ESPN reported that Joey and Jesse will be on the Padres’ ownership group's advisory board.
Then there’s the ongoing struggle with their sister Jeanie. She’s trying to maintain her role as governor and controlling owner of the Lakers while her five siblings are pushing for the family to sell its 17.8% in the Lakers.
The Lakers were sold this month to businessman Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion. Mark Walter bought the team about a year earlier and that sale impacted the youngest of four Buss brothers.
ESPN’s Sham Charania reported in November that Joey and Jesse had been terminated from their front office positions as the Lakers reorganized their basketball operations department.
Their father, the late Jerry Buss, owned the Lakers from 1979 until his death in 2013.
It’s unclear what role Jesse and Joey Buss had with the Lakers. But ESPN reported that as members of the advisory committee they would draw on their experience with “player development, payroll management and roster construction.”
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 14: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers looks on after the final out of the top of the eighth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on August 14, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for August 26, 2026 against the Chicago White Sox: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Sean Burke for the White Sox.
It is Game 3 between the White Sox and the Rangers, and Texas needs to win this game in order to 1) win this series, 2) get back to .500, and 3) split the season series against the White Sox, and thus not immediately lose the first tiebreaker if the teams are tied for a Wild Card spot.
The lineup:
Pederson — 1B
Seager — DH
Langford — LF
Nimmo — RF
Duran — SS
Carter — CF
Foscue — 2B
Diaz — C
Freeman — 3B
6:40 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +107 underdogs.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 21: Sonny Gray #54 of the Boston Red Sox throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park on August 21, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TV: NESN
First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET
While it would probably be better to have Sonny Gray facing the Yankees in a pivotal series for playoff implications this weekend, Boston’s Cy Young candidate takes the ball in Miami in hopes of completing a second sweep in a row for the Red Sox. The veteran right-hander is a remarkable 16-3 on the year in a resurgent season in the rotation.
Here’s who the Red Sox will send to the plate behind him Wednesday evening at loanDepot Park.
The Marlins will counter with Ryan Gusto, holding a 4.32 ERA in 17 appearances. Miami is clinging on for dear life in the National League Wild Card race, sitting four games back of the final spot and one game over .500.
As Mark Vientos nears a return from his rehab assignment, the question of how the slugging right-hander fits into this version of the Mets was raised to interim manager Andy Green, and the skipper did not mince words.
"I don't know," Green said prior to Wednesday's game with the Brewers. "I was very forthright with him when he started the rehab assignment that a lot of that will be dictated by how others perform and also by how he performs. Still think there’s a very bright future for him out there if he wants to grab a hold of it. That’s on him."
The current construction of the Mets roster doesn't lend itself to a lot of at-bats for Vientos to start with. Even with the added roster spot on Sept. 1, the team has to use the DH spot to give time to other players, including Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez and Luis Robert Jr., as well as the eventual return of Juan Soto, who could see time as DH.
Vientos, who was placed on the IL back on July 10 with a fractured hand, has played three minor league games between Double-A and Triple-A. In that span, he's 0-for-9 with a walk and five strikeouts.
With no remaining options, Vientos will rejoin the team, but as Green put it Wednesday, it'll be a proving ground for the young slugger.
"When he gets back in the box, take advantage of the at-bats you do get. Prove you deserve more at-bats," Green continued. "I think people get into different phases in their career at different points in time. He has all the talent that he possessed in ‘24 when he was hitting close to 30 home runs and didn’t start the season with the big league club. It’s all right there. It’s on him for that to come out.
"We certainly want to see it come out. It’s not going to be a perfectly laid path for him, though, when he does come back."
Vientos had a breakout season in 2024, smashing 27 homers and driving in 71 runs across 111 games. The following season, Vientos played 121 games but only hit 17 homers and 61 RBI.
In 73 games this year, Vientos is slashing .211/.256/.388 with an OPS of .644 to go along with his 11 home runs and 35 RBI.
Andy Green was asked what role he foresees Mark Vientos having on the Mets when he returns from injury:
"I don't know. I was very forthright with him when he started the rehab assignment that a lot of that will be dictated by how others perform and also by how he performs.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 14: Mason Montgomery #46 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the ninth inning during the game against the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park on August 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pirates bullpen is one of the main reasons why a once promising season turned on a dime and became the most disappointing in a decade.
