Category: Baseball

Today’s birthday belongs to a little-known Yankee, Gary Thomasson. If the name does not ring a bell, it is likely because Thomasson only spent half a season in the Bronx. That season just happened to be 1978, when the Yankees were busy erasing a 14.5-game deficit, surviving the one-game playoff against Boston, and winning another World Series over the Dodgers. Compared to all that, the arrival of a solid role player barely made the headlines, but the man got to depart with a championship ring to his name.

Gary Leah Thomasson
Born: July 29, 1951 (San Diego, CA)
Yankees Tenure: 1978

Thomasson’s journey began on the West Coast, where he was born in sunny San Diego in 1951. While he was still a toddler, his family moved north to Oceanside, California, where he attended Oceanside High School. Following graduation, the San Francisco Giants selected Thomasson in the seventh round of the 1969 MLB Draft.

It only took a few years for the right-handed hitter to reach the major leagues. In 1972, the Giants promoted Thomasson, and he appeared in 10 games as a 21-year-old. His first taste of the majors resulted in nine hits in 27 at-bats. That brief audition, along with a strong spring training the following year, earned him a spot on the Opening Day roster for 1973.

During his first full season, Thomasson played all three outfield positions and first base for the Giants. It was a solid rookie campaign. In 112 games, he slashed .285/.345/.413 and earned a spot on the Topps All-Star Rookie Team.

Over the next four seasons, Thomasson continued to move around the diamond, playing all three outfield spots and first base. None of those years were particularly flashy, but he consistently produced positive value. In 1977, Thomasson enjoyed the best season of his career, setting career highs with 17 home runs, a .809 OPS, and 2.8 WAR.

The Giants capitalized on that breakout by including Thomasson in a blockbuster trade across the bay to the Athletics before the 1978 season. The deal sent Gary Alexander, Dave Heaverlo, Phil Huffman, John Henry Johnson, Alan Wirth, Mario Guerrero, Thomasson, and $300,000 to Oakland in exchange for former MVP pitcher Vida Blue. Thomasson appeared in just 47 games for the A’s before being traded again.

On June 15, 1978, the Yankees acquired Thomasson from Oakland for Dell Alston, Mickey Klutts, and $50,000. It marked the first time in his professional career that he played for an organization outside of California. Fortunately, he did have one familiar face waiting in New York, as fellow Oceanside High School alumnus Chris Chambliss was already starring at first base for the Bombers.

Thomasson appeared in 54 games for the Yankees, once again playing all three outfield positions. In 130 plate appearances, the lefty batter slashed .276/.346/.405 with a 114 OPS+ and three home runs—all oddly within a three-day span in early July—while providing quality depth for a club furiously chasing down another championship after being left for dead in the first half.

The Yankees defeated the Royals in the ALCS before earning revenge against the Dodgers in the World Series to capture the franchise’s 22nd championship. Thomasson appeared in three World Series games, going 1-for-4 at the plate, and earned the only championship ring of his career. He was in left field when Goose Gossage recorded the final out, a popup to captain Thurman Munson.

During the offseason, the Yankees sent Thomasson back to California in a trade with the Dodgers for Brad Gulden. After two seasons in Los Angeles, the Dodgers sold his contract to the Yomiuri Giants in Japan.

To lure Thomasson overseas, the Yomiuri Giants signed him to what was said to be the richest contract in Nippon Professional Baseball history at the time, reportedly three years and $1.2 million. Unfortunately, the investment did not pay off. Thomasson struggled at the plate, nearly setting the single-season strikeout record before eventually losing his starting job.

Oddly enough, Thomasson’s struggles created a legacy that had nothing to do with baseball. Japanese artist Genpei Akasegawa coined the term “Hyperart Thomasson,” using the outfielder’s name to describe architectural objects that are maintained despite serving no practical purpose, such as a staircase leading to a brick wall. The phrase remains part of Japanese culture to this day.

Thomasson may not have left much of a mark on Yankees history, but he certainly left one on Japanese culture. Not many players can say that!

Happy 75th birthday, Gary!

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

We've got another busy day of baseball as we hit the dog days of summer just ahead of the trade deadline.

Our MLB expert picks are eyeing two high-scoring clashes, including the Battle of Ohio between the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds and the nightcap in Hollywood with the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers. We're also targeting a pair of moneylines in the early-evening slate.

Let's dive in with our full MLB picks for Wednesday, July 29.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: SEA/LAD o9.5	-104
Jon Metler: NYY ML	-133
Joe Osborne: TB ML	-133
Jason Wilson: CLE/CIN o8.5	-117

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Mariners vs Dodgers Over 9.5

Price: 51¢ (-104) at Polymarket

THE BAT makes this total one of the biggest edges on the board, projecting 11.88 runs with a fair price around -150.

The Seattle Mariners burned both their closer and primary setup man in last night's 7-6 win, a game that featured 23 hits and eight home runs at Dodger Stadium.

The Los Angeles Dodgers aren't in much better shape, with only a handful of trustworthy right-handed bullpen options (Evan Phillips, Brock Stewart, and Edgardo Henriquez) behind lefty starter Eric Lauer, who projects for around a 90-pitch leash.

The conditions also favor offense. It's expected to be around 80 degrees with the wind blowing out. Shohei Ohtani may finally be breaking out of his post-break slump, and Seattle is a perfect 5-0 to the Over on its current road trip.

I'll take the best +EV total on the board with Lauer on the mound and Seattle missing its top bullpen arms.

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Mariners.TV/SportsNet LA

Jon Metler's expert pick: Yankees moneyline

Price: 57¢ (-133) at Polymarket

Cam Schlittler isn't just one of the favorites to win the American League Cy Young Award — he's the favorite.

The Chicago White Sox's projected lineup is expected to feature seven left-handed hitters, many of whom are young and will be seeing Schlittler for the first time. That's a matchup I want to target.

Schlittler excels at elevating his four-seam fastball on the inner half against lefties, consistently tying hitters up and preventing them from extending their hands. It's a major reason his four-seam fastball has a +15 run value.

Young left-handed hitters often struggle to handle that combination of velocity and location, undercutting the pitch and producing harmless fly balls instead of hard contact.

The Yankees are trading as a 57-cent favorite on Polymarket, but I make them closer to 61 cents. That edge is enough for me to hit the button.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Amazon Prime Video, CHSN

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Rays moneyline

Price: 57¢ (-133) at Polymarket

The Tampa Bay Rays are in a great spot to take care of business at home, where they've racked up an MLB-best 38 wins this season.

Like a lot of us, Texas Rangers lefty MacKenzie Gore gets hammered when he travels, posting a 6.02 ERA on the road and surrendering five earned runs in each of his away starts this month. 

That's a concern against a Tampa Bay lineup that consistently does its best work at Tropicana Field.

Even if Gore keeps it close early, he's backed by a bullpen that ranks 27th in ERA in July.

