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Mets Morning News: Grass is Greener

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 22: Carson Benge #3 of the New York Mets gives the game ball to Kodai Senga #34 after a game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on September 22, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Meet the Mets

The Mets beat the Rangers 6-3 in the opening game of the penultimate series of the year. Sean Manaea allowed three runs (only two earned) in six innings while striking out nine batters.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, New York Post

Christian Scott was placed on the injured list with left knee inflammation, ending his season early as well as creating room for Devin Williams to return to the roster from the injured list.

Justin Hagenman will most likely make Christian Scott’s next start on Friday against the Nationals.

Andy Green signed a three year contract to become the Mets manager.

The decision to make Green the permanent manager was not made lightly, from both Green and the Mets.

By keeping Andy Green, the Mets get some continuity in the form of one of the few things that went right this season.

Ahead of his first time facing the Mets since being traded, Brandon Nimmo was dealing with a 24-hour stomach bug.

Around the National League East

Phillies starter Zack Wheeler notched his 2,000th strikeout against the Brewers last night.

Ronald Acuña Jr. exited last nights game with a shin contusion after fouling a ball off his leg.

The Nationals beat the Tigers 3-1, thanks in small part to a two home run performance by CJ Abrams.

The Phillies scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to hold off the Brewers in a 6-4 win. Zack Wheeler struck out eleven batters in 5.2 innings.

The Braves were shutout by the Reds 4-0. JR Ritchie took the loss even though he allowed just one run in five innings while striking out eight batters.

The Marlins beat the Cubs 8-2 after a twelve inning marathon. Kyle Stowers and Joe Mack each drove in a pair of runs.

Around Major League Baseball

Aaron Judge has a “moderate grade” calf strain and is not expected to be available for the Wild Card round.

Despite losing Judge for at least their first playoff series, all is not lost for the Yankees.

The Red Sox gave Chad Tracy a three year deal to officially become their manager, alongside extending Craig breslow’s contract.

Justin Verlander will make the final start of his career on Saturday in Detroit, a full-circle moment for the future Hall-of-Famer.

Even the teams outside of the playoff picture can find a silver lining in the 2026 season.

Former Met Tomás Nido joined the Red Sox taxi squad.

The Rays officially clinched the American League East title witha a win over the Yankees.

Despite losing to the Phillies, the Brewers have clinched a bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs thanks to the Braves loss to the Reds.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Steve Sypa published another edition of Mets Minor League Players of the Week.

This Date in Mets History

The 1969 Mets brought themselves within a single game of clinching the National League East.

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Braves News: Ronald Acuña Jr. day-to-day, Robert Suarez, and more

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 22: Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) reacts after fouling a ball off his leg during the MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves on September 22nd, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It was a rough day all around for the Atlanta Braves, who suffered a 4-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Not only were the Braves shutout, but Ronald Acuña Jr. fouled a ball off his shin and exited the game in the third inning. Fortunately, his X-ray was negative and he is considered day-to-day.

While there is still a chance of a bone bruise that only an MRI would reveal, the Braves caught a major break and are hopeful Acuña Jr. will be healthy for a postseason run.

More Braves News:

Reliever Robert Suarez is nearing his return and will likely be activated from the injured list this week. 

The Gwinnett Stripers ended the 2026 season going 76-73, and here is a recap of the team’s performance.

MLB News:

The San Francisco Giants placed right-hander Blade Tidwell on the 15-day injured list with a high grade UCL sprain. He has been recommended for surgery.

Former Brave Eli White underwent season-ending surgery to repair a ligament in his foot.

The Texas Rangers placed DH Joc Pederson on the 10-day injured list with a left hand fracture. The move is retroactive to September 19.

The New York Mets promoted interim manager Andy Green to full-time manager and signed him to a three-year deal.

Justin Verlander will be making the final start of his career on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Penguins’ lineup battle temperature check

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 21: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Hendrix Lapierre (22) skates with the puck in the preseason NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres on September 21, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

A lot can change quickly for the picture of building the NHL roster. Take a look at the last 48 hours, where Blake Lizotte was announced as being out on a week-to-week basis, and Ben Kindel got injured during the preseason game with a day-to-day designation. Add in more injuries to Ville Koivunen and Justin Brazeau (both also day-to-day) and there’s not as much clarity coming into focus as much have been expected nearly one week into camp.

Let’s take a quick glance at how it looks like players fighting for spots might be at the moment. As of now, the exhibition games are 50% completed and all the forwards competing for 1-3 spots (though it would be four if Lizotte heads to IR for the start of the regular season) have played one game. It’s just a baseline temperature check for now as for who is perceived to be moving in the right direction and what cases are not launching so cleanly. The upcoming days could always throw major new developments and changes into the picture in a hurry.

Stock up

Hendrix Lapierre – Lapierre was named the third star of the game on Monday. In a world where the Penguins have lost two centers this week (Kindel and Lizotte) to injury, Lapierre has looked the part of a capable lower-line fill-in. He’s a good skater and can make things happen in the offensive zone. He was pretty good in the faceoff circle. It’s early but he had a nice night for himself and other circumstances seem to be breaking in his favor – he found power play time during the game because of Kindel’s injury, then made the most of it getting an assist there. Opportunity knocking is one thing, making the most of it is another and right now it looks like Lapierre is starting to make good on the chances afforded. If Lizotte can’t be back in time for the regular season opener, the path is wide open right now for Lapierre to claim a spot in the lineup. At worst, he’s trending towards sticking with the NHL club.

Avery Hayes — Hayes has been coming from way in the back of the field, considering he’s mostly skated in practices with AHL caliber players and been something of an afterthought in a very stacked field. (Which, hey, someone has to be towards the back of a long pack). But seemingly every time Hayes plays, he makes something good happen, highlighted by creating a turnover and scoring a goal just before time expired in the second period in Monday’s game against Buffalo. Hayes usually leaves a lasting positive impression, it’s just a matter of how much opportunity he will get considering how many wingers the team has to sort through. His stock being up might not even have him on the verge of finding a roster spot but it hasn’t deterred him from standing out.

Elmer Soderblom – Soderblom went from the doghouse (misreading the schedule and showing up late on the first day of camp) to the penthouse of playing in key spots in the first preseason game in no-time flat. His physicality and mobility are very evident. He looks like a guy that is going to help an NHL team with his reach, length, skating ability to go along with the willingness to throw his body around.

Fillip Hallander – Hallander had five shots on goal in the game he played on Monday, probably should have scored one on a clean rush attempt. He does a lot of the little things right around the rink, knocking pucks free and staying on the right side of the action. So far he’s doing as expected to make his case back into the NHL, he’s an honest player that will be in the right spot at generally the right time. The injury situation is working in his favor much like last year when Hallander made the opening night roster in large part because Bryan Rust and Kevin Hayes opened the season on IR.