It’s improved since the All-Star break and especially the trade deadline, but a combination of relievers sank the Pirates’ ship.
Dennis Santana opened the season as the Pirates’ primary closer, but struggled mightily.
The baton has been passed to lefty Mason Montgomery. He took it and ran.
Montgomery owns six saves in eight opportunities and a 3.19 ERA over 53.2 innings this season.
His .187 opponent batting average is the best of his career and has limited hitters to 22 walks.
Montgomery has become a significantly different pitcher in July and August, depleting a 4.68 ERA down by a run and a half since being entrusted with a more high-leverage role.
In 13 games spanning 12.1 innings in July, the hard-throwing lefty earned a 1.46 ERA. Montgomery struck out 23 and limited opposing hitters to a .073 average.
Montgomery owns a 100-101 mph fastball that has played well at the top of the zone. It’s enhanced his slider (16%), sinker (16%), and curveball (14%) usage and his ability to keep hitters off balance.
Despite being a background character in the Brandon Lowe trade, Montgomery may become the most important addition.
With Lowe set to be a free agent and Jake Mangum profiling best as a fourth outfielder, Montgomery has emerged as the Bucs’ best relief pitcher.
August has been nearly perfect. Through nine games (8.2 innings), Montgomery hasn’t allowed a run and has dominated opponents.
The results speak for themselves with 18 strikeouts compared to four hits and one walk, a 0.58 WHIP.
Montgomery has converted all four saves he’s attempted.
While the bullpen has let the Pirates down on numerous occasions and derailed the season, the brightest star shining on the mound could provide the team with a closer for years to come.
Montgomery is under team control for four more years and has sorted out his control issues that plagued him in Tampa.
In 53.2 innings, Montgomery has struck out a career-high 87 batters compared to 22 walks.
Fans pleaded for the Pirates to acquire Aroldis Chapman leading up to the deadline, but they’ve developed their own flamethrowing left-hander to anchor the bullpen and finally lock down the ninth.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - AUGUST 8: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers has trouble with his PitchCom reciever during the fourth inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 8, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The series finale between the Dodgers and Atlanta Braves features a wonderful pitching matchup, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale on the mound on Thursday night at Truist Park.
Sale (2.20) and Yamamoto (2.61) are second and third in the National League in ERA, with Yamamoto (3.03) third and Sale (3.06) fourth in xERA.
Yamamoto leads the majors averaging 6.59 innings per start and has allowed nine total runs in his last six starts. Sale since the All-Star break has allowed nine runs in six starts, with 49 strikeouts and only three walks.
The Dodgers scratched together three runs against Sale on May 8 at Dodger Stadium, during which the left-hander struck out seven with no walks in seven innings of a tough-luck loss.
Another busy roster week for the San Diego Padres’ minor league affiliates as two of the four stateside teams had a miserable week and the Dominican Summer League regular season comes to a close.
El Paso outfielder Dustin Harris, who was released and then re-signed just a couple of weeks ago, had a blistering week at the plate and was promoted to San Diego.
Outfielder Samad Taylor began his rehab with Triple-A El Paso and should be ready soon.
Two more recently signed players, second-round draft pick Elliot Lascelles and undrafted free agent LHP Andrew Wright, were both assigned to Low-A Lake Elsinore to begin their professional careers.
Lascelles, 18, is a Canadian shortstop with advanced plate discipline and bats left-handed. His draft evaluation suggested he is better suited to second base.
LHP Luis Gutierrez finished his rehab and will be with the Double-A San Antonio Missions to finish the season.
Shortstop Bradley Frye, an undrafted free agent from last season, was promoted to Single-A Fort Wayne on Aug. 5 and was named Midwest League Player of the Week at the end of this past series. Frye went 10-for-24 with a 1.189 OPS in five games. He had two doubles, a triple, and a home run with seven RBI and three stolen bases. That puts him tops on the team, but he has only 48 at-bats in his 15 games overall.
The Dominican Summer League regular season finished with the Padres Gold team ending with a 40-16 record, advancing to the playoffs. The Brown team finished 11-44 for the season, last in their division.
