SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 13: Luis Curvelo #57 of the Texas Rangers pitches during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Monday, April 13, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Don Collier/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Texas Rangers optioned relief pitcher Luis Curvelo to AAA Round Rock after yesterday’s game, the team announced yesterday. In addition, the team also announced yesterday that utility man Sam Haggerty, who was designated for assignment on Friday to make room for Elias Diaz on the active roster, cleared waivers and was released.
Curvelo came up a week ago, along with Robbie Ahlstrom, when the Rangers optioned Gavin Collyer to AAA Round Rock and placed Chris Martin on the 15 day injured list. He made three appearances while he was up, including facing two batters in Saturday’s blowout loss before leaving the game after taking a comebacker to the leg, and pitching a scoreless inning to finish Sunday’s blowout win. I thought it was odd Curvelo was pitching the day after he left a game due to injury — I thought Jakob Junis, who hasn’t pitched since last Tuesday, might get an inning just to keep him from getting rusty — but the Rangers apparently decided he was heading back to the minors after the game anyway, so might as well get some innings from him.
The Rangers haven’t announced a move to fill Curvelo’s spot on the active roster, but the beats are indicating that Cole Winn, who went on the injured list on May 24, is expected to take his place. Winn threw 16 pitches for Round Rock on Friday on a rehab assignment, and is eligible to be activated from the injured list today, though they will probably wait until tomorrow to officially make the move since the Rangers are off day.
Haggerty, meanwhile, is a free agent now. After a solid 2025 season in a platoon role for the Rangers, he was brought back to again be a righthanded platoon bat, but didn’t hit against righties (.182/.182/.182 in 11 plate appearances) or lefties (.152/.222/.182 in 36 plate appearances) this season. The Rangers currently have Justin Foscue as their short-side platoon DH and Michael Helman filling that role in center, though it remains to be seen whether either of those are viable solutions going forward.
AUSTIN, TX - JUNE 07: Texas Longhorns infielder Adrian Rodriguez (24) reacts after hitting an RBI double during the NCAA Super Regional college baseball game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oregon Ducks on June 7, 2026 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, TX.(Photo by Adam Davis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
On Saturday night, as the No. 6 Texas Longhorns took on the No. 11 Oregon Ducks in the Austin Super Regional, SEC writer and podcaster Chris Marler had some thoughts on the intensity of sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez in the batter’s box.
I don’t care about bat flips or home run celebrations.
But whatever this shit is when taking a ball, is lame as hell.
Rodriguez doesn’t hide that competitive intensity in the box, shaking his head at the pitcher on balls before kicking rubber pullets out towards the mound.
“Whatever this shit is when taking a ball, is lame as hell,” Marler wrote.
And Rodriguez did strike out on the next pitch, but what Marler may not have noticed is that the fiery Texas shortstop had already given the Longhorns a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run double.
What Marler couldn’t have known was that Rodriguez would go on to finish with five RBI after knocking out a run-scoring single in the fifth and executing with runners on third in the sixth and eighth innings with back-to-back sacrifice flies.
What Marler couldn’t have known was that Rodriguez would go on to cement his place in Texas super regional lore with a go-ahead, two-out, bases-loaded double in the eighth inning on Sunday to send the Longhorns through to the College World Series with a 6-5 win over Oregon.
That Rodriguez ultimately went 2-for-5 on Sunday to bat 4-for-8 (.500) with two doubles and seven RBI in the Austin Super Regional after a sensational Austin Regional that saw the Flower Mound product go 7-for-11 (.636) with three doubles, two RBI, and five runs scored.
Over those five games, Rodriguez has bolstered his average from .277 to .306 by going 11-for-19 (.579) with five doubles, six runs scored, and nine RBI.
What Marler probably doesn’t know is anything about Rodriguez — what he’s been through since he was hit by pitch against Missouri 14 months ago, the pain he’s felt ever since on his swings, and how much he’s had to grow through that adversity. How hard he’s worked with Troy Tulowitzki to prove himself defensively at shortstop.
What Marler doesn’t have is any of the perspective to understand why Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle is so proud of Rodriguez and why the standout sophomore has earned praise instead of criticism.
Understanding where Rodriguez is right now requires understanding the hamate fracture in his left hand from March of last year that caused him to miss seven games and forced him to bat left-handed while playing through pain, an injury that sapped Rodriguez of the power that allowed him to hit five home runs before the injury.
Rodriguez ultimately had surgery to insert a staple into that hand last fall, but the pain continued into this season, caused by an allergic reaction to the metal in the staple that forced him to undergo another procedure at the beginning of April to remove the staple that left Schlossnagle hoping Rodriguez could recover enough to be impactful late.
“Ideally, before the season ends, before May, it’d be awesome to have him,” Schlossnagle said at the time. “But we may not get that this year. That may have to be next year. I just know he’s capable of helping our team. He’s the energy of our team.”
That’s high praise from Schlossnagle given all the big personalities on this team.
It’s an energy apparent in the batter’s box, and in his shoulder shaking after a big hit, a recent innovation that grew out of a song that team listens to on the road, and celebrating with his teammates even if it wasn’t his big hit.
While the energy has remained consistent from Rodriguez, his approach has changed, from going back to hitting exclusively from the left side because those swings don’t hurt as much to simplifying his swing mechanically to help keep his head still to recognizing that his power still hasn’t returned with his hand remaining at less than 100 percent as Rodriguez has learned how to settle for shooting the ball into gaps or down the lines, like the inside-out swing that won Sunday’s game over Oregon.
A rare combination of natural hitting ability and relentless work ethic caught Schlossnagle’s attention a long time ago, and the trust was mutual enough for Rodriguez to commit to Texas A&M before following Schlossnagle to Austin and flipping to Texas two years ago. But the hand injury caused that work ethic to work against Rodriguez, forcing some pragmatic changes to his formerly intense routines.
“I think it’s definitely made me more mature on how I’m going about things in the facility, how many swings I’m taking before the game — I’ve limited that down quite a bit because of the situation I’m in right now,” Rodriguez said on Saturday.
In turn, that’s helped Rodriguez gain a more healthy perspective on what effective preparation looks like.
“I think for Adrian, this would be something that really helps his career long term. He’s learning that he’s a special, special player that doesn’t have to take 1,000 swings to be ready to go. He can wake up and hit,” Schlossnagle said.
“He will get fully healthy one day. He likes baseball, so I don’t ever want to coach that out of him, I don’t want him to change that, but he’s learning that he can limit his work and still be super effective. And then really learning to use the whole field to hit, he hadn’t done that a lot in the past, but being really left on left, he’s just come so far, and super proud of him.”
The dedication shown by Rodriguez has extended past his efforts to get his hand healthy and not cause any setbacks by taking too many extra swings.
When shortstop Jalin Flores signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after the 2025 MLB Draft, Rodriguez opted against playing summer baseball to get lean enough to move to short after splitting time between second base, third base, and left field as a freshman, dropping 10 pounds to improve his range.