On the other side, it's a bullpen day for the Rays, but that's not a bad thing! Tampa Bay's bullpen ranks among the league's best in both ERA and FIP this month, making a reliever carousel far less concerning than it sounds.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: RSN, Rays.TV

Jason Wilson's expert pick: Guardians vs Reds Over 8.5

Price: 54¢ (-117) at Polymarket

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Brady Singer has been one of baseball's worst starters. His 0.6 WAR at FanGraphs is tied for seventh-worst among starting pitchers with at least 100 innings under their belts this season. It's easy to see why.

Singer's 4.53 ERA is bad, but his expected ERA (5.02) suggests things should be even worse. He's averaging 91.3 mph on his fastball (eighth percentile), and it's getting hammered. Even a lineup as inconsistent as the Cleveland Guardians can make him pay, especially with Jose Ramirez healthy and Chase DeLauter slashing .310/.371/.517 with four home runs and six doubles since the start of July.

The Reds bullpen is also unreliable, owning a 4.53 ERA as a unit with the league's worst walk rate (12.8%) among relief corps. So if Singer limits the damage, which is a dubious scenario, the bullpen hasn't exactly held things together.

But Joey Cantillo will serve up his own share of problems for Cleveland, especially when the likes of Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz step in against him. They've combined for 14 home runs off left-handed pitchers, and Elly is slashing .326/.398/.663 in the split while Stewart is at .284/.387/.526.

Finally, Great American Ballpark is seeing some of the best hitting conditions on the slate, according to BallparkPal, making Singer and Cantillo's night even less positive. For them, anyway. It suits our purposes just fine.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Guardians.TV, Reds.TV

More MLB best bets for today

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

It’s a nice enough day for baseball, even in New York City. So why not have a doubleheader, no?

The Braves returned RHP AJ Smith-Shawver from his rehabilitation assignment, reinstated him from the injured list, and appointed him as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader. AJ makes his first start since May 29th in Philadelphia. The Big Arm Smith-Shawver has had five rehab starts over 17 2/3 innings already. It’s not clear how many innings or pitches that he can provide today, or if Grant Holmes will throw multiple innings afterward. I know that it is expected to be mostly cloudy and 77 degrees at first pitch. So it appears that this game will be completed.

Making AJ the 27th man suggests that he will be optioned to Gwinnett after this game. His innings will be limited this season, but no one knows exactly what that means. It probably depends on his progress post-surgery. Let’s see AJ and the Braves get through today and then we can worry about it afterward.

Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks Avoid Crushing Defeat with 12th Inning Win
Brandon Pfaadt gutted out seven innings of shutout ball and left the game with a 6-0 lead. If one blinked at that point, they would never have known it as the game was suddenly 7-7 going into extra innings.

Diamondbacks Escape with Win and More Paul Sewald Concerns
At least he is stumbling before the trade deadline, giving the front office time to evaluate their options for a potential replacement.

Is Paul Sewald on Closer Hot Seat?
After last night’s outing and combined with other issues creeping in since the break, the answer is a firm yes. Although, there’s a strong argument to be made he has been on that hot seat since he arrived in the desert.

Diamondbacks Fans React to Paul Sewald Meltdown
Paul Sewald has already greatly exceeded expectations this season. Nonetheless, as a closer, his recent run of form is anything but acceptable and the cosmos is making sure everyone knows about it.

Red Sox Rebuked Arizona’s Enquiries
The deal the Red Sox made with the Nationals is exactly the sort Mike Hazen was looking to make with the Red Sox. The problem for Arizona is that they didn’t have the trade chips necessary to even start the conversation. Sadly, this could become a common theme at the upcoming deadline.

Other Baseball News

Top 50 Deadline Trade Candidates
Doubling down on the notion that the Diamondbacks will have difficulty finding suitable trade partners, they have no player listed in the top-50 or in the other players to watch, which has representatives from 23 other clubs.

12 Teams Desperate to Make a Deadline Move
If enough of these moves happen, Arizona might find the market more friendly for them as well.

Shane Bieber Walks Six in Two-Thirds of an Inning
As the trade deadline looms near, Shane Bieber just dropped the worst outing of his career.

Mets lineup

A.J. Ewing – CF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Jared Young – 1B
Jorge Polanco – DH
Tyrone Taylor – LF
Brett Baty – 2B
Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Sean Manaea – LHP

Braves lineup

Ronald Acuna – RF
Drake Baldwin – DH
Matt Olson – 1B
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Michael Harris – CF
Mauricio Dubon – SS
Austin Riley – 3B
Eli White – LF
Joey Bart – C

SP: AJ Smith-Shawver – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:10 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

We're halfway through the week! Let's keep it rolling with tonight's MLB moneyline predictions for every game on today's slate. 

See what teams need to be on your MLB picks on Wednesday, July 29!

MLB moneyline picks for July 29

Matchup	Pick
Phillies vs Marlins	+163
Diamondbacks vs Pirates	+122
Blue Jays vs Nationals	+108
Orioles vs Tigers	+160
Braves vs Mets	+144
Brewers vs Giants	-117
Rockies vs Padres	+135
Rangers vs Rays	-133
Guardians vs Reds	-127
Yankees vs White Sox	-135
Royals vs Twins	+174
Cubs vs Cardinals	+100
Astros vs Angels	-127
Red Sox vs Athletics	+141
Mariners vs Dodgers	-147

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 7-29.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for July 29

Phillies vs Marlins: Marlins (+163)

Marlins win probability: 38%

Both Jesus Luzardo and Ryan Gusto have been dealing over their last few starts. At the same time, neither offense has done much at the plate, with both clubs posting a wRC+ below 100 over their last 12 games.

I can't justify laying $1.67 with the Philadelphia Phillies just because Luzardo is on the mound. Instead, I'll take a shot on the Fighting Fish to pull off the upset in this spot.

Diamondbacks vs Pirates: Diamondbacks (+122)

Diamondbacks win probability: 45%

Sure, last night's 15-run offensive explosion was a thrill ride for both sides, but I'm still not buying into this Pittsburgh Pirates offense. Over their last six games, Pittsburgh owns just a 67 wRC+, .260 wOBA, and .093 ISO. Meanwhile, Arizona has been one of the hottest lineups in baseball during that stretch, posting a 144 wRC+, .382 wOBA, and .199 ISO.

Eduardo Rodriguez hasn't exactly been dominant this season, but I'll gladly back the more dangerous and productive offense.

Blue Jays vs Nationals: Nationals (+108)

Nationals win probability: 48%

Yeah, I'll gladly take the hottest offense in baseball as a home underdog simply because Trey Yesavage is on the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays. Never mind the fact that Toronto has posted a wRC+ below 100 for more than a month, while carrying a barrel rate below 7% and a hard hit rate below 35% over its last 21 games. But sure, make Washington the dog because Zack Littell is starting.

Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals have been scorching hot at the plate, posting a 158 wRC+, .919 OPS, .256 ISO, and a 40% hard hit rate over that same 21-game stretch. I'm more than happy to back the hotter lineup at plus money.

Orioles vs Tigers: Orioles (+160)

Orioles win probability: 38%

"But Tarik Skubal is on the mound?"

Okay... and who's scoring runs for the Detroit Tigers? Over their last 12 games, the Tigers own just an 89 wRC+, .294 wOBA, and .665 OPS. That's not exactly an offense I'm looking to lay -160 with.

On the other side, Trevor Rogers has been outstanding over his last five starts, posting a 1.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and allowing just a 5.88% barrel rate. Pair that with a Baltimore Orioles offense that's been heating up over its last 21 games, and I think this line is giving Skubal a little too much respect.

I'm not laying -160 simply because Skubal's on the mound. Give me the hotter offense behind another lefty who's been dealing.

Braves vs Mets: Mets (+144)

Mets win probability: 41%

Today marks A.J. Smith-Shawver's first start of the season for the Atlanta Braves. In 2025, he went 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. He opens his campaign against a New York Mets lineup that has been swinging it well over the last 21 games, making for a difficult season debut for the 23-year-old.

On the other side, Sean Manaea gets the ball, and he's been about what you'd expect in 2026, not great. That said, the veteran left-hander has pitched better at home, where his strikeout rate gets a nice bump. Atlanta has also been striking out at a higher clip lately, which could play into Manaea's strengths.

Once again, I'll side with the underdog. Give me the Mets.

Brewers vs Giants: Brewers (-117)

Brewers win probability: 54%

I think we're getting an incredible price on the Milwaukee Brewers at +117 tonight. Some people will look at Shane Drohan's ERA over his last few starts and immediately run the other way, but the underlying metrics tell a much different story.

Over his last five starts, Drohan owns a 4.20 ERA but a 3.00 xERA. Zoom in even further, and over his last three starts he has a 5.00 ERA paired with an outstanding 2.55 xERA. He's also limiting walks and missing bats at a high rate during that stretch, which makes me believe positive regression is coming.

On the other side, Logan Webb is still an ace, but the San Francisco Giants offense has been far too inconsistent for me to trust. I'll gladly take the better, more complete team at plus money to get the job done on the road.

Rockies vs Padres: Rockies (+135)

Rockies win probability: 42%

There's no better opportunity for the Colorado Rockies offense to get back on track than against San Diego Padres right-hander Griffin Canning. Canning has been a fade machine, posting a 6.05 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, while allowing a 40% hard-hit rate and an 11.67% barrel rate over his last five starts.

Even with Colorado's offense stuck in a cold stretch, I'll continue looking for ways to fade Canning. He's simply been too hittable all season, and this feels like another spot where he gets knocked around.

Give me yet another underdog. Go Rockies.

Rangers vs Rays: Rays (-133)

Rays win probability: 57%

I have to side with the Tampa Bay Rays. MacKenzie Gore is a very fastball-heavy, strikeout-oriented left-hander, and that's not the type of profile I want backing against a Tampa Bay lineup that consistently puts the ball in play. While his expected metrics suggest he deserves better results, I don't think this is the matchup where that positive regression shows up.

Ian Seymour hasn't exactly been sharp lately, which is the biggest concern with this play. Even so, Gore's recent struggles and the matchup against this contact-heavy Rays lineup have me leaning toward Tampa Bay.

Give me the Rays to get it done.

Guardians vs Reds: Guardians (-127)

Guardians win probability: 56%

I think Joey Cantillo has a big night on the mound. Sure, the surface numbers aren't pretty, with a 6.59 ERA and 1.98 WHIP over his last three outings, but there's more to the story. During that stretch, he's posted a strikeout rate close to 30%, and now he gets one of the most swing-and-miss-happy lineups in baseball.

Over the Cincinnati Reds' last 60 at-bats against left-handed pitching, six hitters own a strikeout rate above 21.7%, five are at 26.7% or higher, and three are north of 30%. This feels like a spot where Cantillo can rack up the punchouts.

On the other side, Brady Singer owns a 4.86 xERA at home this season, giving Cleveland a solid opportunity to scratch across enough runs to back its starter. I think the Reds struggle at the plate tonight, and the Cleveland Guardians find a way to come out on top.

Yankees vs White Sox: Yankees (-135)

Yankees win probability: 57%

I think the Chicago White Sox slump continues tonight as they draw New York Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler, who has been one of the most dominant arms in baseball all season.

On the other side, Davis Martin hasn't been sharp lately, posting a 6.14 ERA, 4.84 xERA, and 1.36 WHIP over his last three starts. That's a tough profile to bring into a matchup against a Yankees lineup that's more than capable of taking advantage.

I think the Yankees keep rolling and pick up another win.

Royals vs Twins: Royals (+174)

Royals win probability: 36%

Joe Ryan deserves to be a -178 favorite? I don't see it. Over his last five starts, he owns a 6.55 ERA, and it's been even worse lately with an 8.18 ERA and 6.05 xERA across his last three outings. I'll happily take +174 with the Kansas City Royals.

Neither offense has been anything to write home about, but the Twins have actually been worse. Over their last 12 games, Minnesota owns just an 85 wRC+, .293 wOBA, and .657 OPS.

At this price, I'll take the underdog every time. Give me the Royals.

Cubs vs Cardinals: Cardinals (+100)

Cardinals win probability: 50%

With the Chicago Cubs coming off a 10-run outburst against the St. Louis Cardinals last night, I like St. Louis to bounce back in this one against left-hander Matthew Boyd.

Historically, I don't love backing a team the day after a massive offensive explosion. Regression tends to show up, and this feels like a good spot for the Cardinals to respond. They've been stuck in a cold stretch at the plate, but I'm betting they find a way to snap out of it tonight.

Give me the Cardinals to secure a much-needed win.

Astros vs Angels: Astros (-127)

Astros win probability: 56%

Grayson Rodriguez. Is that enough? No?!

The Los Angeles Angels right-hander has been an absolute fade at home this season, posting a 10.58 ERA and 2.07 WHIP, while allowing a 47% hard-hit rate and 12.64% barrel rate. Pair that with an Angels offense that's gone cold, producing just a 93 wRC+, .302 wOBA, and .665 OPS over its last 12 games, and it's tough to make a case for L.A.

Meanwhile, the Houston Astros have been one of the hottest teams in baseball for weeks. It would genuinely surprise me if Rodriguez is the one who cools them off. Give me Houston.

Red Sox vs Athletics: Athletics (+141)

Athletics win probability: 42%

Jacob Lopez has looked outstanding over his last three starts, posting a 1.64 ERA, 2.65 xERA, and an excellent 0.82 WHIP. On the other side, Patrick Sandoval has been solid for Boston as well, recording a 3.21 ERA and 1.64 WHIP over his last five starts.

