Sean Manaea got another rehab start under his belt as the Mets' left-hander looks to get ready for his 2025 season debut.
For the second time in his three starts with High-A Brooklyn, Manaea allowed a run in the first inning. His second pitch of the game was an infield single to short before getting a flyout to center. But after a steal put a runner on second, Manaea got the lefty swinging Alejandro Nunez to chase a ball that was closer to the right-handed batter's box than the strike zone.
Lucas Spence took a 2-1 pitch over the heart of the plate for an RBI single to center before Manaea ended the first with a groundout.
Manaea hit the leadoff man in the top of the second on a 1-2 pitch and allowed him to steal second before walking the next batter on a 3-2 pitch. But with two on, he got a three-pitch strikeout and a pair of grounders.
He got the leadoff man in the third to fly out, but Nunez singled to center and Spence cracked a two-run shot to center on a ball that was right over the plate.
Manaea lasted two more batters, allowing a single to right and a six-pitch walk.
The Cyclone's bullpen allowed one of the inherited runners to score to close the Mets' starter's line: 2.1 innings, four runs, five hits (one home run), two walks, a hit batter, two strikeouts on 56 pitches (36 strikes). He did tally 11 swings and misses.
The Boston Red Sox made a stunning, franchise-altering move on Sunday, just hours after completing a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
Veteran slugger Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, and minor-leaguers James Tibbs and Jose Bello.
The #RedSox today traded 3B/DH Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, in exchange for LHP Kyle Harrison, RHP Jordan Hicks, minor league OF James Tibbs III, and minor league RHP Jose Bello.
The shocking move ends Devers’ eight-plus-year tenure with the Red Sox. Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension with Boston before the 2023 campaign.
Devers was in the midst of a stellar season as the Red Sox’ designated hitter. The 28-year-old has slashed .271/.400/.494 with 14 homers, 57 RBI, and an American League-leading 55 walks over 72 games.
Those impressive numbers, however, were overshadowed by off-the-field drama. After the Red Sox signed star third baseman Alex Bregman in the offseason, Devers scoffed at the idea of moving from third to DH. He eventually acquiesced, but tensions boiled over again when the team asked him to play first base in the wake of Triston Casas’ injury.
“The team’s feeling was that a $313.5M contract comes with responsibilities to do what is right for the team and that Devers did not live up to those responsibilities,” Abraham wrote on BlueSky. “They had enough and they traded him.”
The Giants will pay the remainder of Devers’ contract — roughly $254 million — according to reports.
Devers, a three-time All-Star, initially signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, when he was only 16 years old. He helped Boston to a World Series title in 2018 and has since been one of the faces of the franchise.
As for the players headed to Boston, Hicks and Harrison are high-upside pitchers who underwhelmed in San Francisco. The hard-throwing Hicks has a 6.47 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 13 appearances (nine starts) this season. Harrison, a former top Giants prospect, has a 4.56 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in eight games (four starts).
The 22-year-old Tibbs, selected 13th overall in the 2024 draft, notched 12 homers and 32 RBI with a .857 OPS in 56 games with San Francisco’s High-A affiliate, the Eugene Emeralds.
Bello, a 20-year-old right-hander, posted a 2.00 ERA and 0.72 WHIP in eight appearances (18 innings) at the Arizona Complex League.
The Red Sox will visit the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series starting Monday night. They will then take on Devers and the Giants in a three-game series in San Francisco starting on Friday.
The Boston Red Sox made a stunning, franchise-altering move on Sunday, just hours after completing a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
Veteran slugger Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, and minor-leaguers James Tibbs and Jose Bello.
The #RedSox today traded 3B/DH Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, in exchange for LHP Kyle Harrison, RHP Jordan Hicks, minor league OF James Tibbs III, and minor league RHP Jose Bello.
The shocking move ends Devers’ eight-plus-year tenure with the Red Sox. Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension with Boston before the 2023 campaign.