Stock middling or down

Tristan Broz – Broz was one of the stars of the 2025 training camp, so far he’s just kind of been present this year. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but you have to figure that he needs to elevate in order to make headway and jump the players with more experience and more established contracts to make the team. The tie isn’t going to go to the player like Broz that doesn’t need waivers to be sent to the AHL. And I’m not sure Broz has even come close to forcing the issue, to this point. Younger players are supposed to make it hard (if not impossible) to send them down. So far, I don’t think you can say Broz has done that.

Justin Brazeau – Brazeau endured a leg injury on Monday, so it’s reasonable not to get too down on him now, but even before that it looked like he’s barely keeping up with his teammates. Players and coaches say the league gets a little faster every year, it doesn’t look like Brazeau has kept up. Will his hands and scoring touch make up for the fact he’s the least mobile player in the competition? Especially now with a lower body currently less than 100%, it’s an area worth watching to see how quickly he returns to the ice and can try to secure a roster spot.

Ville Koivunen – It’s not Koivunen’s fault he got hit in the face and couldn’t play in his scheduled preseason game last night, but it certainly doesn’t help his cause to miss time in a quick preseason. Can’t make the club from the tub, and all that. This was going to be a massive camp for him to show his stuff and he can’t afford to miss much more time. Even prior to the injury, things were not trending in the right direction – Koivunen started camp on the first day playing with two surefire NHLers (Andrei Kuzmenko and Ben Kindel). By the third practice, he was playing with fourth liner Blake Lizotte and probable AHLer Rutger McGroarty. That may or may not be indicative of Koivunen’s performance but he wasn’t moving in the right direction prior to the injury that at the very least steals some time away from him at a critical juncture to find a niche.

Rutger McGroarty – It would be difficult to make a move for a player like McGroarty who is younger (22) than everyone on the list. So far, he hasn’t received a great opportunity to do so. Like Koivunen, McGroarty opened camp on a practice line with two NHL players (Lizotte and Bryan Rust). By last night’s preseason game, he was skating with future AHL players (Bill Zonnon and Atley Calvert). It’s not going to be the end of the world for McGroarty to go to the AHL and try to work his way up with a mid-season call-up but it sure looks like his path to making the NHL club out of camp is narrow to the point of barely being visible right now.

Projected lineup as of today

Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel* – Bryan Rust
Connor Dewar – Hendrix Lapierre – Elmer Soderblom
Extras: Filip Hallander, Blake Lizotte (injured)

Bubble: Justin Brazeau, Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Ville Koivunen

—

Kindel and Lizotte’s status for opening night could change the picture, placing Lizotte on IR would mean keeping one more bubble player. We’re projecting as a day-to-day that Kindel won’t miss the games that count, which obviously isn’t a known guarantee in this moment that would further shake up the picture.

There’s still another week for the bubble players to work their way up, and as seen already in camp, things can change on a dime with an injury or change in placement of the lines. Today’s outlook doesn’t always hold up for those future developments as the Pens enter the final week of camp before the opener on the 30th.

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Red Sox report card: Grading position players' 2026 seasons

Red Sox report card: Grading position players' 2026 seasons originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox’ 2026 regular season isn’t over yet, but we’re just about ready to turn the page to playoff baseball

Boston punched its ticket to the postseason earlier this week, completing a miraculous turnaround that included a 30-5 stretch after starting the season 32-46. Chad Tracy, who was officially named the 49th manager in franchise history on Tuesday, deserves immense credit for leading the club through adversity. He deserves an “A” grade for his performance as the Red Sox’ skipper this year.

How about the players? We handed out grades for each position player in our end-of-season report card:

Note: All grades are relative to players’ preseason expectations.

Catchers

Adley Rutschman

Grade: C

When the Red Sox traded four of their top prospects to Baltimore for Rutschman at the deadline, they hoped he’d look more like the elite switch-hitting catcher he was at the start of his career. His bat appeared to be returning to form with the O’s before he suffered a wrist injury that landed him on the injured list.

Offensively, Rutschman has been a major disappointment so far with Boston. The former No. 1 overall draft pick has hit just .214 with a .668 OPS in 28 games with the club, and he has played through an elbow issue for the last month. He remains an elite defensive backstop, but the Red Sox didn’t give up the farm for his glove. To be worth what they gave up, Rutschman has to be one of their most dependable bats.

Connor Wong

Grade: C-

Wong was better this season than last, but that isn’t saying much. While his offensive numbers were fine for a backup catcher, he was below-average defensively behind the dish. He and Carlos Narvaez’s struggles led Craig Breslow and Co. to overpay for Rutschman.

Infielders

Willson Contreras, 1B

Grade: A+

Contreras is one of the biggest reasons the Red Sox are a playoff team. He was acquired in the offseason as Boston’s much-needed right-handed bat, and he exceeded even the loftiest expectations with a team-high 27 homers through 129 games. The veteran also provided an emotional spark with his fiery passion on the field, and he has already emerged as a vocal leader in his first year with the team.

Nick Sogard, UTIL

Grade: A-

Sogard has gone from being labeled a “4A” player to a useful, impactful depth piece for Boston. His defensive versaility is his biggest strength, but he has also become an offensive threat with competitive at-bats throughout his time with the big-league club this season.

Trevor Story, SS

Grade: D

After playing in 157 games last season, the oft-injured Story spent most of 2026 on the injured list after undergoing sports hernia surgery. While he has been a bright spot since his return from the IL, his performance when healthy was mostly disappointing. His combination of unavailability and limited production — both offensively and defensively — gives him one of the lowest grades on our report card.

Caleb Durbin, 3B

Grade: A-

Durbin’s nightmare start to the season is the only thing keeping him from a solid A. Since June, he has been an above-average hitter and an elite defender at the hot corner. His contributions helped fuel Boston’s miraculous turnaround.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, UTIL

Grade: B-

Kiner-Falefa’s midseason injury hurts his grade, but he has largely delivered what the Red Sox needed from him after signing him to a one-year deal last winter. Boston wanted a reliable, versatile defender off the bench, and he has been just that when healthy. His offensive numbers are below-average, just as they’ve been throughout his big-league career.

Andruw Monasterio, INF

Grade: B

When the Red Sox acquired Monasterio from Milwaukee, he was expected to simply provide infield depth off the bench and perhaps jump between Triple-A and the majors. He exceeded those expectations by playing an enormous role during Boston’s historic turnaround.