Neither offense has been swinging the bats particularly well lately, which makes this feel like a low-scoring, tightly contested game. At that point, I'd much rather take the plus money with the Athletics than lay $1.44 with the Boston Red Sox.

Give me the value on Oakland.

Mariners vs Dodgers: Dodgers (-147)

Dodgers win probability: 60%

Seattle Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock has been dealing over his last five starts, while Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Eric Lauer has had his share of ups and downs.

Even so, I can't bring myself to back a Seattle offense that's posted just an 86 wRC+, .286 wOBA, .651 OPS, and .119 ISO over its last six games. The Dodgers have been the far better offense over the last month, and I trust that lineup much more in this matchup.

I'll happily roll with the Monstars from L.A. tonight.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

With Curtis Mead hitting the IL with a potentially season-ending broken wrist, he’s joining a small group of hitters who played only a single game for the Boston Red Sox. Granted, Mead is expected to return for the 2027 season (if not later this year, possibly). But with Marcelo Mayer, Franklin Arias, and other trade options all available this winter, plus a looming lockout, it’s always possible this is it for Mead and future plans send him to another city. 39 position players are on the one-game wonder list for the Red Sox. The below isn’t a complete list, but here are some highlights.

2026

Amazingly, Mead isn’t even the first one-game player of the 2026 season for the Red Sox. That would be be Brett Harris. Remember him? Acquired from the Athletics back on July 1. He had a very memorable 0-2 game. He might yet play in another, but for now, he’s on the list.

2020

He was a two-time All-Star. He was a catcher and first baseman. He hit 108 home runs in his career. He’s Jonathan Lucroy! Lucroy finished fourth in NL MVP voting back in 2014 but by the time he arrived on the Red Sox for his one game he was a shell of that player.

2018

Tony Renda received a World Series ring for his one game of work. A 27-year-old, he appeared in only one game and didn’t even get a plate appearance. But he did score a run. The rest of his career was 32 games with the Reds in 2016.

2010

Do you remember Angel Sánchez? He spent time with the Royals, Red Sox, Astros, and White Sox between 2006 and 2013. He actually pulled off being a one-game wonder twice: once with each color Sox.

2006

Another catcher, Corky Miller appeared for Boston in one game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The starting pitcher for the Sox that day? Jason Johnson. He went 0-4 with a strikeout.

2004

One of the many guys on the roster during the World Series year, Earl Snyder went 1-4. He also appeared for Cleveland in 2002 for 18 games. He signed with Tampa just long enough to have Baseball Reference use that picture for his profile.

1999

Steve Lomasney was born in Melrose and drafted out of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in 1995 (5th round), a local kid. Also in that round? Doug Mientkiewicz. Lomasney’s one game with the Red Sox — the final game of the 1999 season — was the only MLB game he would ever play. He’s nearly a real life Moonlight Graham, though he got to the plate twice, striking out both times.

1981

After 1999 we have to go all the way to 1981 for the next guy: John Lickert, who played one game on September 18, 1981 against the Yankees. He came in to catch the ninth inning replacing a pinch hitter. Jerry Remy played that day too.

1972

Vic Correll (another catcher) got his major league start as a one-off. He’d go on to play 409 games with the Braves and Reds. Correll would go 2-4 with a run and an RBI!

1952

Hal Bevan played in 1 game in 1952 for Boston, 8 for the Philadelphia A’s, 3 for the Royals in 1955, and 3 more for the Reds in 1961.

1920

Ray Grimes would go 1-4 with a walk before playing 147 games for the Cubs the following year. He had 432 more games after starting his career in Boston.

1901

The first ever to do it for Boston (the Americans at the time), Jack Slattery was a catcher and first baseman from Boston. Born in 1878 he’d go 1-3 with a walk and an RBI. The Americans roster that day against the Milwaukee Brewers featured Hall of Famer Jimmy Collins and, of course, was played at the Huntington Avenue Grounds before Fenway Park was even a dream.

18. Ethan Bagwell – RHP

How he got to the Braves: 2024 6th round pick (#191 overall)

In a farm system full of intriguing young arms, Bagwell continues to fly under the radar despite putting up excellent numbers to begin his career.

Last season, Bagwell made a total of 10 starts with Augusta after dealing with an injury that sidelined him for a majority of the first half of the year. In those starts, he tossed 50 innings of 2.88 ERA ball while holding opponents to a .198 average. While the baseline numbers were solid, Bagwell’s strikeout numbers left something to be desired as he only managed 30 strikeouts in those 50 frames.

In 2026, however, Bagwell has seen his strikeout rate jump while also keeping his impressive walk rate in check as well.

Bagwell made 13 starts for Augusta before being promoted to Rome, where he made his first high-A start on July 1 in which he tossed six scoreless innings, striking out six and walking one in the process.

In 17 starts between Augusta and Rome, Bagwell is currently sporting a 2.72 ERA to go along with an FIP of 3.45. His strikeout rate is up to 24.7 percent, while his walk rate has climbed but is still at a manageable 7.3% on the year.

Overall, Bagwell has had great success, primarily with his fastball which has solid late life to it and works well, especially up in the zone. Bagwell currently carries a chase rate of 34.71 percent — which places him in the 89th percentile amongst all minor league arms.

As for the rest of this season, Bagwell will likely remain with Rome to conclude the 2026 campaign. He will most likely open up 2027 with Columbus — assuming the rest of the season continues on the current trajectory — with his sights set on Gwinnett or even the big league club later on in the season.

17. Isaiah Drake – OF

How he got to the Braves: 2023 5th round pick (#162 overall)

Isaiah Drake has faced an up-and-down path to becoming one of the system’s top prospects, but has gained momentum with two successive seasons of offensive success thanks to his ability to adapt his game to the professional level. Coming in as a young-for-his-class prep pick in the 2023 MLB draft Drake was a highly-touted player, but one who came with immense risk and talent that was expected to tap into. Drake has the athletic prowess to be a player who can hit for average to above-average power, but came into professional ball as a slap hitter and has struggled at times to shed that moniker. Drake has spent the last three seasons overhauling his approach and his swing and it has led to improved results, including a career-high 12 home runs in only 68 games this season. Drake’s been limited due to injury and hasn’t played since late June, but was on the path to continue his upward trajectory thanks to the improvements in his power output. During his approach and swing transition Drake suffered through a stretch of awful baseball in which he still wasn’t hitting for power and was striking out 35% of the time in A-ball, but this did not last long. Still, these early troubles soured many on Drake and he has spent the last two seasons rebuilding the diminished hype. He cut his strikeouts down to 22% in 2025 while improving his power output, and even with his ballooning home runs totals has managed a 25.6% strikeout rate in High-A this season. He is still young for the level and hitting at an above average clip, and though his hit tool is still his biggest question Drake has shown the ability to impact the game at all levels and has displayed an aptitude for learning and adjusting.