Devers was in the midst of a stellar season as the Red Sox’ designated hitter. The 28-year-old has slashed .271/.400/.494 with 14 homers, 57 RBI, and an American League-leading 55 walks over 72 games.
Those impressive numbers, however, were overshadowed by off-the-field drama. After the Red Sox signed star third baseman Alex Bregman in the offseason, Devers scoffed at the idea of moving from third to DH. He eventually acquiesced, but tensions boiled over again when the team asked him to play first base in the wake of Triston Casas’ injury.
“The team’s feeling was that a $313.5M contract comes with responsibilities to do what is right for the team and that Devers did not live up to those responsibilities,” Abraham wrote on BlueSky. “They had enough and they traded him.”
The Giants will pay the remainder of Devers’ contract — roughly $254 million — according to reports.
Devers, a three-time All-Star, initially signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, when he was only 16 years old. He helped Boston to a World Series title in 2018 and has since been one of the faces of the franchise.
As for the players headed to Boston, Hicks and Harrison are high-upside pitchers who underwhelmed in San Francisco. The hard-throwing Hicks has a 6.47 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 13 appearances (nine starts) this season. Harrison, a former top Giants prospect, has a 4.56 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in eight games (four starts).
The 22-year-old Tibbs, selected 13th overall in the 2024 draft, notched 12 homers and 32 RBI with a .857 OPS in 56 games with San Francisco’s High-A affiliate, the Eugene Emeralds.
Bello, a 20-year-old right-hander, posted a 2.00 ERA and 0.72 WHIP in eight appearances (18 innings) at the Arizona Complex League.
The Red Sox will visit the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series starting Monday night. They will then take on Devers and the Giants in a three-game series in San Francisco starting on Friday.
“How about that trade? That’s wild! Buster’s really doing it,” Kershaw told ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball crew during an interview in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game between the Giants and Dodgers. “Not [Buster] Olney, Buster’s really doing it over there. Good for Buster, man. He’s going for it. I’d consider [Rafael Devers] probably one of the probably top-10 hitters in the game at worst.”
Clayton Kershaw: "How about that trade? That's wild! Buster's really doing it! Not Olney; Buster Posey's really doing it over there. Good for Buster, man. He's going for it. I'd consider [Rafael Devers] one of probably the top 10 hitters in the game at worst." ⚾️🎙️ #MLBhttps://t.co/VtlTFADepApic.twitter.com/gqPKFdZYdr
Kershaw seemingly wondered what everyone else was, which is where Devers would slot into San Francisco’s plans given Matt Chapman being firmly entrenched as the Giants’ third baseman.
“He’s definitely a game-changer. It will be interesting to see what position he plays over there. I know they have a big prospect at first base coming, so it will be interesting to see if he plays first. Obviously you have Matt Chapman who’s one of the best in the game at third. Even if he’s just DH for however long that contract is … that makes them better right now, for sure.”
Devers hit .272 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI in 73 games for the Boston Red Sox this season. That includes a solo home run against the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon in his final game for the Red Sox.
The 28-year old slugger is in the second year of a 10-year, $315.5 million contract, which figures to tie Devers to the Giants as a foundational piece for years to come.
Despite dropping the last two games against the Dodgers, it’s clear San Francisco’s new addition has sent a clear message to its biggest rival — the Giants are going for it, now and and for years to come.
LOS ANGELES — The scene that unfolded Sunday at Dodger Stadium was one of the strangest in the long history of the Giants.
Sean Hjelle started warming up during the national anthem, as scheduled starter Kyle Harrison was being told he was headed to the Boston Red Sox in a blockbuster deal that will make Rafael Devers a Giant for the rest of the decade. Hjelle was relieved in the fourth by Joey Lucchesi, who had not been officially announced as part of the roster.
When the trade finally was announced, Andy Pages homered seconds later to put the Dodgers on top. It was chaotic, and in the end, the Giants fell short 5-4 in a game that they kinda punted by trading their starter minutes before first pitch.