Monasterio provided defensive versatility with starts at shortstop, second base, third base, and first base. He also posted an OPS above 1.000 while the Red Sox went on their incredible run, and had his own signature moment when he belted a game-winning two-run homer in the 10th inning against the Athletics in July.

His production over the final two months fell off a cliff, so that hurts his final grade. Still, it was a successful season for Mona.

Anthony Seigler, INF

Grade: B-

Seigler played in only 49 games for Boston this season, but the offseason addition gave the club a much-needed jolt when he was called up in June. His upbeat presence immediately made a positive impact on the team’s chemistry.

Performance-wise, Seigler did his part by helping to stabilize the second base position. He posted a 105 OPS+, which is more than anyone expected from him when he was acquired as part of the Durbin deal.

Mickey Gasper, DH/1B/C

Grade: A

Gasper wasn’t expected to be a meaningful contributor to the big-league club entering the season. Even a modest output would have given him a decent grade.

After becoming a lineup regular in May, he was sent back down in late June with unimpressive numbers. Boston gave him another shot in mid-August, and he went nuclear.

Gasper put up Ted Williams and Barry Bonds-like numbers for a solid 13-game stretch after being called back up on Aug. 17. He has cooled off since, but he has 10 homers and an .845 OPS in 64 games this season. That’s “A” worthy.

Outfielders

Jarren Duran, LF/DH

Grade: D

Duran ranks third on the team with 20 homers. He’s one stolen base shy of perhaps the worst 20/20 season in MLB history.

The 2024 All-Star was one of the club’s greatest disappointments in 2026. He was one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball, posting a 75 OPS+ with 163 strikeouts in 146 games. His solid defense keeps him from a failing grade.

Ceddanne Rafaela, CF

Grade: A+

Rafaela took another significant step forward at the plate in 2026, making him one of Boston’s best all-around players as his glove remained elite in center field. He set career highs in batting average (.282), on-base percentage (.317), and slugging percentage (.760), and he’s a no-brainer for his second straight Gold Glove award.

Wilyer Abreu, RF

Grade: A

Like Rafaela, Abreu has blossomed into an outstanding all-around player. He took another step forward this season with a career-high 24 homers and 74 RBI to go with his elite defense in right field. He also leads the American League with 37 doubles.

Abreu is a streaky hitter, but when he’s on, few are more dangerous. His defense is just the cherry on top.

Roman Anthony, LF/DH

Grade: D

After entering the season with MVP-level expectations, Anthony struggled mightily. The 22-year-old hit just .229 with one homer and a .675 OPS before suffering a torn ring finger ligament on May 4. He didn’t return until Aug. 30, and he hasn’t done much since to quiet the naysayers.

Anthony’s sophomore season was severely disappointing. He’ll look to make fans more optimistic about his future with a strong postseason performance.

Masataka Yoshida, LF/DH

Grade: C+

Yoshida entered the season without a defined role due to the club’s outfield/DH logjam. He was solid when given the chance, posting a .746 OPS in 87 games before going down with a season-ending hamstring injury. He just didn’t make enough of an impact to get inside the “B” range.

Eli White, OF

Grade: B

The Red Sox didn’t give up much to get White at the deadline, and he proved to be a useful depth outfielder with game-changing speed during his 27 games with the club. Unfortunately, his season is over due to a Lisfranc repair in his right foot.

Jahmai Jones, LF/DH

Grade: A-

Boston acquired Jones from the Detroit Tigers for a player to be named later, hoping he could return to form as a lefty masher. He did just that, hitting .321 with a 1.067 OPS in 34 games.

Ex-Red Sox

Marcelo Mayer, INF

Grade: F

The former top prospect entered 2026 with plenty to prove after failing to impress and suffering a season-ending injury in his rookie season. His sophomore campaign was even worse, as he hit .220 with a .594 OPS in 70 games before going down with yet another injury. He was shipped to the San Francisco Giants at the deadline in exchange for left-handed relief pitcher Erik Miller.

Carlos Narvaez, C

Grade: F

After breaking out with Boston in 2025, Narvaez hit just .187 with a .535 OPS in 62 games this season before being sent to Baltimore in the Rutschman deal.

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Steph Curry reveals rare eye condition diagnosis during Warriors' dynasty run

Steph Curry reveals rare eye condition diagnosis during Warriors' dynasty run originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry single-handedly changed the game of basketball when he and the Warriors ran the NBA throughout the 2010s — and he did so with a rare eye condition.

Curry, speaking exclusively to People Magazine’s Natasha Dye, recently revealed he learned that he was dealing with a rare condition called Keratoconus in 2018.

“It was 2018, and I didn’t know I was really dealing with crazy blurred vision or distorted images — it was just the way that I saw things, and we compensated around it,” Curry told Dye.

It actually was then-Warriors general manager Bob Myers who noticed something off about Curry while watching a game from home.

“He texted me after the game because apparently the telecast kept showing me when I was on the bench, and he was like, ‘You’re just squinting, looking like you couldn’t see anything. Have you gotten your eyes checked? You should probably go do that because that wasn’t normal,’ ” Curry recalled to Dye.

Curry took Myers’ advice and went to see an optometrist.

And while he initially thought it was nothing, his visit revealed much more.

“They told me that I had a rare condition called Keratoconus, the irregular-shaped cornea that obviously leads to blurriness, distorted images,” Curry told Dye. “What I found out about it was it’s a progressive condition that can deteriorate your vision over time and it’s irreversible if it goes in the wrong direction.”

By the start of 2018, Curry already was a two-time NBA champion. He went on to win a third title later that summer.

During the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, Curry averaged nearly 27 points per game on nearly 50-percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range. Not bad for someone struggling with their vision.

Years later, the 38-year-old shared that he now gets his eyes checked every six months. While he shared that it took him some time to get used to wearing contacts during games, he now is a self-proclaimed “trained professional” at putting in his contacts after finding the right fit and prescription.

He added that he’s worked with Glaukos to get on a treatment plan that’s helped his anxiety about where things could go.

Curry doesn’t even want to imagine what his life might be like had he not taken Myers’ advice all those years ago. But it’s given him an uplifted energy knowing he can actually see on and off the court.

“I joke that when I’m all done, my memoir should be called The Whole Time I Couldn’t See,” Curry told Dye, with a laugh.

That would be quite the fitting title.

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Shohei Ohtani expected to be activated on Wednesday

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers works out before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Dodgers received two key reinforcements making their returns from injury on Tuesday, as both Andy Pages and Roki Sasaki played a factor into the team’s 7-0 shutout win over the San Diego Padres.

