ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 28: Jake Burger #21 of the Texas Rangers celebrates after hitting a single in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 28, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for July 29, 2026 against the Tampa Bay Rays: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Casey Legumina opening for Ian Seymour for the Rays.
Texas will try to make it two in a row against Tampa, who has a righthanded pitching opener going in front of a lefthanded pitching pseudo-starter. That’s why Joc Pederson and Evan Carter are on the bench. Lefthanded hitting Alejandro Osuna is in the lineup, though, which helps explain why the Rangers are reportedly looking for a righthanded hitting outfielder at the trade deadline.
The lineup:
Langford — DH
Duran — 3B
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Foscue — 2B
Lopez — SS
Cauley — CF
Osuna — LF
Diaz — C
5:40 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +120 underdogs.
The federal probe is examining whether the empire of the billionaire and chief executive of Guggenheim Partners was involved in fraud from private-credit deals. An employee of Walter’s reportedly raised red flags over suspicious revenue booking.
Mark Walter suffered a stroke midway through the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series run. MediaNews Group via Getty Images
But there’s more worry surrounding the sports mogul.
The health of the 66-year-old is also a topic of concern for some inside Walter’s business empire, according to the Wall Street Journal. In the middle of the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series run, Walter reportedly suffered a stroke and was notably absent from the team’s festivities after the team had been crowned champions.
Walter was present for the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series win at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, but didn’t join the team for the trophy presentation in the Bronx in 2024. Now, it’s been revealed he was dealing with a medical emergency at that time.
The Dodgers did not respond to a request for comment.
The recovery process from the stroke was reportedly arduous for Walter as he struggled to speak clearly for months. According to executives and investors involved with Walter, they felt that his mental sharpness had declined since the stroke.
Other sources told the Wall Street Journal that there was no evidence of Walter’s health emergency affecting his decision-making for the business empire.
Mark Walter and Guggenheim Baseball Management purchased the Dodgers from former owner Frank McCourt in 2012. MLB Photos via Getty Images
Since spearheading that $2.15 billion purchase, however, Walter has developed a reputation as a largely hands-off owner, leaving day-to-day operations to team president Stan Kasten and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
In recent years, he has been an increasingly rare presence around the club, as well, making only a handful of public appearances during regular season play each year.
“They make all the decisions,” Walter quipped after last year’s World Series, when asked how much he trusts his “baseball people” to run the franchise. “I just tell them yes.”
Walter has been a more constant fixture during the Dodgers’ annual postseason runs, and also accompanied the club on its season-opening trip to Tokyo last season –– only five months after his stroke reportedly occurred.
Still, his absence from the 2024 World Series celebration was notable, with the team not disclosing at the time why he was unable to be present for their title-clinching victory at Yankee Stadium in New York.
In the two years since, Walter has had a couple of public flubs in Dodgers-related speaking appearances.
During the team’s trip to the White House in April 2025, the Chicago-based businessman briefly mispoke when he said the organization had “committed $100 million to help Chicago –– or, LA fire” relief efforts, before brushing off the slip with a chuckle.
Last week, during the team’s return trip to the White House, Walter appeared to become confused about which notes he was supposed to be reading from during a prepared speech, before manager Dave Roberts briefly stepped in to assist.
Walter’s interactions with the press in recent years have almost exclusively been limited to impromptu scrums following playoff games –– most recently, in the wake of last year’s Game 7 triumph in Toronto, after he went on stage to accept the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Walter was last seen around the team immediately after the White House trip last weekend, talking to Roberts and other members of the organization on the field during batting practice before a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
Mark Walter purchased the Lakers for a record-setting $10 billion in October 2025. Getty Images
Last year, of course, Walter further expanded his footprint in the Los Angeles sports market by purchasing a controlling stake in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation through his TWG Global group. Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen became the Lakers’ president of business operations months after that sale, while Friedman and fellow Dodgers executive Farhan Zaidi have served in advisory roles for the basketball team.
Walter’s portfolio also includes ownership of the Sparks’ WNBA franchise, TWG Motorsports’ Formula 1 racing team, a partial stake in Chelsea Football Club of the English Premier League, and the entire Professional Women’s Hockey League (which he founded in 2023, and whose trophy is named the “Walter Cup”).
The Mets took the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves by a score of 3-2.
Here are the takeaways...
-- It was another big day for the Mets' pair of young outfielders. With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Carson Benge came through against left-hander Dylan Dodd, roping a double into the right-field corner to give the Mets the lead.
Benge had a pair of hits on the afternoon and now has a .718 OPS on the season.
-- A.J. Ewing had a more productive day at the plate than his line score might let on. The rookie reached base on an error his first time up, singled in his second at-bat, and had an RBI sac fly to center in the fifth. He then walked in the seventh, and came around to score the go-ahead run on Benge's RBI double.
Ewing was on base three times, stole a pair of bases, and scored a run.
--Sean Manaea pitched through traffic in the early going, but the lefty got a couple of double play balls and some timely strikeouts to pitch around trouble, working through his first three innings without allowing a run.
Again, in the fifth inning, Manaea had a couple of runners on base, but forced Ronald Acuña Jr. into an easy flyout to left to get out of the jam.
Manaea’s shutout ended in the sixth, as he allowed a Drake Baldwin double and then a Matt Olson two-run blast, tying the game in the blink of an eye.
Manaea, leaning heavily on his four-seam fastball, went 6.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, striking out four and walking two.
