Category: Baseball

Rafael Devers' willingness to play first base for Giants summarized by confidant originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Great communication begins with connection. 

And as Rafael Devers’ confidant shared with ESPN’s Jeff Passan, perhaps towards the end of his tenure with the Red Sox, the 28-year-old lacked the connection with the team, leading to drama over his role in Boston. 

Earlier this season, the three-time MLB All-Star went from third base to designated hitter before eventually refusing to play first. 

“Sometimes it’s not the message,” the person close to Devers told Passan. “It’s how the message is delivered.”

Devers, who sealed a shocking blockbuster move to the Giants on Sunday, hasn’t played in the field yet during the 2025 MLB season after losing his third-base job to Alex Bregman in Boston. 

But now Devers, who smashed 15 home runs as his former team’s DH, will try to help the Giants win in any way possible.

After all, while speaking to the media on Tuesday, Devers admitted he’s willing to do anything manager Bob Melvin asks of him to earn San Francisco crucial wins, including playing first base. 

“I can’t wait to start playing [at first base] …,” Devers told reporters through Giants interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I’m eager to go out there and go play and see what I can do.”

There still is no timeline on when he will play first base in a game, but Devers has been taking grounders before each game this week and eventually will transition to the role with San Francisco.

First base is a position that he never has played in his entire professional baseball career, but one he’s willing to do now with the Giants.

How the message is delivered matters.

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They groveled at his feet when they visited him at the White House earlier in April, owner Mark Walter applauding when he lied about egg prices and team president Stan Kasten laughing at his attempts at humor.

They remained silent when he flooded their city with federal agents, chief marketing officer Lon Rosen refusing to comment on the racist kidnapping sweeps terrorizing the very community that helped them break attendance records.

And what did the Dodgers receive in exchange for betraying their fans and sucking up to President Trump?

A knock at the door from immigration enforcement.

Read more:Federal agents denied entry to Dodger Stadium parking lot, sparking new outrage over Trump sweeps

The Dodgers learned what many Trump voters already learned, which is that Agent Orange doesn't always reward subservience.

So much for all of their front-office genius. So much for staying out of politics.

Federal agents in unmarked vehicles formed a line at Dodger Stadium’s main entrance on Thursday, apparently with the intention of using a section of the parking lot as a processing center for detainees who were picked up during a morning immigration raid.

The Dodgers could look away when ICE was causing havoc in other parts of town, but even the morally compromised have limits. More than 40% of Dodgers fans are Latino. Transforming Dodger Stadium into ground zero for the administration’s war on brown people would be financial suicide for the franchise.

The agents were denied entry, according to the team.

There was speculation in and around the organization about whether the presence of the federal agents was a form of retaliation by a notoriously vindictive administration. Just a day earlier, the Dodgers said they would announce on Thursday plans to assist immigrant communities affected by the recent raids. In the wake of the visit, the announcement was delayed.

Ultimately, what did the Dodgers gain from their silent complicity of Trump?

They further diminished their stature as vehicles of inclusion, a tradition that included the breaking of baseball’s color barrier by Jackie Robinson and the expansion of the sport’s borders with the likes of Fernando Valenzuela, Hideo Nomo and Chan Ho Park.

They broke their sacred bond with the Latino community that was forged over Valenzuela’s career and passed down for multiple generations.

They at least resisted immigration agents’ efforts to annex their parking lot, but how much damage was already done? How much trust was already lost?

Consider this: When photographs of the unmarked vehicles in front of Dodger Stadium started circulating online, the widespread suspicion was that federal agents were permitted by the Dodgers to be there.

That was later revealed to be untrue, but what does that say about how the Dodgers were perceived?

Their announcement about their impending announcement looked like a cynical effort to reverse a recent wave of negative publicity, which started with Rosen refusing to comment on the immigration sweeps.

Asked if the Dodgers regretted visiting the White House, Rosen said, “We’re not going to comment on anything.”