The Giants (41-31) dropped the series and will head back home two games back in the NL West, but the next time they take the field, they’ll have Devers.
Here are three takeaways from a strange night at Dodger Stadium:
Stepping In Admirably
Harrison was hoping to pitch well enough that the Giants would keep him in the rotation next week when Justin Verlander returns. Instead, he was sent back to the clubhouse after heading out to the bullpen early in the afternoon. By the end of the day, he had been optioned to Triple-A Worcester by the Red Sox.
Hjelle stretched as the anthem was performed and then made his first big league start under unusual circumstances. Just about everyone at Dodger Stadium was surprised when he was the one to take the mound, and the Giants desperately needed length after Spencer Bivens and Tristan Beck soaked up most of Saturday’s blowout.
Hjelle gave them exactly what was required, throwing 54 pitches in 3 2/3 innings and leaving with a 3-2 lead. He was rushed into duty and might have kept Bob Melvin from having to use his entire tired bullpen on the final day of a six-game trip.
Hello, Joey
The Devers deal came together so quickly that the Giants did not have time to announce Lucchesi as a member of their roster before the game. In the third inning, the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium did it, with a graphic showing that he was warming up.
Lucchesi was in camp with the Giants but has spent all year at Triple-A. He made it down from Tacoma, Washington to provide an extra arm for the bullpen, taking Harrison’s roster spot. Lucchesi was charged with two earned runs after he put a couple on in the fifth and Ryan Walker gave up a three-run blast.
So, About Third Base
Matt Chapman is out another three to four weeks, but the Giants had been in good hands there even before dealing for Devers, a long-time third baseman. Casey Schmitt has three homers on the trip, but he was removed early in Sunday’s game after fouling a ball off his left foot for the second time during this series.
Schmitt was already wearing a wrap on his left foot and he was in considerable pain as he went down in the box. The Giants announced that he has a left ankle contusion.
Devers, who will join the team Tuesday, hasn’t played third base all year. The Red Sox signed Alex Bregman in the offseason, angering their incumbent, who has been a DH in every appearance this season.
Adames was mic’d up during the bottom of the second inning of ESPN’s broadcast of the Giants’ “Sunday Night Baseball” game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Everybody is so excited, man,” Adames told Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez. “Me, personally, I’m thrilled to have him on the team. Obviously, he’s one of the best hitters in the game and to have him on the team, I think it’s going to help us to do a lot of damage in this division. And, obviously, we need a bat like him in this lineup, so when we get [Matt Chapman] back in the lineup, it’s going to be exciting.”
Willy Adames is on the mic and is excited about the reported trade that will bring Rafael Devers to the Giants. pic.twitter.com/uenh4IzKlS
Adames revealed that he and his Giants teammates found out about the trade 15 or 20 minutes before the game began at 4 p.m. PT.
The Giants announced the trade — which sends right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks, left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison, 2024 first-round draft pick James Tibbs III and low-level pitching prospect Jose Bello to the Red Sox — at 5:49 p.m. PT, in the middle of Sunday’s game.
Adames spoke about what the Devers move says about first-year president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
“Just to build this chemistry and this energy here in San Francisco that they had when he was playing,” Adames told Ravech and Perez. “Just to build a team that can compete and is going to be out here trying to win, trying to win some division championships and some World Series. So that was the initial plan and he’s delivering with that trade right now. The whole clubhouse is excited, so it shows you he’s doing something special.”
Harrison was scheduled to start Sunday and was warming up in the Dodger Stadium bullpen when he was informed of the trade. Reliever Sean Hjelle quickly got loose, started and pitched 3 2/3 innings. He allowed three hits, two earned runs and struck out five.
As for Devers, Adames has a simple plan to make the 28-year-old feel welcome in San Francisco.