-- Francisco Alvarez continued his hot streak at the plate. With the game still scoreless and a pair of runners on in the bottom of the fifth, Alvarez drove an RBI double to the wall in left center, scoring the game’s first run.
Alvarez now has a .791 OPS on the season.
-- Huascar Brazoban, Luke Weaver,and Devin Williams all held the Braves at bay, combining to go three scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
-- AJ Smith-Shawver made his first start of the season. Coming off Tommy John surgery, the right-hander pitched well, allowing two earned runs in 4.1 innings on four hits. He struck out four and walked two.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 28: Luis Lara #18 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a two-run RBI triple against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the seventh inning at Oracle Park on July 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. The Brewers won the game 8-2. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the second straight series, the Milwaukee Brewers will look to win the last game of the series to win the series, as they go for their fourth straight series win since the All-Star break.
Rumors of trades were beginning to swirl around midday today as Shane Drohan was originally scheduled as the starting pitcher for this afternoon’s game before getting bumped back. Instead, the Brewers have recalled Thomas Pannone from Triple-A Nashville to start. With this move, Garrett Stallings was optioned back to Nashville.
This move comes as manager Pat Murphy is trying to get a number of the young arms a bit of a breather, and with the off day coming, this move only makes a number of sense as we enter the dog days of the season.
As for Pannone, today’s start will be his first as a Brewer and just his second appearance in the Major Leagues since 2023. Pannone has had quite the road in professional baseball since his last outing in June of 2023; after throwing 2.2 innings against the Pirates, he was designated for assignment before being released. He then bounced around in the Korean Baseball Association before spending time in the Minor League systems of the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs.
This season with the Nashville Sounds, he has posted a 3.54 ERA through 16 appearances. He’s not a huge strikeout pitcher, as he only has 57 of them through 72.0 innings pitched, making him very much a Brewers-esque pitcher. Today isn’t the first time he will appear against the Giants either; back in April 2019, he threw 2.1 innings against them, allowing two runs on two home runs as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Taking a look at the Brewers lineup today, Murphy will trot out a very similar lineup as he did in last night’s 8-2 victory, the only changes being Jake Bauers will get the start at first base, and Gary Sánchez will start behind the dish. Christian Yelich will spend the second straight day as the cleanup hitter while Brice Turang seeks to continue his hitting prowess at the plate.
The Crew will have their hands full today, offensively speaking, as they’ll have to stare down the right-hander Logan Webb, who makes his 18th start of the season. This season, he has held opponents to a .231 batting average while also limiting the walks to just 29 through 112 innings pitched. On the bright side for the Brewers’ bats, Webb has been struggling in July as he enters today with a 7.54 ERA, striking out just 13 batters over 22.2 innings.
The Giants will look to win back-to-back series for the first time since the beginning of June, when they did it against the Brewers and the Cubs.
First pitch is 2:45 p.m., and you can find it on Brewers.TV and WTMJ 620.
To refresh your memory: Alcántara wasn’t traded by the Marlins a year ago at the deadline largely because they were asking for too much in return — which was the same for most starting pitchers a year ago. The Marlins also decided to hang on to Alcántara over the offseason.
Their patience has paid off, at least in Alcántara’s individual performance. He leads MLB in games started and innings pitched — he’s thrown 150.2 innings, which is 12 more than anyone else. That includes seven shutout innings against the Phillies Tuesday night, with five strikeouts. That lowered his season ERA to 3.81, his best since he won the NL Cy Young Award in 2022.
It seems clear that Alcántara is all the way back from the Tommy John surgery that had him miss all of 2024, though his K rate is down somewhat. He still throws hard:
The Marlins were, for a time, in the wild card race. In fact, after defeating the Mariners July 9 they were 52-42 and tied with the Phillies for the second wild-card spot, just half a game behind the Cubs.
Then they lost 12 in a row. They’ve defeated the Phillies two days in a row (thanks, Marlins!) to get back to .500. They are still only two games out of the last wild-card spot — but there are four teams ahead of them (Diamondbacks, Pirates, Nationals, Padres).
I think there clearly is a pivot for the Marlins at this point. I don’t expect them to be flat-out sellers—that I do not expect. But I also don’t believe they will be buying any players for right now. Any trades that they potentially will make I believe will be for the future.
“If you’re asking if any players could be traded from this year’s team, I still think it’s to be determined. You have to look at players that are on expiring contracts at the end of this season. A lot of teams are gonna certainly call regardless of the outcome of this season on Pete Fairbanks. He has an expiring contract at the end of the season. Somebody could certainly take a shot on him at the end of the year. Whether or not he gets traded, I don’t know the answer.”
“But as far as players on this team, we have to stop talking about Sandy Alcantara being traded! He’s not going to be traded. And there are a lot of players on this team…Eury Pérez, Max Meyer, Joe Mack—these are cornerstone-type players. I believe they will be with this team through the deadline and through the future.”
Okay, Mish says flat-out that Alcántara isn’t going to be traded. But you know how that goes — sometimes teams do things when you least expect it.
It should be noted that Alcántara has been much better in Miami this year (11 starts, 2.95 ERA, 1.023 WHIP, 4 HR in 73.1 innings) than on the road (12 starts, 4.66 ERA, 1.384 WHIP, 13 HR in 77.1 innings), though the road numbers are skewed by two really bad starts early on, one in Detroit, the other in Toronto, since then his road numbers have been decent enough.