On the day of the “No Kings” demonstrations, a 30-year-old performer named Nezza sang a version of the national anthem in Spanish that was commissioned in 1945 by the U.S. State Department under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Nezza, whose full name is Vanessa Hernández, later posted a video on her TikTok account showing a Dodgers employee directing her to sing in English. She disobeyed the order, explaining that because of what was happening in Los Angeles, “I just felt like I needed to do it.”

Read more:Dodgers say Nezza is not banned from stadium for singing national anthem in Spanish

In subsequent interviews, Nezza said her agent was called by a Dodgers employee, who said Nezza was to never return to Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers later clarified that Nezza wasn’t banned from the ballpark, but the incident nonetheless struck a chord. Reports of American citizens being detained or harassed have surfaced, creating a feeling the raids are as much about making brown-skinned people feel unwelcome as they are about deporting undocumented migrants. Nezza’s experience symbolized this feeling.

The incident resulted in widespread calls for a Dodgers boycott, which, coincidentally or not, was followed by the Dodgers teasing their announcement of support for immigrants.

The divisive environment created by Trump forced the Dodgers to take a side, however passively. Now, they have to win back angry fans who pledged allegiance to them only to be let down. Now, they have to deal with potential retaliation from the Mad King they pathetically tried to appease.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Seven times in the last 10 days, the Dodgers and San Diego Padres have renewed their steadily intensifying divisional rivalry.

And in the last inning of the last one of those games Thursday night, the mounting tensions between the clubs — and their respective managers — finally ignited into a benches-clearing confrontation.

At the end of the Padres’ 5-3 win against the Dodgers, San Diego star Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a Dodgers pitcher for the third time over the two recent series between the National League West foes, and a career-high sixth time by the team in his six years in the majors.

Moments later, Dave Roberts and Mike Shildt were face-to-face on the field, engaged in a shouting match that caused both benches to empty in a heated melee behind home plate.

Benches clear in the 9th inning of the Padres-Dodgers game in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/ugfVSFmqtS

— MLB (@MLB) June 20, 2025

“I felt that he was trying to make it personal with me,” Roberts said of Shildt. “Which then, I take it personal.”

Indeed, as soon as Tatis got plunked on the hand by a 93 mph fastball from debuting Dodgers rookie Jack Little, Shildt came storming out of the dugout, walking over to check on Tatis while barking in Roberts’ direction.

Whatever Shildt said, Roberts took exception. Suddenly, he was charging onto the field, bumping into Shildt as the two jawed back and forth and their two teams swarmed around them.

“I didn’t feel good about Tatis — great player, good guy — getting hit,” Roberts said, insisting the pitch from Little, who had been activated before the game and was laboring through a two-inning outing, was unintentional.

“And so as he comes out, and he’s yelling at me and staring me down, that bothers me. Because, to be quite frank, that’s the last thing I wanted. I’m taking starters out of the game. Trying to get this game over with and get this kid a couple innings. And so that’s why I took that personal. Because I understand the game, and I understand that it doesn’t feel good to get hit. But understand again, intent versus clearly no intent.”

Shildt didn’t seem to care about that last point. 

“After a while, enough’s enough,” he said. “Intentional, unintentional, the fact of the matter is we took exception with it. I responded.”

The scuffle didn’t get overly physical, with some light shoving between the clubs pushing the pile into the screen behind home plate. But emotions were running hot. Roberts and Shildt had to be separated from one another. Umpires ejected both men.

“Teams I manage don’t take anything,” Shildt said. “And after a while, I’m not gonna take it. And I’m not gonna take it on behalf of Tati, I’m not gonna take it on behalf of the team, intentional or unintentional. It’s really that simple. That’s how this game is played. And if you wanna call that old school, then yeah, we’ll play old-school baseball.”

Shildt’s latter point was proven in the bottom half of the inning.

After the Dodgers scored twice to generate some late life, Shohei Ohtani was hit by Padres closer Robert Suarez in a 3-and-0 count on a 100 mph fastball off his shoulder. 

Roberts, watching from his office, said he believed “clearly there was intent behind it,” marking the second time in this series he felt the Padres threw at Ohtani to retaliate for Tatis getting hit.

“I don’t really care what they say,” Shildt said. “I really don’t.”