“To make him feel like home, man,” Adames told Ravech and Perez. “We want him to feel comfortable and to feel like he’s just going to come out here and play and just do his game. We’re just thrilled to have him and everybody’s excited, so just make him feel like home.”
The Giants entered Sunday’s game in Los Angeles one game behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West, and Devers certainly changes the equation.
“I feel like it sends a message that we’re going to compete, that we’re going to do whatever it takes to try to come over here and win the division,” Adames said.
New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury might opt to take a unique approach this offseason.
Pursuing restricted free agents via offer sheets is not a common strategy in the NHL, but it’s becoming more prevalent.
With a lack of star talent in the unrestricted free agency class this summer, the Rangers reportedly have their eyes on taking the offer-sheet route with restricted free agents.
“The Rangers came into this offseason more worried about an offer sheet poaching either K’Andre Miller or, far worse, Cuylle, who has a lot of value and upside here and elsewhere,” Arthur Staple of The Athletic wrote. “Now, it appears the Rangers want to be the aggressors on the little-used offer sheet market.”
Staple linked the Rangers to Buffalo Sabres forward JJ Peterka as a potential offer-sheet option. Peterka is a player who was connected to the Rangers at around the trade deadline, but nothing ultimately transpired between the Blueshirts and Sabres.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman echoed the same sentiment about the Rangers being intrigued to adopt the offer-sheet strategy.
“I think the thing that is really interesting is that the word offer sheets are being mentioned with them and they are not really having a problem with it…The Rangers don’t seem all that bothered by the fact that people are linking them to offer sheets, so I’m curious to see where that is all going to go,” Friedman said.
Drury has already been aggressive to start the offseason as the team traded Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks, starting what should be an eventful summer for the Rangers.
First, he said last weekend that he’d rather retire than pitch for the Yankees because his father was drafted by New York twice before being traded.
Then, he goes out and beats the Yankees.
A few days after his comments about never wanting to pitch for New York, he ends up having to defend his dad’s story about being drafted by the Yankees in response to a New York Post article that cited multiple official databases and the Yankees’ own records that couldn’t confirm Lance Dobbins ever having played with the organization.
Then on Saturday night, Dobbins (4-1) follows up by going six shutout innings in Boston’s 4-3 victory over New York, his second win over the Yankees in less than a week.
“It’s a lot of fun. I’m more worried about just the win column, whether it’s against them or anybody,” he said. “My job is to try and help this team win as many ballgames as we can, and pitch in meaningful playoff baseball games. That’s what I’m more focused on.”
But he realizes what it means to the fanbase in this longtime rivalry, with the Red Sox fans heard chanting about the Yankees outside the park before he spoke in an interview room.
“Yeah, I love being able to perform and get those wins for the fans here,” he said. “They deserve it. It’s a great city, passionate fanbase, so being able to get those wins — especially twice in one week — means a lot, and looking forward to trying to build on that going forward.”
In his victory over New York last Sunday, Dobbins held the Yankees to three runs over five innings, two on a first-inning homer by Aaron Judge.
On Saturday night, Judge went 0 for 3 against him, striking out twice on curveballs.
“It was just kind of scouting,” Dobbins said of his game plan against New York’s slugger after Garrett Crochet struck him out three times in the series opener Friday.
“Crochet has an electric fastball. I can throw it hard, but the shape isn’t quite as elite,” he said. “So we knew we had better weapons to go at him with, so I felt like we did a good job of kind of keeping a balanced attack throughout the order.”
Dobbins struck out five and gave up only two singles on Saturday.
With the Giants’ trade for Boston Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers, San Francisco has injected some much-needed firepower into its slumping offense.
Exhibit A: The three-time MLB All-Star’s final game in Boston on Sunday, where his solo home run in the fifth inning helped propel the Red Sox to a 2-0 win over the New York Yankees.
That 375-foot opposite-field shot certainly would clear the wall in left field at Oracle Park, where Devers should be playing through the 2033 MLB season.