Alcántara has a team option for 2027 at $21 million, which doesn’t seem unreasonable, or a $2 million buyout. Honestly I don’t see the Marlins paying that. Alcántara is their highest-paid player at $17 million ($11.2 million luxury tax hit) and they have only one other player making more than $1.8 million (closer Pete Fairbanks at $13 million). Miami’s total payroll is 29th in cash ($100.9 million) and last in luxury tax ($82.6 million). Of course, we don’t know what sort of system will be in place for the 2027 season and beyond until there’s a labor agreement, but I’d think the Marlins would sell Alcántara for young, cost-controlled players. The Cubs could afford to pick up that team option. (Payroll and tax numbers here are from Spotrac.)
Last winter the Cubs sent Owen Caissie (and two minor leaguers) to the Marlins for Edward Cabrera.
So what if they sent Jaxon Wiggins and Kevin Alcántara to Miami for Sandy Alcántara? Would that be enough?
If this is it for Tarik Skubal in a Tigers uniform, he goes out with the admiration of the fan base.
In the first inning of Skubal’s start against the Orioles Wednesday — potentially his final start with the Tigers ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline — he struck out Taylor Ward swinging to record his 1,000th career whiff.
Immediately after the K, Skubal was given a standing ovation from a raucous Detroit crowd, with video cameras out and active.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) tips his hat to the crowd after he gets 1,000 strikeouts in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Comerica Park jumbotron showed a picture of Skubal with his signature and “1,000 career strikeouts. Tarik Skubal” written alongside it.
Skubal, set to be a free agent after the 2026 season, has been involved in trade rumors all season after failing to sign an extension last offseason.
While the Tigers’ 22-40 start made it likely Skubal would be dealt, their recent hot stretch — going 29-17 in the last 46 games entering Wednesday’s finale against the Orioles — has delayed a decision, though he could still be on the move.
Tarik Skubal has reached 1,000 career strikeouts and receives a standing ovation from Comerica Park! pic.twitter.com/MU8Zdq4lWh
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 19, 2026: Luis Hernández #8 of the San Francisco Giants bats during the fifth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Cincinnati Reds at Scottsdale Stadium on March 19, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Just five games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Tuesday, as AA Richmond had their game postponed (they’re playing a doubleheader today), while the Arizona Complex League season is over. Let’s dive into the action.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Some unfortunate news, as AA Richmond outfielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) was placed on the 7-Day IL. That’s not normally something that happens during off-days, so that’s a little strange. Hopefully he’s OK and this isn’t the end of his excellent season. High-A Eugene second baseman Isaiah Barkett, who was also just promoted, was also placed on the 7-Day IL.
In happier news, AAA Sacramento RHP Trent Harris (No. 29 CPL) was named Pitcher of the Week in the Pacific Coast League!
AAA Sacramento (56-44)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 8-4 Box score
This game was all about the players at the back. The top (and heart) of the lineup was awful, while the back of it was excellent. The starting pitching was poor, while the bullpen was mostly strong.
That was especially stark on the lineup front, where the 1st 6 hitters recorded just 2 of the team’s 8 hits. The 1st 4 — a quartet of players who are all hoping to make MLB debuts by the end of this season or early next year — especially struggled. Second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) hit 0-4 with a strikeout and a double play; center fielder Scott Bandura went 1-4 with a strikeout; third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hit 0-4 with 2 strikeouts (his 1st hitless game since getting promoted); and left fielder Bo Davidson went 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
But at the back of the lineup? Designated hitter Turner Hill, catcher Adrián Sugastey, and shortstop Aeverson Arteaga each hit 2-4. Hill in particular had an excellent game, smacking a 2-run home run and stealing a base, as his splendid 2026 continues.
Hill’s numbers are really jumping off the page through 76 games with the River Cats: that’s a large enough sample that there’s nothing fluky about his average (.333), OPS (.899), wRC+ (137), strikeout rate (8.4%), or base-stealing (22 in 25 attempts). The only thing that probably isn’t sustainable is the power, which is largely a result of the Pacific Coast League … Hill has 7 homers in those 76 games, with just 5 home runs in 281 games at all other levels of the Minors, and his average exit velocity is 39th percentile in AAA.
With Jonah Cox and Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) likely returning to health soon, and with the Giants motivated to get longer looks at Grant McCray and Drew Gilbert, it seems highly unlikely that Hill, who is 27, will make his MLB debut this year and clog the roster through the offseason. But, assuming he survives the Rule 5 Draft (which is no certainty, though there’s a good chance there isn’t a Rule 5 Draft this year), he’s a player who should show up to Spring Training in position to fight for a backup outfield spot.
Sugastey also went deep, smacking a solo home run in the 9th inning. He’s fit right in since getting promoted, hitting 6-16 with 2 home runs, 1 walk, and just 1 strikeout. Though, like Hill, Sugastey is not a player who has a lot of power, so the homers are a little PCL-influenced. Still, great to see him hitting the ground running at the highest level of the Minors.
On the mound, it was a very poor start for LHP Matt Wilkinson, who really struggled to fool batters with his pitches. He was simply far too hittable, giving up 8 hits in 3.1 innings, with 3 of those hits clearing the fence (and another 2 of them being doubles). Tugboat also walked 2 batters, en route to allowing 6 runs, though he did strike out 4 (though 4 strikeouts in 3.1 innings sounds a lot better than the equally factual 4 strikeouts out of 20 batters faced).
