Category: Baseball

The Mets played another dreadful game against a division rival, this time losing to the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2, on Friday night. New York is now one game behind the Phillies for the NL East lead.

Here are the takeaways...

-In just his second career start in the majors, Blade Tidwell faced off against two-time Cy Young award runner-up Zack Wheeler and did well -- matching the former Met by going the first three innings without allowing a run. During that stretch, the 24-year-old gave up just two hits and two walks while striking out three to keep it a scoreless game.

Things got messy for Tidwell to start the fourth after singles by Nick Castellanos and JT Realmuto sandwiched a strikeout to put runners on first and second with one out. Following a mound visit by pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, Tidwell lost Bryson Stott to a walk with all four balls not even close. With the bases loaded, New York kept the rookie in for one more batter and the righty got the ground ball he was looking for for a potential inning-ending double play, but the Mets couldn't turn two on the high chopper to third base which resulted in the game's first run.

Tidwell's night was done after that after throwing 74 pitches (43 strikes). Despite not being able to give New York more length, the youngster's second major league start went far better than his first back on May 4 when he allowed six earned runs on nine hits (also in 3.2 innings) against the St. Louis Cardinals.

After Tidwell's exit, the Phillies scored another run in the fourth on Brandon Marsh's RBI single. The run was charged to Tidwell whose final line looked like: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. His ERA went from 14.73 to 9.82 through 7.1 innings.

-On the other side, Wheeler wasn't at his sharpest over his five innings of work, but he kept runs off the board against his former club and struck out eight, including Juan Soto as the tying run with a runner on second base to end his outing.

-With Wheeler out of the game, the Mets went to work immediately on the Phillies' bullpen, namely another former Met in Taijuan Walker. Pete Alonso greeted his former teammate with a solo shot to dead center leading off the inning that cut New York's deficit in half. Jeff McNeil erased it entirely with a solo jack three pitches later as the Mets went back-to-back to tie the game.

-That's where the game stood until the bottom of the seventh inning. Reed Garrett entered to keep things where they were as he's done so well and so often this season, but it turned into a disaster for the reliever. The right-hander allowed back-to-back doubles that gave Philadelphia the lead, walked a batter and then served up a run-scoring single before exiting without recording an out.

Both of Garrett's baserunners came into score against Justin Garza who had a rough inning of his own which included a double, single and a walk. All told, the Phillies scored six runs in the inning -- four charged to Garrett and two to Garza -- as the Mets have made it a habit of allowing crooked innings lately. Garrett's season ERA almost doubled from 1.23 to 2.45 after his outing.

For good measure, Philadelphia tacked on two more in the eighth on Castellanos' two-run homer off Garza who was tasked to finish the game.

-Offensively, the Mets had seven hits and scored just the two runs. During their seven-game losing streak, the offense has gone ice cold, scoring 16 runs during that span and just seven runs over their last four games -- all against NL East opponents.

-Francisco Lindor went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and hasn't had a hit in his last 18 at-bats (five games) which has seen his average drop to .264.

Game MVP: Nick Castellanos

He finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored.

Highlights

After Carlos Mendoza came out to argue, umpires came together and overturned home plate umpire Jonathan Parra's call of a Francisco Lindor strikeout

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/uXgIasvbKI

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 20, 2025

Blade Tidwell strikes out Trea Turner in the midst of a 1-2-3 first!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/NAo6nLlS8t

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 20, 2025

Francisco Lindor with the barehand

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/WtmBRrYavg

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 21, 2025

Pete Alonso gets the Mets on the board with a homer to start the 6th!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/lHdUDyG5NN

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 21, 2025

Jeff McNeil goes back-to-back with Pete Alonso and the game is tied!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/fvyQsC6lgW

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 21, 2025

What's next

The Mets and Phillies play the second game of a three-game series on Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on FOX.

RHP Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80 ERA) will face RHP Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA).

The Yankees were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3, on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

Here are some takeaways...

- Both offenses have been up-and-down of late, but they came out flying in this one. The Orioles loaded the bases and struck for two thanks to a Gary Sanchez single in the first, but the Yankees answered right back and evened things up on a Jazz ChisholmJr. RBI knock and Jasson Dominguez sac fly in the bottom half.

Both Chisholm and Dominguez were able to reach base twice on the night.

- New York jumped in front a few innings later on an Aaron Judge solo homer on his bobblehead night -- it was his 27th long ball of the season and the 48th of his career against Baltimore, which is the most by any player against any opponent since 2017.

Judge was on-base four times on the night with a homer, single, and a pair of walks.

- Max Fried found a feel for his pitches and settled in nicely after his rocky first inning. The ace southpaw went into cruise control as he picked up five punchouts and settled the next nine hitters in order before allowing a two-out double to Coby Mayo in the fourth -- he struck out the next batter to strand him there.

But the Orioles pushed men into scoring position again in back-to-back innings. Fried stranded Jackson Holiday after he walked and then stole second in the fifth, but Baltimore broke through in the sixth as three straight softly hit singles evened things back up at three.