San Francisco acquired Devers on Sunday in a blockbuster trade that sent Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs III and Jose Bello to Boston, the teams announced during the Giants’ 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The move comes just a couple of weeks after Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey conducted his first big roster shakeup, designating first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment in a message to San Francisco’s struggling offense.
Devers hit .272 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI in 73 games for the Red Sox this season, and he’ll bring some pop to the Bay that has been missed for quite some time.
Devers: 3 30-homer seasons
Giants: no 30-homer season by an individual since 2004 Barry Bonds
LOS ANGELES — Long before he made the decision to take over the Giants baseball operations department, Buster Posey was fascinated by the trade deadline. He watched all sorts of moves during his time as a player, and he saw the kind of impact that a lead executive can have without ever taking the field.
Two weeks ago, as the calendar turned to June and Posey watched his lineup struggle to score runs, he admitted he felt the need to make a splash. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to, but he felt there was something special building if the Giants could just score a bit more consistently.
“I think there’s pressure to put this team in a position to win ball games, because, as you mentioned, the pitching staff is really good and I believe that that’s going to continue through the year,” he said on the Giants Talk Podcast. “Yeah, I think there’s urgency from everybody to provide these guys with run support.”
Six weeks before his first deadline, Posey delivered.
The Giants, Posey declared Sunday, are going for it.
They are doing so in a fascinating way, and not just because the deal happened six weeks before anyone expected real movement, and was centered around a player who was once supposed to be a pillar in Boston. They’re pushing all their chips to the middle with a slugger who is in some ways an imperfect fit in San Francisco.
Devers has been a third baseman his entire career, but the Red Sox added Alex Bregman in the offseason and Devers was not pleased, both publicly and privately. When they lost their starting first baseman, he indicated he didn’t want to play there either, and he has been a DH in all 72 appearances this season.
The Giants appear to have bigger holes elsewhere — Wilmer Flores has been their everyday DH — but they can work around that this season. Flores can play first and Devers likely can, too, and the hope is surely that he’s more willing in a new home to pick the glove back up. Short term, Matt Chapman is on the IL, although it might be asking a lot of Devers to return to third base right away, and for just three weeks or so.
Long term, the Giants will have to sort through the Devers-Bryce Eldridge fit. Their top prospect is a first baseman, but may also need DH time at the big league level if the glove doesn’t develop as hoped. This offseason, when Flores hits free agency, the Giants will have to figure out who their 2026 starting first baseman is.
If Devers ends up at DH, they’re taking on a lot — he’s in the second year of a 10-year, $313.5 million deal — for a bat-only player, but that bat might be worth it.
Devers comes to San Francisco with a 145 wRC+, .905 OPS, 15 homers and an AL-leading 56 walks. He’s a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner who is a career .279 hitter. In three different seasons, Devers has cleared 30 homers, and he hit 28 last season.
Devers immediately becomes the team’s best hitter, and joins a core that includes Chapman, Willy Adames, Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee and, eventually, Eldridge. If there are any clubhouse concerns — and it’s hard right now to know if that was just a Boston thing — Posey is surely counting on Adames and Chapman to smooth things over.
Posey and general manager Zack Minasian have spent weeks scouring the market for offensive upgrades, and they came away from their early searching with the impression that they might have to be patient. The president of baseball operations recently met with the coaching staff to make sure they relayed the message that a lot of fixes had to come from what they already had.
“There’s never any certainty,” he said recently. “I do know this, even though this is my first year doing this, there’s never any certainty that you’re going to be able to improve even if you wanted to.”
On Sunday, he found a way to ensure some certainty. As a player, Posey was known for lining balls softly into center field. As an executive, he has proven to be someone who takes some of the biggest swings imaginable.