Rodriguez looks like a Tulowitzki-coached shortstop now — there’s an artfulness to his defense, how he approaches the ball, the smoothness of his transfer, and the ability to get throws off quickly and accurately. Despite the increased challenge of playing shortstop, Rodriguez has only committed five errors this season, three fewer than last year, and improved his fielding percentage from .929 to .968, the same fielding percentage that Trey Faltine posted at shortstop for the Longhorns as a sophomore in 2021.
Now healthy and well-adjusted enough to make an impact at the plate, Rodriguez has grown into an all-around player who serves as a linchpin for a defense that entered the super regionals ranked 22nd nationally with a .979 fielding percentage, solidifying the bond between assistant and player.
During a rare offensive timeout called by Texas before Rodriguez went to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning on Sunday, Tulowitzki leaned on the rapport he’s built with Rodriguez through all the hard work they’ve put in together.
“He was just slowing my brain down — he knows I can get kind of amped up during those kind of situations — and he told me this is why you come to the SEC, this is why you’re a Texas Longhorn, and he told me that he wouldn’t have it any other way than with me in the box at that moment,” Rodriguez recounted after the game.
And then one shortstop came through for the other.
“Tulo is my guy, I’m with him every single day, working on stuff, talking to him, he’s one of my biggest mentors in my whole baseball career and helped me get better,” Rodriguez said.
So Marler can create whatever standard he wants for Rodriguez. Does he need to be so demonstrative in the batter’s box? Probably not.
But it’s a sign of his competitiveness, and the standard that Rodriguez actually has to live up to on the Forty Acres is simple — “The pride and winning tradition of The University of Texas will not be entrusted to the weak or the timid.”
Neither weak nor timid, Rodriguez has emerged from the adversity of his hand injury tougher, more mature, and playing the best baseball of his college career.
And that’s worthy of respect, no matter what any ignorant haters think.
“What a great player,” Schlossnagle said. “What a player that rises to the occasion when needed, and certainly glad he’s a Longhorn.”
It's a new week, and a slate filled with opportunities to back hitters in strong spots against vulnerable arms on Monday, June 8.
This evening, our MLB player props are rolling with Yordan Alvarez, Yandy Diaz, and Willson Contreras, all in matchups that set up well for production.
Best MLB player props today
Player
Pick
Odds
Yordan Alvarez
Over 1.5 total bases
-112
Yandy Diaz
Over 1.5 total bases
+102
Willson Contreras
Over 1.5 total bases
+112
Yordan Alvarez Over 1.5 total bases (-112)
Well, well, well, look who we're all over this evening. None other than Houston Astros star Yordan Alvarez to go over 1.5 total bases.
The big fella enters with an elite rating on Batters-Box and draws a matchup against Los Angeles Angels right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who has been getting lit up by left-handed hitters this season. Overall, Rodriguez owns an 8.90 xER, while lefties have posted a .458 xwOBA against him. Over the last 60 left-handed batters he's faced, they've produced a 61.1% elevation rate, 47.2% hard-hit rate, and a ridiculous .826 xSLG.
Alvarez has been on a tear all season, but he's been especially dominant against right-handed pitching lately. Over his last 30 plate appearances versus righties, the big fella is batting .417 with a .750 SLG and a 1.283 OPS. He's also generating 55% hard contact and a 15% barrel rate.
Did I mention that Alvarez has gone over this prop in four of his last five elite ratings? Or his 100% arsenal coverage against Rodriguez's entire pitch mix? No? Well, I'm glad I did now.
Paying a little juice for one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball feels well worth it, especially in a matchup against Rodriguez. I'd be willing to play this all the way up to -120 if I have to.
Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
Where to watch: ABTV, SCHN
Yandy Diaz Over 1.5 total bases (+102)
Getting Tampa Bay Rays star Yandy Díaz at plus money to go over 1.5 total bases feels like a steal in this spot.
The Rays veteran draws Boston Red Sox left-hander Connelly Early, who does carry an elite pitcher rating today over on Batters-Box, but so does Diaz on the hitter's side.
He records a hit 72.46% of the time, 2+ hits 34.78% of the time, and has gone over this prop nearly 50% of the time in elite ratings. That is a 69-game sample size. He has also cleared this line in six of his last 10 elite-rated spots.
Early has also been getting hit hard by right-handed bats this season. Over his last 50 batters faced, they have produced nearly a 70% elevation rate, 53.5% hard contact, and an 11.6% barrel rate, while also carrying a sub-.700 xSLG.
Diaz has been rolling against left-handed pitching. In his last 30 at-bats, he is making nearly 90% contact, with 63.6% hard contact and a .938 OPS. On top of that, he owns an 85% arsenal coverage rating against Early’s mix.
Backing a hitter who is making consistent contact and hard contact against a pitcher who has been getting tagged by right-handed bats makes this a strong look. Getting it at plus money only adds to the appeal.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: RAYS, NESN
Willson Contreras Over 1.5 total bases (+112)
Sticking with this Red Sox vs. Rays matchup, we're backing Willson Contreras to go over his bases as well. The Red Sox veteran owns an elite rating on Batters-Box, where he is backed by some spicy trends.
In 29 elite ratings on the road:
1+ Hit: 72.41%
2+ Hits: 34.48%
Double: 27.59%
Home Run: 27.59%
2+ Bases: 51.72%
Contreras has cleared this prop in seven of his last ten elite ratings on the road.
The Rays send out right-hander Mason Englert, who has been getting torched by right-handed hitters this season. At home, it has been especially rough for the 26-year-old. Right-handed hitters are hitting .409 with a .727 SLG and a .507 wOBA, while posting a 72.2% elevation rate. Overall, Englert is allowing 43.2% hard contact and a 16.2% barrel rate to right-handed bats.
Given the matchup and underlying numbers, I would not go much higher than even money on Contreras and would look to grab the best number available.
I'm not shying away from sprinkling on all three of these guys to leave the yard today, and I am taking them straight up in their spots.
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: RAYS, NESN
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 195-342-29, +0.3 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.
TORONTO, ON- MAY 24 - Dylan Cease #84 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches as the Toronto Blue Jays play the Pittsburgh Pirates at Rogers Centre in Toronto. May 24, 2026. Steve Russell/Toronto Star (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
There are little bits of Jays news today.
Tanner Andrews has cleared waivers and is on his way back to Buffalo. Not really a surprise, but it’s good to keep some pitching depth.
And it sounds like we will have Dylan Cease and Max Scherzer back this week. They have a couple of open spots coming up (and an off-day Thursday). I’d love to see us get out of the ‘two bullpen days out of five’ cycle they have been in. As much as I’d love bullpen usage to return to the days of the 1990s, but that’s not happening. The game has changed.