Drake’s calling card on the field is his speed, and it leads to great results on both sides of the ball. He is a problem on the basepaths and stole 46 bases at a 78% clip in 2025. He is a clear center fielder with the potential to be above average at the position, though he has played all around the outfield and displayed great instincts and route running. His swing changes have made all of the difference for him on the offensive side of the ball. He shortened his path to the ball and is doing a better job of keeping his front side closed, and instead of shooting line drives and ground balls the other way he has improved his pull rates and his fly ball rates. He is a bit aggressive on breaking balls out of the zone and does chase and strikeout too often, though he is still working to improve what was a far more aggressive and detrimental approach a couple of seasons ago. Drake is not likely to reach a superstar ceiling, but as a pure athlete he is one of the best in the entire system and the sky is the limit for him. He is slowly but surely closing the holes in his game that have limited him in the past and seems to be on the path to getting to the big leagues at a normal pace. He has the chance to be a do-it-all outfielder who fits as a regular in a big league lineup, though there is a best case scenario that sees him as an all-star type player.

16. Owen Carey – OF

How he got to the Braves: 2024 15th round pick (#461 overall)

While Eric Hartman is garnering most of the attention among the loaded Rome outfield — and rightfully so, given how historic his season has been thus far — Carey has more than held his own in high-A.

Carey made his system debut in 2025, playing in 117 games with Augusta, posting a slash line of .258/.330/.345 to go along with four homers and 63 RBI. He also flashed his speed, swiping 17 bases in that span as well.

In 2026, Carey had a brief stint with the FCL squad before jumping straight up to high-A Rome, where he has spent the bulk of his season. Across 183 at-bats with the Emperors, Carey has continued to demonstrate an above-average feel for the strike zone, while also seeing his gap-to-gap power increase as well.

In 48 games, which admittedly is a smaller sample size comparatively speaking, Carey has posted a line of .268/.333/.459. He has also hit six homers and driven in 34 runs as well.

Carey will most likely never be more than a 10-15 homer type of guy, but his decision-making when it comes to balls and strikes could lend itself to a touch more power on occasion.

Currently, Carey is carrying a Z-swing % — which calculates how often a batter swings at pitches in the strike zone — of 77.48 percent, which places him in the elite 95th percentile in the MiLB. It’s that type of swing decisions and judgement at the plate that should allow Carey to develop into at least an average bat with the potential for a little bit of pop as well.

As for the rest of this season, it’s highly likely that Carey will remain with Rome to finish out the season with his sights set on Columbus for 2027. The Braves will likely take it slower with Carey to make sure he isn’t rushed and they don’t ruin his sense of discipline at the plate by pushing him along too quickly.

15. Luke Sinnard – RHP

How he got to the Braves: 2024 3rd round pick (#99 overall)

Standing at a mammoth 6’7” and weighing over 250 pounds, Luke Sinnard is every bit imposing on the mound as you can imagine. He was drafted as a surprisingly polished pitcher out of the University of Indiana with an intriguing pitch mix. He burst onto the scene in 2025 with seven overwhelming starts for the Augusta GreenJackets where he had a 0.92 ERA before he was promoted to Rome to finish out the season. Luke was then sent to the Arizona Fall League, seemingly to get more innings as he missed some time because of injury. All he did was have one of the lowest ERA’s amongst in the league and created a lot of buzz heading into the offseason.

2026 hasn’t treated Luke great as he has missed a lot of time due to injury abdominal strain during Spring Training, and then again in June. On the season he’s made a total of seven starts, including a rehab start, and has shoved – a 2.16 ERA, .193 batting average against, 0.92 WHIP, with a 11.88 K/9, and 2.16 BB/9 rate. He gets it done by leveraging a five pitch mix that he uses surprisingly equally. He has a four-seam fastball that sits between 93-95 MPH, a two-seam fastball that’s between 92-94, a very tight slider with -.4” horizontal break and 6” vertical break, curveball with very good depth, and a low spinning splitter. He’s capable of throwing all of them in the zone, which gives him considerable upside. The only question remains – can he withstand a full season? So far across two seasons he has compiled a total of 97.1 innings so with his recent return from the injured list hopefully he can finally put the injuries behind him.

14. Carter Beck – OF

How he got to the Braves: 2026 PPI pick (#26 overall)

To say Carter Beck was one of, if not the biggest, surprises of the first round of the MLB Draft earlier this month would not be an overreaction.

A centerfielder with the Indiana State Sycamores, Beck posted an OPS of 1.083 across 57 games for the Sycamores, which competes in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). Beck tallied 16 homers, 17 doubles and drove in 59 runs while also swiping an even dozen bases in his final season for Indiana State.

Beck was taken as sort of an under slot type of guy in order for the Braves to have money left to sign some high-potential prep arms later in the draft.

However, that’s not to say Beck can’t live up to his high draft selection, as he possesses an incredibly tantalizing toolset that could catapult him up this list once he gets in some professional reps.

The biggest question mark for Beck is: how will he fare against professional pitching, which is a significant step above what he faced in the MVC? He has the tools to jump up our rankings, but until we see how he performs as a pro, there are too many question marks to rank him higher at the moment.

Defensively, Beck has the potential to stay in centerfield, as he has the athleticism to stick and is very gritty and not afraid to try and make the tough plays.

It will be interesting to see where Beck starts his pro career once he’s assigned. He will most likely begin with Augusta with a chance to fast-track to Rome given his age (21) and college experience, if all goes according to plan.

13. Luis Guanipa – OF

How he got to the Braves: 2023 International Free Agent

Luis Guanipa hits the mark in every way except one, and the glaring flaw in his profile is the one that has kept him for being one of the best prospects in all of baseball. After being the Braves biggest international signee in 2023 there was a ton of pressure on Guanipa to perform, and in his time with the DSL and the Complex League Braves he lived up to the billing. When he got to A-ball as a 19-year old it came with a fair amount of buzz, but things quickly fell off for him after that. Two issues arose. One — Guanipa couldn’t stay healthy. He played only 35 games in Augusta in 2025, and his performance was up-and-down at best with his power production not nearly meeting expectations. Then there was his approach, which has been a sore spot in his profile since that he hasn’t done a whole lot to address. 2026 has fortunately been a major resurgence for Guanipa. His power is through the roof and he is finally pulling the ball in the air, showing some of the elite traits that made him a borderline top 100 talent a couple of seasons ago. He has elite contact ability and can adjust to reach any pitch in the strike zone, and overall his OPS has jumped from 97 in 2025 to 117 this season.

