Category: Baseball

With 10 days before the MLB Trade Deadline, it's not a matter of if the Mets will be buyers, it's a matter of who they'll bring in.

At 56-44 entering Monday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels, New York is firmly in the market to acquire players it thinks can help the team. Speaking to reporters pregame, president of baseball operations David Stearns added a little more clarity as to who those players might be.

Like most contending teams, the Mets are not without their faults.

After starting the season as one of MLB's best teams, they've had ups and downs since then. Recently, injuries to their pitching staff have become their biggest hurdle to climb and its effects have been felt from the starting rotation to the bullpen.

It's been difficult for New York and manager Carlos Mendoza to navigate on a nightly basis, and while the starters are finally beginning to get healthier, a few of them are still on pitch counts or getting close to innings limits which puts a ton of pressure on the relievers to get a bulk of the outs on any given day.

Not only is that hard to execute consistently, but it's taken its toll on some of them with a myriad of Mets relievers either recovering on the injured list or shut down for the season.

"We’ve been hit with injuries to the pitching staff, I think specifically the bullpen, and so we will be active there," Stearns said. "I think providing our group some reinforcements in the bullpen would be great. There generally are relievers traded at the deadline and so I’m sure there will be some this (year) as well. So we’ll be involved in that. Ideally, we find deals that make sense, bring guys in that we think can help us."

While making it clear that New York will target bullpen help at the deadline, Stearns did not completely shut the door on potentially bringing up some of the team's talented pitchers in the farm system to give them a chance to pitch in relief -- players like Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean, who have pitched well in Syracuse.

Of course, Stearns is apprehensive of doing that and it seems like that would only happen if all else failed.

"If (trading for relievers) doesn’t happen for some reason, then we’ll probably have to think about some of the arms in Triple-A and whether those guys at some point can impact us in the bullpen." Stearns said.

Another glaring weakness for the Mets has been the offensive production coming out of center field.

After beginning the season with the plan of platooning Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor at the position -- already sacrificing offense for elite defense -- that plan went out the window when Siri fractured his tibia in April, which currently has him on the 60-day IL.

Siri's injury has resulted in Taylor being the everyday center fielder and while his defensive prowess has been impressive, his offensive output, which he's not exactly known for to begin with, has taken a huge hit.

In 88 games, Taylor is slashing .211/.264/.309 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 256 at-bats. His .573 OPS so far this season is more than 100 points lower than his career .706 OPS.

"Positionally, the one position where we haven’t gotten the level of production that we probably anticipated coming into the year is center field, and I don’t think I’m saying anything that’s gonna surprise anyone," Stearns said.

What's helped New York in this area has been the defensive flexibility of Jeff McNeil and his willingness to play center field on a somewhat-consistent basis for the first time in his career during his age-33 season.

McNeil has played 24 games in center this year, the second-most at a position behind his natural second base and for the most part, he's handled it well. He's out there once again on Monday night while batting fifth as his offense has been more than adequate.

The emergence of McNeil as an option in center field (and Taylor's exceptional defense despite his offensive shortcomings) has made Stearns think twice about upgrading at that position.

"I really like the defense that Tyrone Taylor brings and how he contributes to this team, and I also think Jeff is growing more comfortable out there," Stearns said. "So, I think, for me at least, the bar to improve center field has probably risen over the past let’s say two weeks because of maybe Jeff’s comfort level a little bit more out there and also continuing to recognize the secondary skills that Tyrone can provide."

He continued: "I’m certain we’re gonna be engaged, but we got to clear a bar that we actually think makes us better given the price that I think these things are gonna cost."

As for third base, a position that has been a bit of a revolving door this year after Mark Vientos hasn't been able to replicate his 2024 season in which he usurped Brett Baty and other Mets prospects for the starting job, Stearns has been pleased with the production that New York is getting from those same young players that Vientos leapfrogged last year.

For example, Baty, who has gotten the lion's share of reps at the hot corner (50 games), has been better at the plate and has shown great resiliency with his career-high 10 home runs after being sent down earlier in the season.

"I think our younger players have taken a step forward when we’re talking about Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, both those guys have contributed," Stearns said.

Not only have Baty and Mauricio shown glimpses of what they can provide offensively, but both players can also play multiple positions around the infield.

So, while fans may be craving a big acquisition at the deadline, Stearns will likely do something similar to what he did in his first year with the Mets and what he's generally done during his entire career: make smart deals that perhaps aren't flashy, but that help the team improve.

"I try not to look at it as the size of the splash, I think that can get a little dangerous this time of year," he said. "I think we try to look at how good is the player coming back and how does that particular player fit the team needs. I also don’t know how many big splash players are actually getting traded this deadline. I think that remains to be seen a little bit.

"So, we’ll see. We got 10 days to go, there’s still a number of teams that are trying to figure out where they are and my guess is we’ll have a little bit more clarity on some of this six, seven days from now with then three days leading into the deadline."

Red Sox lose to Phillies on bizarre walk-off catcher's interference originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox found a new way to lose in devastating fashion in Monday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.

It was a 2-2 game when Red Sox reliever Jordan Hicks, acquired as part of the Rafael Devers deal, took the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning at Citizens Bank Park. The hard-throwing right-hander was all over the place, walking Otto Kemp on four pitches before his wild pitch to Max Kepler allowed runners to advance to second and third base. He intentionally walked Kepler to load the bases with no outs.