The Gold team began their playoff schedule against the Giants Black team and won the first game 5-3.
The starter for the Gold team, RHP Yoandres Valdiviezo, was roughed up in the first inning, allowing two earned runs on two hits and five walks. He was replaced after 0.2 innings by RHP Wilfred Paca, who threw five innings of one-hit ball with a walk and three strikeouts.
The rest of the bullpen finished out, allowing one more run over 3.1 innings. Closer Alvieris Polanca picked up his first playoff save.
The offense plated five runs on nine hits with singles and one double. Left fielder Cristian Benavides was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, and third baseman Dawry Guerrero was 2-for-4 with a double and five RBI.
The second game of the series was yesterday.
El Paso Chihuahuas (50-75 record, last in PCL East)
The Chihuahuas went 1-5 for the week, wasting the breakout performance by outfielder Dustin Harris. Harris hit .500 with a .556 OBP. He had two home runs in his five extra-base hits with nine RBI in four games.
LHP Jagger Haynes had a two-start week with one good showing and one not as good. Over his two starts, he pitched 10 innings with six runs allowed on nine hits. Since his promotion to El Paso, Haynes has been up and down in his six games started and has a 7.13 ERA.
RHP Jhonny Brito has nine starts and 37.1 innings pitched with a 2.89 ERA. With RHP Joe Musgrove scheduled for a start with the Chihuahuas this week, Brito probably won’t be the first pitcher used to supplement the rotation. If Musgrove completes his rehab soon, Brito should be a safety valve for the Padres, if needed.
Reliever Hunter Stratton, acquired at the trade deadline, has been outstanding for El Paso. In seven games and 9.1 innings pitched, Stratton has allowed five hits and no runs with five walks and 10 strikeouts. He could also provide depth for the pitching staff in San Diego.
Catcher Ethan Salas cooled off significantly over the past series. Salas was 3-for-19 with a walk and one strikeout. Overall, in 19 games, Salas is hitting .317 with a .949 OPS, hitting three homers with 20 RBI.
Roster changes
Catcher Victor Duarte was sent to the development list in Arizona and RHP Ty Adcock was placed on the injured list.
RHP Jose Leclerc was assigned to El Paso from San Antonio.
San Antonio Missions (54-66 record, last in Texas League South)
The Missions went 3-3 for the week Fabian is third in home runs with 10 and second in RBI with 48. He has 68 strikeouts. corner outfielder and first baseman Albert Fabian having a good month. Fabian, 24, has been in the system since 2019 and will be a free agent at the end of the year. For the week, he went 10-for-25 with four doubles and a home run. Fabian is third in home runs with 10 and second in RBI with 48. He has 68 strikeouts.
Outfielder Alex McCoy has played in nine games since his promotion. In 42 at-bats, he is hitting .333 and has a .896 OPS with three doubles, two home runs and nine RBI.
Outfielder Braedon Karpathios leads the team with 14 home runs and 58 RBI but has 148 strikeouts in 463 plate appearances (almost 32% K rate).
RHP Eric Yost turned in 6.1 innings pitched this past week with four hits, no walks and six strikeouts as a piggyback to LHP Luis Gutierrez. He has a 3.22 ERA in 89.1 innings for the year.
Gutierrez is building up after missing most of the season due to a shoulder injury in April.
Roster changes
RHP Victor Lizarraga was promoted to San Antonio from Fort Wayne.
Outfielder Carson Tucker was placed on the injured list, and outfielder Justin DeCriscio was promoted to the Missions from Fort Wayne.
Outfielder Kai Murphy was assigned to the Arizona development list.
Reliever Bernard Jose was moved from Fort Wayne to San Antonio.
RHP Johan Moreno was moved from El Paso to San Antonio.
Fort Wayne TinCaps (50-68 record, last in Midwest League East)
The TinCaps went 3-3 for the week with shortstop Bradley Fry distinguishing himself in his five games played. The other players promoted to Fort Wayne from Lake Elsinore are continuing to have difficult adjustment periods with their new team.
RHP Kannon Kemp, over his past two games started and nine innings pitched, has allowed no runs with ten strikeouts while featuring a 98 mph four-seam fastball. Overall, Kemp has a 4.66 ERA in 29 innings with the TinCaps after starting with the ACL team. The righty began the season on the injured list after suffering a right oblique injury during the spring.