After the lefty talked his way into staying in the game, he retired the next two Orioles to escape further damage and end his night with a final line of three runs allowed on seven hits and seven punchouts over six innings -- his ERA is now at 2.05 on the year.

- After Jonathan Loáisiga put together a scoreless top of the seventh, Luke Weaver entered and was greeted rudely in his return from the injured list. Ramón Urias lifted a solo homer just over a leaping Judge into the short porch, putting Baltimore back in front for the first time since the first inning.

Weaver would allow two more singles and was pulled with two on and two outs in the inning -- Tim Hill allowed another run to score before ending the inning.

- The Yanks offense had numerous opportunities, but they weren't able to scratch anything across against the Baltimore bullpen. Hard-throwing right-hander Felix Bautista put the finishing touches on, recording his ninth consecutive scoreless appearance.

- Anthony Volpe's recent struggles at the plate continued -- he went 0-for-4 with a pair of ugly looking strikeouts, pushing his hitless streak to 24 at-bats dating back to last Saturday's loss against the Red Sox.

- New York has now lost seven of their last eight, and their lead in the AL East is down to 1.5 games.

- They are now 8-12 against their divisional opponents thus far this season, and 35-20 against everyone else.

Game MVP: Ramón Urias

He went just 1-for-5 on the night, but his one knock was the big one against Weaver in the eighth.

Highlights

Jazz Chisholm Jr. gets the Yankees on the board! pic.twitter.com/MtCFc3a0hb

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 20, 2025

A long sac fly from Jasson Domínguez ties the game in the first! pic.twitter.com/uRO53RXbIT

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 20, 2025

ALL RISE.

27 HOME RUNS FOR AARON JUDGE! pic.twitter.com/Ed9hSwURBq

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 21, 2025

What's next

The Yanks and O's continue this three-game set in the Bronx on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

Clarke Schmidt (3-3, 3.16 ERA) takes the ball against right-hander Zach Eflin (6-3, 4.81 ERA).

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will serve a one-game suspension Friday night against the Nationals after Thursday’s benches-clearing altercation against the San Diego Padres.

In addition to the suspension, Major League Baseball announced Roberts was fined an undisclosed amount. Padres manager Mike Shildt also was suspended one game and fined, and Padres right-handed pitcher Robert Suarez was suspended three games and fined for “intentionally hitting” Shohei Ohtani with a pitch in the ninth inning.

Read more:Contentious Dodgers-Padres series ends with benches clearing and managers ejected

“I support it. I think that obviously, I never want to make the game about the managers, it shouldn’t be,” Roberts said Friday. “It should be about the players and winning.”

He continued: “It unfortunately came to a point where we became the focus and that’s not the way it should be.”

Bench coach Danny Lehmann will manage the Dodgers against the Nationals.

The back-and-forth animosity on the field came to a peak Thursday when Dodgers relief pitcher Jack Little hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch in the ninth inning.

Shildt exited the dugout and pointed at Roberts, causing the Dodgers manager to charge toward home plate. Roberts bumped Shildt, causing the benches to clear and bullpens to empty. Both managers were ejected.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Two of the injured Mets showed some positive signs in Syracuse on Friday. 

Sean Manaea took the next step in his rehab assignment -- making the jump up to Triple-A after putting together three up-and-down outings with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones. 

The southpaw was very sharp this time out -- allowing one run on two hits while issuing zero free passes and striking out seven over 5.1 innings in the first game of a double-dip with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. 

The lone run came in on an RBI groundout in his first inning of work, but then he cruised from there -- setting down the next 15 hitters he faced, including a stretch of four consecutive strikeouts.

Manaea finished his day with an efficient 62 pitches and 45 strikes to bring his ERA down to 1.69 in four outings.

He'll likely have one or two more appearances before returning, as, according to Mike Puma of the NY Post, the tentative plan is for the lefty to slot back into the Mets' rotation during the first week of July.

Sean Manaea was dominant in his rehab outing with Triple-A Syracuse today 🔥

His final line: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (62 pitches/45 strikes)

He retired the final 15 batters he faced 💪 pic.twitter.com/onH3okPYzM

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 20, 2025

Mark Vientos also enjoyed a nice day in what was his second appearance with Syracuse. 

The young power hitter struck out and then flew out in each of his first two at-bats, but then stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth and was finally able to do some damage. 

Vientos worked the count to 2-2 before lining a low changeup into the right-center field gap to clear the bases and make it a tie ballgame -- he ended up being stranded a batter later when Drew Gilbert lined out. 

He flew out and then grounded out during his final two at-bats, but it was still very encouraging to see him battle and then deliver the big two-out, game-tying hit.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said pregame Friday that the current plan is for Vientos to remain with Syracuse through this weekend, and if all goes well he could potentially be an option as soon as Monday.