That was the general consensus on X after the Giants reportedly made a blockbuster trade to acquire three-time MLB All-Star Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. The slugger comes to San Francisco in exchange for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs and Jose Bello, FanSided’s Robert Murray reported, citing sources familiar with the deal.
Full trade: The San Francisco Giants are acquiring Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs and Jose Bello, according to sources familiar with the deal.
Understandably, MLB fans everywhere were stunned. Giants fans celebrated, Red Sox fans wept and baseball fans in general couldn’t contain their shock, likening the deal to the NBA’s Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade that shook the sports world in February.
Let’s take a look at some of the best reactions.
What a MASSIVE trade in Buster Posey's first season at the helm. Love the move. Love the aggressiveness. This sends a message to MLB: the #SFGiants play for rings. https://t.co/s9UCRrDf4B
This is a generational fleece by the #SFGiants. This is Baseball’s version of the Luka trade. Hicks and Harrison for a solidified elite player in Devers.
Sox are hot. Just swept the Yanks. And this is absolute vibe missile.
They bungled this Devers situation from the jump. Sure, the contract is going to get ugly in time, but punting on a Top 15 hitter/fan favorite feels so, so unnecessary and misguided.
Nezza sings the national anthem in Spanish before the Dodgers played the Giants at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. (Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
Singer and social media personality Nezza sang the national anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night.
And, according to a video the performer later posted to social media, she did so against the wishes of the Dodgers organization.
In a video Nezza, whose full name is Vanessa Hernández, posted to TikTok, an unidentified Dodgers employee is heard telling her before Saturday’s performance that “we are going to do the song in English today, so I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed.”
Then, the video cuts to Nezza — who was wearing a Dominican Republic shirt — signing a Spanish version of the "Star-Spangled Banner" on the field ahead of the Dodgers’ win against the San Francisco Giants.
In a separate video, Nezza, 30, said the version of the song she sang was commissioned in 1945 by the U.S. State Department under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and that she wanted to sing it amid the recent unrest in Los Angeles stemming from raids by ICE agents.
“I didn’t think I would be met with any sort of no, especially because we’re in LA and with everything happening,” she said. “But today out of all days, I just could not believe when she [the Dodgers employee] walked in and told me 'no.' But I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente.”
The Dodgers did not issue a public comment on the situation, but a team official said there were no consequences from the club regarding the performance and that Nezza would be welcome back at the stadium in the future.
Nezza reacts after singing the national anthem prior to a game between the Dodgers and Giants in at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. (Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
In general, the Dodgers have largely been quiet about the raids and resulting protests in the city over the last week.
Manager Dave Roberts has been asked about the situation twice. On Monday, he said that, “I just hope that we can be a positive distraction for what people are going through in Los Angeles right now.”
On Friday, he offered little further comment: “I know that when you're having to bring people in and deport people, all the unrest, it's certainly unsettling for everyone,” he said, “But I haven't dug enough and can't speak intelligently on it."
Veteran Kiké Hernández spoke out on Instagram on Saturday, writing that “I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.”
The Dodgers, however, have not issued any team-level statement, and a club executive told The Times’ Dylan Hernández on Friday that they did not plan to make any comment.
Father’s Day at the ballpark can be one of the most treasured days of the year because, for many, baseball and dads go hand in hand.
And if you were taught or introduced to the game because of your dad, the pair are intertwined for life.
So while it was an uncharacteristically cold and damp June Sunday in South Philadelphia, the Phillies made sure to send fans home celebrating the day … and a win.
With Zack Wheeler leading the way, the Phillies bested the Blue Jays, 11-4, and collected their fifth sweep of the season. Wrapping the homestand 5-1, the consecutive series wins improved their season series record to 16-7-1, which only trails the Detroit Tigers as best in MLB.
Wheeler went 6.0 innings and allowed four hits and two runs, only one was earned and punched out nine. It’s now the fourth time this season he’s had at least nine strikeouts without allowing a walk.