Guanipa’s contact ability is impressive. He has elite bat speed and does a great job of adjusting to hit pitches throughout the zone, and it is rare for him to be beat anywhere in the strike zone. He can get to fastballs up and breaking balls away, and has shown the ability to take pitches out away from him and smoke them the opposite way for singles and doubles. If a pitcher makes a mistake and comes in on Guanipa he can get his bat around as well as anyone, and will turn and mash balls down the left field line for home runs. After having seven home runs in his previous three seasons Guanipa has 11 in 88 games, and there is even more raw power for him to tap into with him hitting 25 at his peak not being out of the question. Injuries previously limited his impact on the basepaths, but in 2026 he is an incredible 36-for-41 on stolen base attempts. In the field he has the potential to be a plus center fielder and always finds a way to get to balls in the gap. There are two offensive problems that limit Guanipa from being a sure-fire top prospect in this system. He has done a ton of work to his swing since joining the professional ranks, but his tendency to fly open and swing off balance limits his impact on pitches away from his body. It also makes him susceptible to swinging over pitches and hitting ground balls, though he has mitigated that in 2026. He still needs to be hitting the ball in the air more to make the most of his power, but the biggest issue is that he just can’t lay off of anything outside of the zone. Guanipa is an outlier free-swinger and it is noticeably negatively impacting his game. He is a good enough contact hitter to avoid ballooning his strikeout totals, but he is often making weak contact on bad pitches and does not draw enough walks to hold a high on base percentage. He has an extremely high swing rate on pitches in the strike zone and goes into few deep counts, with many of the bad chases in his profile coming in favorable spots or with a couple of strikes to spare. Guanipa has the ceiling to be an impact player, but the swing decisions he makes are hard to work around and will keep him from even being an MLB-quality starter if they don’t improve. Guanipa has top 100 pure talent and is certainly trending upwards, but without a major reset to his approach he is always going to leave some of that talent on the table.

Hickory was rained out.

Hub City starter Ismael Agreda allowed four runs in three innings, striking out four and walking two. Andrew Susac struck out one in a shutout inning. Case Matter allowed a pair of solo homers in two innings, striking out four.

Casey Cook homered. Gleider Figuereo had a hit and a walk. Maxton Martin had a double.

Hub City box score

Frisco starter David Davalillo allowed a run in five innings of work, striking out two and walking two. Eric Loomis struck out five and walked one in two innings, allowing two runs. Joey Danielson struck out one in a scoreless inning.

Rehabbing Corey Seager homered, walked and struck out while playing shortstop. Dylan Dreiling homered. Sebastian Walcott was 2 for 4 with a double and a homer. Rafe Perich doubled. Arturo Disla had a pair of hits.

Frisco box score

For Round Rock, rehabbing Chris Martin threw a scoreless inning. Emiliano Teodo struck out one and walked one in a shutout inning. Luis Curvelo struck out one in a scoreless inning.

John Taylor doubled. Cody Freeman had a hit. Aaron Zavala had a pair of doubles.

Round Rock box score

DSL Rangers Red box score

DSL Rangers Blue box score

Rangers 4, Rays 1

• The road trip is off to a good start.
• Cal Quantrill went out there and outdueled Griffin Jax, who is a member of the Star Wars Name All Stars.
• Quantrill had seven strikeouts in the game. Seven! That’s 18% of his season total.
• He allowed just two hits in 5.1 innings! And just one walk!
• Yeah, I have a hard time believing it, too.
• The one time he got into trouble was in the bottom of the fourth inning, when he allowed a one out single to Jonathan Aranda, followed by a Junior Caminero double.
• Cedric Mullins then swung at a pitch, very clearly hit catcher Austin Wynns’ glove, and ended up reaching on a catcher’s interference.
• However…Mullins didn’t run to first on the play. If he had, he probably would have been safe, and a run would have scored, since you can simply take the result of the play rather than the catcher’s inference go-to-first result.
• Still, that loaded the bases, and bad things seemed to likely to take place. Texas, which was up 2-0 at the time, seemed in great danger of losing the lead.
• Chandler Simpson hit a comebacker, though, resulting in the always fun 1-2-3 GIDP, which ended the inning.
• In case you are interested, that was the third catcher’s interference this season by a Ranger catcher.
• The one run Quantrill allowed — and that the Rays scored — was the result of the one walk he issued, to Yandy Diaz. Diaz was the last batter he faced. Peyton Gray entered the game and, after a 1-3 groundout that saw Diaz advance to second, he gave up a single to Caminero.
• Well, it should be scored a single, but officially it was scored a triple. Wyatt Langford went for the ball like he thought he could try to make a play on it, went into a slide, and didn’t come close to catching it, with the ball bounding past him and having to be tracked down by Evan Carter.
• Still, Caminero was stranded, so no harm done, and Tyler Alexander, Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz each threw an inning to finish out the win with just the one Rays tally on the board.
• The Rangers bats weren’t exactly beating up on the Rays pitchers, but they scraped together some runs somehow. A couple of sac flies, an RBI single, an Austin Wynns home run that was down the left field line and just deep enough to get out.
• Wynns also had a couple of successful ABS challenges. Between those and the home run, he made up for the catcher’s interference.
• Fun fact: per Statcast, the Rangers had a .129 xBA in the game. With 31 at bats in the game, that equates to 3.999 hits, on average.
• Though we can probably round it up to 4.
• The Rangers registered 7 hits in the game, exceeding their expected total, which is pleasant.
• I thought it would be the Rangers’ lowest xBA in a game this season, but it is not.
• The Rangers had a .107 xBA in this game, a 2-1 walkoff loss in Anaheim where Jake Burger’s home run accounted for the only run, and Reid Detmers struck out 14 batters and allowed just the Burger hit in eight innings of work. The Rangers had three hits in the game.
• The Rangers had a .106 xBA in this game. It was also against the Angels, but at home, in an 11-1 loss, where Kyle Higashioka’s pinch hit eighth inning home run was the only Rangers run. The Rangers, weirdly, also struck out 14 times in this game, and also had just three hits. More weirdly, Alejandro Osuna recorded one hit in both this game and the Detmers 14 K game.
• The Rangers did not lose this game, unlike those other two matches discussed above. So that’s a difference.
• Cal Quantrill topped out at 95.4 mph with his fastball, averaging 93.7 mph. Peyton Gray reached 95.3 mph with his fastball. Tyler Alexander touched 93.2 mph with his fastball. Jakob Junis’s sinker maxed out at 93.5 mph. Jacob Latz hit 95.3 mph with his fastball.
• Wyatt Langford had a double that was 107.0 mph off the bat. Joc Pederson had a 105.7 mph single. Nicky Lopez had a 104.7 mph groundout.
• One down, five to go.

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino exited Monday’s loss early with a sore right hand.

Pasquantino was removed from the starting lineup in the ninth. He was replaced by Tyler Tolbert, who pinch-hit for him in the final inning. “Just soreness,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said after Tuesday’s game. “Same spot, you know, in his hand where the surgery was. Just general soreness in his hand. We’ve got to get in there and check it out and see how he feels later tonight and tomorrow.” Pasquantino missed nearly a month with a right hamate fracture in the same hand. He underwent surgery and returned on July 9, just before the All-Star break.