Mark Vientos hits a bases-clearing double for Triple-A Syracuse! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CIMTxaSHxd

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 20, 2025

Other Notes

- Prior to the game being suspended, top pitching prospect Brandon Sproat was on the hill for Syracuse and he allowed three runs to score on a long Matt Mervis homer during his lone inning of work.

- Power-hitting utility man Luke Ritter has been on fire thus far in June and he also continued that on Friday -- picking up three hits, including a solo homer in the bottom of the second.

- Travis Jankowski has gotten off to a bit of a slow start since returning to the organization, but he had his hands all over this one -- picking up three knocks of his own, including a grand slam in the seventh.

- Recently signed right-hander Julian Merryweather worked around a leadoff double and two-out walk in the ninth to put the finishing touches on the victory -- he now has a pair of scoreless appearances thus far.

GRAND SLAM. TRAVIS JANKOWSKI. pic.twitter.com/xG5167ERw2

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) June 20, 2025

What we learned as Giants' offense fails to deliver big hit in loss to Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – A day that began with questions swirling about how Rafael Devers would handle facing his former team five days after being traded away ended with more questions. Not about Devers so much as the state of the entire team following the Giants’ 7-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Oracle Park.

Specifically, the pitching.

Manager Bob Melvin had to reach deep into San Francisco’s bullpen after starter Hayden Birdsong got knocked out of the game in the fifth inning. Birdsong wasn’t nearly as sharp as he has been, allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings.

There wasn’t a whole lot of relief from the bullpen, either.

Sean Hjelle allowed two hits and one run in his one inning of work. Erik Miller retired two batters before giving way to Joey Lucchesi, who gave up a run and got one out.

Things weren’t that much better for the offense.

Two of the Giants runs came on double plays, earning Christian Koss a place in history. Koss grounded into both and became the third player in major league baseball over the last 50 years to ground into two bases-loaded double plays that scored a run in the same game.

Heliot Ramos and Casey Schmitt had two hits apiece. Willy Adames reached base three times and scored a pair of runs, and Patrick Bailey walked three times

In spite of everything the Giants had a chance to make things a lot more interesting with two outs in the eighth before Mike Yatsrzemski struck out swinging with the bases loaded.

The Giants scored off Boston starter Hunter Dobbins early and led 3-0 after two innings before Boston’s bats woke up.

The Red Sox got a two-run home run by David Hamilton in the third, tied the game on Cedanne Rafaela’s single in the fourth then scored twice in the fifth to lead for good.

Here are the takeaways from Friday:

DEVERS FACES FORMER TEAM

The newest Giant star has been treated like royalty since arriving in town, and Friday’s game against his former team wasn’t much different.

Devers received a standing ovation from the Oracle Park crowd when he strolled to the plate for his first at-bat that ended in a groundout to first.

Rafael Devers receives a big ovation before his first at-bat against his former team 👏 pic.twitter.com/07crQEj2zm

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 21, 2025

There wasn’t as much fanfare for Devers’ second AB but he gave the fans a jolt with a deep drive to left-center that Rafaela caught before bouncing into the wall in center field.

In the fifth inning Devers grounded into a fielder’s choice that got Ramos into scoring position before Wilmer Flores’ RBI single. Devers came up as the tying run in the seventh and flew out to center, then struck out swinging against Aroldis Chapman in the ninth.

An O-for night is never good but the energy at Oracle Park is definitely different with Devers in the lineup.

NO DEFENDING BAD DEFENSE

The fifth inning looked more like something out of a Bad News Bears movie rather than a professional baseball game due to the wacky defense the Giants put on display.

Center fielder Jung Hoo Lee fielded Roman Anthony’s single and tried to throw home to get Jalen Duran but the throw was short and off target. Catcher Patrick Bailey grabbed the ball and went to throw to second as Anthony neared the bag but Bailey’s throw sailed into center field.

Boston’s next batter, Abraham Toro, hit a grounder to right that went underneath the glove of second baseman Christian Koss for a run-scoring error.

BIRDSONG BLUES

Birdsong has had varying levels of success since being promoted to the rotation, and that was the case when he toed the rubber against the Red Sox Friday.

The right-hander gave up seven hits and five runs (four earned) before he was chased from the game with one out in the fifth inning after three of the four batters he faced reached safely.

The ending was in stark contrast to how Birdsong’s day began. The right-hander’s fastball was clocking in at the mid-90s in the early-going and helped the starter retire the first seven Red Sox batters before Rafaela’s double broke up the no-hit bid.

Part of the problem was Birdsong’s control. Although he walked only one, Birdsong threw 85 pitches (34 for balls) while getting only 13 outs. That continued a trend of high pitch counts and shortened outings that have plagued the pitcher over his last five starts.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Behind Wheeler and massive 7th inning, Phils beat Mets and grab sole NL East lead  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies poured on the runs in the seventh inning and extended a miserable run for the Mets on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Behind Zack Wheeler and a six-run seventh, the Phils earned a 10-2 victory over the Mets in the series opener. They grabbed sole first possession of first place in the NL East and moved to 46-30 this season. New York dipped to 45-31 with a seventh consecutive loss. 