Of course, I’m not sure that Scherzer will pitch much deeper into game than your average reliever. But having Spencer Miles in the pen to be a long man, as well as Simeon Woods Richardson, who we might see on the mound one day. Getting Yimi Garcia back will help with the pen too. And Tommy Nance should be back soon too. That will make the back end of the pen much better (back end? front end?). Add in that Alejandro Kirk should be back sometime around the end of the week, the team will look a fair bit different soon. Hopefully better.
The big story of yesterday’s game, from the Orioles side, was the lack of a call on Ernie Clements avoiding a potential tag.
I don’t think this explanation is going to help:
Crew chief Hunter Wendelstedt and 2B umpire Nic Lentz explained the Ernie Clement call to a pool reporter and said Gunnar Henderson was still in the act of fielding when Clement established his wide base path.
“It was actually a very gentlemanly thing to do,” said Wendelstedt.
This is the sort of thing that Orioles fans will think he should be out and Jays fans will think they got the call right. Or at least, we’ll be happy that we got the benefit of a bad call.
It didn’t help that they called Jackson Holliday out for leaving the base path, when they should have called him out for the tag, in the ninth inning.
Who figured Brandon Valenzuela would be one of our best players. They are going to have to find a way to keep him in the lineup when Kirk comes back.
Apr 20, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) reacts after striking out Los Angeles Angels second baseman Adam Frazier (20) during the ninth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images
Phillies fans can be complicated. As we saw this past offseason, “running it back” with players who have failed in previous seasons – particularly the playoffs – is not a popular strategy. On the other hand, there was a lot of angst about the team allowing Jeff Hoffman to leave as a free agent after 2024.
Hoffman was a very good reliever for the Phillies, but many people seem to have memory holed his performance in the 2024 NLDS when he may have been as responsible as any player for the series loss.
Despite that, I would have wanted him back at the right price, but not for the contract the Blue Jays offered him. They gave him three years and an opportunity to be the closer, despite several red flags about his health.
In the early part of the 2025 season, there was a lot of complaining when Hoffman was racking up a ton of saves, while the player the Phillies seemed to peg as his replacement – Jordan Romano – was dreadful. Hoffman was generally good in 2025, but in the biggest save opportunity he’ll ever have, he couldn’t get it done.
Jeff Hoffman vs. Miguel Rojas with the World Series on the line.
Tom Verducci and Bob Costas break down the pitch-by-pitch sequence leading up to Miguel Rojas' iconic game-tying home run in the 9th inning. pic.twitter.com/K50C04F0Hi
In 2026, on the surface he has been awful, and was removed from the closer role. But looking at most of the numbers, you wouldn’t think he’s been all that bad. He’s walking fewer batters, striking out more, and giving up less hard contact than last season, giving him a FIP of 2.99.
The biggest problem for Hoffman may simply be bad luck. He’s got an amazing .492 BABIP against him, resulting in a 6.26 ERA. Of course, after a guy blows a World Series, many fans aren’t all that interested in hearing that the poor on-field results are due to bad luck.
“This is up there for one of the weirdest years for a pitcher”
Jays’ Manager John Schneider on Jeff Hoffman’s season.
Schneider also spoke about fans booing Hoffman after he gave up a home run against Baltimore on Saturday: pic.twitter.com/pRqk1SnZNT
— 6ix Inning Stretch Podcast (@6ixinningpod) June 6, 2026
Hating on the Blue Jays
Obviously, the 1993 World Series is a good place to start if you want to work up some animosity against the Jays. The Phillies had one playoff appearance between 1983 and 2007, and Paul Molitor and Joe Carter had to ruin it. It’s perhaps even more galling that they missed the playoffs for the next 21 seasons after that. It’s like they said, “We ruined childhood for a bunch of Phillies fans. We’re good for a while!”
Aside from that, there’s not much to dislike. The Toronto fans are great, and the fact that they have only one non-Jackie Robinson number retired (Halladay) sits well for an elitist like me. (Some franchises would have retired Dave Steib’s number about ten times over.)
But if you do want to hate on these guys, you can bring up the fact that they had a chance to put a stop to the Dodgers’ reign of terror, and they blew it. They had a 3-2 lead in the series and then lost two straight at home. And in game seven, they were two outs away from victory! (Oh, I’m sorry, Blue Jays fans. It must really suck to have your closer blow a save in a decisive World Series game, huh?)
Random guy who played for both teams
The pennant year song battle has run its course. Now, I’m going to start highlighting a former Phillie who you might not have realized also played for the opponent as well.
When thinking of players who suited up for both the Phillies and Blue Jays, Roy Halladay is probably the first name that comes to mind. And if that square comes up in Immaculate Grid, Scott Rolen or Jose Bautista probably get used quite a bit. But did you realize that Mickey Morandini played for the Jays as well?
It’s hard to think of Morandini as anything but a Phillie. A “Harry Kalas special,” Morandini was a member of the 1993 Phillies team that fell to the Jays in the World Series, and after a two-year stint with the Cubs (TIL that Mickey Morandini received an MVP vote as a member of the Cubs in 1998), returned to the Phillies in 2000.
At midseason, with the Phillies comfortably in last place, and Morandini not doing much at all, the Phillies traded him to Toronto so they could give more playing time to younger players like Marlon Anderson and Kevin Jordan.
You're a hardcore Toronto Blue Jays fan if you remember Mickey Morandini playing his final 35 major league games with the club in 2000.
Morandini didn’t do much in Toronto, being worth -0.2 wins above replacement in 35 games. Meanwhile, the player sent to the Phillies was Rob Ducey who had been traded by the Phillies to the Blue Jays two weeks earlier.
😍⚾️STRANGER THAN FICTION: Phillies traded OF Rob Ducey to the Blue Jays for a Player To Be Named Later on 7/31/2000 (John Sneed). Then on 8/7/2000, he went back to the Phillies as the PTBNL in the 8/5/2000 deal for Mickey Morandini. (Getty Images) #philliespic.twitter.com/cNyQtMF3s6
The Phillies’ starting pitching was bad against the White Sox, but with Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler scheduled for this series, that figures to improve. The bigger question is whether or not the recent offensive surge can continue.
The first starter they’ll face this series is familiar: Patrick “Flags Fly Forever” Corbin. Formerly the unofficial holder of the “Worst Contract in Baseball” title (unfortunately, the Phillies have a pitcher who might be the current title holder), he’s surprisingly having a decent season for the Jays, with a 3.98 ERA in eleven starts.
The Jays have yet to announce starters for Tuesday and Wednesday. There’s a chance that Dylan Cease and Max Scherzer will return from the Injured List to make those starts., but the Phillies could also get to go against a bullpen game. (At this point of his career, a game against Scherzer is likely more enticing than facing the bullpen.)
The Phillies should have an opportunity to keep scoring runs as long as players like Adolis Garcia and Alec Bohm (great career numbers against Corbin) don’t fall off a cliff after their recent hot spells.