Edmundo Sosa was next to step up to the plate for Philadelphia. He checked his swing on a 1-2 count but made contact with Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez’s glove.

It was ruled a catcher’s interference, allowing the runner from third to score for a walk-off Phillies victory.

are we allowed to call this the hit of the game or?pic.twitter.com/wA0YJJUXRc

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 22, 2025

It was only the second walk-off catcher’s interference in MLB history, according to Stathead. The Los Angeles Dodgers won on a walk-off catcher’s interference in 1971.

The bizarre ending spoiled a hard-fought matchup against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. Red Sox starter Walker Buehler outlasted the National League Cy Young candidate, allowing only one earned run over seven solid innings of work. Jarren Duran led off the game with a solo homer, and Trevor Story tied the game up at 2-2 with an RBI single in the sixth.

Boston is now 1-3 since the All-Star break. Alex Cora’s club will look to bounce back Tuesday against the Phillies, with Richard Fitts expected to take the hill against Christopher Sanchez.

Once again, as the MLB Trade Deadline comes closer, contending teams begin their annual rush to find the best deal for a relief pitcher for the business end of the season and beyond.

The Mets, who have seen their bullpen bitten by the bad luck of injuries, are no exception, with president of baseball operations David Stearns stating the obvious on Monday that the club “will be active” in that market to provide the group with reinforcements.

But unlike other teams, Stearns has another option to turn to if trade talks don’t materialize with teams on the Wild Card bubble proving to be unwilling sellers or the price for available arms becoming too expensive: the Mets’ top prospects ready for a challenge that the minor leagues can’t provide.

“Ideally, we find deals that make sense,” Stearns said during his regular news conference. “If that doesn’t happen for some reason, we probably have to begin to think of some of the arms at Triple-A and whether those guys at some point can impact us in the bullpen.”

Of course, if the top baseball man doesn’t make a trade, he will have to deal with potential tradeoffs.

“The challenge with doing that in-season is once you do that, you can’t reverse yourself in the same season,” he said. “We can certainly reverse ourselves over the offseason, but once we shorten somebody up, to give them a chance to be a member of our ‘pen, really tough to build them back up if you need them as a starter.

“And, so, we want to be very cautious if we’re gonna entertain that.”

Two of the options that spring to mind are a pair of right-handers who are Top 5 prospects in the Mets’ system and still looking to make their big league debuts, Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat. When asked if there was an organizational desire to get that duo up this year, Stearns said he doesn’t think they have to at this time.

“I think, for any prospect, it’s a combination of where they are in their developmental progression and where the team need is,” Stearns said. “Both those guys over the last three weeks have taken meaningful steps forward in their development, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here. 

“And if there is a need, I think either of those guys could be ready over the next couple of months.”

McLean, who is a few days shy of his 24th birthday, made the jump to Syracuse earlier this season after posting a 1.37 ERA in his first 26.1 innings in Double-A. After making that jump, he has been solid, with a 3.64 ERA and 1.197 WHIP in 64.1 innings over 12 games (nine starts), with 71 strikeouts to 29 walks.

Recently, McLean has been piling up the strikeouts with 30 in 20.2 innings over his last four starts, while allowing 10 runs (nine earned).

Sproat has pitched to a 4.34 ERA and 1.282 WHIP in 85 innings over 19 starts, with 70 strikeouts and 38 walks in his first full season at Triple-A. 

The soon-to-be 25-year-old has really found a groove of late, putting together a streak of 23  innings without an earned run, allowing just one unearned run on eight hits and six walks with 27 strikeouts over his last four starts. He's holding opponents to a .111 average and .335 OPS in that span.

Not mentioned during Monday’s news conference was Blade Tidwell, who has already appeared in four games (two starts) for the Mets this season, for his first taste of MLB action. But the righty struggled in his time, surrendering 15 runs on 23 hits and 10 walks in 15.0 innings with just 10 strikeouts. He has a 9.00 ERA and a 2.200 WHIP.

At Triple-A, Tidwell has pitched to a 4.40 ERA and 1.256 WHIP in 71.2 innings on the season. And after his three most recent outings with the Mets, he has allowed just two runs on eight hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in 9.1 innings over his last two starts with Syracuse.

Giants' rotation continues to look like glaring need after ugly loss to Braves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — There is never a good time to lose six consecutive games, but within the clubhouse, players know that one stretch of the year sticks out more than any other to front offices. 

Buster Posey was on the 2019 Giants team that caught fire for a stretch in July and convinced then-lead executive Farhan Zaidi to stand pat at the deadline instead of trading some big names. Last year, Posey watched closely as Zaidi held Blake Snell and others, a decision that was made in part because a few days worth of dominant starting pitching convinced the front office that an MLB playoff run could be made. While the Giants do not often sell, Posey has seen plenty of other teams in the division and league quickly go from buy to sell because of a stretch of lackluster play in late July.

Things can change in a hurry this time of year, and it’s now up to Posey to decide how the front office will react to a six-game losing streak. On Monday, his manager hinted at what the clubhouse might be forcing. 

“It’s not a good look, what we’re doing right now,” Bob Melvin told reporters in Atlanta. “It’s not timely at all. They know that.”