Royals starter Seth Lugo spun another solid start against the Twins, even if the Royals lost late.

Lugo felt his pitches weren’t getting to the right locations at Target Field. So he dove into some research and came out with a different game plan Tuesday. And it worked, for the most part. Lugo allowed one run across six innings while relying on his defense. The Royals turned five double plays against an aggressive Twins lineup. “I made a pretty significant adjustment to pitches I threw more than others today,” Lugo said. “You know, it worked out pretty good. Prefer to keep that information to myself, but pretty confident in what we decided to do today.”

Kansas City’s Opening Day third baseman Maikel Garcia began a rehab assignment at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, and MLB.com’s Anne Rogers has more on the situation.

What are they saying?
“We’ve got to take it one day at a time, but he’s felt really good in his progression, especially with the hitting. … It’s been very gradual. It started on the tee, then flips, then BP, and then we have the Trajekt machine that he’s been amping up the intensity with regular machine work as well. So he’s felt stronger. They’ve been testing the strength of his hand. It’s gotten better and better. He doesn’t feel any of the symptoms that he had before. The real test will be in the game.” –manager Matt Quatraro

What else?
This injury was an odd one, because Garcia only felt pain on certain swings and specifically on balls that he wasn’t squaring up well. That made it hard to assess and hard to rehab because he would feel healthy in the batting cage taking good swings. In games, though, it’s harder to predict what and where pitches are coming and what swing you’re going to take off each one. As Garcia began swinging again in his rehab process, he experimented with different bats and different machine work in the cages using the Trajekt machine.

The Royals placed reliever Beck Way on the injured list Tuesday.

“His back tightened up right after he came out of the game that he opened on Friday,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It hasn’t really relaxed that much. He got better this morning, and then it got worse during the day. And we just didn’t feel like we could go short. He’s not going to be able to pitch for a couple of days.” Way has posted a 3.86 ERA in 19 appearances. He has allowed four earned runs and recorded six strikeouts in his eight games (one start).

Protesters’ heckling and chants cause a zoning meeting to end early regarding redevelopment plans for a downtown Royals stadium.

Last month, the group, along with Stand Up KC, delivered signatures to City Hall seeking to force a public vote on the city’s plan to contribute $600 million to fund the new $1.9 billion stadium. It’s unclear if it can stop the stadium, and Mayor Quinton Lucas has said that he’s anticipating construction to begin before a vote can derail it. The meeting ended about 15 minutes early. During a question-and-answer period, when presenters addressed prescreened questions from the crowd, a host announced they would end the meeting amid the ongoing outburst. Fran Marion, one of the protesters, said she showed up at the meeting to send a message about mismatched priorities. “We voted before. We told them no. You’re not hearing me, so let me come back and tell you again,” Marion said. “There’s more important things out here in Kansas City than a Royals Stadium.”

The Royals come in 27th in The Athletic’s latest power rankings.

Power Ranking a year ago: 18
How they reacted: Acquired Randal Grichuk, Mike Yastrzemski, Bailey Falter, Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek
This year: Anyone need a lightly-used Michael Wacha?

Here’s the cautionary tale for about one-third of the league. Kansas City was nowhere near the division lead and 3 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot at last year’s deadline. While the Guardians sold and then got blazing hot, the Royals — fresh off a 2024 postseason appearance — added to their roster in moderation … then missed the playoffs by five games.

Going into Monday’s action, there were 10 teams — five in each league — that sat outside the playoff picture, but were within that same 3 1/2-game range of the last wild-card spot. (The Royals are not one of them.)

I feel confident guessing that all of them would prefer to avoid repeating the Royals’ 2025 outcome.

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller thinks the biggest misstep the Royals could make this coming trade deadline is having a tweener approach.

The biggest question about the clearly selling Royals is whether they’re willing to move 2026 All-Star pitcher Michael Wacha.

He is making $18M this season, could make up to $18M in 2027 and has a club option that could be as much as $18M in 2028. Even though he’s already 35 years old, it’s a desirable, controllable contract for what has been a consistently solid pitcher over the past half-decade.

But if the Royals move Wacha with two years remaining, are they also moving Seth Lugo, Vinnie Pasquantino, Daniel Lynch IV and Michael Massey with two years remaining?

They should completely shut down the Wacha chatter unless they’re prepared to really sell.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that the Royals aren’t the only team valuing their starting pitching trade chips highly.

Prices for pitching remain high: That’s what two “adding” teams have said six days out from the deadline. Asking prices to acquire starting pitchers — for the next few months or otherwise — remain sky high. It’s the norm for this time of year, which is mostly why everything happens so late. This year is no different. From pitchers like Brady Singer on cheap, expiring contracts to more controllable starters like the Los Angeles Angels duo of Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers, there’s not much of an opening for a deal that doesn’t involve a really good prospect going back. The one exception might be the pitchers with expensive expiring deals — such as Robbie Ray and Kevin Gausman. Pick up their entire contract and the prospect return won’t hurt as much. The waiting game continues. Eventually those prices should drop.

Bleacher Report ranks Lane Thomas as the 10th-most likely player traded at the trade deadline.

ESPN’s Buster Olney looks at 12 deadline buyers “desperate” to make a deal, and it looks like there are plenty of teams in need of starting pitching.

Tune in for a new ESPN podcast series, “The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani,” recounting the events involving Ippei Mizuhara’s dismissal and eventual arrest.

New Boston Red Sox infielder Curtis Mead is set to miss time after suffering a wrist injury in his second at-bat with the team.

Popular trade candidate Casey Schmitt lands on the 10-day IL with a torn left meniscus.

Who are some notable prospects who could be on the move ahead of next week’s trade deadline?

The Detroit Tigers can’t stave off a Tarik Skubal trade off anymore, thanks to their recent skid.

CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder makes the case against teams calling pitches from the dugout.

Will matching a batter’s swing plane to a pitcher be the next step in lineup construction?

FIFA member federations now have a Sept. 19 deadline in a deal to sell stakes in the World Cup.

The Cleveland Browns make Denzel Ward the league’s highest-paid defensive back.

The World Cup energy is pushing former athletes back onto the pitch.

Where did cyclospora even come from? That is just one of a mountain of questions.

Eric Dorfman, president of The Linda Hall Library, is trying to bring science to all Kansas Citians.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s first samurai film heads stateside after positive response on film festival scene.

Minnesota’s ground-breaking law banning prediction markets halted by federal judge, citing “irreparable harm” if law came into effect.

The federal government bans foreign-made humanoid robots, citing national security concerns ahead of a visit from Chinese leader Xi Jinping,

Lab-grown meat is now a reality. But will it be a viable alternative to displace existing animal agriculture?

Today’s song of the day is Too Young To Die by Buffalo Traffic Jam.

The Dodgers thought they had won the offseason with the massive contract they dished out to Kyle Tucker. The four-time All-Star saw plenty of success with both Houston and Chicago, but, just like Tanner Scott last year, year 1 as a Dodger has not been kind for the outfielder.

