them a dream pairing for New York media and fans alike.

Jump ahead another decade or so and we arrive at the modern version of longevity. CC Sabathia and Jon Lester faced each other eight times while serving as the staffs’ respective left-handed aces.

Sabathia held a 3-2-3 advantage. The matchup was fittingly even considering the two finished their careers with similar ERAs and WHIPs, though Sabathia accumulated 51 more wins and 837.1 more innings pitched.

Now Schlittler and Early take the stage for Round 2. For the next several years, barring injuries, lockouts, or other misfortune, there is a chance Yankees and Red Sox fans will get to watch these two continue building their own chapter in the rivalry.

Here’s hoping, more often than not, that the Yankees win.

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The New York Yankees visit the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Fenway Park as -142 favorites with the total set at 8 as they open another rivarly series.  

Cam Schlittler leads the American League with a 1.52 ERA and pairs that with the AL's best WHIP at 0.87, while Connelly Early's 3.79 ERA hides a 5.33 xERA and a 14% barrel rate that has not played well at home. 

Here are my Yankees vs. Red Sox predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, June 25.

Who will win Yankees vs Red Sox today: Yankees -1.5 (+115)

Connelly Early's 14% barrel rate sits in the 7th percentile in 2026, and his 5.33 xERA against his 3.79 ERA tells you regression is overdue.

That's always going to be an issue against the New York Yankees. He's been particularly hittable at home with a 6.75 ERA in three Fenway starts, and now he draws a Yankees lineup with four players all carrying double-digit barrel rates.

On the other side, Cam Schlittler is Cam Schlitter and a swing-free team is a not a team I wish to fade him against. Play this to -105.

COVERS INTEL: Connelly Early has posted a 6.75 ERA across three home starts at Fenway Park in 2026. That's unlikey to change in a park that has one of the highest run factors in the sport.

Yankees vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-105)

You're basically asking here if the Boston Red Sox can score three or more earned runs to push this over the total. I'm not sure they can do that against Schlitter particularly if he works his usual 7 innings. I'd play this to 7.5.

His 88th percentile strikeout rate paired with 0.89 WHIP should suffocate this Boston offense. It's difficult for a team that enters a matchup like this with the 5th highest chase rate in the sport to attack a legitimate Cy Young arm that generates so much swing-and-miss. 

The Yankees will score off Early but four-plus runs from one side and one or two off Schlittler keeps this under the number.

Yankees vs Red Sox weather

Yankees vs Red Sox odds

• Moneyline: New York -142 | Boston +135
• Run line: New York -1.5 | Boston +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8

Yankees vs Red Sox trend

The New York Yankees have hit the Moneyline in 14 of their last 20 away games (+6.50 Units / 25% ROI). ind more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Red Sox.

How to watch Yankees vs Red Sox and game info

Yankees vs Red Sox latest injuries

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The trade deadline will be Dana Brown’s ultimate “ride or die” moment.

Four days ago, Astros GM Dana Brown was reported to be telling other teams they were “wasting their time” calling him about being a seller. The Astros intend to be buyers at the deadline, and specifically are seeking bullpen help and a lefthanded hitting outfielder.

The team is getting healthier, they have won four straight series for the first time all season, and have climbed to within 4 games of .500, 2.5 games of the AL West Division lead, and 1 game of the final Wild Card spot. As of today, the Astros are technically in 2nd place in the AL West behind the Mariners, and closest to the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot.

Houston has improved it’s playoff chances from a low of 10.7% May 15 to 33.1% today according to Fangraphs.

Brown has also been reported to be on the hottest of seats this season, with the combination of his being in the final year of his contract without an extension and the team’s dismal start (mostly due to being ravaged by injury for the third straight season). It is expected that for him to have any chance to save his job, he cannot miss the postseason.

Owner Jim Crane is not known for his patience, and missing the postseason in two consecutive seasons would almost definitely result in not getting the opportunity for a third straight shortcoming.