When Posey picked up Melvin’s contract option a few weeks ago, he forcefully said that better play had to come from within the clubhouse. Things briefly got better, but over their last six games, the Giants haven’t looked like a playoff team. They have not done much of anything to encourage Posey to follow the Rafael Devers trade with additional moves, but if the former catcher does want to keep pushing chips into the center of the table, it’s easy to see what he’ll need. 

Even before Monday’s game, there were serious questions about the rotation. Hayden Birdsong had a start skipped at the end of the first half and Justin Verlander kicked off the second half with a clunker, dropping to 0-8 with a 4.99 ERA. After Monday’s 9-5 loss, the Giants have a potential rotation hole to deal with. 

Birdsong was supposed to grow into a foundational piece, but he was lost Monday, walking four and hitting one while failing to record an out. He threw 25 pitches and just six were strikes, and while the performance was difficult to watch, the main culprit also was not new. 

Birdsong has 25 walks in 27 2/3 innings over his last seven starts. Over that span, he has an 8.13 ERA. 

“Every single time I have struggles [with my command] I try to find it,” Birdsong told reporters in Atlanta. “I haven’t found it yet. We’ll keep working.”

The Giants did not offer much Monday in terms of what’s next for Birdsong, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll start against the New York Mets on “Sunday Night Baseball.” Melvin noted the outing was “back to square one with him” in terms of lack of command, and when that happens to a young pitcher, the solution often is to take extreme measures. Given how important Birdsong is to their future, the Giants could opt for a full reboot, allowing him to work on any mechanical issues in a series of bullpen sessions and then ease himself into the Triple-A rotation in search of answers. 

If a roster move is made, it’ll need to come Tuesday, because the rest of the pitching staff desperately needs fresh arms. The Giants threw 188 pitches in eight innings, including 53 from Spencer Bivens, who had pitched 1 1/3 innings Sunday. Tristan Beck threw 4 1/3 on Friday and came back Monday for another 1 1/3 innings. New lefty reliever Matt Gage threw a career-high 41 pitches, and Ryan Walker pitched two innings. 

The Giants realistically could use two fresh bullpen arms for the final two games of this series. That’s a short-term concern. Long-term, it’s clear that the rotation will need a boost if they are to reach the postseason, which brings this all back to Posey.

Does the president of baseball operations still believe in this group? If he does, he’ll need to find a starter, and they don’t come cheap in July. The Giants don’t want to add much payroll after taking on the rest of the Devers contract, and they’re a bit short on desirable assets after dealing Kyle Harrison and their 2024 first-round pick in that deal, but they’ll need to find a way to add somebody.

The best options in Triple-A are Carson Seymour and Carson Whisenhunt, but relying on unproven starters can be dangerous in the second half, a lesson the Giants are seeing first hand. There’s enough reliever depth to get by with a few full bullpen games in the next couple weeks, but that would ultimately weaken the group that has kept the rest of the roster afloat. 

The bullpen had to wear it Monday in what ended up being the ugliest all-around game of the year. The Giants made multiple errors, let Ronald Acuña Jr. score from first on a single, and gave up another run on a misplayed fly ball to left-center. Melvin said the Acuña sequence looked “terrible.”

“It was just another instance today that was not a good look for us,” he said.  

There’s been a lot of that recently, and the timing couldn’t be worse.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Francisco Alvarez is back in the big leagues.

Following a 19-game stint with Triple-A Syracuse in which the 23-year-old backstop belted 11 home runs, Alvarez was recalled ahead of Monday’s series-opener against the Los Angeles Angels.

Speaking in the Mets' clubhouse on Monday afternoon, Alvarez, who is starting and hitting eighth in the order, said that he “learned a lot” from his time back in the minors.

“I think being down in Triple-A, what helped me was I learned how to be patient,” Alvarez said, via a translator. “I continued to work hard, continued to do what I needed to do, and just put in the time to eventually get back to the big leagues.”

“I figured out who I am as a player, who I am as a person, and I think that’s going to help me going forward,” he later added.

Alvarez, who emerged as one of the top prospects in baseball as he rose through the Mets’ farm system, burst onto the scene in 2023, when he hit 25 home runs and drove in 63 runs in 123 games.

But that tantalizing power took a step back in 2024, when he hit just 11 home runs in 100 games, and then again at the start of this season, as he hit only three home runs and posted a .652 OPS in 35 games before being sent down.

According to manager Carlos Mendoza, though, Alvarez's impressive run at Syracuse was about more than pure production.

"Since day one, when he went back down there, in talking to the manager and some of the coaches, how impressed they were with his work ethic," Mendoza said. "He got down there, not an easy situation after being here at the big league level at such a young age, and then just kind of like a wake-up call. ‘Hey, you’ve got to go back to the minor leagues,’ and for him to go down there, and like I said from day one saying ‘What do I have to do to get back up there?’ And he did that since day one.

"We saw the results. It seems like for the last week he hit a home run every day, but just how engaged he was with the pitching staff, everything from the defensive side, whether it was the receiving, the blocking, the throwing, the game-planning, the game-calling, everything. Open to feedback, it was just pretty impressive. And we’re all proud of him, because it’s not easy to do."

Alvarez looked much more like his 2023 self for Syracuse, hitting .299 with 11 home runs in 19 games. Now that he’s back in Queens, the goal is to stick in the majors for years to come.

“It’s real important for me,” Alvarez said about sticking in the big leagues. “It’s like when you stumble on a rock, you don’t want to stumble there again. So it’s just continue to move forward and avoid that rock so you don’t stumble again.”