The Dodgers are preparing to get the final Infinity Stone added to their gauntlet, as two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is expected to return from the injured list for Wednesday’s game against San Diego. Whether Ohtani will remain in the leadoff spot in the starting lineup is still up in the air, as Mookie Betts has been swinging a red-hot bat at the leadoff spot in his absence, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“I do think I should think through the Mookie vs. left situation, but I have to think about the entire lineup structure,” Roberts said. “That’s probably the way it’s going to fall out, but I haven’t totally decided yet.”

Roki Sasaki made his first bullpen appearance since the 2025 World Series on Tuesday, as he logged a scoreless top of the fourth inning while allowing just one hit and striking out two.

Although Sasaki has vastly improved in the second half this season before suffering a blister to his pitching hand— 5.33 ERA in first half, 2.97 ERA in second half— the plan is to once again have him out of the bullpen for the postseason for a second consecutive year, per Chen.

“It’s just showing that whatever it takes to help us win, knowing that any inning he throws in the postseason is going to be huge,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He clearly understands that.”

Josue De Paula is making a strong case for making the postseason roster, as the 21-year-old rookie is slashing .323/.500/.581 while becoming the first Dodger rookie with at least a .500 on-base percentage over his first 11 games since Corey Seager in 2015.

De Paula has spent the bulk of his time in the big leagues serving as the designated hitter, filling the void Ohtani left behind. With Ohtani expected to return from the injured list on Wednesday, the next test for De Paula is to see how he can handle himself in the outfield defensively, per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.

“All the reports that we’ve gotten from our minor-league staff are right on cue,” Ebel said. “He’s been working, he’s bringing it right here to the major leagues. And it’s a pleasure for me, with some energy, coming out early every day — hasn’t missed. We’re working on game situations, ground balls, left, right, right at him, fly balls, shags during BP. So we’re on the right track.”

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Young Blue Jackets Get Beat By Sabres Lineup Laden With Vets; Lose Mikael Pyyhtiä To Injury

Corson Ceulemans (1) scored his first goal of the preseason, and first for the Blue Jackets in a 5-1 loss to an extremely heavy NHL roster put on the ice by Buffalo. 

There wasn't a lot to take from this game from a fan's point of view. But from a coach's point of view, there may have been a few. Don't worry, though; the next two games will look a bit more like actual NHL games for Columbus, rather than AHL games dressed as NHL games. 

Carson Soucy continues to make a case for his spot on the opening roster and a contract. He laid a tremendously hard hit on the Sabres' Owen Zellweger that left him lying on the ice for an extended period of time. It was a clean hit, but Beck Malenstyn fought Soucy to show his disapproval of the hit. Soucy knew a fight was coming and may have gotten dinged up a bit in the scrap. Malenstyn then hit Soucy along the wall, sending Soucy to the bench hunched over. There is no word if he's hurt, but he did speak to the media after the game and seemd ok. 

Positives

  • Goalie Cam Talbot looked very good in the first period. The score could've been much worse had it not been for Talbot's play. The NHL roster the Sabres put out finally took over, and got a few past Talbot in the second, but he looked good. 

Negatives

  • It's hard to look at a 5-1 game and not see negatives, but with a mostly AHL lineup on the ice, they had no real shot at beating the Sabres on this night. 

Injuries

  • Mikael Pyyhtiä left with a lower-body injury and didn't return for the duration of the game. 

Final Stats 

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CBJ APP

Player Stats & Notes 

  • Corson Ceulemans scored his first goal of the preseason and first for the CBJ. preseason. He also had 4 shots, 2 blocks, and played 18:32. 
  • Dmitri Voronkov had an assist and 2 shots. 
  • Boston Buckberger 
  • Luca Marelli led the team with 5 blocked shots. 
  • Luca Pinelli had 3 shots. 
  • Cam Talbot 23 of 26 shots. 

Team Stats 

  • The Jackets went 0/5 on the power play. 
  • The Columbus PK stopped all 3 Buffalo power plays. 
  • Columbus won 41.1% of the faceoffs - 23/56
  • The Blue Jackets had 28 hits and 20 blocks.

Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets will be back home on Thursday to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

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NBA Trade Rumors: TJ Shannon’s Best Role is as a Trade Piece

Oklahoma City Thunder v Minnesota Timberwolves - Game Three

So much of the coming season is uncertain for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They restructured their whole core and brought in a new star point guard in LaMelo Ball, and jettisoned cornerstones of the team’s past identity in Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Mike Conley Jr. They even switched owners.

Within that restructuring, there are many new roles being created for different players. It seems like only Anthony Edwards will slot back in where he was last year.

Jaden McDaniels will suddenly be a featured shot creator. Jaylen Clark will be expected to be a rotation piece. And notably, Joan Beringer will have to make good on his potential, considering he is basically the only remaining piece of the return for Karl-Anthony Towns.

However, hidden in all of this is a recent first-round pick that the Timberwolves will have to work with more closely and with more finesse.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 12: Terrence Shannon Jr. #1 reacts as Joe Ingles #7 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on against the New Orleans Pelicans in the fourth quarter at Target Center on April 12, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Pelicans 132-126. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images

T.J. Shannon Jr. came out of Illinois as a terror in transition. Since he entered the league, Shannon has struggled to find regular rotation minutes, despite his clear strengths in one of the most important single skills in the league: attacking the basket.

This difficulty comes largely from how he does what he is so good at on paper. Shannon requires the ball in his hands nearly at all times to be effective. After an exciting rookie season in which he was the X-factor against the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Shannon found himself out of the rotation as a sophomore player.

Part of this has to do with his injury history, but the larger reason is that he simply could not fit into a team that had so many different egos and creators constantly battling and bouncing off each other. He failed to be a complementary piece when that was all the team needed.

That, however, changed in the playoffs. Shannon was a real difference-maker against both the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs in the first and second rounds, functioning as a shot creator when the team lost scorer after scorer to injury or emotions and lacked anyone to take over possessions.

Now, with that new role established as necessary, but the opportunity to make it happen no less nebulous, Shannon seems to be setting up for a make-or-break season. So much of this Timberwolves season relies on him, and so much of his career relies on this single campaign, and yet it’s hard not to look at what he is doing and what he has done, and to think that both he and the team would be better served doing something else.

No, it’s not his three-point shooting that needs to move forward to help the Timberwolves, nor would a leap in defensive ability really do much to solidify him going forward.

The best way T.J. Shannon could help the Minnesota Timberwolves win a championship would be as an asset equivalent to a first-round pick that the front office can use to find a real difference-maker that they don’t need to work around as heavily as they need to for Shannon.

Let me explain.

T.J. Shannon spent much of last season wallowing on the bench. Between injury and a lack of role, there was no real reason to play a wing who could neither shoot from distance nor defend at an elite level.