It’s a little hard to evaluate hittability in the PCL due to to all the aforementioned home runs. How much of it is because of the Coors Field-esque environments, and how much is the result of 90-mph fastballs and breaking balls set up by 90-mph fastballs being quite hittable? Wilkinson has a solid 10.2 strikeouts per 9 innings in AAA, with a not-too-bad 3.9 walks, but he’s also ceded 6 home runs in 25.2 innings, leading to a 5.61 ERA and a 6.28 FIP. I know fans are clamoring for a debut on that front but … maybe let’s give him some time to develop!
The bullpen was solid. RHP Braxton Roxby pitched 1.2 no-hit innings, though he walked 2 and didn’t strike anyone out. RHP Spencer Bivens gave up a home run to a rehabbing Brendan Donovan, but otherwise didn’t allow any baserunners in 2 innings, while recording 4 strikeouts.
A brilliant and well-rounded offensive display from the Emeralds, despite their best prospect, Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) getting a day off. Eugene hitters had 14 hits and 6 walks on the day, with 8 of the 9 players in their lineup recording a knock.
The best day belonged to third baseman Walker Martin, who hit 1-3 with a 2-run home run, a walk, a hit by pitch, and a strikeout.
Martin, the team’s 2nd-round pick in 2023, has really been able to tap into his power a bit this year, as he has 14 home runs (5th in the organization), and a career-best .184 isolated slugging percentage (26th out of 72 Northwest League hitters with at least 150 plate appearances).
Unfortunately, while the power is there, the contact simply isn’t, as Martin continues to struggle with just putting the ball in play. Among those 72 hitters, his .230 batting average is 54th, his 33.6% strikeout rate is 67th, and his 19.7% swinging strike rate is 71st (ahead of only his teammate Jakob Christian [No. 40 CPL]). So there’s certainly a lot for Martin to work on.
A pair of other players had extra-base hits: left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL), who went 1-4 with a triple, a walk, and a strikeout, and designated hitter Robert Hipwell, who hit 2-4 with a double, a hit by pitch, and 2 strikeouts. Gutierrez has now hit safely in 18 of the last 21 games, and during that time is 27-70 with 2 homers, 9 total extra-base hits, 18 walks, and just 13 strikeouts. That’s brought him up to an .840 OPS and a 126 wRC+ on the season, and I’m wondering if he might get a taste of AA ball before the year ends … which would be wildly impressive, considering as how the 21-year old lefty had played in just 85 games before this season began.
As for Hipwell, he’s been hitting well since returning from a brief demotion to Low-A, as he’s gone 7-13 with 3 extra-base hits and 3 walks in 4 games since getting back to Eugene … though he’s also struck out 8 times. Those strikeouts are the downfall for the 2024 6th-rounder currently, as he has a terrifying 41.6% K rate at the level, which has resulted in just a .183 batting average and a .687 OPS … though his wRC+ is still 94, thanks to a sky-high 18.1% walk rate.
A trio of other players reached base 3 times: center fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) hit 3-5 with a strikeout, raising his OPS to .780 and his wRC+ to 98; catcher Daniel Rogers went 2-4 with a walk, boosting his OPS to .627 and his wRC+ to 71; and shortstop Zane Zielinski hit 2-4 with a walk, a strikeout, and a stolen base, giving him a .739 OPS and a 102 wRC+. Zielinski had been playing in AA Richmond for a while, but was struggling, and returned to Eugene when Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) was promoted.
A very odd start for LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL). We’ve grown very accustomed to De La Torre limiting hits but giving up a ton of walks, but even so, this start was an extreme for him, as he allowed just 2 hits in 5 innings, while walking 6 batters. The good news is that resulted in just 1 run against him; the bad news is that his typical strikeout stuff was nowhere to be found, as he only K’d 2 batters on the day.
LDLT, who threw just 45 of 87 pitches for strikes, is now up to a terrifying 7.2 walks per 9 innings … a very bizarre number after he only walked 3.3 per 9 in his breakout campaign last year, including just 2.8 per 9 in his 35.2-inning stint in Low-A to end the year. Where did all these walks come from? His strikeout rate has also dropped a bit, though that’s not surprising when moving up a level, and it remains at a very nice 11.4 per 9.
But the walks and the home runs (he’s allowed 9 in 78.2 innings, despite just 54 total hits) have done him in, giving him a 5.15 ERA and a 5.21 FIP, despite some clearly electric stuff in his arsenal. Weird season.
A pair of other pitchers who struggle to avoid walks pitched, but, unlike De La Torre, they did a good job at suppressing free passes. That would be, of course, the 2 relievers with arguably the nastiest and hardest-throwing stuff in any Giants affiliated bullpen, RHPs Liam Simon and Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL). Simon pitched 2 scoreless innings with 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout, while Maldonado struck out the side in his scoreless frame, with 1 hit and 0 walks. Both players have comical strikeout and walk numbers: 49 strikeouts and 31 walks in 33 innings for Simon (who has a 5.45 ERA and a 5.46 FIP), and 37 strikeouts and 32 walks in 24.2 innings for Maldonado (who has a 3.65 ERA and a 6.27 FIP). Always good to see them pitch in control … Maldonado was especially impressive, throwing 12 of 16 pitches for strikes. More of that, please!
Low-A San Jose (56-41)
San Jose Giants beat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels) 12-4 Box score
The big news for San Jose is, of course, the arrival of a pair of shortstop phenoms, Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) and Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL). And you know what? That’s going to be the news and the story for the rest of the year with the Baby Giants, and nothing will come close it it.