“I feel really balanced right now,” he added. “I don’t feel like I’m too high, I don’t feel like I’m too low. So I feel really balanced right now, and I feel like I’m exactly where I need to be.”

Tanner Houck shut down indefinitely after injury setback originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox won’t have Tanner Houck back in the mix any time soon.

Before Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed that Houck has been shut down from throwing due to a reoccurence of flexor soreness. The right-hander felt arm soreness after his rehab start at Triple-A Worcester on July 9 and was pulled off his rehab assignment on Friday.

“He’s going to stay on the IL,” Cora said, via MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. “They checked on him. There’s no surgery needed. Just rest. Reset him now, get treatment and see where we’re headed after that.”

Houck initially was placed on the injured list with a right flexor pronator strain on May 13. After earning his first career All-Star nod in 2024, the 29-year-old posted an 8.04 ERA across 43.2 innings pitched with Boston in 2025. He didn’t fare much better in his five rehab appearances for Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, recording a 5.74 ERA in 15.2 innings.

It’s unclear when Houck could return to the mound this season, if at all.

“I can’t give you an answer right now,” Cora added. “This happened during the week. He felt it in his last one. He saw the doctors and all that stuff. We’ve got to go to step one, I guess.”

Houck’s setback further emphasizes the Red Sox’ need to find rotation help before the July 31 trade deadline. They will also be without Hunter Dobbins (torn ACL) and Kutter Crawford (wrist) for the rest of the season

What we learned as Hayden Birdsong's command issues doom Giants early vs. Braves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants gave up a run Monday when they let Ronald Acuña Jr. score from first on a single to center. They allowed another run when a high fly ball to left-center dropped between Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee. They repeatedly let Atlanta Braves starter Bryce Elder off the hook as they tried to make a comeback. 

But in a 9-5 loss, they had a much bigger problem than any of those mistakes. 

Young starter Hayden Birdsong didn’t record an out in his first appearance in two weeks, walking four and hitting one in the first inning of a disastrous performance. Birdsong threw 25 pitches and just six were strikes, which put the Giants in an early hole and led to a marathon night for a bullpen that has been worked hard through the first four games of the second half. 

Giants pitchers threw 188 pitches, a season-high for a game that did not go extra innings. There will surely be at least one fresh arm for the bullpen Tuesday, and the staff now needs to make a decision with Birdsong after a jarring outing. 

From start to finish, this might have been San Francisco’s ugliest performance of the 2025 MLB season. It also was a sixth consecutive loss, which dropped the Giants to just three games above .500. 

The Wrong Kind of Zero

Birdsong’s pitching line was one the franchise has never seen before. He became the first Giant to walk four, give up five earned runs and fail to record an out, and just the 10th MLB pitcher to do it. The last was Boston Red Sox pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez in 2022. Birdsong also became just the third big league starter — and first since 1996 — to walk four, hit one and fail to record an out. 

It was a shocking inning, although Birdsong has been dealing with command issues for a while. He walked at least four in his final three starts of the first half, which led to the Giants skipping his final turn and giving him a two-week break. Maybe that added some rust Monday, but in general, this has been a major issue for a couple of months, one that might lead to the Giants taking a real step back with the talented 23-year-old to try and figure out what’s going on. 

If the Giants make a move, Carson Whisenhunt and Carson Seymour are next up in Triple-A. They also could go with a bullpen game or two — with Spencer Bivens or Tristan Beck pitching bulk innings — as they try and figure out what they can add before the July 31 MLB trade deadline. 

Right Into the Fire

Lefty Matt Gage, added to the roster on Friday, had made 23 previous big league appearances — but none had come before the third inning. Gage had to get loose in a hurry Monday, and he did a nice job of hustling in for Birdsong and keeping the Giants within shouting distance. 

Gage came in with the bases loaded and no outs in the first and struck out the first two Braves he faced. When Nick Allen hit a chopper to the left side it looked like he would completely limit the damage, but the ball took an odd hop off the dirt and got away from Matt Chapman, making it a 5-1 game. 

Gage struck out Acuña in a scoreless second inning before handing the baton to long man Bivens. The two-inning outing tied a career-high, and Gage’s 41 pitches were a career-high. 

Adames, Again

There’s not a whole lot going right for the Giants, but Willy Adames at least looks like his old self. The shortstop hit a no-doubter in the seventh, his third of the trip and 15th of the year. If you take out Rafael Devers, who hit 15 of his 17 in Boston, Adames leads the roster in home runs. 

Adames inches the Giants closer with a solo shot 💥 pic.twitter.com/6UFfmh73ow

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 22, 2025

Adames also had two doubles and a single, and his OPS is up to a season-high .717, which is short of where he was last year but is in line with his 2023 season, when he hit 24 homers for the Milwaukee Brewers. He entered the month at .645, but he has six homers in July. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

‘Third time's the charm' is the hope for Phillies, Dombrowski and Robertson originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

It comes as no surprise, to many, that as Major League Baseball’s July 31 trade deadline approaches, Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski would be searching for help in the team’s bullpen. What may surprise is that his first move is for a 40-year-old, inactive reliever.