Wheeler tossed five scoreless innings, scattering four hits, walking three and striking out eight. 

The Mets loaded the bases in the top of the first inning through a Brandon Nimmo single and walks by Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. Wheeler prevented any immediate damage by inducing a Jeff McNeil double-play ball. 

While Wheeler’s command remained a bit worse than his excellent norm — he needed 61 pitches to complete three innings — the Phils’ ace otherwise mowed down the Mets. Over the third and fourth innings, Wheeler racked up five strikeouts. 

Mets righty Blade Tidwell fared well in the early stages of his second big-league start. He retired the first five Phillies hitters and threw strikes on 15 of his first 19 pitches.

Tidwell didn’t finish the fourth inning and the Phils pulled in front. 

Nick Castellanos and J.T Realmuto singled, Bryson Stott walked, and Otto Kemp got a bases-loaded opportunity with one out. He just about cashed in, hitting a chopper to third base, hustling to first and avoiding a double play. Tidwell exited and lefty Jose Castillo entered to face Brandon Marsh, who built the Phillies’ lead to 2-0 with an opposite-field RBI single. 

Wheeler wiped out a two-out Mets threat in the fifth inning. With Nimmo on second base, he appeared to have struck Soto out. However, Soto received a generous-looking check swing call to stay alive in the at-bat. Wheeler made sure it didn’t matter, throwing a sharp 3-2 sweeper that Soto whiffed at. 

After turning to their bullpen, the Phils’ advantage disappeared.

Alonso crushed a leadoff solo shot to center field off of Taijuan Walker and McNeil followed by smashing a middle-of-the-plate splitter over the right-field wall. Not Walker’s finest hour in a middle-relief role. 

Tanner Banks replaced Walker and provided some stability with 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings. Kemp chipped in a couple of nice defensive plays at first base, leaping to catch a Tyrone Taylor jam shot in foul territory and snagging a Soto one-hopper to his backhand side. 

Marsh kicked off the bottom of the seventh by lining a double down the left-field line. Trea Turner dinked a two-bagger to right, Alec Bohm and Castellanos kept the Phils’ rally rolling with base hits, and the game was suddenly much less tense.

The most memorable play of the inning was Stott’s one-out, bases-clearing double off the left-center wall. Realmuto was close to clipping Castellanos’ heels, but both slid in safely — simultaneously, almost — and the Phils went up 8-2. 

When he nailed a two-run dinger in the eighth, Castellanos had the luxury of jogging around the bases.

The Phillies will try to lock down a series win Saturday night. Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA) is set to face the Mets’ Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80 ERA).

Harper swinging again 

Bryce Harper took a step forward Friday in his rehab from the right wrist injury that’s kept him out since June 5. 

“I felt good today,” Harper told reporters pregame. “I threw and that felt good, and then I took 20 dry swings and 20 off the tee. Felt better than I thought it was, so I’m happy about that.”

Harper is unsure why his wrist pain returned, though he noted “there’s no structural issues” and he “won’t need surgery or anything like that.”

“We haven’t really gotten too many answers about it,” Harper said. “It’s been pretty sporadic I guess, trying to get some answers on stuff. Obviously, there’s a lot of inflammation in there. Just try to calm that down as best we can and do the best we can with that.”

He’s hopeful that the rest and rehab enables him to come back without pain. 

As for a return timeline, Harper doesn’t have anything firm yet. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s the first day swinging a bat, so I’ve just got to see how it feels tomorrow, see if we can progress. Once we do, then I’ll ramp up and see where I am.”

Behind Wheeler and massive 7th inning, Phils beat Mets and grab sole NL East lead  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies poured on the runs in the seventh inning and extended a miserable run for the Mets on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Behind Zack Wheeler and a six-run seventh, the Phils earned a 10-2 victory over the Mets in the series opener. They grabbed sole possession of first place in the NL East and moved to 46-30 this season. New York dipped to 45-31 with a seventh consecutive loss. 

Wheeler tossed five scoreless innings, scattering four hits, walking three and striking out eight. 

The Mets loaded the bases in the top of the first inning through a Brandon Nimmo single and walks by Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. Wheeler prevented any immediate damage by inducing a Jeff McNeil double-play ball. 

While Wheeler’s command remained a bit worse than his excellent norm — he needed 61 pitches to complete three innings — the Phils’ ace otherwise mowed down the Mets. Over the third and fourth innings, Wheeler racked up five strikeouts. 

Mets righty Blade Tidwell fared well in the early stages of his second big-league start. He retired the first five Phillies hitters and threw strikes on 15 of his first 19 pitches.

Tidwell didn’t finish the fourth inning and the Phils pulled in front. 

Nick Castellanos and J.T Realmuto singled, Bryson Stott walked, and Otto Kemp got a bases-loaded opportunity with one out. He just about cashed in, hitting a chopper to third base, hustling to first and avoiding a double play. Tidwell exited and lefty Jose Castillo entered to face Brandon Marsh, who built the Phillies’ lead to 2-0 with an opposite-field RBI single. 