Did Roberts feel the Padres crossed a line?

“That’s their decision,” he said, “and Major League Baseball is gonna have to look at that.”

The plot only thickened from there.

This time, the benches stayed put — in part, it appeared, because Ohtani waved for his team to remain in the dugout as he walked up the first base line. 

But because dugout warnings had been issued after Tatis’ hit-by-pitch, Suarez was ejected (along with Padres bench coach Brian Esposito). That forced the Padres to summon left-hander Yuki Matsui to close things out.

Read more:Federal agents denied entry to Dodger Stadium parking lot, sparking new outrage over Trump sweeps

And for a brief moment, it looked like he might blow it.

With two runners on, the Dodgers (46-30) were supposed to have the heart of their order up. However, Roberts had already pinch-hit for Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman an inning earlier, deciding to get his stars off their feet while facing a five-run deficit.

“We're at a stretch here of a lot of games, and I felt that that was the right time,” Roberts said.

Thus, it was Miguel Rojas and Dalton Rushing who came to the plate as the tying and go-ahead runs.

Rojas drew a walk to load the bases. Then Matsui spiked a sweeper that bounced under the chest protector of catcher Martín Maldonado, plating a run and moving the Dodgers’ other baserunners into scoring position.

Alas, Rushing struck out in a full count to end the game — denying the Dodgers the chance for a four-game sweep, but still leaving them 17-12 at the end of a daunting 29-game stretch against playoff-contending teams.

“It just shows we're deep,” Betts said of the Dodgers’ performance over the last month, which vaulted them to a 3½-game lead in the division and five-game advantage over the Padres (40-34). 

“But we still got a couple months to go, and just have to keep playing good Dodger baseball."

Over those final couple months, there will still be six games to play against the Padres — all of which will come over another two-week stretch in mid-August.

When Roberts was asked whether the emotions of these past couple series might linger until then, he offered a diplomatic response.

"I don't know,” he said. “We're honestly trying to win baseball games, and that's our only goal.”

But in the visiting clubhouse, where initial X-rays on Tatis’ hand were inconclusive about the severity of his injury, the Padres didn’t seem ready to turn down the dial.

“They need to set a little candle up for Tati,” third baseman Manny Machado said of the Dodgers, “and hope that everything comes back negative.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Mets’ starting pitching was incredible to start the season. 

Despite coming into the year viewed as one of their biggest weaknesses, it’s shined. 

But with the depth being put to the test of late, things have began to falter off. 

While it’s not completely to blame, the Mets’ shorthanded and suddenly struggling rotation has ended up being one of the biggest catalysts behind their current season-high six-game losing streak. 

“It starts on the mound,” Carlos Mendoza said. “The starting pitching, they’ve been so good the whole year pretty much carrying us to this point, you lose guys who have been consistently throwing the ball well and get some bad outings -- it happens, we're going through a rough stretch right now.”

They received another one of those bad outings on Thursday night in Atlanta, as Clay Holmes battled through some struggles with his command and issued a career-high six free passes over just 4.2 innings of work. 

The last of those came to Drake Baldwin with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth.  

“The walks hurt us, especially that last inning,” Holmes said. “You walk that many eventually it’s hard to avoid the big inning -- the leadoff walk hurt, then [Ronald] Acuna got on and [Austin] Riley hit a good sinker. It forced me to throw more pitches, and it’s tough to overcome that many walks.”

Prior to Thursday’s showing Holmes had been a relatively steady presence in New York’s rotation -- that marked just the second time he’d failed to complete five innings since his second start of the season. 

The 32-year-old has by-far passed the most frames he’s thrown in a big-league season. 

While there’s always some concern about him eventually hitting a wall in his first year transitioning from the bullpen to the starting rotation -- Holmes insists he continues feeling strong out there. 

“I feel like my stuff was some of the best it’s been all year today,” he said. “The ball was coming out well and I was moving really fast, so not really -- I feel good physically and pitch-wise, it’s just a matter of executing a little better.”

The Mets have a change in their pitching plans for Friday's series opener in Philly.