Dombrowski and company went with a familiar face in signing right-hander David Robertson, who will be making his third stint with the team after playing for them in 2019 and again in 2022. The team optioned him to Lehigh Valley on Monday where he will look to build up his arm strength in what he and the team hopes is a healthy and helpful arm out of the pen for the remaining playoff push.

“So we actually saw him two (times),” said Dombrowski. “So, we saw the first one, (scout) Todd Donovan went over and saw him, which was nice. We had all of the trackman data from that all the way through. We knew that his stuff had come through the same, so it all measured out the same as in the past – his spin rates and everything. Then we saw him again on Saturday, Charlie Kerfeld went over there. Charlie saw him throw 88-90 with that same trackman information that he had. We called him right away and he said he was ready. I would say that he’s a March 10 (equivalent) in Spring Training. He needs another 15 days in the minors to build his arm strength up. That’s fine because we have to option him out anyway. So that works out. He was in great shape, arm was loose so we thought it was well worth it. We know he can handle a pennant race. We know he can handle post season play.”

Following last season when he pitched for the Texas Rangers, where he compiled 99 strikeouts and 27 walks in 72 innings and a 3.00 ERA, Robertson and his family decided that the time was right to take a long look at what would be next.

“This fall I negotiated with a couple of teams, just didn’t happen,” he said before the Phillies took on the Boston Red Sox. “My wife and I thought that at this point in my life, head on home and if I still got the itch to play, train and get back in the league and that’s why I’m here now. This place feels like home. It’s a good bullpen to mix into. It’s a great starting staff. I’m hoping that I can bridge the gap late in the games and win some ballgames and get to the post season.”

This may not be the big splash, nor the last one, the Phillies make before the deadline. It just seemed to make too much sense to the front office to pass up the opportunity.

“We’re never looking to move prospects, per say, pending on who it is,” Dombrowski said. “We will be open-minded to do other things, but I think the reality is, and talking this over with (owner) John Middleton, is it’s cash. Let’s go ahead and spend the cash and get that done rather than moving some of our prospects. Not that we won’t do that somewhere down the road, but it’s a situation that we get somebody that we like and we think it’s a great deal.”

According to reports, the deal is going to cost the Phillies about $12 million. Matt Gelb of The Athletic was first to report the signing.

As for the timing in which Robertson envisions being able to be a viable part of the bullpen, some factors come into play, especially when you’re 40.

“Hoping to get at least three or four outings,” he said of his buildup. “A back-to-back would be nice so that when I get up here I don’t have to be a guy that they have to stay away from to throw one inning. Hoping for a live batting practice and then three or four games in. I don’t want to come back if I’m not ready to step in the lines. I’ve kept myself in shape. It’s a great clubhouse and I want to be a part of it and get over the hump. Third time’s the charm.”

Dombrowski honestly addressed the question of what else might he and the club be looking to do as the month comes to an end and how this season may compare to other deadlines he’s dealt with.

“It’s different than some others because we are in a position where a lot of clubs are still in it,” he said. “A lot of things can change daily. Some clubs when I, or we, talked to them last week they have one mindset and then after a weekend of good or bad they have another mindset. That may change a couple more times between now and the 31st. You’re talking about 10 days. In the trading deadline, that’s a long time.”

A long time is not what Dombrowski sees as far as third baseman Alec Bohm being sidelined with a fractured rib. Therefore, making a deal due to that does not seem to be on the blueprint. One thing Dombrowski expects is for the offense to become more efficient from the players who are currently here.

“That’s the way to describe it, they’re hot and cold,” he said. “Some of that fix has to be internal. We hope that will be better. I do think having Bryce (Harper) back in the middle of the lineup is (going to help). It’s been inconsistent and we need to be more consistent.”

Other tidbits

1. Dombrowski downplayed prospect Andrew Painter coming up to the big club and maybe helping out the bullpen at some point, saying the club has always held the same stance. “We’ve always said July-ish he’d be ready to join the staff. We didn’t say he was going to join the staff in July. We’ll just play it by ear. He’s pitched every five days. He’s really made a lot of progress.”  

2. When he is ready to come back from his own rib injury, Dombrowski said that pitcher Aaron Nola will be a starter.

3. Speaking of outfield prospect Just Crawford and possibility of bringing him up to the big club, Dombrowski said: “There’s consideration, just haven’t had the right time to do it. He needs to play. He is a player that is very good, very talented. Not only offensively, but defensively.” He spoke of Crawford’s need to gain experience by playing every day, something that wouldn’t be guaranteed in Philadelphia.

Athletics to place Denzel Clarke on IL indefinitely with right adductor strain originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Athletics rookie outfielder Denzel Clarke is headed to the IL for the foreseeable future with a Grade 2 right adductor strain, manager Mark Kotsay told reporters Monday before the Green and Gold’s game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

Clarke, who broke his own record with a fourth consecutive Electric Play of the Week nod on June 23, tightened up while scoring on a Nick Kurtz RBI double in the eighth inning of the A’s 8-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday at Progressive Field. 

Denzel Clarke appeared to injure himself as he scored on Nick Kurtz's double pic.twitter.com/SbP6QH5vmP

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) July 20, 2025

“He had an MRI done here [in Arlington] today,” Kotsay said. “He’s got a Grade 2 [strain]. I’m going to spell it A-D-D — adductor — strain. You know, really unfortunate timing for Denzel. I think his confidence offensively was continuing to build; the at-bats were just getting better and better. This timing is very … crappy, I guess.