The reigning MVP and Cy Young Award winners in the American League both are on the injured list.
One is on his way back, the other went on the IL just over the last few days.
Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in a rib that will keep the slugging outfielder out of the lineup for the New York Yankees for a while. The Detroit Tigers have been without ace Tarik Skubal for over a month, but he threw five innings in a rehab appearance for Class A West Michigan.
Even though Skubal might be back soon, you’d rather be the Yankees than the Tigers right now. New York has taken advantage of a Tampa Bay slump and now trails the Rays by percentage points atop the AL East. Detroit, meanwhile, is 12 games under .500. The amount of mediocrity in the AL means the Tigers are by no means out of postseason contention, but they are tied for last in the AL Central even after winning five of their last six.
The last time Skubal pitched was April 29. Since then, Detroit is 12-23.
Judge has played at least 148 games in four of his last five seasons. The one time he didn’t — 2023 — the Yankees missed the playoffs. They’ve lost three of their last five without him this month.
While Yankees and Tigers fans anxiously await the chance to watch Judge and Skubal again, here are a few other significant injuries that could affect postseason races:
— Cal Raleigh, Mariners. After his 60-homer season last year, Raleigh just is batting .161 with seven home runs in 2026, and he’s been out since May 13 because of a right oblique strain. Raleigh has been doing pregame work but likely will need a rehab assignment before returning. Seattle still leads a weak AL West without him.
— Elly De La Cruz, Reds. The star shortstop went on the IL with a right hamstring strain. The timeline to return was 2-4 weeks. Cincinnati is in last place in the NL Central but just 2 1/2 games out of a wild card.
— Francisco Lindor, Mets. New York’s shortstop is out with a left calf strain and hasn’t played since April 22. The Mets have been better of late but are still five games out of a wild card.
Trivia time
Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez pushed his consecutive shutout innings streak to 50 2/3 before it was snapped against San Diego. Orel Hershiser holds the record with a 59-inning run in 1988.
Hershiser also was facing the Padres when he broke Don Drysdale’s mark. How many scoreless innings did he throw in that game to reach 59?
Performance of the week
Detroit’s Dillon Dingler hit two homers, a double and a single in a 10-9 win over Tampa Bay.
Comeback of the week
Houston scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth to beat Pittsburgh 11-9. The Astros trailed 8-3 in the seventh.
Isaac Paredes hit a two-run homer for Houston in the seventh, but with the score 9-5 in the eighth, Pittsburgh’s win probability was up to 98.1% — according to Baseball Savant — after the first two Houston batters struck out.
Then the decisive rally began: Nick Allen and Christian Vázquez hit back-to-back doubles. After Jeremy Peña walked, Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker hit consecutive RBI singles. The tying run then came home on a wild pitch before Cam Smith hit a two-run triple to put Houston ahead.
Trivia answer
Hershiser was able to break Drysdale’s record because his final start of 1988 went to extra innings. He threw 10 scoreless frames in that game against the Padres on Sept. 28, 1988.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 06: Royce Lewis #23 of the Minnesota Twins is seen on the field during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It was another slightly disappointing week, with the Twins splitting a four-game series with the White Sox, and then losing a series to the Royals. The team will now face Detroit and St. Louis this week. Royce Lewis returned to the team on Saturday after lighting up St. Paul with homer after homer, and he started at second base on Saturday and first base on Sunday, going a combined 1-for-8 over the two games. The Twins also said goodbye to Simeon Woods-Richardson, who was traded back to the Blue Jays. Oh, and Byron Buxton left Friday’s game after crashing into the wall and has not come back to the team yet. The team is now 30-37, still somehow only 3.0 games out of the last wild-card spot, but that’s maybe the only silver lining here.
The Past Week on Twinkie Town:
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The Rays and Yankees are now neck-and-neck in the AL pennant race, although the Yankees suffered a big loss last week with Aaron Judge going on the IL with a stress fracture. The Guardians and White Sox sit third and fourth in the race, and the Mariners and Rangers are fifth and sixth.
Nothing has really changed in the National League. It’s Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee in the top three spots. The Phillies, after going on a historic losing streak, have managed to climb their way back to fifth in the NL standings.
Tarik Skubal rumors have been flying around, and Kiley McDaniel at ESPN evaluated a bunch of mock trades.
When not posing for cheeky Spring Training photos, Thornton Lee (lefthander, far right) could mow down the Yankees in complete-game wins.
1908 Here’s all you need to know about how close the pennant race started, as in just four days, with four wins, the White Sox leaped from sixth in the American League to a tie for first place. All in all these wins came as part of a 13-game winning streak that still stands as the franchise’s third-longest. The hot run swung the White Sox five games in the standings, from 2 ½ down in the race to 2 ½ ahead, in first place. However, the White Sox remained there for just 11 games, as the club dropped as far back as 7 ½ games in the race before a furious finish that found them falling just short: 88-64 and 1 ½ games from meeting the Cubs in a second Crosstown World Series in three seasons.
1937 The final win of a 10-game streak (which remains tied for seventh-longest in team history) pushed the White Sox into a tie for first place in the American League. This time, it was the Yankees as victim, falling at Comiskey Park, 5-4. Thornton Lee gave up homers to both Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig in the contest, but went the distance and otherwise scattering nine hits total. The firepower from the top of the White Sox lineup — the top five hitters all had at least two hits,with leadoff man Rip Radcliff clocking in with three — was the difference in the game
At the time the 10-game winning streak started on May 30, the White Sox sat in sixth place in the AL, six games out. And the team the White Sox tied, for just one day, atop the American League? The Yankees, whom they’d just toppled! Both clubs possessed 25-17 records by game’s end.
1947 Luke Appling Day was celebrated at Comiskey Park. The future Hall-of-Famer was among the all-time Sox leaders in numerous categories and won a batting title in 1936, hitting a remarkable .388, and repeated as batting champ in 1943 with a .328 average. He went 1-for-6 in the first game of a doubleheader against Washington, as the Sox lost, 1-0, in 18 innings. (The 18 innings is tied for the 10th-longest game in White Sox history.)
Appling sat out the nightcap, an 8-2 White Sox win.
1951 Chicago-area native Marv Rotblatt became the first pitcher to enter a game while being driven in from the center-field bullpen. Rotblattrelieved starter Ken Holcombe in the eighth inning of Chicago’s 4-2 loss to the Yankees — who stood in their dugout and watched the pitching change in amazement.
And the White Sox picked a great time to unveil this innovation, as a franchise-record 53,940 fans packed Comiskey Park (the record was later broken, but this game remains the third-highest attendance ever in Chicago for a White Sox game as well as the biggest night game crowd ever). The crowd represented 4.1% of the entire season’s attendance (1,328,234), over 77 home dates. And in just two days, another 52,054 fans would watch a doubleheader against these same Yankees.