Tuesday was a good day on that front. It was good for González because he played, period. The 18-year old switch-hitter, who played shortstop in this game, left his Low-A debut on Saturday with what the team called a groin cramp. It was a scary scene at first … González has dealt with multiple hamstring injuries this year, and he left the game in the middle of an at-bat, so the assumption was that it was something fairly serious. Thankfully it was not, and he was back in the lineup and leading off on Tuesday, where he went 0-4 with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts.
He scored after one of those walks, thanks to Hernández. The 17-year old righty, who played third base in this game, only hit 1-5, but he sure made that “1” count, with an absolutely stunning 2-run home run in the 1st inning.
17-year-old Luis Hernández clubs his first Single-A homer in his 3rd game for the @SJGiants 💥
It’s hard to properly state how impressive Hernández’s combination of power and contact ability are, especially for a 17-year old infielder. So I won’t even try to state it. I’ll just say that the kid is very, very special.
A pair of players from the 2025 draft class also went deep, as catcher Junior Barajas and right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) both hit 2-5 with a solo home run. For Barajas, it’s the continuation of a 3-act play where power is concerned. Just look at how the home runs have gone for the debut season of last year’s 11th-rounder:
First 8 games: 4 home runs Next 54 games: 2 home runs Last 3 games: 4 home runs
When it rains it pours, for better and for worse! Barajas has just a .763 OPS and an 89 wRC+ on the year, but the son of Rod Barajas is certainly showing flashes with the bat, and he’s a damn good defensive player.
Maldonado, last year’s 7th-round selection, has also been extremely streaky with the long ball. The 22-year old righty, who had a stretch in April where he homered 6 times in 4 games, hit his 1st big fly since June 12, ending a streak of 23 consecutive games (17 with San Jose, and 6 while rehabbing an injury in the ACL) without leaving the yard. July had been fairly dismal for Maldonado (who was 1-22 since returning to San Jose prior to this game), so hopefully this is the start of him ending his season on a high note. He has a .790 OPS and a 91 wRC+ on the year.
Another tough outing for RHP Trey Seeley, who came an out away from a very aesthetically pleasing line: last year’s 14th-round pick gave up 4 hits, 4 walks, and 4 runs, with 4 strikeouts, though he only made it through 3.2 innings. So close! Seeley, a 24-year old who signed for $25,000 out of Hope International, has a 9.00 ERA and a 9.90 FIP with San Jose, though he is striking out 12.2 batters per 9 innings. Wildly, nearly half of his allowed hits are home runs: in 20 innings he’s given up 22 hits, including 10 big flies.
RHP Evan Gray, a 15th-rounder in 2024, threw 2 no-hit innings with 1 hit batter and 1 strikeout. It was a much-needed nice outing, after giving up runs in 3 straight appearances. The 25-year old has a 5.01 ERA and a 5.20 FIP.
Dominican Summer League Black (26-15)
DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Tigers 1, 7-6 (8 innings) Box score
Nice games from a pair of DSL veterans who will likely make their way to Arizona come the spring. Left fielder Franco Willias, a 21-year old from the DR who is in his 3rd season, hit 2-4 with a triple, a walk, and a caught stealing. That pushed his hitting streak to 11 games, and he’s 20-43 with 8 extra-base hits and 5 walks during that time, pushing his OPS to 1.064 and his wRC+ to 159. He’s been one of the best players in all of the DSL this season.
Shortstop Keiberg Camacaro, a 19-year old from Venezuela who is in his 4th season, went 3-4 with a stolen base. After a strong June, Camacaro has been otherworldly in July, posting a 1.169 OPS in the month. On the year he has a 1.041 OPS, a 157 wRC+, and 23 stolen bases in 25 attempts. Just a spectacular year, following a very poor 2025.
The best pitching performance belonged to LHP Moises Soto, a 17-year old from Venezuela who was making just his 2nd career appearance. Soto struck out 2 batters in a no-hit relief inning, though he did issue 2 walks. LHP Santiago Guerrero, a 19-year old from Mexico who is also in his debut season, struck out 6 batters in 2.2 innings, though he allowed 2 hits, 4 walks, and 5 runs. Guerrero has 31 strikeouts in 27 innings this year, and has only allowed 13 hits … but he’s walked 28.
A few nice games in this one. Center fielder Jose Valdez, a 17-year old from Venezuela, had a perfect outing, going 3-3 with a walk, 4 runs batted in, and a stolen base. Valdez has had a really nice debut season, with an .854 OPS, a 110 wRC+, and 8 stolen bases. My guess is that he’ll be staying in the DSL for another year, though, so that he can work on his contact skills (he has a .263 average and a 23.9% strikeout rate).
A pair of other players in their debut seasons shined: shortstop Jonathan Valle, an 18-year old from Cuba, went 1-1 with a double and a walk, while left fielder Angelo Ugueto, a 17-year old from Venezuela, hit 2-3 with a triple, a walk, and a strikeout. Valle has really struggled (.475 OPS, 19 wRC+), while Ugueto (.666 OPS, 75 wRC+) has been a little better.
RHP Frainer Mejias, a 20-year old from Venezuela who is in his 4th season, threw 1.2 no-hit innings with 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 2 strikeouts. It’s been a tough season for him, as he has a 5.71 ERA, a 7.85 FIP, and more walks than strikeouts.