New York originally expected to have Justin Hagenman either start or work as a bulk reliever in a bullpen game, but he ended up throwing the final 2.2 innings during Thursday’s series finale against the Braves. 

Instead, they'll turn to young right-hander Blade Tidwell.

Carlos Mendoza indicated postgame Thursday that the team was planning on utilizing a traditional starter due to the recent heavy bullpen usage and Tidwell was among the arms in the mix.

Now the 23-year-old will make his second big-league outing to open a massive three-game set against the Phillies.

Tidwell made his debut with the club earlier this season -- allowing six runs on nine hits while walking three over just 3.2 innings in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. 

He was roughed up during his last outing down in Syracuse but had put together a strong stretch prior to that -- allowing three or less earned runs over each of his last five starts. 

Fellow prospect Nolan McLean was a potential option as well, but Tidwell was a better fit at the moment since he is currently on the 40 Man roster and the Mets are only looking for a spot starter. 

The Mets recent struggles continued on Thursday night in Atlanta, losing to the Braves, 7-1.

Their losing streak is now at a season-high six games.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Clay Holmes started off strong with three scoreless innings, including avoiding damage in the third after a double and a walk by striking out Austin Riley. But the trouble caught up to him in the fourth when he walked Matt Olson, let up a single to Marcell Ozuna, and gave up a one-out RBI-single to Ozzie Albies that tied the game at 1-1. Holmes escaped the jam by getting a forceout and a strikeout.

The right-hander found himself in a tough spot again in the fifth after walking Ronald Acuña Jr., giving up a one-out single to Riley, and walking Matt Olson to load the bases. Holmes caught Ozuna looking on a low sinker for the second out, but after a PitchCom issue, walked Drake Baldwin on a full-count to give the Braves a 2-1 lead.

Holmes then exited after a career-high 104 pitches (61 strikes). His final line: three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and six walks over only 4.2 innings.

-- Huascar Brazobán replaced Holmes and threw four straight balls to Albies, walking in another run to make it a 3-1 game. He then got Michael Harris II to ground out and finally end the fifth inning.

The pitching struggles continued for the Mets in the sixth as Brazobán loaded the bases in the sixth and gave up a bases-clearing double to Olson, making it a 6-1 game. Brazobán was pulled after 0.2 IP, allowing four runs on two hits with three walks.

-- Juan Sotopicked up his 1,000th career hit (game No. 1,010) with a two-out single to right field against the Braves' Spencer Strider for NY's first of the day. Pete Alonso followed with a single of his own, but the two were left stranded as Starling Marte grounded out.

-- Tyrone Taylor singled with one away in the top of the second inning and stole second to give the Mets a runner in scoring position. The move payed off as Ronny Mauricio came through with a two-out line drive up the middle to put the Mets ahead, 1-0.

-- RHP Justin Hagenman, who was called up earlier in the day and was considered to potentially start Friday's game, came in for Brazobán in the sixth with Olson on second base and one out. He got Ozuna to groundout, but let up a single to Baldwin that pushed the Braves' lead to 7-1. Hagenman stayed in to finish the rest of the game, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with two hits and a strikeout.

-- New York totaled just six hits in the loss: Soto, Alonso, Taylor, and Mauricio all singled; Brandon Nimmo and Marte doubled. The Mets went 1-for-8 with RISP and left six on base.

Game MVP: Matt Olson

Olson delivered the game-breaking, three-run double and collected two of the nine walks given up by Holmes and Brazobán. He doubled again in the bottom of the eighth against Hagenman, pushing his season total to 18 doubles.

Highlights

Juan Soto's 1,000th MLB hit! 👏 pic.twitter.com/e1ge4uvLnn

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 19, 2025

Ronny Mauricio singles home Tyrone Taylor and the Mets are on the board first! pic.twitter.com/KD5K8SZfEZ

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 19, 2025

Clay Holmes strikes out Austin Riley to escape a jam in the third! pic.twitter.com/U4GJKVmd7g

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 20, 2025

What's next

The Mets head to Philadelphia for a three-game series with the Phillies. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV+.

Carlos Mendoza said postgame that Blade Tidwell will start for New York. Former Met Zack Wheeler (7-2, 2.76) starts for the Phillies.