Tucker ended the first half with some of the worst numbers he’s put up in his career, as he limped into the All-Star break slashing just .244/.341/.375 with seven home runs and 47 RBI, with his walk rate and strikeout rate both below his career averages. He’s managed to turn things around recently, as he has four hits and two home runs his last four games, but fans were left wondering what went wrong with their prized free agent pickup.

Mike Petriello of MLB.com explains the struggles that Tucker experienced in the first half, and highlighted his weekend in Queens as a potential turnaround for his first year in Los Angeles.

If it really is just that worse swing decisions led to missing out on the best-value contact and those swing decisions are improving, then maybe what we saw in Queens over the weekend was the start of a turnaround. And maybe the early struggles will turn out to be no more than that, the umpteenth example of a player taking some time to find comfort in his new home.

Links

Kiké Hernández was activated off the injured list on Tuesday, and his fellow countryman Edwin Díaz will follow suit on Wednesday. Dave Roberts noted that the right-hander is all set to go for Wednesday’s matchup against his old ballclub in the Seattle Mariners, per Joaquin Ruiz of the Los Angeles Times.

“He’s checked all his boxes,” Roberts said. “So getting him back in the mix is going to be fun for all of us as well.”

The trade deadline is now less than a week away, and as I noted in my trade deadline post, I addressed the need for the Dodgers to acquire a right-handed hitting catcher. It looks like that need isn’t so urgent, as Jack Harris of the California Post reported that Will Smith has resumed baseball activities. The Dodgers are hopeful to have Smith fully healthy for the stretch run leading into the postseason.

On Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts announced that All-Star backstop Will Smith has begun baseball activities again, saying the catcher is finally “pain-free” from a neck injury that has sidelined him since early June.

“I’m excited to hear that he is starting some baseball activities,” Roberts said.

With the MLB trade deadline less than a week away, there are a ton of rumors going around. This year, the Milwaukee Brewers happen to have their name in a number of the rumors given their status as one of the best teams in baseball.

As we sit here and dream about what a Brewers team with Tarik Skubal, Mason Miller, and CJ Abrams would look like, there have also been plenty of trades that make you think, “What if?”

What if the trade with the New York Mets back in July 2015 went through and the Brewers had a young Zack Wheeler in their rotation? What kind of impact would Wheeler have had on the rotation over the following years? Other pivotal guys like Domingo Santana, Josh Hader, and Adrian Houser would’ve never been on the team.

What if the Brewers didn’t trade away David Fry to the Cleveland Guardians in March 2022 for J.C. Mejía? Mejía pitched in just 11 games over the course of two seasons for the Brewers, finishing with an 8.56 ERA. With that being said, at the time, the Brewers were running Omar Narváez and Victor Caratini as their catching duo. Had David Fry been on the team, would we have seen him blossom in a Brewers uniform, thus never needing to trade for William Contreras?

Everything happens for a reason, of course. But for how successful the Brewers have been over the last nine years, it’s fun to look back at some trades that could’ve desperately derailed how dominant the team has become today, even if those players who never became Brewers turned out to be All-Stars.

Today, we flip the calendar back 20 years, to the 2006 MLB Trade Deadline. The Brewers were involved in a significant trade that sent Nelson Cruz and Carlos Lee to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Laynce Nix, Kevin Mench, Francisco Cordero, and Julian Cordero.

Cruz had bounced around a couple of different organizations at the time of this trade; however, all of them occurred while he was in the minor leagues. At the time, Cruz was sitting in the minors in the Brewers system, struggling to find playing time on a team that had outfielders like Lee, Brady Clark, Geoff Jenkins, and the young Corey Hart.

Before we dive too thick into the weeds, it’s important to remember that even though Cruz made his MLB debut with the Brewers in 2005, he didn’t get consistent playing time and burst onto the scene until 2009, when he was nominated for his first All-Star Game. In 2008, Cruz played in 31 games for the Rangers and had a fantastic line, despite the small sample size. He batted .330 and got on base at a .421 clip, while smashing seven home runs and driving in 26, foreshadowing how great he was about to be in the Lone Star State.

After his first All-Star appearance, Cruz went on to have a season where he batted above .300 while crushing 22 home runs. He was on the Rangers through the 2013 season before signing with the Baltimore Orioles in the winter of 2014.

Given the time frame and how long he was on his rookie contract, it’s interesting to think back on how he would’ve impacted those late 2000s/early 2010s Brewers squads. In 2007, the Brewers just missed their first playoff appearance in 25 years after blowing an 8.5-game lead in mid-August. That was a lineup where their outfielders were definitely not the worst players on the team, as Hart posted a .295 batting average, slugging 24 home runs. Had they had Cruz in the lineup that season, what would that have looked like? Even on the Rangers, he was a bench bat, but had the Brewers had that tool at their disposal, perhaps things would look a little differently.

Skipping forward to 2009, the Brewers took a step back after a successful previous couple of seasons. Again, not included in this step back were the Brewers outfielders, as Ryan Braun had a monstrous season at the dish, while Hart continued to be consistent and Mike Cameron slightly improved from the year before. There’s no doubt that offense wasn’t the issue for the 2009 Brewers, but to have Cruz in the outfield to replace either Hart or Cameron, I’m sure, would’ve made a sizable difference.

Moving forward, 2010 was another season where they didn’t need a ton of outfield help either. Having Jim Edmonds on the bench, a young Carlos Gomez, and, of course, Braun and Hart on the corners.

All in all, having high-quality outfield bats was never a problem for the Brewers during this stretch. Having Cruz on the team would’ve only bogged down the lineup for a team trying to turn things around. The pitching staff was the main issue at the time.

So while we can reminisce on what Cruz would’ve looked like on those late 2000s and early 2010s teams, it would’ve most likely been the same outcome for the Crew in the end. Trades happen for one reason or another, and this one was just shedding weight at the deadline to beef up a run later down the road.

What’s a trade you think about often?

Good morning, baseball fans!

We are less than one week away from the 2026 MLB trade deadline. Which means it’s time to fire off our best/worst trade deadline predictions for the San Francisco Giants.

Personally, I think they should be aggressive sellers. Trade everyone you can and throw in parts of the ballpark if that will get deals done. I never feel this way, I get quite attached to players and don’t want to see them go. And I do still feel that way about a lot of players on this year’s team, but I also would be very happy if they were traded to a functional organization with an interest in competitive baseball.

Do I think that they will be aggressive sellers? Not particularly. At least not in the way that I think they should. This team has been begging for a full rebuild for over a decade now but they have yet to commit to that, so I don’t really see that changing this year. I think we’ll see a few moves, such as Luis Arraez and maybe a pitcher or two.

But I’d be happy to be wrong.

What are your predictions for the Giants at the trade deadline?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants conclude this three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon at 12:45 p.m. PT.