Starting pitchers Carson Montgomery, Bryan Balzer, and Abraham Parra have had up-and-down seasons with Fort Wayne. All have high upsides, with Montgomery having his first season back from Tommy John surgery and Balzer relatively new to pitching but drawing attention as an intriguing prospect.
Parra, 20, is not a top 30 prospect per MLB Pipeline (the others are No. 30 and No. 5, respectively) but is an intriguing arm to follow going forward. Signed as an international prospect out of Venezuela, Parra started with the DSL in 2023 and 2024. He played his first season stateside in 2025 for both the ACL team and Lake Elsinore.
In 2026, he has 16 starts in 21 games and 89 innings pitched with a 5.76 ERA, 82 strikeouts to 56 walks. He currently features a 97 mph four-seam fastball but needs to improve his command and walk rate.
Roster changes
Infielder Yimy Tovar was promoted from Lake Elsinore to Fort Wayne.
RHP Maikel Miralles was sent to Arizona, and RHP Matt Watson was sent from San Antonio to Fort Wayne to replace him.
Lake Elsinore Storm (61-59 record, 2nd in California League South)
The Storm has lost seven straight, going 0-6 for the week. Struggling on both sides of the ball, Lake Elsinore will go into the playoffs after finishing their season with two more series. They won the first half but aren’t playing well to end the year.
Left-handed hitting shortstop Lascelles has infused some energy with his arrival, but the team is overall not scoring. After losing many of their best players at promotion time, the new infusion of talent started well but has tapered off significantly.
RHP Luis Maracara, 19, joined the Storm after pitching with the ACL team and has started seven games in his nine appearances. He has 27.2 innings pitched with a 6.51 ERA. In his last three games started, Maracara has 11 innings pitched and 20 strikeouts to three walks.
RHP Lan-Hong Su, 19, was signed by the Padres out of Taiwan last year. He started this year with the ACL Padres and was moved to Lake Elsinore. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 150 pounds, Su needs time for maturation and development before a real assessment can be made. He is currently the Padres’ No. 7-ranked prospect with MLB Pipeline.
In August, Su has three starts and 9.2 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts and two walks. His control and command fluctuate wildly, but he is an arm to watch going forward.
LHP Kruz Schoolcraft has had a largely disappointing first professional season. Never able to get into any kind of consistent groove, Schoolcraft has stayed healthy with 20 games started and 71.1 innings pitched. He has a 5.80 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 53 walks. Both command and control have been issues with his arsenal.
In his start this past week, Schoolcraft went 0.2 innings and was removed after he walked three and allowed four runs.
2026 regular season coming to a close
Both A-level affiliates finish their season on Sept. 6.
Double-A affiliates finish on Sept. 18.
Triple-A affiliates complete their season on Sept. 20.
If you look up pictures of Aiden Robbins, one of the first things you will notice is this is a man with baseball hair. At one point during his 2026 season at the University of Texas, head coach Jim Schlossnagle coined him the nickname “Baseball Jesus."
The hair, however, is not just a fashion statement. Since the age of five, Robbins has shaved his head every March, then growing it out until the following March, raising money for children’s cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s foundation. His close friend Lauren Maziarz passed away due to cancer at just 5 years old.
“The hair is just an extremity to the whole meaning of it,” Robbins told SNY in an exclusive interview on the latest episode of The Mets Pod.
He has maintained a close relationship with Lauren’s family, as her grandparents and other family members have continued to support Robbins throughout his life and journey that has led him to professional baseball.
That journey really took shape after a breakout 2026 at Texas, where Robbins hit .333 with a 1.122 OPS and 24 home runs in 60 games. He was talked about throughout the draft process as a player that should get his name called in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft. He was even quite frequently mocked to the Mets with the No. 27 pick at various public outlets.
Whenever I interview Mets prospects, the first question I ask is always about the player’s draft day story. Everyone has their own story for the joyous occasion, whether they attended the draft itself, had a big party or just watched it with their parents. The answer often is a version of the overall excitement of achieving a life-long dream.