Wheeler wiped out a two-out Mets threat in the fifth inning. With Nimmo on second base, he appeared to have struck Soto out. However, Soto received a generous-looking check swing call to stay alive in the at-bat. Wheeler made sure it didn’t matter, throwing a sharp 3-2 sweeper that Soto whiffed at. 

After turning to their bullpen, the Phils’ advantage disappeared.

Alonso crushed a leadoff solo shot to center field off of Taijuan Walker and McNeil followed by smashing a middle-of-the-plate splitter over the right-field wall. Not Walker’s finest hour in a middle-relief role. 

Tanner Banks replaced Walker and provided some stability with 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings. Kemp chipped in a couple of nice defensive plays at first base, leaping to catch a Tyrone Taylor jam shot in foul territory and snagging a Soto one-hopper to his backhand side. 

Marsh kicked off the bottom of the seventh by lining a double down the left-field line. Trea Turner dinked a two-bagger to right, Alec Bohm and Castellanos kept the Phils’ rally rolling with base hits, and the game was suddenly much less tense.

The most memorable play of the inning was Stott’s one-out, bases-clearing double off the left-center wall. Realmuto was close to clipping Castellanos’ heels, but both slid in safely — simultaneously, almost — and the Phils went up 8-2. 

“I basically made a decision rounding third base,” Realmuto said. “In my head, I was like, ‘We’re either going to both be out or both be safe.’ Luckily, we both snuck in there.” 

Realmuto couldn’t recall ever being part of a similar play as a catcher.

“It kind of felt like playing a Little League game,” he said. “Even getting back into the dugout, everyone was laughing and having fun with it. Just a different scenario than you usually see in a game. To be able to have that fun … it was a special moment.” 

When he nailed a two-run dinger in the eighth, Castellanos had the luxury of jogging around the bases.

“Hitting’s contagious and when you’ve got the momentum going like that and everyone’s rolling, it’s a lot of fun,” he said.

The Phillies will try to lock down a series win Saturday night. Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA) is set to face the Mets’ Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80 ERA).

Harper swinging again 

Bryce Harper took a step forward Friday in his rehab from the right wrist injury that’s kept him out since June 5. 

“I felt good today,” Harper told reporters pregame. “I threw and that felt good, and then I took 20 dry swings and 20 off the tee. Felt better than I thought it was, so I’m happy about that.”

Harper is unsure why his wrist pain returned, though he noted “there’s no structural issues” and he “won’t need surgery or anything like that.”

“We haven’t really gotten too many answers about it,” Harper said. “It’s been pretty sporadic I guess, trying to get some answers on stuff. Obviously, there’s a lot of inflammation in there. Just try to calm that down as best we can and do the best we can with that.”

He’s hopeful that the rest and rehab enables him to come back without pain. 

As for a return timeline, Harper doesn’t have anything firm yet. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s the first day swinging a bat, so I’ve just got to see how it feels tomorrow, see if we can progress. Once we do, then I’ll ramp up and see where I am.”

Giants insider explains why Kyle Harrison should excite Red Sox fans originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The drama around Rafael Devers’ departure from the Boston Red Sox has overshadowed the trade that sent him to the San Francisco Giants. What about the players Boston received in the blockbuster deal?

The Red Sox acquired left-hander Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, minor-league outfielder James Tibbs III, and minor-league righty Jose Bello in exchange for their homegrown slugger. While Harrison and Hicks should be able to help the big-league club this season, Red Sox fans can’t help but wonder if they could have gotten more for a player of Devers’ caliber.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Giants insider Alex Pavlovic shared his thoughts on the Red Sox’ return during Friday’s Early Edition.

“I was a little surprised by the overall return,” Pavlovic said. “I think just from what I know about this team and their system, I think it was a little bit light, probably.

“Having said that, I am a huge fan of Kyle Harrison, and I know the Giants are as well. He’s about a year and three months removed from being the best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball.”

Indeed, Harrison was MLB’s No. 1 ranked left-handed pitching prospect heading into the 2024 season. The 22-year-old posted an underwhelming 4.56 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 24 starts, but those numbers were partially tainted by nagging injuries.

“Just some context on his career here: He looked really, really good when he came up in 2023. He looked like a future star here,” Pavlovic added. “Last year, he tried to pitch through an ankle injury and tried to help these guys because they needed the rotation help, and that led to some shoulder inflammation and really just set him back the second half of last year and put him in a tough spot in the offseason.

“But he did come back last month. He was throwing 96, 97 (mph), looked like the Kyle we saw two years ago. I will say, I mean, he is as mature a young man as I’ve ever covered here. So I think he’s gonna be a good one, I think the Red Sox did very well there. The rest of the package, they probably could have done a little bit better.”

Harrison’s boasts an outstanding high-90s fastball, but the Red Sox optioned him to Triple-A Worcester to work on the rest of his pitching repertoire. A reliable third pitch would help him immensely as he aims to work his way into Boston’s starting rotation.