Home run tracker
14 — Walker Martin — [High-A] 12 — Cam Maldonado — [Low-A] 10 — Junior Barajas — [Low-A] 7 — Turner Hill — [AAA] 7 — Luis Hernández — [1 in Low-A; 6 in ACL] 5 — Adrián Sugastey — [2 in AAA; 2 in AA; 1 in ACL]
Wednesday schedule
Sacramento: 7:05 p.m. PT at Tacoma (SP: TBD) Richmond: 9:05 a.m. PT doubleheader at Somerset (SPs: Trystan Vrieling & Greg Farone) Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Tri-City (SP: Hunter Dryden) San Jose: 6:30 p.m. Pt at Rancho Cucamonga (SP: TBD)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 24: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Friday, July 24, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants conclude this three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon from Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Logan Webb, who enters today’s game with a 3.98 ERA, 3.50 FIP, with 89 strikeouts to 29 walks in 113 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, in which he allowed four runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
He’ll be facing off against Brewers right-handed rookie Shane Drohan, who enters today’s game with a 3.51 ERA, 3.02 FIP, with 82 strikeouts to 23 walks in 82 innings pitched. His last start was in the Brewers’ 5-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Friday, in which he allowed five runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 28: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the San Diego Padres consoles Luis Campusano #12 of the San Diego Padres after he was thrown out at home plate during the second inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on July 28, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Colorado Rockies (42-66) at San Diego Padres (54-53), July 29, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST
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Los Angeles, CA - July 28, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) runs to second base during the ninth inning of an MLB game against the Seattle Mariners at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
It’s been almost four weeks since Shohei Ohtani last pitched in a game, still managing the left knee inflammation that still isn’t 100 percent. But that’s not the only injury the Dodgers superstar is dealing with.
After Tuesday night’s game, Ohtani revealed that his right bicep has also been bothering him. That was part of the reason that his planned bullpen session over the weekend in New York was scrapped.
“It started with the knee, and the bicep thing started when he took a swing — I don’t know, three or four weeks ago. Then as we got to the break we wanted him to rest his knee, to rest his body and arm. Then as he started ramping back up, in the bullpen … it just wasn’t responding. Nor was his knee,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters Tuesday night, as shown on SportsNet LA. “There is an effect from the lower half to the compromising of the upper half. So trying to mitigate that, we stopped the throwing, stopped the bullpens, trying to take care of the knee and hopefully not try to create velocity with the arm that’s not 100 percent.”
Ohtani homered and doubled on Tuesday, part of a three-hit game against the Mariners. But he’s hitting .250/.307/.500 in July, decent numbers but well below his established norms. Since the All-Star break, Ohtani is hitting .238/.283/.405.
The Dodgers hold an 11 1/2-game lead in the National League West. They are making the postseason, and it would take a lot for them to not be one of the top two seeds, securing them a bye past the wild card round. They are a team managing with an eye toward October, a month they have already secured though not yet clinched.
If there was ever a time to be conservative, to take a step back, this is it.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 21, 2026: Tate Southisene #19 of the Atlanta Braves covers as Coby Morales #38 of the New York Yankees steals second base during the first inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves made the ultra-aggressive move to promote their star infield prospect Tate Southisene to Double-A at the age of 19 after just 104 professional games, but his run with the Clingstones is going to have an unfortunate interruption. In the second inning of his debut on Tuesday night Southisene was hit in the wrist by an errant sinker up-and-in, and while he initially remained in the game to run the bases he was pulled in between innings. The Columbus Clingstones announced that the Braves 2025 first round pick, who received a $2,622,500 signing bonus last summer, would be placed on the injured list, halting his meteoric rise through Atlanta’s ranks.
— Columbus Clingstones (@GoClingstones) July 29, 2026
Southisene has been nothing short of phenomenal in his first full season of professional baseball, with a 139 wRC+ split across Single-A Augusta and High-A Rome. He spent most of the season in Single-A, where he hit .297/.429/.500 with eight home runs and 36 stolen bases in 51 games, before what was seen as an aggressive call up to High-A in early June. Southisene took about a series to adjust to High-A pitching before going on a rampage and hitting .272/.393/.456 over his final 30 games in High-A. His power numbers did take a dip, but his ability to work deep counts and recognize the strike zone is years ahead of the typical 19-year-old and that approach is what gave the Braves confidence he could succeed in Double-A. Southisene is starting to get top 100 looks nationally, and though his ultimate defensive home is still up in the air he is seen as one of the best position player prospects in recent seasons for the Braves and a player who projects to being at least a solid major league regular.
Jul 4, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws a runner out at first against the New York Mets in the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Colin Hubbard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Rise and shine, Braves country! A Wednesday split doubleheader is at your service.
Chris Sale is on the mound for the Atlanta Braves to face the New York Mets in today’s second game of the doubleheader in this three-game series.
With a 2.19 ERA, Sale has been a dominant force on the mound that continues to produce, even when the offense hasn’t been. His last outings against the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers in mid-July showed everything the Braves have been trying to execute. Coming off the All-Star break, that’s the spark they needed to show the work they’ve put in coming to fruition.
Monday night’s matchup, however, was the opposite of that.
Mets’ Christian Scott is boasting a 3.13 ERA across his 14 games this season, and is expected to provide a steady duel against the Braves’ ace.
The Mets have also been a team that’s been struggling with consistent offense, but Monday’s matchup showed they could get hot unexpectedly and run with it.
It’s disappointing to experience a loss, but even worse when it’s behind a Chris Sale start. Expect a pitcher’s face-off, but uncertainty when it comes to both teams’ offense. Will the Braves bounce back after Monday to finish off this doubleheader, or will they fold under the pressure?