In the 1960s, Sox pitchers were brought into the game in golf carts, and in 1966, a converted snowmobile that was fitted with special skis so as to not harm the grass, performed the task.
1969 The White Sox proved to be polite guests at Yankee Stadium, dropping a doubleheader (3-1 and 11-2) on Mickey Mantle Day. A crowd of 60,096 showed up to see Mantle’s No. 7 retired.
Also on this day, the White Sox traded reliever Bob Locker to the Seattle Pilots for Gary Bell. It was the first and only trade the White Sox had with the Pilots, who moved to Milwaukee in 1970 to become the Brewers. Locker was suffering a horrendous start to the season, with a 6.55 ERA/5.51 FIP over 17 games on the South Side. However, he was revitalized in Seattle and settled in as Pilots closer over 51 games, with a 2.18 ERA/2.94 FIP and six saves. The rebirth extended Locker’s career, as he would pitch effectively until 1972; in fact, Locker would never have a full season ERA of worse than the 3.15 he spun as a White Sox rookie in 1965.
By contrast, Bell was just as bad in Chicago as Locker had been and would never again pitch in the majors after 1969.
1981 The new-look White Sox found themselves on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Slugger Greg Luzinski was featured with the headline, “The Sox’ New Sock.”
The White Sox beat Toronto that day, 8-2, moving to 28-22 and starting a six-game winning streak.
2001 White Sox outfielder Carlos Lee became the first player to hit a walk-off, extra-inning grand slam in interleague play (including the World Series). His blast in the 10th inning came with two outs, and blew up the Cubs 7-3 at Comiskey Park, in front of a record-setting 45,936 fans. The shot was off of Courtney Duncan. Lee had five RBIs that evening.
It was the fifth walk-off grand slam in White Sox history.
2008 The White Sox tied a major league record when they scored 10 or more runs with 15 or more hits in three consecutive games. The Sox powered past Minnesota three straight times, on their way to a four-game series sweep. The record-setting scores were 10-6, 11-2 and 12-2. The Sox hit eight home runs in the three games, with four coming off the bat of Joe Crede. He had two home runs in consecutive games, tying the team record.
It was just the 24th time in American League history that a club scored 10 or more runs with 15 or more hits in three consecutive games. The White Sox also accomplished the feat in 1920.
CHICAGO — Cubs opening day starter Matthew Boyd has completed a minor league rehab assignment and is expected to return to Chicago’s rotation by next weekend.
Boyd, an All-Star in 2025, is coming back from a second stint on the injured list this season. He’s recovering from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, a freak injury he suffered while he was playing with his kids at home on May 4.
The 35-year-old left-hander completed a five-inning rehab start at Triple-A Iowa, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out seven. He threw 83 pitches, 64 for strikes.
Boyd was in the Cubs’ clubhouse before their game against San Francisco. His return figures to be a boost to Chicago’s injury-wracked rotation.
“He’s healthy. Everything’s good,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Got to the 80-pitch mark, which is a good thing. So he’ll be active on this road trip at some point.”
Boyd missed three weeks in April with a biceps strain. He’s made only five starts in 2026 and is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA. Last season, Boyd was 14-8 with 3.21 ERA in 31 starts.
Slumping Swanson sits again
Two-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop Dansby Swanson was held out of the Cubs’ lineup for a second straight game because of ongoing struggles at the plate.
The 32-year-old Swanson entered batting .180, third worst among regular players in the majors. Over his last 14 games, the two-time All-Star has six hits in 46 at-bats for a .130 average.
Counsell said Swanson probably would start when the Cubs open a three-game series at Colorado. After that, the Cubs will play a weekend series against the Giants in San Francisco.
Nico Hoerner moved from second base to shortstop again. Pedro Ramirez was at second for slumping Chicago, which entered having lost 19 of 26.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 12: Mascot DJ Kitty of the Tampa Bay Rays waves a flag after defeating the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field on August 12, 2023 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox had fewer than two innings to go Sunday afternoon while tied 1-1 and the game ended in a 6-1 loss. A split against the Yankees isn’t the worst possible outcome. Losing two of three would have been worse and the extra day of rest for Payton Tolle is, if anything, a boon. There’s a chance that the Red Sox have a better team when they play “third game”, now scheduled for August 29. But the season doesn’t stop. The Sox have three games against the Tamps Bay Rays. The first place Rays, now tied with the Yankees atop the AL East, thanks to that 8th inning comeback.
All things considered the Sox are catching the Rays at the right time, they’re just 3-7 over their last 10 games. Since ending a five-game winning streak they’re 3-9. But it won’t be a walk in the park.
Connelly Early had a rough start to his outing against Baltimore and gave up 4 runs in 5.1 innings. But he was also let down by his offense, which put up just 2 runs. Over his last five outings though he’s got two 7.0 inning shutouts. Including against the Rays. On May 8th he held them scoreless for 7.0 innings while striking out 8. Ian Seymour is facing him as an opener, which he’s done once this season. Normally a middle reliever, he’s likely to stick around for an inning or two at most. Against the Marlins, Jesse Scholtens was the bulk reliever but he’s now on the IL.
If Early can’t act as the “stopper” tonight, Tuesday night features the man, the mustache, Payton Tolle. Tolle kept the Orioles scoreless for 6.0 innings last time out and has an extra day of rest. Plus the Red Sox road offense. When he faced Tampa in May, he allowed 3 runs (1 earned) in 5.0 innings. This will be his second time facing a team a second time. It didn’t go well with the Atlanta Braves but don’t count out Mass Pike just yet. Nick Martinez, the Rays veteran addition, has been mostly lights out. Except for the last time out against the Tigers. Martinez allowed 6 runs in 4.0 innings. When he and Tolle dueled in May he held the Sox to just a single run at Fenway Park for 5.2 innings.
Wednesday is day baseball and a tall order. The likely starter replacing Brayan Bello is Jake Bennett. The southpaw made two starts earlier this season and went back down to AAA. In Worcester this year he has a 1.60 ERA in 39.1 innings. He’ll be opposed by Drew Rasmussen. He didn’t face Boston in Fenway. Rasmussen has two “bad” starts on the year. He gave up 4 runs in 3.2 innings to the Pirates in April and 5 runs in 4.0 innings to the Angels at the end of May. He missed large parts of the 2023 and 2024 seasons so the Rays want to keep him healthy on the mound. Even in an All Star season in 2025 his outings against the Red Sox were 2.0 and 3.0 innings. He only gave up 3 runs across those outings but the Rays did lose both games.
Junior Caminero has hit 14 home runs.
Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda have 11 homers each.
Chandler Simpson has stolen 14 bases this year but has been caught a league-leading 8 times.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Monday, June 8: Connelly Early (3.26 ERA / 4.63 FIP) vs. Ian Seymour (5.23 ERA / 3.65 FIP)
Tuesday, June 9: Payton Tolle (2.28 ERA / 2.66 FIP) vs. Payton Tolle (Nick Martinez (2.29 ERA / 2.66 FIP)
Wednesday, June 10: TBD (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Drew Rasmussen (3.00 ERA / 3.33FIP)
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal pitched five scoreless innings in the two-time Cy Young Award winner’s first minor league rehabilitation appearance since undergoing elbow surgery in May.