As for the rest of the return, the hard-throwing Hicks spent his first seven MLB seasons as a reliever before joining the Giants starting rotation in 2024. He hasn’t fared well as a starter, compiling a 4.83 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 42 appearances (29 starts) over his one-and-a-half seasons in San Francisco. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Hicks will come out of Boston’s bullpen when he returns from the injured list.

Tibbs was the 13th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, one pick after the Red Sox’ selection of fellow outfielder Braden Montgomery, who was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of the offseason Garrett Crochet trade. The 22-year-old was San Francisco’s No. 3 prospect and hit .246 with 12 homers, 32 RBI, 42 walks and 45 strikeouts in 57 games for High-A Eugene this season.

Bello, 20, was signed by the Giants as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2023. He recorded a 2.00 ERA across eight rookie-ball appearances (18 innings) this season, striking out 28 batters and walking three.

Trading an elite hitter like Devers typically would bring a bigger haul, but the Red Sox managed to dump all of the $254 million remaining on Devers’ contract. Rather than focusing on the best possible return, Breslow and Co. jumped at the opportunity to get Devers’ money off the books.

Devers will play his first game against his former team Friday night when the Red Sox and Giants begin a three-game series at Oracle Park.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora says decision to trade Rafael Devers is ‘not personal' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Red Sox manager Alex Cora was in no mood to discuss the tiny details and nuances behind Boston’s decision to trade Rafael Devers to the Giants earlier this week. In Cora’s view, it was nothing more than a simple baseball move.

For all the talk circulating about Devers being a problem child in the Red Sox clubhouse and having serious communication issues with management after the team wanted him to change positions, Cora instead focused on the good that Devers brought to Boston.

“He produced,” said Cora, who acknowledged it will be ‘awkward’ to see Devers in another uniform. “You look at the list of homers in the franchise, 500 extra-base hits, the World Series ring. There’s a lot of stuff Raffy did for us that we’re going to miss. We’re very proud of him. To face him here, it’s going to be different.

“I appreciate everything he did for us, everything he did for me. This weekend we have to get him out. We’re prepared for that, and obviously he’s prepared to do the opposite.”

The trade, which went down on Father’s Day landed the Giants the potent and productive bat they’ve been seeking to add to their lineup all season.

The deal happened so abruptly that Devers left the East Coast and flew to San Francisco before many of his Red Sox teammates had learned about the trade.

“He’s been a cornerstone of this franchise for a long time. To see him on TV in a different uniform is weird,” Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story said. “Once we’re out there it’ll be good to see him and talk to him and kind fo say bye. We didn’t really get to talk to him (when the trade happened).”

Story said he felt the Red Sox handled the news of the trade well, noting that they had to move on quickly.

“I wouldn’t say a gut-punch. I would say it’s more of a shock to the system a bit,” Story said. “I think we did a good job of not letting that hang around. There’s ball to be played and we know we still have a good team.”

When a Boston reporter asked Cora if he felt the need to meet with Devers at any point to clear the air, the Red Sox manager basically shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s baseball, it’s a business, that’s how it works,” Cora said. “People have their opinions about the whole thing, communication, first base, the age, third base, the manager, GM, owners, whatever. It’s a baseball trade. From my end I turn the page.

“Nothing in this business is personal. That’s something that throughout the years I always tell then, We agree on a lot of stuff, we disagree in others. Xander Bogaerts is in San Diego, it’s not personal. Mookie Betts is in LA, it’s not personal. Raffy Devers is with the Giants, it’s not personal.”

It’s personal for the Giants, who now boast a bat in their lineup capable of changing the direction of this season by his presence alone.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Campbell refutes report Devers was upset with him over first base situation originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

In the aftermath of the Boston Red Sox’ stunning Rafael Devers trade, there have been several accounts of what led to the veteran slugger’s untimely departure. Among them was a bombshell Yahoo Sports report from Joon Lee, who detailed the dysfunction at 4 Jersey Street.

There were several revelations in Lee’s report, including chief baseball officer Craig Breslow firing a longtime scouting supervisor for calling him a “f—ing stiff” during a Zoom meeting. Lee also explained how Devers’ frustration with the club’s poor communication ultimately led to him being sent to the San Francisco Giants.

In May, Devers publicly called out Breslow for asking him to replace the injured Triston Casas as Boston’s primary first baseman. The club eventually turned to rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell to take practice reps at first base, and according to Lee, Devers’ took issue with Campbell “volunteering” to play the position.

“According to multiple sources, Devers was also upset when the rookie Campbell volunteered to play first base this season — interpreting it as a slight to his own stature,” Lee wrote.

Campbell, who was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Friday, refuted that report and praised his ex-teammate.

“That was false,” Campbell told reporters Friday at Polar Park, via MassLive’s Katie Morrison-Day. “First off, Raffy never came to me, never had a problem with it. We were always cool. He’s an extremely great player, extremely great person. He’s a very kind person and a good teammate.