Tune in at 7:10 p.m. to find out.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, July 29, 7:10 p.m. EDT
Location: Citi Field, Flushing, NY
TV/Streaming: BravesVision
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
DENVER, CO - JULY 22: Starting pitcher Gabriel Hughes #43 of the Colorado Rockies delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field on July 22, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sloppy defense and ineffective pitching led to a gut-punch loss for the Colorado Rockies Tuesday night. The Rockies had four errors and allowed six walks, making it hard to quell the continuous pressure from the San Diego Padres. Now, the Rockies look to snag a series split to close out the short stint against the Padres.
Gabriel Hughes (0-2, 2.79 ERA) looks to continue the strong start to his young career. Over his three starts, Hughes has proven to be unflappable and capable of handling any type of big league lineup. He has gone at least five innings and allowed three or fewer runs in each start while striking out at least five batters. In his last outing, Hughes battled the Washington Nationals, allowing just one run on five hits over five innings of work. Hughes’ cut fastball continues to baffle hitters and when his secondary pitches are working, he can almost look unhittable. The issue he ran into his last time out was that the Nationals ran his pitch count up with an excess of foul balls. That was also what got Michael Lorenzen in trouble yesterday. Either way, Hughes will have to find a way to get ahead of the Padres and work quickly and efficiently to save the bullpen.
The Padres announced that Kyle Hart (0-2, 5.21 ERA) will make the start today. A starter for most of his professional career, Hart has mostly been used as a reliever by the Padres at the big league level. In 27 appearances this season, including two starts as an opener, Hart has allowed 24 runs over 38 innings with 33 strikeouts and 12 walks. His last time out, Hart tossed two scoreless innings against the Miami Marlins and in the outing before that he started against Athletics and threw a scoreless inning. He has faced the Rockies three times this season, allowing three runs on four hits over 5.2 innings of work. In five total outings against the Rockies, he owns a 2.70 ERA in 13.1 innings.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 24: Tyler Soderstrom #21 of the Athletics high fives teammates after defeating the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Friday, July 24, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Michael Turner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
For the Guardians to remake their lineup with real intent, they will need to swing big at the fast-approaching MLB Trade Deadline, which is why they should try to land the Sacramento Athletics’ Tyler Soderstrom.
You can view our larger trade deadline piece here as we discuss a wider pool of options the Guardians may consider. To make my position clear, I expect the Guardians to make smaller moves, like trading Bo Naylor and getting a castoff/undervalued reliever. But, in the interest of exploring potential larger moves, we are doing a series looking at some of those bigger names. So far, we have discussed Spencer Steer, Luis Arraez, Shea Langeliers, Taylor Ward, Heliot Ramos, Jo Adell and Ty France. Although the Guardians’ greatest need is hitting, the market is aflush with starting pitching so it also may make sense for the Guardians to see if they can find a good value there, as we wrote here and looked at specifically with Jose Soriano.
Soderstrom is 24 years old and signed to a 7-year, $86 million extension with a team option for 2033 at $12.29 million. Over the past two years, he has a 125 wRC+, 21/10 K/BB/%, while managing a 102 wRC+ against LHP in that time period showing he is not a platoon player. He has a .475 slugging percentage and has been a good left fielder by Defensive Runs Saved at +14 and slightly below average there by Outs Above Average at -1.
Why would the Athletics trade Soderstrom? It should be clear to the Athletics that they need to leverage some of their major league talent into some prospect help for their upcoming move to Las Vegas. Soderstrom is a good piece but probably worth more to trade now then to hang on to in hopes he will be in his prime when the team reaches Vegas. It will not be cheap to acquire Soderstrom and will require two top 100 prospects given his years of cheap team control… likely will take something like Angel Genao and Braylon Doughty, and probably a lower level prospect thrown in. Expensive, but, in one fell swoop, the Guardians would provide themselves a middle of the order hitter making their lineup something like:
Kwan CF
Jose 3B
DeLauter DH
Soderstrom LF
Bazzana 2B
Angel Martinez RF
Manzardo 1B
Bailey C
Rocchio SS
Is that a lot of lefties? Yes. The majority of major league pitchers are right-handers and most of these lefties can handle southpaws with aplomb. It is worth noting that Soderstrom isn’t a pull-hitter as much, explaining why his 54 career homers look like they’d be 45 at Progressive Field, but getting a few more pulled-balls-in-the-air is something he could potentially work on doing to increase his offensive output in Cleveland.
What do you think about making a big swing for Tyler Soderstrom? Let me know in the comments below.
KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 30: Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo before the Royals home opener against the Minnesota Twins on March 30, 2026 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The 2026 season has been a big fat dud for the Kansas City Royals, a team that had designs on competing in what looks like a weak Central Division. With the August 3 trade deadline soon approaching, the Royals will almost certainly be sellers. The question is – what path will they take? General manager J.J. Picollo has said the team will be “open-minded to anything,” but will the team look at a modest sell-off of expiring contracts, a more aggressive re-tool, or will they combine selling with buying?
Here’s what each approach would look like, and what it would mean for the future of the franchise.
The obvious moves
Any team out of contention is going to look to move players on expiring contracts. The Royals have a few candidates.
John Schreiber has been fairly effective this year, and relievers are always in demand at the trade deadline. He has been a righty-killer – they’ve hit just .178 against him – but he has been hittable to lefties.
Lane Thomas hasn’t been great, but he’s a solid right-handed bat who has hit .261/.366/.432 against lefties. Contenders could view him as a nice complement to their lineup.