The Phillies wasted no time snagging a lead for Wheeler to work with. Seriously, if you blinked in the bottom of the first inning, you might have missed it.
The first pitch Trea Turner saw from Toronto’s José Berríos was a double down the leftfield line; Kyle Schwarber drove him in with a single on the very next pitch.
Otto Kemp has settled in nicely since playing his first game at Citizens Bank Park Monday (that’s an understatement). Alec Bohm drove him home after leading off the third inning with a single.
Just one inning later, Kemp was on the opposite end and tacked on two RBI for the Phillies. In the six games at home, he had 10 hits and four RBI. Kemp said after the club’s walk-off win against the Cubs he specifically waited to be called up to experience the home crowd — the Philly faithful have lived up to his expectations — just as he has to theirs.
Kemp wasn’t the only one putting up impressive numbers this past week — Bohm has been on an offensive tear (also, somehow an understatement).
Bohm had his fourth multi-hit game in the homestand Sunday, with three RBI and a two-run homerun he clobbered 344 ft. Overall, he had 10 hits, two home runs and nine RBI. That lowly .217 average that lingered in the beginning of May is clearly a thing of the past as his average has climbed to .283.
There are ebbs and flows throughout a baseball season — it’s expected when there’s 162 games to be played. Getting hot at the right time is key … but it never hurts to have a little bit of luck as well.
When reporters filed into Rob Thomson’s office for his pregame availability, it felt like we were transported six years into the past.
Why? Bamboo.
This isn’t the first time bamboo has graced the clubhouse vicinity. “Bamboo” Brad Miller, a utility player who joined the club in the midst of the 2019 season, brought bamboo to Citizens Bank Park. It just so happened to coincide with the offense finding life again during a dreary stretch.
Now, in Thomson’s office, a small stalk was resting in a cup in front of a massive bamboo plant.
Topper went on to tell the lore of the two plants, and how hitting coach Kevin Long’s wife, Marcey, was in the office May 29. Check the date — a day before the Brewers came to town.
“She said, ‘Let me take that home, get it some sunlight and bring it back to you,'” Thomson said.
During the bamboo-less stretch, the Phillies were swept twice and lost all three series to the Brewers, Blue Jays and Pirates.
“The last day in Pittsburgh, Long called Marcey, and he said, ‘You better get that damn thing back in (Thomson’s) office,'” Thomson said.
Since the status of the mini plant was still unclear, Marcey also brought one that is clearly thriving.
“That’s the story of our success,” Thomson said with a laugh.
Sweeps are uncommon but they do happen … and the Phillies were well on their way to sweeping Toronto by the sixth inning. Capping it off with a Nick Castellanos grand slam though? That might’ve been the bamboo luck.
Who knows, maybe a little magic has found its way back to the Phillies.
Listen, they’re 5-1 since it returned. Can it really be a coincidence twice?
It was an exhilarating day at the ballpark … and one I look forward to debriefing with my dad.
The Boston Red Sox made a stunning, franchise-altering move on Sunday, just hours after completing a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
Veteran slugger Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, and minor-leaguers James Tibbs and Jose Bello, per multiple reports.
The shocking move ends Devers’ eight-plus-year tenure with the Red Sox. Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension with Boston before the 2023 campaign.
Devers was in the midst of a stellar season as the Red Sox’ designated hitter. The 28-year-old has slashed .271/.400/.494 with 14 homers, 57 RBI, and an American League-leading 55 walks over 72 games.
Those impressive numbers, however, were overshadowed by off-the-field drama. After the Red Sox signed star third baseman Alex Bregman in the offseason, Devers scoffed at the idea of moving from third to DH. He eventually acquiesced, but tensions boiled over again when the team asked him to play first base in the wake of Triston Casas’ injury.
“The team’s feeling was that a $313.5M contract comes with responsibilities to do what is right for the team and that Devers did not live up to those responsibilities,” Abraham wrote on BlueSky. “They had enough and they traded him.”