“It’s going to be a couple of weeks, probably. I hate to give a timeline from that standpoint. He’s on his way back to start his rehab. … We’ll announce a move tomorrow [Tuesday]. Obviously, with where we’re at in the situation, we won’t be able to get anybody here.”

Clarke, a defensive highlight reel with a plus-12 outs above average, was finding his groove offensively before his injury. He was hitting .333 over his last 12 games with 14 hits and six doubles after holding a .189 average through his first 35 outings.

Denzel Clarke just BLASTED this ball 471 feet 😳 pic.twitter.com/EZmXczKJjT

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) July 5, 2025

“Loved the aggression I was seeing with him swinging more,” Kotsay said. “Again, the more at-bats we can get this kid, the quicker the development process was going to happen.

“Had this injury not taken place and he had finished the season, I was confident we could’ve gotten him close to 300 at-bats. And that would’ve been great to begin next year with. [We’re] just hoping he could get back with us at some point this year and finish out the season.”

Kotsay said that the A’s “probably” will rotate players throughout center field and reiterated that Clarke’s offensive promise and defensive prowess will be missed for the time being.

Prior to the start of a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels, the Mets announced a series of roster moves on Monday afternoon.

The moves are:

-CatcherFrancisco Alvarez has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

-RHP Dedniel Núñez has been transferred to the 60-Day Injured List

-LHP Richard Lovelady has been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse

-Catcher Hayden Senger was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse

-RHP Rico Garcia has been claimed off waivers from the Yankees

Additionally, RHP Paul Blackburn is expected to continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.

Alvarez's return to the big leagues was first reported on Sunday, after the young catcher went on a absolute power tear for Syracuse, belting 11 home runs in a 19-game span.

While Luis Torrens has been solid defensively, adding Alvarez's bat to the lineup should provide a nice boost to the bottom third of the order.

Garcia, 31, is back with the Mets for the second time this season. He previously appeared in two games with the club, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out three. He was then DFA'd to make room on the roster for Kodai Senga.

The Mets did not announce a corresponding move in adding Garcia to the roster.

Meanwhile, moving Núñez to the 60-day IL is simply a paper move, as the right-hander is out for the season due to Tommy John surgery.

With the Mets 100 games into the 2025 season and with just over a week to go until the trade deadline, there are two things that are in focus.

First, the Mets -- whether it's by winning the NL East or securing one of the three Wild Card spots -- have a very good chance to return to the postseason, which would mark the first time in the history of the franchise that they've made the playoffs three times in four years.

Second, the Mets -- while having serious upside with their current personnel -- have real issues they must address via trade over the next 10 days if they want to cement their status as legitimate World Series contenders.

We've seen the best of the Mets (their 45-24 start) and the worst of the Mets (their 3-14 stretch), and their swoon over the last month was due in large part to rotation issues that led them to have a whole bunch of bullpen games.

While the rotation has stabilized, there are a handful of reasons why it will be one of four areas of need ranked on this list.

Here it goes...

4. Third base

With Eugenio Suarez possibly out there for the taking, the Mets have to at least explore what it would take to acquire a guy who's been one of the best power hitters in baseball this season.

Adding Suarez would transform and lengthen the lineup, giving New York another imposing bat to add to the "Fab Four" of Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso.

But the competition for him could be fierce, with the Yankees among the teams with a much bigger need at the hot corner than the Mets.

While the Mets don't have any perfect options at third base right now, they have three players who have a chance to get hot and run with the starting job -- Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Ronny Mauricio.

Vientos, though his defense at third base isn't great, showed last season that he can help carry a team with his bat.

Baty, a slick fielder, is starting to look more comfortable at the plate. In 69 plate appearances over his last 22 games dating back to June 23, he is slashing .311/.377/.475.

Then there's Mauricio, who has tantalizing power and tools. But he still has a ton of chase in his game.

Odds are the Mets will stand pat here, and hope one of their young players steps up.

3. The starting rotation

On the surface, things look stabilized.

After treading water for a while due to injuries, the rotation is whole again with Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and Frankie Montas forming a strong staff.

But there are some real concerns, including Manaea's elbow (he's pitching with a loose body in it), Senga's ability to stay on the field, and -- most importantly -- Holmes' potential innings limit.

In his first year since transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation, Holmes has already thrown 108.2 innings. That is by far the highest innings total of his career, and nearly twice as many as he tossed last season (63.0).

Holmes said shortly after signing with the Mets that his goal was to throw "at least" 160.0 innings this season. If that is somewhat of a cap, it means he perhaps has just over 50.0 innings left in his arm this year. Assuming he goes around 5.0 innings per start, that could mean he has nine or 10 starts left.

But even if Holmes makes it that far, the Mets should be concerned about the lack of length they're getting. Holmes hasn't gone more than 5.1 innings since June 7, after going 6.0 innings or more in seven of his first 13 starts.

If the Mets don't address the rotation, they would be playing with fire a bit.

Perhaps they're ready to turn to Brandon Sproat and/or Nolan McLean, and would promote one of them if a need arises. But they should be proactive, which could mean targeting a pending free agent via trade like Merrill Kelly, Seth Lugo, or Zac Gallen, and sliding Holmes to the bullpen for the remainder of the season.

2. Center field

This is a glaring need, and it will be surprising if it isn't addressed via trade.

The nearly season-long injury to Jose Siri has led to New York using mainly Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil in center.