Skubal struck out six and allowed two hits for Single-A West Michigan against Dayton. Forty-four of his 54 pitches were strikes.
“I think velocity was good,” Skubal told reporters. “Execution was good. I feel like I threw a ton of strikes. I was in the zone a lot today. Good day.”
The 29-year-old left-hander had a non-invasive procedure on May 6 to remove a loose body from his throwing elbow. Skubal last pitched for the Tigers on April 29.
Skubal is 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in seven starts this season. He has struck out 45 and walked only six over 43 1/3 innings. Skubal has won the AL Cy Young Award each of the last two seasons.
Skubal was asked when he might be pitching for the Tigers again.
“There’s a plan in place,” Skubal said. “I need to wake up and feel better, feel good tomorrow and have a good week of work and then we’ll make that decision when we need to make it. It doesn’t really do me any good to tell you guys when I’m pitching next. I need to make sure that I bounce back from this one really well.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 6: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium on June 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers had a winning week, taking four of seven games, by splitting with the Diamondbacks in Arizona, then winning two of three at home against the Angels. But they both started and ended the week with losses, frustrating in different ways.
On Monday in Phoenix, they were burned by a lack of offense. On Sunday at Dodger Stadium, the offense was there but the pitching staff had a rare clunker. Pitching has carried the Dodgers this season, but the offense this week fell a little short averaging more than three quarters of a run less than their average.
Put another way, a Dodgers pitcher had a scoreless start of at least six innings three times last week, but said starter only got the win in one of those games. But that same offense scored nine runs in the first inning on Saturday for their biggest frame in five years. This team contains multitudes.
Batter of the week
Shohei Ohtani carried the offense during the week with 12 hits in 25, including two doubles, a triple, and a home run, all part of a 1.312 OPS. He had five multi-hit games in his six games played this week
Ohtani has been humming along in top gear at the plate for the last four weeks, hitting .419/.510/.721 over his last 23 games.
Couple this week at the plate with his six scoreless innings on the mound on Wednesday in Phoenix, it’ll be time to open an investigation if Ohtani doesn’t win National League player of the week.
Honorable mention goes to Dalton Rushing, who started four games behind the plate this week as Will Smith dealt with neck stiffness on Saturday and Sunday, and had four hits on Sunday, including a double and home run.
Honorable mention also goes to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who retired 22 straight batters in his eight-inning gem on Saturday, Justin Wrobleski with his six scoreless innings on Thursday in Arizona, and Ohtani’s six shutout frames on Wednesday.
Week 11 results
4-3 record 31 runs scored (4.43 per game) 27 runs allowed (3.86 per game) .563 pythagorean win percentage
Year to date
42-24 record 345 runs scored (5.23 per game) 212 runs allowed (3.21 per game) .709 pythagorean win percentage (47-19)
Transactions
Saturday: Pitcher Nick Frasso got added back to the 40-man roster but remained in Triple-A Oklahoma City. To make room, Tyler Glasnow was moved to the 60-day IL as he’s been shut down from throwing due to his back injury.
The Dodgers run the Bobby Bonilla gauntlet, hitting the road to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox. Chicago’s rotation for the weekend is more of a guess.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - APRIL 22: Michael Arroyo #8 of the Arkansas Travelers prepares to bat during the game between the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Tacoma Rainiers
Tacoma’s been in a major rut as of late. Down a large portion of their offensive fire power due to a variety of reasons, the already depleted pitching staff has been struggling to buoy the lineup and has subsequently led to some rather tough losses. Dropping four of six this week, the Rainiers fell to 25-38 on the season and will look to flush their first half woes come midsummer.
Longtime farmhand Spencer Packard missed a couple weeks earlier this season, but he’s back and producing consistently for this lineup as a left-handed masher. Up to a .342 average this season, Packard had 10 hits on the series and currently stands with an OPS of .868 at the Triple-A level. The 28 year old has a tough path forward as a defensively limited corner outfielder that’s behind both Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone on the depth chart, but perhaps another team looking for some balance to their lineup will be inclined to give him a shot in a minor trade package at the deadline.
Arkansas Travelers
The Travs had a fantastic series against Corpus Christi this week, taking five of six from the Houston affiliate in their home ballpark. Despite their success, the Travs remain in second place within their division, unable to pace with the red hot Dodgers affiliate from Tulsa. Just a game and a half back with plenty of time left to make their move, the Travs remain well positioned to take the first half title should they be able to maintain this level of play.
Michael Arroyo having a monster series. 4 hits & 2 home runs in his last game & starts today with a solid single. Average up to .276 with a .784 OPS. pic.twitter.com/nOBOdSlyFq
Hello, Arroyo! After a middling start to the season, top prospect Michael Arroyo broke out this week and was absolutely on fire at the plate. Logging nine hits across five games on the series, Arroyo posted a slashline of .429/.500/.714 and raised his season OPS up to .772. Arroyo’s general peripherals aren’t too far out of line to where they’ve been in the past, and though we’re out of pure “small sample” nonsense, a few months of deflated play is far from the end of the world for a 21 year old nearing a promotion to Triple-A. Context here is key; Arroyo is still wildly ahead of the bulk of his peers, and should he maintain this hot streak for a few weeks, he’ll be right back to where evaluators and fans alike expected him to be from the get go.
Not to be outdone at the dish, Lazaro Montes showed his distaste for Dickey Stephens Park by launching another five homers on the road this week, raising his season OPS up to .885. Montes is running some extreme splits this year, with the hulking slugger owning a home OPS of just .515 compared to a monstrous 1.206 mark on the road. Furthermore, his left/right splits have been far more pronounced than in years past; A .542 OPS vs lefties is considerably lower than his career averages, though with just 73 PA on the year, sample size is likely more of the driving factor than anything else. Considering his K% and BB% are nearly identical regardless of handedness, it feels like there’s likely some positive regression toward the mean left for the season. Off to a fantastic start to his year, look for Laz to light up the PCL as soon as he gets his shot at the Triple-A level.
Kade Anderson was unreal again. Final line: 5IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 9K, 16 whiffs, 73 pitches, 47 strikes.
Rounding out the week of outlandish performances, Kade Anderson spun an absolute gem this week, allowing just one baserunner across five innings and punching out nine. With four above average offerings and unprecedented command of each one, Anderson is dominating opposing hitters in the zone despite average velocity from the left side. There’s really not much more to say about Anderson that hasn’t been said already; Anderson is unquestionably one of the best prospects in all of baseball, and if he were asked, he could probably pitch in a major league rotation tomorrow.