Robbins had a unique answer about his draft day: “It was crazy, the day itself wasn’t the most fun until the moment happened (when he was picked),” Robbins said. “It was stressful, but it was a great moment with my family and friends, I probably had over 75 people in my backyard. I was really glad my grandparents were able to make it.”
In the days leading up to the draft, Robbins’ father purchased gray t-shirts that said “PROVE. THEM. WRONG.” After the first round came and went and Robbins went unselected, he admitted he was frustrated.
During the 30-minute break after the first round, he went inside, changed and turned that t-shirt into a cut-off that you can see in the video that Texas posted of his moment getting draftedby the Mets, when he surprisingly fell to the No. 92 pick in the draft.
“Everyone started cheering for me and I am glad I got pictures in it because that’s what I am here to do,” Robbins said before cutting himself off. “I am actually here to prove the Mets right. That’s what I go into every day doing.”
Robbins' college career, both statistically and approach-wise, was a tale of two different players. The Pennsylvania native and No. 12 ranked prospect in the Mets' system, spent his first two collegiate seasons at Seton Hall where he was a hit-over-power player, hitting .422 as a sophomore with six home runs.
Over his two years at Seton Hall, he hit 12 total home runs, a number he doubled in one year at Texas in the toughest conference in college baseball, the SEC. The approach change at Texas was something he worked hard on with former big leaguer Troy Tulowitzki.
“The approach at Seton Hall was just to get some knocks and put the ball in play, focusing on hitting the ball to the right side,” Robbins said. “At Texas, the plan going in was to get more pull-side juice, just juice in general. The hit tool was already there, you’ve seen that at the Cape and at Seton Hall. It was just a flip of a switch where I’m going to go get the ball, I am going to lift it and hit it as hard as I can.”
As Robbins transitions to pro ball, the objective is to blend the Seton Hall approach and the Texas approach. The Mets don’t want to take away the aggressiveness and ability to lift the ball with authority, but if there can be a mix of an A and a B swing, that would be an optimal outcome.
There are things to work on, of course, and Robbins is not a finished product. While there is no doubt he punishes fastballs, there are some questions among scouts about his ability to consistently hit high-end breaking balls as he progresses through the minors.
Defensively, the Mets have played him in all three outfield spots in his short stint thus far with Low-A St. Lucie, though most of those reps have come in center field. Most people I have spoken to project he is likely more of a left fielder long-term.
Now, Robbins is off on his professional journey and is getting ready to head into his first offseason with a couple of goals in mind: “Speed. Getting a better top speed and better reaction times defensive-wise and swing-wise, honestly trying to merge the Seton Hall and Texas version and try to create this superhuman.”
Off the field, you may run into him playing Diamond Dynasty online in "MLB The Show," where he uses his “Real 99” card to, in his words, put a beat down on people and make them quit in the first couple of innings.
Robbins will report to his first professional spring training in 2027 with a shaved head and will look to, as he said, prove the Mets right for investing in him.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 25: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians reacts to his 2-run double during the 10th inning of a game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 25, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Scott Strazzante/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:
Guardians 8/26
S. Kwan CF T. Bazzana 2B J. Ramírez DH J. Adell RF N. Lowe 1B A. Martínez LF A. Genao 3B A. Hedges C B. Rocchio SS
Aug 5, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo (22) walks off the field after the final out of the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Can the Mariners break out the brooms? They look to sweep away the Phillies and close out a 5-1 homestand Wednesday afternoon.
Bryan Woo returns after taking an additional few days between starts to resolve shoulder discomfort that cropped up during his last outing on August 16. He’ll get the ball in the friendly confines of T-Mobile Park, where he has put up a 2.45 FIP and .208 opponent wOBA this season.
The Phillies will trot out lefty Jesús Luzardo to try to preserve a game from their trip to the Pacific Northwest. Luzardo is turning in a fantastic season for Philadelphia; you can read more about that and Wednesday’s pitching matchup in the series preview.
Lineups
The Mariners are rolling out…a lineup for Wednesday afternoon’s series finale (the lovely graphic is courtesy of Bee). Cole Young is not starting for only the second time this season; Brock Rodden will shift over to second base in his absence, with Weston Wilson, Jhonny Pereda and Patrick Wisdom all getting starts in the field. Cal Raleigh, riding a hot streak on this homestand, moves back up to the cleanup spot as the designated hitter.