Shannon’s strength comes in the pressure he applies to the rim. It was what made him so effective against Nikola Jokic, who does not defend the rim at all, and Victor Wembanyama, who has conditioning issues that prevent him from being the excellent rim protector he is when tested too often throughout the course of the game.

It was as if Shannon had completely overloaded Wembanyama in that first game of the series against the San Antonio Spurs by simply attacking the rim time after time after time. He broke the reigning defensive player of the year with sheer rim volume. That deserves both recognition and mention.

However, not every team has Nikola Jokic or Victor Wembanyama. Not every team lacks a capable backup the way either of those two teams does for their best players. Not every team will expect their center to be the only capable rim protector, leaving Shannon to exert his will against them.

No, the more common situation is what we saw happening during the regular season. Shannon will come in for spurts, will attack in transition, and will find himself a few layups with his strong left hand. However, as his minutes wear on, he will become less and less helpful to the team, as his shots don’t drop, as he fails to defend beyond tipping away passes, and while Chris Finch continues to get more and more upset at his effort from the sideline.

The situation was perfect for Shannon in that playoff run, as it was for the guest star appearance that happened against the OKC Thunder just a year prior.

Ironically, it is Shannon’s ability to get to the rim, draw fouls, and make opposing teams’ defenses’ lives hell that makes him both so valuable in the postseason and so much less useful during the regular season, when depth is playable, and teams can overcome foul problems to their best players in a vacuum.

Just that ability to force a foul differential seems so much stronger than it is. No, when it comes down to it, Shannon struggles to be an impact player when he is not in the perfect situation to succeed.

That makes him the definition of a specialist. There’s nothing wrong with being a specialist; however, it means that his value is capped at being a decent situational bench piece who explodes against specific types of opposition.

What it also means is that Shannon will be far less useful than the other players vying for his playing time at the backup forward position in Jaylen Clark, Ayo Dosunmu, and whoever else joins the fray, due to his lack of versatility.

In many ways, Shannon’s season has been put in a far worse situation by the signing of Jonathan Kuminga, which pushes Shannon from being a suitable small-ball four, with similar athletic traits and measurables to Miles Bridges, to being a tweener forced to come off the bench, who needs the ball in his hands and will have to rely on LaMelo Ball to make him play at his best when he gets minutes with the starters.

Instead of trying to thread this needle, it may behoove both the player and the team to find somewhere else. The Timberwolves are still searching for meaningful depth pieces. They lack the draft capital to make a deal to find that after moving their 2033 first-round pick for LaMelo Ball.

Maybe it is Shannon that can be that extra young player slash pick capital that the Wolves need to find the final piece for their puzzle. In that situation, Shannon would be able to get more touches and minutes. He would have to fit in less, and maybe that could come with a large payday or a larger role for the older-than-you-would-expect young player.

For the Wolves, it comes as a very easy opportunity to get a playable rotation player.

Some would argue that the worst thing to do when entering a presumed spat of contention is to trade off young players with promise for veterans. However, it seems impossible that Shannon’s breakout will come on a Wolves team that can no longer help him reach those heights and needs him to be someone he is not.

With the Wolves so close to contending, and Shannon so far from being the player that the team needs, a mutual parting of ways is likely the best path forward.

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Ranking the Roster: Jericho Sims wrecks rims at 11

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 12: Jericho Sims #00 of the Milwaukee Bucks rebounds the ball during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 12, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Jericho Sims had the best year of his career over the 2025-26 campaign, playing as the Bucks’ backup center. Averaging 5.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.6 APG, Sims was the gritty, athletic rim-runner who put in the dirty work. He earned himself increased playing time by showing his willingness to hustle and fight for boards on one of the league’s worst rebounding teams. Especially as starting center Myles Turner struggled to convert in Milwaukee’s choppy offense, Sims got more first-team reps and started nine of Milwaukee’s final 12 games.

Sims is one of the league’s best rim finishers, with world-class athleticism, great strength, a huge wingspan, and a tireless motor. Despite being relatively small for an NBA center at 6’10,” he scored on 83.4% of his attempts at the rim. Sims was also used heavily for his plus rebounding, especially on the offensive end, where he hauled in 2.2 offensive rebounds per contest. Crucially, he’s also agile enough to switch onto smaller wings and guards when covering the pick-and-roll.

Having said all of this, Sims struggled heavily in several other facets of the game. He has virtually no offensive game outside of the paint and shot just 62% from the line. He was also pretty turnover-prone, averaging 1.1 giveaways per contest despite his extremely low usage. Sims also struggled with foul trouble much of the time and got called for a crazy number of illegal screens.

This season, the 27-year-old will find it much harder to get first-team reps following the arrival of Kel’el Ware. Ware is younger, has a perimeter game, is a better defender, and is a more willing rebounder, meaning there isn’t a real argument for Sims to get more minutes than Ware.

Although he opted into a $2.8m player option this summer, Sims is also reportedly a trade option for the Bucks as they look to clear cap space and accumulate even more draft capital. The Lakers and Knicks have shown interest in acquiring him as a high-energy, versatile backup. His salary would make it very easy for buyers to pick up, and, with Milwaukee managing a crowded big man rotation, he could be on the chopping block come February.

Sims’ athleticism and high work rate helped him log career highs and work his way into the Bucks rotation throughout last season, but it’s his small, expiring contract that could make him especially useful to general manager Jon Horst and the Bucks front office.

Who’s next in our Ranking the Roster series?

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It’s now or never for the Cleveland Cavaliers

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 21: Donovan Mitchell #45 and James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers look on during the game against the New York Knicks during Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on May 21, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a precarious position. On one hand, they just had their most successful postseason run since trading for Donovan Mitchell four years ago – earning their first Eastern Conference Finals bid since 2018. However, on the other hand, the way they were so thoroughly dismantled by the New York Knicks made it apparent that they were far from a true title hopeful.

The first part of the offseason only served to further this gap. While the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, and Boston Celtics all got better, the Cavaliers lost Dean Wade (one of the team’s best connectors) and Keon Ellis, and they completely flailed on the LeBron James sweepstakes.  

Their championship window seemed to be slamming shut before it was ever really open. That is, until the Cavaliers front office got creative – orchestrating a five-team deal that cost them Dennis Schroder, Max Strus, and future draft capital to net Peyton Watson, the best two-way wing/forward left on the market at that point. 

Now, the Cavaliers are officially all the way in. They made the big swing for Watson, shipped out Darius Garland for James Harden (then extended him), and gifted Donovan Mitchell a heavy extension. Cleveland has exhausted pretty much all their resources, but is it enough?