Everett AquaSox
The Frogs managed a series win against the league-leading Eugene Emeralds this week, taking four of six from one of the best teams in all of minor league baseball. Now back over .500 for the first time in a while, the AquaSox will look to build upon this fantastic series win and carry some momentum into the second half.
Jonny Farmelo built on his solid series last week and turned in perhaps his best week of the season. Totaling nine hits against Eugene, Farmelo launched a trio of homers this series and collected six extra base hits. Better still, Farmelo continues to draw walks at an excellent clip and raised his season mark to 16.67%, a truly outstanding figure for someone with a relative lack of plate appearances due to injury. He’s still not back to his old self on the basepaths just yet, but with his topline speed looking positive, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll regain his prowess at stealing bases and continue to ascend toward his sky high potential.
Brandon Eike has continued his hot hitting and looks to be due for a promotion to Double-A in the coming weeks. A natural third baseman, Eike has split time at both corner infield positions this season and has pummeled the baseball all season. Sitting presently with an OPS of .876, Eike’s power stroke will need to carry him throughout his career as he ascends through the minor leagues; his walk rates are roughly average and his less-than-stellar contact skills make him a “TTO” type of player long-term. Hopefully he’s able to prove himself at the Double-A level and prove he’s a real candidate for the big leagues down the line.
Inland Empire 66ers
The 66ers split against a very solid San Jose team this week, a Giants affiliate currently sitting in first place of the North division in the California League. Inland Empire has had a rough go of it through the first couple of months this season, but perhaps a second half surge is somewhere on the horizon.
Outfielder Korbyn Dickerson has been on a really nice stretch of late. Missing a few games early this week (though unconfirmed, it looked as though it was a precautionary measure), Dickerson continued his hot hitting and collected four hits across three games this weekend. With both a homer and a triple under his belt, Dickerson is in the middle of an eleven game hitting streak and has raised his season OPS up to .835 with 12 stolen bases. Dickerson is one of the strongest prospects outside of the “upper tier” that features the organization’s first or second rounders in recent years, and though his draft position ended up being several rounds lower, Dickerson’s upside remains on par with many of the players drafted ahead of him. He’s a name to monitor over the coming weeks.
Another week, another Mason Peters gem. Now sitting with a 1.59 ERA on the season, Peters is tied for third in all of minor league baseball (with top prospect Seth Hernandez) with a 31.8% K-BB% among pitchers who’ve thrown as many innings as he has, only trailing Toronto’s Nolan Perry and the aforementioned Kade Anderson. Peters’ ascent has been hard to understate this season; he’s increased his prospect pedigree in a very real way and should consistently find himself on the cusp of the organizational top ten when mid-season rankings become public.
ACL Mariners
The top prospects residing on the Baby M’s roster have been on something of a skid as of late, but it’s still rather early to be drawing any conclusions right now. We’ll see where they stand come the end of the season, but right now, both Becker and Bautista haven’t produced as well as you’d like to see.
DSL Mariners
The DSL squad kicked off their season with a bang this week! Currently on a four game streak of scoring in the double digits, this iteration of the DSL team looks far more competent offensively than we’ve seen in recent years. It should be a very exciting season down in the DR!
Seattle Mariners prospect Juan Rijo, who signed for $2.2M in January hit his first professional home run. pic.twitter.com/68tyZsN2oJ
— Dmoney #ElijahWilliamsFC (@JoshCaronIsHim) June 3, 2026
Top prospects Juan Rijo and Gregory Pio are the top two names to know on this roster. Both receiving hefty bonuses this past cycle, the pair of outfielder have produced well over the first handful of games in their professional career and feature tantalizing potential. They’re both batting .333 or better and have shown off impressive slug to boot. Both figure to fit somewhere inside the top 20 prospects organizationally.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 07: Carson Benge #3 of the New York Mets rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the San Diego Padres during the sixth inning at Petco Park on June 07, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.
MONDAY
The Mets played their 12th extra-inning game of the season. No other team in MLB has played more than nine this season. Only the 1971 Mets and 1978 Mets experienced more extra-inning affairs through their first 60 games of a season.
The Mets mustered just two hits in ten innings. It’s the fourth time in franchise history they’ve managed two hits or fewer in an extra-inning game, joining: October 1, 1982 at Philadelphia; July 6, 1972 vs. San Diego; June 14, 1965 at Cincinnati. Somehow, the Mets’ record in these contests is now an even 2-2.
The Mets made five outs on balls hit with an exit velocity of 100+ mph for a second consecutive game, and their fifteenth game this season. The Mets are tied with the Braves for the most such games in the Majors this season.
In the Mets’ 13th game at T-Mobile Park, Marcus Semien became the first Met to homer from the right side in Seattle.
Jared Young’s 424-foot homer off Emerson Hancock is the longest home run hit by a Met at T-Mobile Park in the Statcast era (since 2015).
TUESDAY
Carson Benge recorded his first multi-homer game, becoming the youngest Met with a multihomer game since Francisco Alvarez had one at 21 years and 315 days old on September 30, 2023 against the Phillies.
Benge, Juan Soto, and Brett Baty all recorded hits with an exit velocity over 109 mph. It’s the first time that three Mets notched hits at 109+ mph in a game since September 17, 2025, when Baty, Pete Alonso, and Starling Marte did it against the Padres.
Cionel Pérez set the Mets’ record for fastest pitch by a left-handed pitcher this season on four separate occasions, dialing it up to 97.8, then 98.2, then 98.3, and then 98.5 mph. As of May 29, no Met left-hander had thrown a pitch above 95.0 mph this season. Since then, Pérez has thrown 19 in three innings of work.
Logan Gilbert generated 21 swings and misses against the Mets, trailing only a pair of Dodgers in Yoshinobu Yamamoto (23) and Shohei Ohtani (22) for the most in a game against New York this season.
WEDNESDSAY
The Mets won at T-Mobile Park, snapping a seven-game losing streak in Seattle dating back to July 29, 2017, when a 23-year-old Edwin Díaz secured the save against the Mets.
Bo Bichette’s four-hit game was the 19th of his career. Since his rookie season in 2019, only Luis Arraez (23) has more four-hit games, while Freddie Freeman and former Met Amed Rosario are tied with him for second place at 19 four-hit games.
Carson Benge became just the ninth Met to record 10 stolen bases before their 60th career game. He will surely have company in that club soon, as A.J. Ewing already has 7 stolen bases in just 25 career games.
Freddy Peralta generated 18 swings and misses over his six innings of work. That’s the most whiffs in a game for a Met this season, and the most for a Mets right-hander since Kodai Senga racked up 22 at Coors Field on June 6, 2025.
The Mariners’ Dominic Canzone recorded two batted balls with an exit velocity of 112 mph or higher. He’s only the fourth player in the Statcast era to pull off that feat against the Mets, joining Yordan Alvarez and Oneil Cruz — each of whom have done it once — as well as Giancarlo Stanton, who has done it a whopping six times.