In the case of McNeil, while he hasn't hurt the Mets defensively in center, he belongs at second base.

In the case of Taylor, who was very good for New York last season in a more limited role, his struggles at the plate have become too deep to ignore. He is hitting just .211/.264/.309 with two home runs in 280 plate appearances over 88 games.

While Taylor is elite defensively, his bat is one of the main reasons why New York's bottom of the lineup has struggled so much.

As the Mets look for an upgrade, the two most sensible targets are Cedric Mullins of the Orioles and Luis Robert, Jr. of the White Sox.

Mullins, a pending free agent, has slowed down since a hot start. But he has 13 homers, 14 doubles, and 14 stolen bases, and is coming off four straight seasons where his offensive performance was above average. He is also a really good defender.

Robert would bring a much higher upside, but also comes with serious risk.

He had a .657 OPS last season and it's down to .631 this season. But the aforementioned upside is enormous -- Robert had an .857 OPS over 145 games in 2023. And he's been heating up lately, with a 1.057 OPS over his last 11 games.

Robert isn't a free agent after the year, since he has club options for the next two seasons ($20 million in both 2026 and 2027). But an acquiring team could simply buy him out after the year for $2 million.

1. The bullpen

If center field is a glaring need, the bullpen is a flashing red siren making an ear-splitting noise.

Edwin Diaz is having a phenomenal season, but there is no true bridge to him.

The return of Brooks Raley will help in the late innings, and Jose Butto being back soon should help stabilize things in the middle innings. But the ups and downs of Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek have made acquiring a late-inning reliever a necessity.

As far as who the targets should be, it's fair to argue that Pirates closer David Bednar should be the top one.

After a down season in 2024 and trip to the minors earlier this year, Bednar is back in top form. He has a 2.45 ERA (2.06 FIP) and 1.09 WHIP with 45 strikeouts in 33.0 innings -- a career-best 12.3 K's per nine.

Bednar is also under team control through 2026, which would give the Mets a potential replacement for Diaz if he opts out after the season and leaves via free agency, but could also make the cost to acquire him very high.

If not Bednar, one of the Orioles' pending free agents such as Gregory Soto or Seranthony Dominguez could make sense.

The day off was unanticipated.

The change to the lineup was even more of a surprise.

In what has become a season-long struggle by Mookie Betts and Dodgers coaches to get the slumping superstar back on track, this weekend brought the most glaring examples of experimentation yet.

First, on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts gave Betts an unexpected off day and providing what he felt was a needed mental reset after sensing Betts — who missed the All-Star Game for the first time in a decade this year — was still off despite his week-long break.

Read more:Freddie Freeman injured as Dodgers are swept by the Milwaukee Brewers, again

Then, on Sunday, Roberts gave the veteran slugger an unexpected challenge: Bumping him up from the two-hole to the leadoff spot in the batting order in hopes it would trigger something amid a career-worst season at the plate.

“Looking at how things are going, where Mookie is at emotionally, mechanics-wise, all in totality,” Roberts said, “I felt that giving him a different look in the lineup, hitting him at the top, something he's obviously been accustomed to throughout his career, will put him in a mindset of just [trying] to get on base and just trying to take good at-bats.”

“There's a lot of internal kind of searching that goes on with the mechanics and things like that,” Roberts added. “But I personally do feel that the external part of it — hitting at the top of the order, having a mindset to get on base — I think will help move this along better.”

It all served as the latest confounding chapter in what has been a trying season for Betts and his once-potent swing, the newest effort by the club to ease the frustration that has weighed on his mind amid a summer-long slump — while waiting for his mechanics to finally get back in sync.

“This is a process I've never been through,” said a clearly-dejected Betts, who entered Monday sporting a .240 batting average (ranking 120th out of 158 qualified MLB hitters), .684 OPS (132nd) and 11 home runs (tied for 89th), to go along with well-below-league-average marks in underlying metrics like average exit velocity (29th percentile among MLB hitters), hard-hit rate (20th percentile) and bat speed (12th percentile).

“I don't have any answers,” he continued. “I don't know how to get through this. I don't know. I'm working every day. Hopefully it turns.”

The leadoff exercise started with mixed results Sunday. Betts singled in the third inning, one at-bat before new No. 2 man Shohei Ohtani hit a home run. But, in a failed ninth-inning rally that sent the Dodgers to a series sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers, he finished a one-for-five day by lining out sharply to center field, ending the game with Ohtani stuck in the on-deck circle.

Betts will continue to lead off for the foreseeable future, with Roberts committing to keeping him at the top of the order — and Ohtani, the team’s previous leadoff hitter, in the two spot — at least until Max Muncy makes his expected return from a knee injury sometime next month.

Read more:New mural at Dodger Stadium honors Fernando Valenzuela

“The only way we'll know, we'll find out, is once we do that for an extended period of time,” Roberts said. “I do think that there will be some fallout from that kind of external mindset of, 'Hey, I'm hitting at the top of the order. My job is to get on base, set the table for Shohei and the guys behind him.' I think that will lead to better performance.”

Until such a turnaround actually materializes, however, the search for answers to Betts’ struggles will go on, with the Dodgers continuing to try to unravel the mystery behind a sudden, unsettling slump no one saw coming.

“I just got to play better,” Betts said. “I got to figure it out.”