Starling Marte is a good clubhouse guy and has some value as a bench option, but the return is going to be very light for a 37-year-old with a 81 OPS+.
Matt Strahm would have been a good trade chip except he has given up 10 home runs in 34.2 innings with a 6.75 ERA. Unless some team thinks they can fix him quickly, I wouldn’t count on a suitor.
Kris Bubic is throwing and expected to return in August, but his injury and lack of availability will considerably diminish his trade value.
Carlos Estévez and Jonathan India are unmovable due to injury and ineffectiveness.
Moving any of these players other than Bubic is a no-brainer, to get some sort of compensation for a player that won’t be under contract by November.
Bubic is a different case in that the Royals could risk offering him a Qualifying Offer to bring him back next year on a one-year deal. Plus it is very difficult to say what the trade value is for a guy with his injury history who is currently out. Most likely his trade value is quite low, although you could argue that they should move him for anything they can get. Had he returned before the deadline and established his health in a few outings, it would be a different story. The Royals seem to be snakebit historically in having valuable trade pieces get injured before the deadline!
The retool
The problem with just trading the rentals is that teams don’t give up a lot for two months of service unless it is for an elite talent. Controllable years have value, and if the Royals are serious about adding talent to contend in the future, they may have to part with players that are under club control beyond this year.
Jeff Passan of ESPN suggested the Royals retool, writing that “Most of their top prospects are at the lower levels, so focusing on near major-league-ready talent — ones who will be there when the Royals move into their new stadium in 2030 or ’31 — makes sense.”
That means holding on to core players – Bobby Witt Jr., Jac Caglianone, Carter Jensen – but being willing to deal players who will be eligible for free agency in a year or two. The most likely candidates are pitchers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha. The Royals opted not to trade Lugo a year ago, instead signing him to an extension that will pay him $20 million next year, with a vesting option for 2028. The 36-year-old has had mixed results since signing the extension, and the Royals may want to free up financial flexibility and avoid age catching up with him.
Wacha has been excellent this year, earning an All-Star appearance, and he is under a very club-friendly contract that will pay him $14 million next year with a $14 million club option for 2028. But if the Royals want to replenish the young talent in the organization, they may need to move the veteran while his value is still high. Wacha has been a steady contributor the last few years, but is 35 years old, and Father Time catches up to everyone.
Picollo seems open to moving the veterans, but with some reservations, saying “we have to be very, very pointed on what we want to get out of any one of those two. And it’s also, they made a commitment to us, and that’s big. And I think that’s important to the morale of the team.”
A retool could involve trading younger players as well. Daniel Lynch IV is having a breakout season in the bullpen, but the team could look to move him while his value is high. Michael Massey and Nick Loftin have also emerged as quality bats, but having both on the roster may be redundant, leaving one of them as a trade candidate. Vinnie Pasquantino could also become available if the team wants to get Caglianone back to first base, although his offensive struggles and recurring wrist injuries make a deal less likely.
Selling and buying
The Royals are coming off back-to-back winning seasons, and even though they missed the playoffs last year, they seemed to think they were on the right track. Although this year has been a disaster, the Royals have indicated they think the nucleus of this team can get back to contention.
“You all know the core we have on this club that’s going to be back in the coming years,” Picollo told reporters last week. “It’s a really good starting point. So if we can add to the roster and get our roster better, that will be the objective.”
I would not rule out the Royals actually adding to the roster at the deadline, despite their place in the standings. They wouldn’t be interested in short-term players, but those that can help in 2027 and beyond. What would that look like? Perhaps they trade away Michael Wacha, but acquire a younger pitcher with some promise to take his place in the rotation. They trade away a short-term bat like Lane Thomas, but also look to acquire a young outfielder with potential in a separate deal.
The farm system has made great strides this summer, and the team could look to cash some of those chips in now to position the team back into possible contention for next year. They know they have a window with Bobby Witt Jr. they need to maximize, and they need to build a good team around him to have a chance at a postseason run.
What about a full-blown rebuild?
Passan writes that the Royals “can’t totally tear things down, not with Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia locked up long term.”
But what if even Bobby is not off-limits?
At the Athletic, Red Sox beat writer Jen McCaffrey considers what it would take for Boston to acquire the All-Star shortstop, and suggests a starting point of outfielder Roman Anthony, pitcher Payton Tolle, top shortstop prospect Franklin Arias (#7 overall in MLB Pipeline’s list), and pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson (#49).
Sure, Bobby Witt Jr. signed a long-term deal with the club, but remember he has an opt out after the 2030 season. And the Royals may want to move him before that, when his salary rises $30 million in 2028. You could get a lot of talent for him. Anthony was third in Rookie of the Year voting last year, Tolle has been terrific this year at the MLB level, and Arias and Eyanson are both top prospects in baseball that could be in the big leagues in a year or two.
But it ain’t gonna happen.
Players like Bobby Witt Jr. are once-in-a-generation talents that don’t come around all the time. Prospects are great, but they often fail. Trading Witt for four young players – even highly rated ones – is still trading 80 cents on the dollar. Plus the team is trying to build support for public financing for a new stadium – dealing your franchise player is not conducive to that goal.
The Royals aren’t deciding whether to buy or sell. They’re deciding how aggressively to reshape the roster. Trading the expiring contracts is the easy part. The harder question is whether Picollo is willing to sacrifice good players today to build a better team in 2027 and beyond, or whether he believes this core simply needs a few tweaks to get back into contention. The next few days will reveal just how much faith the front office still has in this roster.