The Yankees officially lost a piece of their veteran infield depth on Thursday.

Pablo Reyes elected free agency after going unclaimed off of waivers.

Reyes, of course, was DFA'd earlier this week to make room for Giancarlo Stanton on the active roster.

The 31-year-old landed with the Bombers on a minor league deal this offseason, and he ended up cracking one of the last roster spots out of camp as the team dealt with a plethora of injuries.

Now that New York is back healthy it came down to Reyes or Oswald Peraza to be let go, and they ultimately decided to hold onto the former highly-regarded prospect.

Reyes appeared in just 24 games as a Yankee -- picking up one RBI and six hits.

SNY's Andy Martino is responding to and breaking down answers to Mets questions from readers. Here's the latest...

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At what point do the Mets seriously consider sending Francisco Alvarez down to AAA for a reset? - @steven_d_fisher

The Mets want Francisco Alvarez to figure it out at the MLB level. They are still hoping that happens, because the roster is best with a productive Alvarez as the primary catcher and Luis Torrens as a high-end second catcher.

Having said that, the Mets are in the business of winning games, and if Alvarez can’t figure it out with the big club the organization will consider sending him to Triple-A.

A demotion is not imminent. And for what it’s worth, Alvarez still has the potential to be a top catcher in the league.

Do you think the Mets need to have a conversation regarding their hitting coach? He seems to be a big factor on why a lot of guys are not producing at the plate. - @reidsgarcia_

If this were a conversation, I would answer with, what do you mean he seems like a big factor in why a lot of guys are not producing at the plate?

We got a bunch of questions on the Mets hitting coaches, to which I answer, it’s almost never the hitting coach’s fault.

It seems like none of the Mets young position players have stepped up and established themselves as a major league regular. I'm talking about Vientos, Baty, Mauricio, Acuña, and Alvarez. Is the Mets FO concerned? Should they be? - @noahgittell

Interesting question. It’s hard to generalize, but I would say that, industry-wide, hype for prospects usually outpaces reality. These guys get so much coverage before they even arrive in the big leagues, inflating expectations to an unrealistic level.

You listed five players. If one or two of them stick in the big leagues long enough to reach free agency, that would be a huge win for the organization.

Now let’s go through your list.

Vientos is a talented hitter who has regressed defensively this season, though not irreversibly. Plus he might be the first baseman next year.

Baty has made tremendous strides defensively but can’t yet break through as an MLB hitter.

Acuña looks like a useful role player who can start at any infield position if needed -- and who is trying to produce while playing intermittently for the first time in his life. No easy task.

Alvarez? That’s a troubling one at the moment, but there remains star potential. See the above answer.

Again, when it all shakes out, some will stick, some won’t. From where I sit the hype machine is the real problem.

I don’t detect structural issues with player development of coaching that could provide a blanket answer.

Have you heard the Mets connected to Eugenio Suarez, Jarren Duran, or Cedric Mullins? Or is it just relievers? - @Evanobrien5250

It’s too early in the trade deadline season to hone in on certain players, but I can definitely see them seeking a center fielder in addition to the obvious pitching needs. Keep an eye on whoever becomes available at that position.

SNY's Andy Martino is responding to and breaking down answers to Yankees questions from readers. Here's the latest...

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What positions do you think the Yankees will be looking to upgrade at trade deadline? - @nick5875

The Yankees continue to look for a righty bat, likely an infielder. It’s too early to do anything but speculate on specific names but Isiah Kiner-Falefa could fit the bill. They could also trade for a third baseman like the lefty-hitting Ryan McMahon and move Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base.

By shifting Chisholm to third earlier in the season, the Yanks now have the option to use him at either of those positions, depending on who they acquire. They gained that flexibility by getting him those reps sooner than later.

Some in the organization see a need for an additional starting pitcher. One could also make a case for another power arm for the back end of the bullpen, although they’re in solid shape with Luke Weaver (expected to return Friday) and Devin Williams. Again, it’s early.