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The 2026-27 Cleveland Cavaliers, On Paper

If you take one thing away from this article, it should be that everything kind of hinges on Watson. Since the Nuggets drafted Watson with the 30th overall pick, he’s always been a tantalizing defensive prospect. Folks compare him to prime Jonathan Isaac because of his combination of length, defensive playmaking, and lateral agility. He’s regularly in the upper echelon in block rate (93rd percentile block rate in the first three years of his career), despite not being a center and taking on tough perimeter defensive assignments. 

In 2024-25, Watson began to flash some off-the-dribble upside, and then last year, courtesy of some injuries and his maturation as a player, it all started to coalesce. In the month of January (15 games), Watson averaged 21.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.5 blocks per game on 59.6% true shooting. To put that into some perspective, since the 2014-15 season (right around the start of the pace-and-space era), there have been 364 such instances where a player under 24 years old put those numbers up in a 15-game span (per Stathead). The only players who did that and haven’t made an All-Star team yet are Miles Bridges, Josh Giddey, and Cooper Flagg (who will surely be earning that honor someday soon). 

That’s a very small sample, and an admittedly cherry-picked one at that. Injuries kept us from seeing how it would portend in a postseason setting, and the last time we saw him in the playoffs, his touch-and-go contributions on offense relegated him to 14.2 minutes per game. 

His January scoring numbers won’t be a necessity for this Cavaliers team. At most, he’ll be a third option behind Harden and Mitchell, and an innings eater when one/both of them is off the floor. 

What I’m really curious about is how good of a shooter he can be. Last year, he hit 41.1% of his 3.6 threes per game, but in the three years before that, those numbers were 32.8% and 1.8, respectively. Which sample size truly encapsulates who Watson is as a shooter today?

The pessimist in me still thinks he’s a below-average shooter (just so hard to shed the non-shooter label once you’ve been branded with it), but if I’m wrong, Watson’s combination of spacing, secondary creation, and defensive versatility would make him by far and away the best fifth starter this iteration of the team has rostered. 

Speaking of the core four, Allen is about as metronomic as they come. Pencil him in for another top-10 center season in 2026-27. Harden’s also pretty consistent, but staring down his age-37 season, he’s far from a sure thing. Meaningful regression from him would increase the need for Watson’s independent scoring flashes to stick. 

Mobley needs to get back to his 2024-25 form for this team to have the top-end talent to make this all work. After finishing 12th in the NBA in Estimated Plus-Minus that season, Mobley fell all the way to 59th last season (per Dunks & Threes). Some of this was probably a byproduct of him being overburdened at the start of the year (Cleveland was dealing with a lot of injuries), but a lot of it seems to be a lack of consistency in his aggression. On some nights, he’s willing to bulldoze his way into a crowded lane for a thunderous jam. While on others, he lingers around aimlessly, further confounding the Cavaliers’ spacing predicament. It’d also be nice if Mitchell upped his playmaking and didn’t lay goose eggs so often in the playoffs (his volatile nature can be both charming and damning), but his reliance on forceful side-to-side movements seems to have a deteriorating factor on his body, and at this point (next year will be his age-30 season), he is who he is. 

To build this star-studded starting five, the Cavaliers had to sacrifice their depth. Jaylon Tyson took a big leap in Year Two – going from 14th percentile in EPM as a rookie to 77th percentile last year. Continued growth from him as a junior will be critical to the Cavaliers’ success. Sam Merrill will continue to be a wicked sharpshooter with defensive limitations. But after them, it’s Craig Porter Jr., Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Mario Hezonja, Thomas Bryant, Tyrese Proctor, Maleek Thomas, and a few other non-household names. It would be nice if one or two of those guys could punch above their weight (my bet would be Porter). Injury luck also needs to be on their side. 

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How Good Are The Cleveland Cavaliers?

As of right now, FanDuel gives the Cavaliers the sixth-best odds of coming out of the Eastern Conference (+900, 10%). I think that undersells them a bit. 

To me, the Knicks and Toronto Raptors are in a class of their own. Before the Watson sign-and-trade, I expected Cleveland to regress to the point where they’d be participating in the play-in. But now, I think the Cavaliers belong in the same tier as the 76ers, Celtics, and Pacers. I’d even go as far as to say that the Cavaliers starting five puts them at the top of that group.

Last year, the Cavaliers were a very good offensive team (6th in offensive rating) and a middling team on the defensive side of the ball (15th in defensive rating). Adding Watson goes a long way toward fortifying their front line, and while losing a trustworthy veteran shooter like Max Strus isn’t great for their offense, the versatility that Watson opens up, coupled with having Harden for a full year and any potential improvements that come from Tyson, should keep them in the same ballpark on that end of the floor. This means that the Cavaliers have a real chance of being a top ten unit on both sides of the ball. Who else in the East – other than the Knicks and Raptors – can you confidently say that about at this point? Probably the Celtics, but that’s about it. 

Things have changed for the Cavaliers. They are no longer the team that won 64 games in 2024-25, or the one that people anticipated to win the East at the start of last year. However, the idealized version of Watson is the best wing the team has had since The King was still in town. If that dice roll pays off, the Big Four remain formidable, some bench pieces rise to the occasion, and injuries don’t derail them, this could be the most complete version we’ve seen of them yet. But if they don’t, a teardown may be in order. One thing is certain: this is the year that rubber meets the road for the Cavaliers, one way or another. 

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Scaling the Rocks: Preparing for the end of the Rockies 2026 season

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 19: Kyle Freeland #21 of the Colorado Rockies reacts after giving up an RBI in the second inning at Coors Field on August 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Top of the morning to you, Purple Row!

Well, friends, since it’s the final week of the 2026 regular season, teams are looking ahead to what comes next. For some, it’s preparing for the postseason, while teams like the Rockies are looking forward to what comes next after the World Series.

The Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks continue their series tonight with Mason Adams facing off against the veteran Merrill Kelly. Meanwhile, the playoff push continues across the league as teams fight for the few spots remaining in the Wild Card. It’s a fun time of the year in the final sprint!

Now, here are some links to kick off your Wednesday.