Brown has been under pressure for not being able to retain key talent, failure to significantly bolster the starting rotation after the loss of Framber Valdez, and inability to find a proven outfield bat as the young players the team has relied upon have not been nearly as successful as hoped for.

Brown’s best prospects in his minor league system are very young, and years away from being MLB ready.

Therefore, it stands to reason that making the postseason is the only shot Brown has to keep his job. Doing so will require the Astros add pieces by the trade deadline, and not simply fringe pieces.

Brown will have to pick up at least one significant add, possibly two. He doesn’t have a great deal of minor league depth from which to deal.

The Astros are currently 19-12 since May 21, and have won four straight series for the first time this season. The team is giving him the improvement he needs to see in order to be a legitimate buyer and get Crane to be willing to exceed the luxury tax for the third straight season (and eat the penalties that come with it).

Crane has not been afraid of big deadline moves (see Verlander, Justin 2x, and Correa, Carlos) and if he feels the move can be a real difference maker, he has shown he will authorize it.

All of this added together can only come to one conclusion: in order for Dana Brown to keep his job, he must be a buyer and he can’t buy small.

Fringe moves aren’t going to push the Astros over the top. The moves he makes at the deadline have to be able to insulate the Astros from another injury or two, things that given the last three years history of this team are bound to happen.

Crane is aggressive. He is competitive. He wants to win, injuries be damned.

Brown is the same, and thus far it is injuries that have primarily gotten in the way. This year, his offseason moves (Imai, Burrows, Weiss, dealing Dubon) haven’t panned out (certainly not to the degree expected).

This will be Brown’s challenge: succeed at the deadline where he failed in the offseason.

There will be pushback from fans, especially if they have to deal top prospects. Keep in mind, however, their top two prospects are 18 and 19 years old and are at least 4 years from making the majors.

Those two prospects, Kevin Alvarez and Xavier Neyens, will never play with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez or Hunter Brown. If the goal is to win while you still have your all-time franchise icon and arguably the best hitter in the league on your team, those types of prospects may need to be liquidated for an impact player. The key is to maximize their value as much as possible.

That doesn’t mean those prospects need to be traded. With the specter of a lockout coming, perhaps the impact players being acquired are rentals in the final year of their contracts. Rentals would have much lower cost of acquisition. More teams will be reluctant to part with top minor league talent as a protracted lockout would burn a year of a veteran’s career, but minor leaguers could still be playing and developing at very low cost.

Finding the balance within, and acquiring the right kind of talents is the GM’s job at the deadline. It is his final test, the ultimate “ride or die” moment.

Since he cannot fail and keep his job, he may as well swing for the fences.

We are about to see what kind of deadline player Brown can be.

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Will the trends be our friend yet again?  We have a ton of value to attack this evening, so here are my favorite MLB player props for June 25, led by Yordan Alvarez and Riley Greene.

Best MLB props today

Player/Team	Pick	Odds
Yordan Alvarez	Over 1.5 total bases	-123
Riley Greene	Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI	-118
Cardinals	First five team total o2.5	-115

Yordan Alvarez Over 1.5 total bases (-123)

Elite rated, with nearly 94.5% arsenal coverage, Yordan Alvarez is batting .381 with a .667 SLG, while generating a 56% hard-hit rate and 25% barrel rate over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching. How am I supposed to pass up backing Alvarez today?

Especially with Detroit Tigers right-hander Troy Melton on the mound. Melton has allowed left-handed hitters to produce a 45.5% hard-hit rate and 54.5% fly-ball rate at home this season. Over the last 60 lefties he's faced, he's surrendered a 63.6% elevation rate, along with a .421 xSLG and .457 wOBA.

With the way Alvarez has been seeing the baseball lately and the quality of contact he has been producing, I love this spot for him. For a little extra value, I sprinkled his home run and double props as well.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: DSN, SCHN

Riley Greene Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-118)

Detroit Tigers young slugger Riley Greene enters today in a very intriguing matchup against Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who has had his fair share of struggles against left-handed hitters.