“Second, I would say I never went to the Red Sox to play first base. They came to me and asked me if I could play first base because we didn’t have one at the time. That’s when Casas went down, and I said I would do it because it would make the team better and I would be willing to learn the position. That was basically how it went down.”

While he often worked out at first base after Casas’ injury, Campbell never ended up playing the position in a game for Boston. The Red Sox instead have primarily gone with the combination of hot-hitting Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez.

Campbell will get some playing time at first base as he aims to get back on track in Worcester. He’ll also play second and center field, but he told reporters that first base will be “the priority.”

As for Devers, the three-time All-Star said he is open to playing anywhere for San Francisco. He has already practiced at first base, though he won’t play the position when the Red Sox visit Oracle Park for a three-game series starting Friday night.

Whenever I post stat lines and highlights of some of the Mets' top pitching prospects on X (@PSLToFlushing if you don’t already follow, I think you should!), my mentions get lit up to "call up prospect X." 

Whenever pitchers land on the injured list, like Kodai Senga or Tylor Megill, I see similar responses to call up a prospect to take their place. 

While that is certainly more exciting for the fanbase, myself included, the organization must have a big picture outlook.

An example: Friday’s series-opener against the Phillies did line up with No. 3 prospect Nolan McLean’s scheduled day to throw, but Friday’s start is being made by his Triple-A teammate, Blade Tidwell.

Adding McLean to the 40-man roster and starting his service time clock when he still has a few things to work on just to make one spot start frankly would not have been a wise organizational decision. 

Especially so when you consider the fact that Frankie Montas (next week) and Sean Manaea (in the next couple of weeks) are expected to return to the rotation. Despite their rehab assignments being up-and-down, the Mets are paying them roughly a combined $40 million this year, and they both have very recent big league success. They are going to get spots in this rotation.

While teams are building in perpetuity, the most important thing for the Mets is winning right now. The juxtaposition of that is that a team requires young talent to impact the major league team to be able to pursue sustained success.

This begs the question of, when will these pitching prospects get an extended opportunity at the big league level?

I think the answer is different for each individual, and at its core, the answer really should be… when they are ready to come up without the thought that they will have to go back to the minors. Things don’t always work ideally or according to plan, but that is the objective.

Let’s go through some of the options.. 

Blade Tidwell

Tidwell made his big league debut earlier this year in what amounted to a spot start against the Cardinals. It wasn’t a debut to remember for Tidwell, as he lasted 3.2 innings, allowing nine hits, six runs and three walks while striking out two.

It’s been an up-and-down year for Tidwell at Triple-A, with a 4.76 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts). He still possesses swing-and-miss stuff, headlined by a fastball that will touch 98 mph.

With him being on the 40-man roster, he could fill in as a spot starter like he is on Friday or potentially fill a longer-term role in the second half -- either in the rotation or the bullpen, where his stuff could tick up in shorter sprints.

Brandon Sproat

Sproat entered the season as the No. 1 prospect in the Mets system after a breakout 2024 season. But it certainly has been an uneven season at the Triple-A level for Sproat, with a 5.31 ERA in 13 starts. However, things have begun to look better over his last 4 starts, where he has a 2.95 ERA in 21.1 innings.

He is a changed pitcher in 2025, as far as his pitch mix goes. Sproat still sports mid-to-upper 90s velocity, but in 2024 in Triple-A, he threw his four-seam fastball 51.7 percent of the time and his sinker just 1.1 percent of the time. In 2025 he is throwing his four-seamer much less, at 28.2 percent of the time, and his sinker much more, at 22.1 percent of the time. 

The byproduct of that is he is generating significantly fewer swings and misses, but he has avoided barrels at an elite rate (2.8 percent barrel rate) and become a ground ball merchant with a 54.2 percent ground ball rate.

Sproat also has three pitches graded above average by Stuff+, so while the numbers on the surface aren’t exciting, there are still reasons under the hood to believe in Sproat as a future big league starter. I don’t look at Sproat as a particularly ideal fit in a bullpen role, but if a rotation spot were to open in the second half, Sproat warrants consideration.

Nolan McLean

McLean, the No. 3 prospect in the system, entered 2025 for the first time in his entire life as exclusively a pitcher. He was a two-way player growing up, in college at Oklahoma State and until midseason last year in professional baseball. In 12 games split between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, McLean has a 2.08 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 65 innings.

He still needs to iron out some command issues (he is walking 4.0 batters-per-nine) and a couple of his secondary offerings, but I think McLean is close to big league ready.

McLean's sweeper is his highest percentage offering, and it is genuinely one of the best pitches in all of minor league baseball. He has essentially an even split of usage of his sinker and four-seam fastball, which he will throw 94-96 mph. He also throws a cutter, changeup, and will infrequently spin a curve. 