Rockies News & Links

Around Baseball

  • Judge likely to miss Wild Card Series with ‘moderate grade’ calf strain | MLB.com — The New York Yankees got some bad news about Aaron Judge’s availability in the first round of the postseason. Manager Aaron Boone announced that Judge was dealing with a “moderate grade” right calf strain and that the team isn’t planning on activating him for a potential Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox. Judge has been down most of the year with injury, so it may not be the worst news for the Yankees, but it certainly doesn’t help.
  • Red Sox award Tracy with 3-year deal; Breslow’s options for ’29, ’30 picked up | MLB.com — The turnaround for the Boston Red Sox from being dead in the water to clinching a playoff spot has been one of the fun stories of the 2026 season. To reward his efforts, the Red Sox took off the interim tag of Chad Tracy, officially making him the 49th manager in club history. Additionally, Boston has picked up the options of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow through 2030.
  • When Will the Angels Be Competitive Again? | FanGraphs — Dan Szymborski dives into the prospects of how quickly the Los Angeles Angels could turn things around under new owner Stan Kroenke. It’s worth a read and ultimately, it may not be as easy a turnaround as fans may hope for.
  • How Walt Weiss found the balance that guided the Braves to a NL East title | The Athletic ($) — Former Rockies manager Walt Weiss has had a much easier time in his second stint as a big league manager, guiding the Atlanta Braves to another NL East title. He reflects on the lessons he learned leading struggling Rockies teams and also points to the great working relationship he has with Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos.

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MLB News: Postseason, Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, Andy Green, Chad Tracy, Justin Verlander

Happy Friday, everyone! We’ve got some big manager news, and for once it isn’t anyone getting fired. Two interim managers have been able to remove “interim” from their titles as the Mets and Red Sox make things official with Andy Green and Chad Tracy. We also know two players who might not be participating in the postseason, at least not right away. Aaron Judge will miss the Wild Card for sure, and Joc Pederson will be sidelined into the postseason.

Also, we look at Paul Skenes, who is pointing to the WBC as a possible culprit for his pitching issues, and we have some questions about the Angels.

Let’s just get right into it.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

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What do Giants fans think is behind this year’s bad luck?

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 08: A general view of an empty stadium concourse before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park on September 08, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Good morning, baseball fans!

There are any number of reasons why the San Francisco Giants have had a really terrible, awful, no-good, cruddy 2026 season. And sure, we could go through the likely reasons for that. But that kind of feels like an off-season thing. And we still have a handful of games to endure.

But you know who doesn’t have to endure any more of the 2026 season? The entire 2026 roster! Everyone’s season is over. Which just adds another heaping dose of misery to a team with an abundance of it already.

I think we’ve probably already done one of these posts this year, but if so, that was really early and before we knew just how bad the season was going to go.

And while I was initially planning to write about the outcome of the WPBL Championship game that took place yesterday afternoon, I am also old and will probably be asleep by the end of the game. So we’ll talk about that tomorrow.

Instead, it’s time for another round of my favorite game: Wrong Answers Only! Because I think we could all use the laughs.

Today’s topic: What is the cause of the Giants’ cursed 2026 season?

Last time, I went through a lengthy tale about Buster Posey buying a cursed object from a farmer’s market. So this time, I think I’m going to give the blame to Netflix. See, they were out in McCovey Cove for Opening Day this year, and I can’t help but think someone took something out of the water that they weren’t supposed to. A cursed home run ball that was never fished out of the water by kayakers. Or perhaps it was, and they were cursed too and put it back. Hard to say. But it’s definitely Netflix’s fault somehow.

What’s your best absurd reason for why this team has been cursed this year?

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Orioles prospect season review: Esteban Mejia

Pitching for the Orioles' Esteban Mejia (#45). The Florida Complex League, minor league team Baltimore Orioles plays at the Buck O'Neil Complex baseball field located at Twin Lakes Park in east Sarasota. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co

What a difference a year can make. Unfortunately.

One year ago at this time, Esteban Mejia’s career was on a very different trajectory. The Dominican right-hander, a 2024 international signing, was coming off of an excellent first season stateside, one in which he flashed both dazzling results — a 2.45 ERA and 11.8 K/9 as an 18-year-old for Low-A Delmarva — and a jaw-dropping repertoire, headlined by a four-seam fastball that touched 102 mph, along with a devastating changeup and gyro-like slider.

On MLB Pipeline, he’d skyrocketed from an unranked prospect to #8 in the O’s system. Baseball America went even further, listing him as one of MLB’s 100 best prospects, with BA’s Josh Norris raving, “He produces outings that burrow in your brain and stay there for weeks.”

Sure, Mejia walked a few too many hitters, but what teenaged pitcher doesn’t? This kid was a star in the making, the Orioles’ fastest-rising and most electric pitching prospect, and 2026 was going to be his year to shine. As I wrote last October, “If 2025 was the year that Mejia broke out onto the prospect scene, 2026 could be the year that he rises to the very top of it.”

Oh, 2025 Paul. How young and naïve you were.

Mejia did not, as it turns out, rise to the very top of the prospect scene this year. In fact, when the updated lists are published, he may be nowhere to be found at all. His 2026 season was an unmitigated disaster, one that may have irreversibly wrecked his prospect status and left him scrambling to rebuild his nascent career.

Opening the season with a repeat engagement at Delmarva, things went off the rails for Mejia almost immediately. His first start was solid enough — six strikeouts, three walks, and one hit in 4.1 innings at Salem — but in his home debut a week later, he allowed five baserunners and three runs without getting out of the first inning.

Mejia was plagued by an inability to throw strikes, which reached a nadir on April 17 in Fredericksburg. In that game, Mejia issued an astounding eight walks — twice as many as he’d ever had in a single outing — in 2.1 innings of work. He threw twice as many balls (42) as strikes (21) and uncorked two wild pitches. In the first inning alone, he walked the first three batters, then plated two runs on a balk and a wild pitch, and walked the next two batters to force home another. Even for a pitcher with a career 5.4 BB/9 rate entering the season, this was a whole new level of wildness.

Mejia returned in his next start with a gem — four scoreless innings, eight strikeouts, just one walk — and it seemed like his Fredericksburg outing might’ve been a fluke. But then things continued to unravel. Over his next six starts, Meija struggled to an 8.83 ERA and walked 26 batters in 17.1 innings, including three outings of five or more walks.

By the end of June, Mejia was 15 games into his season and had yet to work five innings in any of them, carrying an 8.08 ERA and averaging more than 12 walks per nine innings. It should be said that Mejia averaged less than a hit per inning, so batters weren’t exactly smoking the ball when they put it in play, but they rightly decided that there was little reason to swing if the pitcher was just going to put them on base anyway. The Orioles had seen enough, and pulled Mejia off the roster for a month to place him on the development list, working on a specialized throwing program with the right-hander to try to get his control back on track.

I keep revisiting Josh Norris’s remark about Mejia’s outings that “burrow in your brain.” Sadly, there were plenty of those in 2026, and this time that’s not a compliment.

The most brain-burrowing of those outings came in back-to-back starts on July 29 and Aug. 4, after Mejia’s return to the Shorebirds’ active roster. In those two outings combined, Mejia faced 11 batters. He retired none of them. The first outing, against Hickory, went single, single, hit by pitch, single, double, single, wild pitch, walk. The second outing, once again versus his nemesis Fredericksburg, lasted four batters. All four were walks, and all four came around to score, inflating Mejia’s ERA to 10.20.