BRONX, NY - AUGUST 12: Fernando Cruz #63 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Seattle Mariners on August 12, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Borough of the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Yankees shook up their roster today, sending Fernando Cruz to the IL with right elbow discomfort and signing veteran Michael Fulmer to a major-league deal. They also recalled Elmer Rodríguez to start tonight’s game, and optioned Bradley Hanner to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The IL trip comes after a period of declining effectiveness for Cruz. The right-hander coughed up a lead in two of his last three appearances, including giving up a game-tying home run as a part of last night’s bullpen fiasco, and has a 5.17 ERA since the All-Star Break. It’s unclear how serious this ailment is, but in any case it’s obviously a major concern with the Yankees fighting for playoff position.
In steps Fulmer, somewhat shockingly. Perhaps best known around these parts for robbing beating Gary Sanchez in the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year race, Fulmer had faded into obscurity, missing the 2024 season after undergoing elbow surgery and making just six appearances in the majors since. He was last seen with the Angels, contributing 3.2 scoreless innings. He can still run his fastball above 95 mph, to go along with a sweeper, curve, and change. Maybe Matt Blake can wring something out of the 33-year-old, or, maybe he’s just here to occupy space until the Yankees can get the likes of Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt back.
Fried looks like he could be back this weekend to face Boston, but until then, the Yankees needed another starter, so up comes Rodríguez for at least one spot start. The top pitching prospect has had a slightly uneven season, looking respectable but shaky in four major league starts, and posting a sparkling 2.59 ERA in the minors but with a surprisingly poor 4.3 BB/9 rate. Hopefully, he can hold things down while the Yankees pray that their injured arms recover and return.
There is no sugarcoating it, the Atlanta Braves have been struggling on offense this month. Only three teams have scored fewer runs in the month of August and only five teams have a lower wRC+. The Braves will need to change course if they want to win their division because they have a tough remaining schedule.
Tonight could go a long way in proving the offense is not dead if they could tag tonight’s starter, Roki Sasaki, with a decent amount of runs.
There have only been four Braves players with a wRC+ above league average in the month of August, and interestingly Walt Weiss continues to bat two of them low in the lineup. Austin Riley has a wRC+ of 110 this month, and Mike Yastrzemski has a 123, yet they are nowhere near the heart of the order. It may behoove Weiss to consider shaking up the lineup and shift the hot hands up to secure more at-bats and help knock in more baserunners. Almost a full month of a struggling offense should be enough data to make a change.
The Braves are scheduled to face Roki Sasaki who has only faced five hitters on the roster in his young career and none of them in more than three at-bats. Ozzie Albies has done well having two hits to include a solo HR. Austin Riley is 1-2. Matt Olson, Sean Murphy, and Michael Harris have yet to record a hit against Sasaki in very limited action, although Olson has walked twice.
With Jim Jarvis being optioned it has taken away the daily question of who would get the start at SS. The main question these days is who is going to get the start at DH.
For some reason Riley and Yastrzemski are still low in the order despite being in the top four in wRC+ on the team over the past month. Another interesting move is that Harris has been moved down for Mauricio Dubón to hit cleanup.
The Dodgers will be coming in blind against AJ Smith-Shawver as only two of them have ever faced him. One is backup catcher Ben Rortvedt who is hitless in two at-bats, and Alex Call who has a .400 average in five at-bats.
Fortunately for Smith-Shawver and the Braves, the Dodgers have not exactly been hot offensively either this month. They are nineteenth in runs scored and twentieth in wRC+.
Turns out neither of the two players on the Dodgers that have faced Smith-Shawver will be getting the start tonight. The only difference in the lineup from last night is that Alex Call will be replaced with Teoscar Hernández in left field with Alek Thomas jumping up one spot to seventh in the order.
It is surprising to say the least that there will be a Dodgers lineup this late in the season with only three hitters with an OPS over .750.
The Yankees announced a handful of roster moves prior to Wednesday night's game against the Houston Astros, highlighted by placing reliever Fernando Cruz on the 15-day IL.
Following the team's 9-3 win, Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that Cruz has a partial tear of his UCL. The right-hander will get a second opinion, but Tommy John surgery is on the table.