Do you think Ben Rice will be taught 3B? Goldy is having a good year and can see an extension to be our premier 1B. - @zanna_zt

No, Ben Rice won’t play third base for the Yankees. Aaron Boone has a plan for Rice that involves days at first base, days at DH, days on the bench here and there, and the occasional day at catcher (though not as the second catcher; that’s J.C. Escarra’s job and it is not in jeopardy). The Yankees do not plan to introduce Rice to any additional positions.

As for Paul Goldschmidt, he has been an excellent upgrade at first base, both on the field and for the team’s culture. But at 37 years old, he’s not an extension candidate. Another year? Maybe. But not an extension.

Is there a real chance Ben Rice starts playing catcher 2-3 times a week? - @NYsportSufferer

Not really. They will likely continue to carry three catchers, if you classify Rice as a catcher. This relates to the previous answer. Escarra is the backup and needs to play at least once or twice a week to stay fresh.

Andy, did you get good questions? - @SirRonaldFritz

Eh.

It didn't take long for Juan Soto to make history on Thursday night.

The star outfielder lined a two out single off Braves right-hander Spencer Strider in the top of the first -- giving him 1,000 hits in his big-league career.

Soto is one of just 84 players to reach the feat at age 26 or younger.

He joins Mickey Mantle and Mel Ott as the only three players in MLB history with at least 1,000 hits, 200 homers, and 700 walks before the age of 27.

The first 564 knocks of Soto's career came with the Nationals -- he picked up 199 more while with Padres, added 166 with the Yankees, and now has 66 during the first year of his historic deal with the Mets.

Juan Soto's 1,000th MLB hit! 👏 pic.twitter.com/e1ge4uvLnn

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 19, 2025

All the Yankees needed to snap a season-long losing skid and break out at the plate was a scorching hot afternoon featuring a pair of bookended rain delays. Just the usual remedy for an alarming cold streak.

While their performance wasn't exactly pretty, the Yankees couldn't have cared less about style points on Thursday in the Bronx. What mattered most was securing a long-craved win, and they did just that by outmuscling the Angels, 7-3, in their four-game series finale. They also prevented their old playoff nemesis from pulling off their first-ever four-game road sweep at Yankee Stadium.

The six-game slide, which saw the Yankees hit a measly .155 with 59 strikeouts and go a confounding 30 straight innings without scoring, didn't encapsulate their entire season by any means. They entered Thursday with the highest OPS in the AL, and ranked third across the majors in runs scored.

So, the awakening was inevitable, even though it took a week for the bats to connect. The Yankees' winning formula consisted of 12 hits -- two of which were home runs from Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt -- all nine starters reaching base, and four runs driven in with two outs. Call it welcomed pop and production, from top to bottom.

"Obviously, these last few games haven't gone our way. Today was good, but we've got to keep going," Goldschmidt said after the win. "It's a long season. A long season when you're playing well, a long season when you're losing a few games in a row. We understand that. So, we've done a good job just taking it day by day. Today was a good example of that."

The "no style points" mentality can apply to the performance from Carlos Rodón. While the southpaw served up a season-high three home runs to the Angels, they were all of the solo variety, and the early run support allowed him to complete six innings and earn the quality start. He stuck out seven and walked one across 92 pitches, and his ERA now sits at 3.10.

"Three solo shots, obviously I want to be in a better place with those pitches," Rodón said. "So there's stuff to work on this week and be better at. But all in all, we won the game, so that's the big part... I thought they swung it great, I thought we played some great baseball. Props to the bullpen for shutting it down when I came out."

The Yankees' week-long stench was one for the books. They were shut out in three straight games for just the seventh time in franchise history. For the first time since 1908 -- yes, 1908 -- they scored seven runs or fewer with six-plus losses across a seven-game span (h/t Katie Sharp).

But the Yankees finally showed signs of life on Thursday, and with the last-place Orioles arriving in town for a three-game set this weekend, hopes of a winning streak can re-enter the brains of players and fans.

"It definitely feels good hearing the music again and coming out with a W," said Cody Bellinger, who collected a team-high three hits. "Carlos and the bullpen did a great job of minimizing them. For us, we got to come do our job and score some runs."