FRIDAY
A.J. Ewing became the youngest Met to steal two bases in a game since Fernando Martínez, who at 20 years and 234 days old was the youngest Met ever to do it on June 1, 2009 during an 8-5 loss in Pittsburgh.
Ewing also recorded his sixth game with at least one hit and at least one stolen base. That ties him with Ronny Mauricio for the most such games through a player’s first 23 career games in Mets history.
Bo Bichette hit his one triple of the season. I say “his one triple of the season” since in five of Bichette’s past six seasons, he has finished the year with exactly one triple to his name.
Luis Torrens hit a home run to center and a double off the left-center-field fence. It’s the second time in Torrens’ career that he’s recorded two batted balls which traveled a Statcast-projected 375+ feet in the same game. The other time came exactly two years earlier, on June 5, 2024 in Washington.
Torrens recorded back-to-back multi-hit games for the first time this season. Jared Young…also recorded back-to-back multi-hit games for the first time this season.
The Mets earned their third win with zero runs allowed and three or fewer hits allowed this season. The only teams in MLB with more such wins this season are the Brewers (4) and Dodgers (5).
Since the start of May, only one Mets pitcher has finished a game with at least 5.2 scoreless innings: Christian Scott, who has done it twice.
The Mets earned their eighth shutout win against the Padres since 2012. Six of the previous seven were started by Cy Young winners, with one started by Johan Santana, one started by R.A. Dickey, one started by Max Scherzer, and three started by Jacob deGrom. The other was started by Noah Syndergaard on July 28, 2015 — one night before the Mets nearly made a franchise-altering trade.
SATURDAY
A.J. Ewing put together a seven-pitch at-bat against fireballer Mason Miller with two outs in the ninth, eventually drawing a walk. That ties the Nationals’ Luis García Jr. and the Angels’ Yoán Moncada for the longest at-bat from the left side against Miller this season.
To make that at-bat against Miller more impressive, the 103.3-mph fastball that Ewing fouled off was the fastest pitch a Met batter has seen since April 12, 2025, when Luis Torrens fouled off a 103.7-mph fastball from none other than A’s closer Mason Miller. That pitch also came with the Mets down to their final strike.
Nolan McLean threw a career-high 101 pitches. He had previously reached exactly 100 pitches on three separate occasions this season.
Padres catcher Freddy Fermin hit his first home run of the season, and his first home run since September 16, 2025…against the Mets at Citi Field. Combined with his three-RBI performance on Sunday, six of Fermin’s last eight RBI have now come against the Mets dating back to last season.
SUNDAY
Carson Benge became the third-youngest Met to record a five-hit game. Only John Milner (22 years, 255 days on September 8, 1972) and José Reyes (22 years, 328 days on May 5, 2006) did it younger. Benge was the first Met with a five-hit game since Francisco Lindor on July 6, 2023, and the first Mets rookie with a five-hit game since Pete Alonso on August 15, 2019 (Amed Rosario also had five hits that day, marking the only time two Mets have accomplished the feat in the same game).
The Mets recorded eight base hits with an exit velocity of 100+ mph, tying their record for most in a game this season. A.J. Ewing, MJ Melendez, and Brett Baty each had one, Bo Bichette had two, and Benge had three.
Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:
Here are the Mets’ all-time leaders for hits out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order:
Tom Seaver (146) Dwight Gooden (144) Tomás Nido (102) Jerry Koosman (98) Sid Fernandez (94)
(If you’re wondering, Francisco Alvarez is currently tied for 10th place with 57.)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 06: Dylan Crews #3 of the Washington Nationals gets ready in the batters box against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 06, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After spending the first month and a half of the 2026 season in Triple A, Dylan Crews has now played 16 games at the big league level this season. In that time, the results haven’t quite shown up for him, with a .197 batting average, 1.5% walk rate, and 58 wRC+, but it hasn’t been all bad either. Let’s take a look at everything going right, and wrong, for Dylan Crews since he returned to the majors.
Starting with the good, Crews has torn the cover off the ball since his return to the bigs, with an average exit velocity of 90.8 MPH, ranking in the 83rd percentile of all big league hitters. He had been roasting the ball in Triple A, with a 99th percentile average exit velocity of 94.7 MPH up in Rochester, so it’s great to see that part of his game still translating.
Crews has also cut down his strikeout rate 5.1% from 2025 to 2026, down from 23.6%, in the 49th percentile, to 18.5%, in the 75th percentile. While his chase rate has gone up from 29% to 38%, he has cut down his whiff rate from 30% to 24%, meaning he’s getting the result he wants more often when he swings the bat. While he’s been more aggressive on pitches outside the zone in 2026, Crews has also been more aggressive on pitches inside the zone, taking his Z-Swing% from 66%, the 45th percentile, to 69%, in the 71st percentile.
Dylan Crews’ Statcast metrics from 2025 to 2026 The good: Average EV: ⬆️1.3 MPH Whiff Rate: ⬇️6.2% K%: ⬇️4.3%
The bad: Chase Rate:⬆️9.3% BB%:⬇️5.7%
Needs to be working the counts more and laying off pitchers pitches so to earn himself strikes to hit pic.twitter.com/gpzza8We33
Crews has been hitting the ball harder, making more contact when he does swing, and has been more aggressive on swinging at good pitches to hit, so what has been going wrong for him that his numbers are still lacking? The primary issue for him at the moment is his chase rate, which, as mentioned before, is in the 38th percentile, ranking in the 11th percentile in MLB. The free-swinging approach has led to a lot of hard contact so Crews so far, but it has also put him behind in a lot of counts, as he goes fishing for breaking balls out of the zone.
Crews has also continued to struggle to pull his flyballs in the air consistently, an issue that has plagued his power potential for a few years now. His 8.7% pulled flyball rate is in the 13th percentile of big league hitters, and plays a large role in why his slugging percentage of .322 is .145 points under his expected slugging percentage of .467. Crews’ exit velocities are encouraging enough to suggest he could hit 20+ home runs per year eventually, but not if he is limiting his ability to get the ball over the wall by hitting it to center and right field.
Crews has also not been taking many walks in his return to the bigs, with 1 walk in 65 plate appearances, resulting in a 1.5% walk rate. Crews hasn’t struggled drawing walks in his first 2 big league stints, so his low walk rate shouldn’t be too much of a concern yet with such a limited sample size, but it is interesting how much of a point Crews has made it to be aggressive in the box, swinging early and often in counts looking to do damage.
Overall, the surface numbers don’t look great for Crews in what is now his 3rd big league season, but the under-the-hood metrics suggest he is making some improvements, which could result in success in the near future. He needs to make some adjustments, such as cutting down on the chase rate and lifting the ball more to the pull side, and he may never be elite in those categories, but Crews certainly has the tools to be a productive big league hitter over a large sample size one day.
Yordan Alvarez
Yandy Diaz
Willson Contreras 