Greene enters with an elite rating and nearly 90% arsenal coverage against Imai's pitch mix on Batters-Box. In 32 elite-rated home matchups, Greene has recorded a hit 68.75% of the time, 2+ hits 43.75% of the time, homered in 25% of those games, and cleared this prop nearly 60% of the time. Over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, he owns an .847 OPS, .480 SLG, and a 16.7% barrel rate.

Imai has allowed left-handed hitters to do just about whatever they want this season. On the road, lefties are hitting .281 with a .500 SLG and .415 wOBA against him. Among the last 90 left-handed batters he's faced, opponents have generated a 50% hard-hit rate, 10.3% barrel rate, and 63.8% elevation rate. Those hitters also own a .357 xBA, .578 xSLG, and .379 xwOBA.

I struggle to get on the right side of Greene sometimes, but getting him at -118 to clear his hits + runs + RBI prop as an elite-rated hitter is a great bet in my book. Looking for plus money? Take the total bases prop instead.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: DSN, SCHN

Cardinals first five team total Over 2.5 (-115)

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen enters today with the second-worst pitcher rating in Batters-Box's current season ratings. The veteran brings poorly rated matchup marks in ISO, hard contact rate, and ground ball rate to the table.

To make matters worse, he draws seven elite-rated Cardinals hitters from an offense that is already averaging more than 2.5 runs per game in the first five innings at home this season.

Over their last 12 games, the Cardinals have been squaring baseballs up all over the yard, posting a 122 wRC+, .782 OPS, .345 wOBA, and .151 ISO. Away from home this season, Gallen owns a 7.68 ERA and 6.00 xERA while allowing 48% hard contact and an 11.5% barrel rate.

There are simply too many Cardinals bats in great spots this evening. This is the easiest way for me to back all seven at once. I would not play this any higher than -125.

• Time: 7:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CARD, ARID

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New Rangers signing Ross McCrorie says manager Derek McInnes is a leader players "run through brick walls" for.

The pair have been reunited at Ibrox after previously working together at Aberdeen, with McInnes appointed as manager in Glasgow last week and McCrorie signing from Bristol City on Thursday.

McCrorie was a Rangers academy graduate before joining the Dons in 2020.

"When you speak to the gaffer, he's a man you would run through brick walls [for]," McCrorie told Rangers TV.

"The gaffer's a big influence in my career - he was the one that gave me the belief to go and crack on and unlock the talent I know I had.

"The gaffer is a bit old school as well, but you need that at times, you need that hard side, because it is not easy to be at a club like Rangers and the mentality needs to be there, especially this season.

"I've been frustrated as a fan watching in the last few years because I want to see the club win. That is why I am back, I want to come and help the team win trophies.

"The only way I would've come back to Scotland was for Rangers and it was only going to be Rangers if I was coming back to Scotland.

"It was always something for me - unfinished business. It's great to be back. It's about time I came back. I feel I'm ready now."

With long-serving captain James Tavernier departing this summer, McCrorie is taking over the number two jersey.

"I'm really good friends with Tav," McCrorie said of his former team-mate. "I've got a lot of respect for Tav. He's a legend at this club.

"I've been number two at my previous clubs. When I first broke through at Rangers, I was number 40, and I phoned and asked the gaffer if I could take number two because that is my number, and I've made it my own in the last few years."

The Mets are calling up left-handed pitching Zach Thornton to pitch on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. 

While it's unknown if Thornton will start or have an opener go in front of him, the young lefty takes the place of David Peterson, who was traded to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night, in the Mets' rotation.

Thornton, 24, made one start for the Mets earlier this season, allowing four earned runs in 4.1 innings against the Washington Nationals on May 20.

With Christian Scott expected to be activated off the IL for his next turn through the rotation this weekend and Kodai Senga now officially in the bullpen, the Mets' five-man rotation consists of Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, Sean Manaea, Scott, and Thornton, with the possibility of some openers mixed in.