"He's going to go through and get second opinions and stuff," Boone said. "That's what we got right now."
Cruz allowed a game-tying two-run homer to Jeremy Peña on Tuesday night, and has had his struggles since late July. In his last 16 games, Cruz has allowed nine earned runs and five home runs in 13.2 innings, seeing his season ERA rise from 2.20 to 3.13 during that span.
He was seen leaving the clubhouse following Tuesday's loss with a trainer.
Here's the full list of moves:
• Placed Cruz on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort • Optioned RHP Bradley Hanner to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre • Recalled RHP Elmer Rodríguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre • Signed RHP Michael Fulmer to a major league contract and selected him to the active roster • Transferred RHP Kervin Castro to the 60-day injured list
The Yankees announced earlier in the day that Rodriguez would make the start on Wednesday. The 23-year-old has made four starts in the majors this season, pitching to a 4.76 ERA.
Fulmer, a former Mets first-round pick, spent his first six seasons with Detroit before bouncing around the league a bit. Most recently, he pitched in three games for the Los Angeles Angels this season without allowing a run.
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 26: Jonathan Aranda #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates his double against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning at Comerica Park on August 26, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. Jonathan Aranda scored later in the inning on a sacrifice fly ball by Liam Hicks. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In my mind, I had this game in the loss column even before first pitch.
The Rays offense looked half asleep yesterday against a lesser pitcher, and today they would be facing Troy Melton, he of the 1.86 ERA. Those of you with good memories will recall that Melton had pitched a gem against the Rays back in June, going eight innings and scattering a few hits. He’s a pitcher, Brian Anderson reminded us, who is good across the game but actually gets better second and third time through the line up, so it’s not like you can just wait until he tires out to get your offense going.
And for the Rays, Freddy Peralta had looked a little better in recent starts but you really had to squint to see the effective pitcher he’d been prior to this year.
So just based on the pitching matchup, this game had the worst win chances for the Rays of the series.
Of course, then, they won. Because you never know with baseball.
The Rays first got on the board in the second inning. Simpson singled, and DeLuca doubled him home. DeLuca got to third on a sac bunt and scored when Cedric Mullins hit a ball down the line for an RBI and what looked like a double for the speedy Mullins. Alas, though, Mullins overshot the base, and was tagged out.
The Rays got their third run in the sixth inning. Jonathan Aranda doubled, and Junior Caminero singled, to put men on the corners.
Liam Hicks seemed to get all of a pitch but it fell just short of a home run. But the park contained it, and he had to settle for a very long sac fly that scored Aranda. Rays 3, Detroit 0
Peralta got through 6 innings and wow was he good today. No runs, no walks, two harmless hits, and ten whiffs. I don’t know whether this is Rays finding tweaks or the Tigers not matching up well against him or just the randomness of baseball but whatever the explanation, more of this please. It was a really effective, efficient, keep your fielders engaged as you mow through batters kind of outing. If this version of Freddy Peralta is sustainable then I will maybe allow myself to think this team could get somewhere in the postseason (if they make it there of course, let’s not court the evil eye with overconfidence).
Maybe good pitching is contagious; after Peralta left the game the final three innings were covered by Kevin Kelly and Tyler Wells, who preserved the two-hit, no walk game. And the whole thing done in just a blink over two hours! Be still, my heart!
In sum, the Rays come away with a series win, thanks to perfect pitching, sharp defense and just enough offense
CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 09: Cincinnati Reds mascot Mr. Redlegs pumps up the crowd prior to a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park on April 09, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Terry Francona opted to shuffle his lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants, and the Cincinnati Reds will have a new leadoff hitter in rookie Hector Rodriguez. Each of Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart have been pushed down the batting order, for whatever reason, because apparently that’s going to jump start the otherwise putrid offense.
Lefty Nick Lodolo gets the start on the day for the Reds looking to bounce back after being bonked around good by the Arizona Diamondbacks in his most recent outing. He’s got a 5.04 ERA for the season and man, would it ever be good to see him finish strong so there’s at least a modicum of optimism about the 2027 starting rotation heading into a winter of consternation.
First pitch will be thrown by Giants starter Logan Webb at 3:45 PM ET.