Good news was hard to come by for Mejia in 2026. Even when it looked like he was briefly getting his act together in mid-August, tossing three straight scoreless outings with only three walks in 8.1 innings, he came unglued in his final two. He walked all three batters he faced in an Aug. 27 outing against — you guessed it — Fredericksburg, then was torched for six runs in 1.2 innings in his season finale Sept. 6, the fourth time he’d given up six or more runs.

You may want to avert your eyes as I present Mejia’s full 2026 season stats. He was 0-9 with a 9.80 ERA, and he issued 70 walks (and six HBP for good measure) in 52.1 IP, for an average of 12.0 walks per nine innings. Twelve! To call it a dismal season would be an understatement. For a pitcher who was primed for a breakout to fall apart instead was a tough pill to swallow for Mejia and the Orioles.

As I cautioned in last year’s Mejia post (if I may once again be tacky and quote myself): “He’s a long way from MLB, and there’s a whole lot that could go wrong on his journey up the minor league ladder. Baseball history is littered with prospects who dominated at the lower levels but hit a wall once the competition got tougher, stalling out their careers without ever getting a sniff of the majors.”

It’s safe to say that something went wrong for Mejia. A lot of things. As quickly as his stock exploded in 2025, it imploded in 2026. And if it’s ever going to return, it’ll require a heck of a lot of hard work and perhaps a complete mechanical overhaul on Mejia’s part. The Orioles’ development staff has a long offseason ahead trying to figure out how things went so haywire for the young righty and what, if anything, can help him get back on track in 2027. Throwing strikes, of course, is priority number one, but that’s easier said than done.

At 19 years old, Esteban Mejia’s baseball story isn’t finished yet. It just got a lot more complicated.

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Is Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez postseason ready?

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 18: Ranger Suarez #55 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on September 18, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images

If you sign a pitcher to a $130 million contract, you’re an MLB decision-maker (Hello! Hire me! I have good ideas and work fairly hard!) If you’re not an MLB decision-maker and have the capacity to read my first sentence without taking it literally, you’ll want that $130 million pitcher to pitch in big games. The Boston Red Sox signed Ranger Suarez to a 5-year, $130 million contract shortly after losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs this offseason.

Suarez wasn’t making top dollar over the first eight years of his career, but he was pitching in big games. He threw in 11 postseason games for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting a 1.48 ERA on his way to four wins and one save. With one week remaining in the regular season, Suarez is lined up to start game three of the Wild Card series, although Chad Tracy said not to read into that yet. Despite Tracy’s guidance, I’m choosing to read into it.

Suarez has been streaky this season. He posted a 2.10 ERA over five starts in June. In August, he registered a 5.70 ERA. If you believe in pitcher streakiness, you’ll be pleased to know the lefty has allowed just two earned runs over his last three starts (19.2 innings). Is this the start of a hot streak, or just some fortunate outcomes over a short sample? To quote the owl from the Tootsie Pop commercial, let’s find out!

Suarez is typically effective against lefties, although he hit some blips during the middle of the season. He sees mostly right-handed hitters, though the Yankees are likely to keep both Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger in the lineup, as well as potentially Austin Wells and Jazz Chisholm. When Suarez got into trouble against lefties this season, it was primarily by missing the edge of the zone too often, falling behind in counts, and walking hitters. In August, he walked 15% of the lefties he faced. In September, he’s only seen 28 lefties, but he’s dialed it in.

Suarez has simplified his approach, increasing his sinker and slider usage. He’s thrown the sinker on the arm side where it can jam hitters, rather than trying to back door it.

His slider was also located low and on the glove side, which translated to a 50% chase rate. Suarez also increased his first-pitch strike percentage from 55% in August to 68% in September. When Suarez is ahead, hitters are forced to swing at more pitches on the edges, and it translates to easy outs. Bellinger and Rice both hit pitches on the inside part of the plate well. In a few meetings this season, Suarez has opted to pitch primarily away from them. If Suarez does pitch against the Yankees, it will be interesting to see if he tries to jam them or continues to pitch away. Either way, his sinker/slider combination has been very effective over the past few weeks.

Righties are the bigger question for Suarez. Fortunately, the Yankees’ right-handed hitters without Aaron Judge in the lineup aren’t as daunting. Paul Goldschmidt and Heliot Ramos are the two biggest names, while George Lombard has also hit lefties well in his debut season. Ramos and Lombard each have plenty of strikeouts in their game, as does Jose Caballero. Amed Rosario is also often in the lineup against lefties, but he’s posted a wRC+ of just 6 — yes, you read that correctly — 6 against lefties over the past two months.

Back to Suarez. Over his last three starts, he’s held righties to a .190 batting average while striking out 24.5% of them. He made some notable changes to his approach as well. He’s made changes to both his usage rates and how he’s deployed them.

For most of the season, he’s led with his cutter against righties. It’s been effective, as he’s thrown it high and inside where it can jam hitters. In September, he’s backed off the usage and thrown it more on the arm side. The strike rate has fallen, but the different approach might be helping his other pitches be more effective.

He’s made up for the lower cutter usage by increasing his sinkers to righties. Here’s a look at the heat map for most of the season and September.

Early in the season, he almost exclusively kept his sinker away from righties. More recently, he’s used the whole plate, throwing it down and away as well as inside. The strike rate is up, while the contact against it is weak. With the cutter more on the arm side, it might be more difficult for hitters to pull the trigger on the sinker, leading to an increase in called strikes.

The other notable change Suarez has made is slashing his changeup usage. For much of his career, his changeup has been his best pitch against righties. The swinging strike rate has been between 15 and 20%, with weak contact against it. This season, the zone rate and chase rate are below his usual marks, leading to a strike rate below 50%. From the beginning of the season through the end of August, the pitch accounted for 17% of his offerings to righties. Over his last three starts, he’s used the pitch just 8% of the time. He’s thrown it in just four two-strike counts in September, despite it being his second most used pitch against righties for most of the season. While it’s a good pitch when it’s working, it hasn’t been a weapon for most of this season.

Suarez’s deep arsenal means it can look very different for him on a given day. After returning from injury in July, he used five pitches over 14% of the time. As the Red Sox inched closer to securing a playoff spot, he cut the changeup and covered that portion of the plate with a sinker. It’s an approach that’s worked, but could be exposed as hitters are more ready for it. While most of the games this week are largely meaningless, how Suarez approaches righties in his final start of the season is something to watch, and could be a tell for how he performs in the playoffs.