Indeed, while his superstar teammates were at All-Star festivities in Atlanta last week, Betts spent the break back home in Nashville, working on his swing at a private training facility.

In one clip that emerged on social media, Betts was seen doing one of the many drills that have helped him maintain offensive excellence over his 12 big-league seasons: Taking hacks with a yellow ball pressed snuggly between his elbows, trying to promote the fluid and connected motion that has eluded him this year.

“With Mookie, a lot of it has to do with how his arms and hands work, and getting his arm structure properly lined up,” hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said. “It sets up how the bat slots, and how his body sequences.”

For Betts, a 5-foot-10 talent who has long exceeded expectations as one of the sport’s most undersized sluggers, such mechanical efficiency has always been paramount.

As he noted early this season, when his slump first came into focus in early May, he has never had the same margin for error as some of the sport’s more physically gifted star hitters. He can’t muscle doubles or hit home runs off the end of his bat. He can’t afford to have a bad bat path or disjointed swing sequence and be the same hitter who, just two years ago, batted .307 with 39 home runs.

“I can’t, unfortunately, not have my A-swing that day but still run into something and [have it] go over the fence or whatever,” Betts said back then. “Even when I have my A-swing, if I don’t get it, it’s not gonna be a homer. If I don’t flush that ball in that gap, they’re gonna catch it.”

And this season, much to his chagrin, flushing line drives and cranking big flies has become a frustrating rarity.

Identifying the reason why has led to countless potential theories.

At the start of the year, Betts believed he created bad swing habits while recovering from a March stomach bug that saw him lose 20 pounds and some of his already underwhelming bat speed.

But as he tried reverting to mental cues and mechanical feels that had recalibrated him in the past, nothing seemed to click in the same way they once did.

“The cues and feels that I've used my whole life, in Boston and L.A., just don't work anymore,” he said this weekend. “So I'm just trying to find out who I am now, what works now.”

Read more:Dodgers pitchers can't hold back Brewers, who beat L.A. for fifth time this month

Some of that, of course, could be attributed to age. Betts will be 33 by the end of this season. He is coming up on 1,500 career games. Inevitably, even players of his caliber eventually start to decline physically.

Roberts, however, framed it more through the lens of evolution. On the one hand, he said of Betts, “I know he's still in his prime. I know he's as strong as he's been in quite some time.” However, the manager added, “his body has changed and will continue to change,” requiring Betts to find new ways to maximize the power the team still believes he possesses.

“That’s the nature of hitting,” Van Scoyoc said. “He has to find something for him that works organically, that gets him lined up again.”

This dynamic is why, to both Betts and the Dodgers, his full-time move to shortstop this season hasn’t been to blame.

Betts has repeatedly pushed back against that narrative, pointing to the MVP-caliber numbers he posted while playing the position during the first half of last year (before a broken hand cost him two months and forced him to return to right field for the Dodgers’ World Series run) and the two-week tear with which he started this season (when he batted .304 with four home runs over his first 15 games).

And though his new defensive role has come with some added challenges — Betts said on his Bleacher Report podcast last month that his daily pregame workload has increased while playing shortstop, to the point “it probably does weigh on you a little bit hitting” — he has also emphasized the confidence he has gained from his defensive improvements; his shortstop play serving as the one thing that has gone right in a season of offensive misery.

"I just can't see that you go out there and stick him in right field tonight and he's going to throw out two hits or three hits, or he goes to second base and he's going to go on a heater,” Roberts echoed earlier this month, before reiterating Sunday that the team has not considered changing Betts’ position. “That's hard for me to kind of imagine. It's a fair ask. But I just don't see that as the case."

Instead, the focus has remained not only on Betts’ flawed swing mechanics, but the resulting side effects it has had on his approach at the plate.

One stat that jumped out to Roberts recently: In Betts’ last 99 plate appearances, he has walked only one time — a shockingly low number for a hitter with a walk rate of nearly 11% over his career.

To Roberts, it’s a sign that Betts, in his ongoing search to get his swing synced up, is failing to accomplish the even more fundamental task of working good counts and waiting out mistakes.

“If you're ‘in-between’ on spin versus velocity, and [getting in bad] counts, you're not as convicted [with your swing],” Roberts said, tying all of Betts’ problems into one self-fulfilling cycle that has only further perpetuated his lack of results. “So my eyes tell me he's been ‘in-between’ a lot.”

Which is why, in recent weeks, Roberts had started to mull the idea of moving Betts into the leadoff spot.

After all, the manager hypothesized, if Betts can’t find his swing by grinding in the batting cage and analyzing his mechanics — as he did during his off day on Saturday — then maybe reframing his mindset in games can better help him get there.

“It speaks to how much faith I have in him as a ballplayer,” Roberts said. “To, where he's scuffling, not move him down but ironically move him higher in the order. “I think that kind of support, and the different way that he'll see the lineup as it's presented each day, will kind of lead into a different mindset and I think that'll be a good thing for all of us."

For now, the Dodgers can only hope.

With Muncy still out, Freddie Freeman having his own recent slump compounded by a ball that hit him in the left wrist on Sunday, and the Dodgers stuck in a current 2-10 spiral that has seen their once-comfortable division lead dwindle leading up to the trade deadline, they need the old Betts more than ever right now.

Thus far, the search for answers has met no end.

“It's hard,” Betts said, “but I got to figure it out at some point."

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.