McLean is the pitcher of this group I would most expect to make an impact in 2025, whether it's because a long-term rotation spot opens up, or in August or September as a weapon out of the bullpen. It is worth noting that McLean was a reliever in college and he could trim his pitch mix and be a power reliever down the stretch -- a strategy that has been used by many playoff teams in the past.

Jonah Tong

I will preface this saying I do not believe Tong will make his major league debut in 2025. With that out of the way, Tong has emerged as one of the biggest rising pitchers in all of minor league baseball. He has now reached unanimous top 100 prospect status in baseball.

In 12 starts with Double-A Binghamton, Tong has a 1.97 ERA in 59.1 innings. He is second in all of minor league baseball with 96 strikeouts. Among all minor league pitchers with at least 40 innings, he is second in strikeout percentage (40.7 percent), tied for second in batting average against (.141) and fifth in FIP (2.07). 

He comes equipped with a fastball that sits 93-95 and will touch 97 mph with elite carry, and an old-school 12-6 curveball that he loves to throw. A big addition this year has been the Vulcan-grip changeup that has generated swings and misses. Tong also has a cutter and a hard slider that he is tinkering with different shapes on.

Tong admitted himself while recently speaking with SNY that he does need to continue to work on his command, as his 4.4 walks-per-nine can stand to improve. Other than a slightly elevated walk rate, he is dominating the Double-A level. I suspect a promotion to Triple-A is not far away and that it may simply be a bit of a numbers game right now as to why he isn’t already there.

The command will be something to monitor as the Triple-A level changes to the major league ball, and with the presence of both veteran hitters and the ABS challenge system. But I believe Tong is ready for that next challenge. He will be an arm to watch to make a potentially significant impact in 2026.

The Mets have some returning veterans to the rotation, but they also have some young talent getting ready to knock on the door of the big leagues over not just the next couple months, but the next couple years -- with names even beyond the list above.

David Ortiz seemingly takes shot at Giants' Rafael Devers with Instagram story originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

David Ortiz is not backing down from his criticism of Rafael Devers.

The Baseball Hall of Famer on Friday once again seemingly took a shot at the three-time MLB All-Star ahead of the Giants’ series with the Boston Red Sox, Devers’ former team.

Ortiz posted a photo of himself with his retired number in the Fenway outfield with a message that read:

“The thing is that to have some like this at Boston you have to just not be a hitter you have to be the full package a all the way around player… go Sox.”

This added to some choice words Ortiz told The Athletic on Monday, just one day after the trade first was reported.

“I know the communication between Devers and the Red Sox wasn’t the best at the very beginning,” Ortiz told The Athletic. “But at some point, you have to realize the organization has the power over everyone. They can play you, trade you, let you go. Sometimes, as a young player, it’s hard to understand that.

“But they have the power to do whatever they want. The only thing you can control is what you do on the field.”

“Big Papi” ’s remarks didn’t go over well with everyone with ties to the Red Sox, however, as his former teammate Pedro Martinez had his own thoughts on the situation and even mentioned Ortiz as a possible influence on the Devers-Red Sox relationship deteriorating.

“Big Papi also made a mistake in spring training by speaking in front of the cameras about some of the things that he needed to tell Devers,” Martinez said. “And just like I said before, that should’ve been handled in-house. Big Papi should’ve gone out with Devers to talk about those things, not really openly speaking in the field, because the cameras are able to pick up everything that we say.”

The 28-year-old Devers repeatedly told reporters before Friday night’s game that he wants to move on as he turns a new page in his career, and it starts with facing his former club just three games into his Giants career.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Did David Ortiz throw shade at Rafael Devers with this IG post? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s no mystery which side David Ortiz is taking in the Rafael Devers-Boston Red Sox debate.

Ortiz hasn’t shied away from sharing his opinion on Devers and the Red Sox’ messy divorce. After Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants, the three-time World Series champion said he often tried to reach out to Devers and offer advice, but he “almost never returned my messages.” He cited communication and maturity as issues that led to Devers’ departure.

On Friday, Ortiz appeared to take a subtle jab at Devers via his Instagram story. He posted a photo of himself posing in front of his No. 34 at Fenway Park, with the following caption:

“The thing is that to have something like this at Boston, you have to just not be a hitter, you have to be the full package all the way around player. Go Sox.”

David Ortiz taking a shot at Rafael Devers on his IG story. pic.twitter.com/X86OmfMc8O

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) June 20, 2025

That sure seems like Ortiz is calling out Devers’ refusal to play first base for Boston. While the legendary DH hardly played the field during his Red Sox career, he was at least willing to play the position when called upon.

Devers’ attitude changed upon his arrival in the Bay. During his introductory Giants press conference, he stated he would play anywhere the club asked him to play. He has since worked out multiple times at first base, though he has yet to play the position in a game.

Ortiz’s post comes hours before the Red Sox’ series opener against Devers and the Giants in San Francisco. Devers won’t play first base in the series, but there’s still no shortage of hype heading into the matchup with emotions still running high on both sides.

First pitch for Friday’s Red Sox-Giants game at Oracle Park is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. ET.