The Giants will pay the remainder of Devers’ contract — roughly $254 million — according to reports.
Devers, a three-time All-Star, initially signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, when he was only 16 years old. He helped Boston to a World Series title in 2018 and has since been one of the faces of the franchise.
As for the players headed to Boston, Hicks and Harrison are high-upside pitchers who underwhelmed in San Francisco. The hard-throwing Hicks has a 6.47 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 13 appearances (nine starts) this season. Harrison, a former top Giants prospect, has a 4.56 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in eight games (four starts).
The 22-year-old Tibbs, selected 13th overall in the 2024 draft, notched 12 homers and 32 RBI with a .857 OPS in 56 games with San Francisco’s High-A affiliate, the Eugene Emeralds.
Bello, a 20-year-old right-hander, posted a 2.00 ERA and 0.72 WHIP in eight appearances (18 innings) at the Arizona Complex League.
The Red Sox will visit the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series starting Monday night. They will then take on Devers and the Giants in a three-game series in San Francisco starting on Friday.
Manager Carlos Mendoza is getting Francisco Lindor some time “off his feet” for Sunday’s series finale with the Tampa Bay Rays, but the Mets’ leader wouldn’t take a full day off.
“As you guys know, how hard it is to get him to take an off day or take him out of the lineup,” Mendoza said with a smile. “We went back and forth [Saturday] night after the game, and we settled in on the DH [role].”
With the Mets having an off day on Monday, the skipper hoped to give Lindor two days of rest and “buy some extra time there,” but lost the battle and had to settle for keeping his bat in the lineup and having Luisangel Acuña get his first start in 10 days at shortstop.
This is Lindor’s first day not playing the field since he returned to action after not starting in two games following sustaining a broken pinky toe. But Mendoza said the injury is improving.
“I wouldn’t say significantly, but it’s getting better,” the manager said in response to a reporter’s question about whether the injury had significantly improved. “It’s all about pain tolerance. He feels like, day by day, he’s getting. There’s better days than others. What I’m getting from the trainers is, hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, it will be a lot better.
“I don’t think this is something that he’s gonna have to play through the whole year. We feel like at some point, the fracture will heal and he’ll be close to a hundred percent. They’re never a hundred percent. But he’s getting better.”
Lindor missed just one game with the toe before entering as a pinch-hitter to deliver a go-ahead, game-winning hit in the first game in Colorado. He has nine hits in his last 30 at-bats (.300) with three doubles and two RBI over eight games.
Mendoza spoke with the starter on Saturday and said he was in “a good spirit” after MRI results revealed a low-grade hamstring injury, which the manager called “relatively good news.”
“He understands, obviously, but also knows that we got a little bit of good news here,” Mendoza said. “He’s gonna continue and try to keep his arm moving, which is a good sign. He’s not gonna be completely shut down.”
The manager reported the righty said on Saturday that he had “already felt better than he did the day before.”
“Definitely, he’s in a better place,” Mendoza said.
Senga was forced out of Thursday's start against Washington after 5.2 innings, sustaining the injury while running to cover first base. On the year, he has pitched to a league-leading 1.47 ERA with a 1.113 WHIP over 73.2 innings and 13 starts. He had 70 strikeouts to 31 walks.
“But overall, I feel good, especially with guys like [Frankie] Montas, Sean [Manaea], where they’re at in their rehab process,” he said. “WE have some reinforcements coming, too. But, again, gotta keep going and we feel good with what we have.”
The third baseman will begin his rehab assignment with the Triple-A club on Tuesday as he works his way back from a hamstring issue.
Mendoza did not know how many games he would play before he could return to the big league club. “We’ll see how that goes,” he added.
Vientos last appeared in a game on June 2 in Los Angeles. He has been struggling at the plate compared to last year, with six home runs and 21 RBI and a .230/.298/.380 slash line for a .678 OPS over 208 plate appearances and 53 games.
