Category: Sports News

After an offseason in which the Pirates made a handful of moves to beef up a roster that went 71-91 in 2025, Pittsburgh saw an up-and-down first half. They now come to the Bronx for their only series of the season against the Yankees, looking to make up some ground in the tight NL Central race. Outside of the last-place Reds, every team in their division is above the .500 mark, including the Bucs, who are 52-48 and 10.5 games out of first but in possession of a Wild Card spot. They have the second-longest playoff drought in baseball, as they haven’t made it to October since getting blanked by the Cubs in the 2015 NL Wild Card Game.

While the Yankees split a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers to finish out their series, Pirates ace Paul Skenes posted a strong seven innings with eight strikeouts and only one earned run on seven hits in a 7-1 victory against Cleveland. And while Yankees fans won’t be able to see Skenes in person this season, they’ll still get plenty of exciting action against a Pirates team that’s looking to continue its fight toward the postseason.

So let’s take a look at what’s in store.

Monday – Ryan Weathers vs. Braxton Ashcraft (7:05 pm Eastern)

Following a relatively decent start to the season, it feels as if Ryan Weathers has fallen back down to Earth. He will take the mound in the opener of the three-game set against the Pirates, hoping to get back on track after seeing his team lose in three of his last games pitched. His last outing against the Nationals was a step in the right direction, as he pitched 5.1 innings and, despite allowing six hits, he only allowed one run. He also registered six strikeouts on 91 pitches.

Weathers sits with a 3-7 record and a 4.15 ERA, just slightly worse than the Yankees pitcher taking the mound the next night (which we’ll talk about in a moment), but against a Pirates team that has struggled against left-handed pitchers on the road, he may have the chance to get back to the level he wants to be at now that the second-half of the season is underway.

On the other side of the equation is Braxton Ashcraft, who made headlines around the Pirates and MLB for his first career All-Star appearance this year in Philadelphia for the NL. He replaced Skenes after the ace was voted to the team, but was unable to pitch following an outing against the Brewers the Sunday before the All-Star festivities. The 2018 second-round prep pick has earned recognition in his own right, though.

Playing in his first full MLB season, Ashcraft, 26, has started 19 games and has pitched 113.1 innings. Along with his 128 strikeouts, he has a 9-3 record entering his first start following his appearance in Philadelphia and a 3.49 ERA. And although his last start at Milwaukee ended in a no-decision, the four prior to that were all wins for the Bucs. Monday will be the first time Ashcraft will face the Yankees in his career, and it’s surely a relief to not have to face Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton in the process.

Tuesday — Will Warren vs. Bubba Chandler (7:05 pm Eastern)

Will Warren and Weathers have been somewhat indistinguishable at the back end of the rotation. However, both of them continue to be as important now as ever, with the Yankees waiting on the return of the two star left-handers, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón.

Like Weathers, the last five outings for Warren have been underwhelming. Three of them have been losses, and the other two were no-decisions. In fact, the last time Warren walked away from a game with a win to his name was all the way back on May 31st after six strong innings against the A’s (the same day as the 13-run inning). He went 4-1 in May, and that was his third win in a row, butit’s been downhill since June, with the Yankees going 3-4 in his last seven games.

Additionally, the last time Warren went six or more innings was that game against the A’s. The closest he got was in two straight starts — the first against Cincinnati and the second against the Red Sox — where he pitched 5.2 innings across 90 pitches each. But the start of the second half gives Warren a chance to begin somewhat anew and improve on his first-half numbers. However, he’ll have his work cut out for him on the other side of the equation.

The Pirates are going to throw out another one of their young guns who can throw absolute heat: Bubba Chandler. The 23-year-old right-hander averages 98.6 mph on his fastball, and he has another five pitches that he uses occasionally, but it’s more like a three-pitch mix than anything. The next-highest after his fastball, which sits at 47.9-percent usage, is his slider at 18.7 percent, and his changeup at just 16.9 percent. Chandler also has a sinker, a sweeper, and a curveball.

However, while he has the arsenal and the arm talent, Chandler’s first full MLB season hasn’t gone to plan. He has a 3-8 record, a 4.77 ERA, and 85 strikeouts over 94.1 innings pitched, good for a 92 ERA+. A huge problem for him has been walks, as he leads the entire league with 55 issued. So for the Yankees, if they want to help their starter out, discipline will be the key in the batter’s box.

Wednesday — Gerrit Cole vs. Mitch Keller (12:35 pm Eastern)

The final matchup between these two teams will be a Wednesday matinee with two of the team’s top-of-the-rotation starters taking the mound. For the Yankees, it’s Gerrit Cole, who, despite a great six-inning, eight-K performance against the Dodgers, had it overshadowed by a misplaced pitch to Max Muncy. In his last five starts, he has managed to pitch at least five innings, with his last two getting to six or over. However, four of his last five results and decisions have been losses.

After coming back from injury, Cole has had his ups and downs, as one would expect from an almost-36-year-old flamethrower. But despite a 3.93 ERA, the Yankees ace can certainly show his old form against his former club, and with the potential for a rubber match, there’s no better time. Interestingly, this will only be the third time in his career that Cole will face the team that drafted him with the first overall pick in 2011. He’s pitched 11 total innings and came out of those two games with a win and a 2.45 ERA. He’s tallied only seven strikeouts in those two appearances, but it’s been enough to get the job done.

As for the Pirates, it’s the right-hander Mitch Keller, who, after hearing plenty of trade rumors about him last season, has come out this season and outright struggled. In 19 games started, there hasn’t been much to write home about. A 6-7 record and a 5.14 ERA are the lowest on the team among qualified hurlers. His strikeout numbers have dropped to the second-lowest of his career, and it’s because his average fastball velocity has dropped to the lowest of his career as well.

Keller is looking for the second half of the season to start getting back on track; otherwise, things could look grim moving forward in the Steel City for the 30-year-old hurler. The 2023 All-Star is owed just over $38 million through the end of 2028.

Welcome to week 17 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!

1. Milwaukee Brewers (62-37); 3-0 this week; 99.2% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)

The Brewers swept the Marlins coming out of the break, as they completed a trio of come-from-behind victories with a pair of walk-offs.

William Contreras had the biggest hit of the weekend, as he launched a three-run walk-off homer in Sunday’s series finale, sending Milwaukee home with a 3-1 victory. Garrett Mitchell also had a big weekend, leading the team with five hits and driving in the winning run in Friday night’s walk-off win. Joey Ortiz had the only other homer, while the team combined for nine steals in 10 attempts, including a pair from Christian Yelich, Ortiz, and Jackson Chourio.

Shane Drohan had the longest start at six innings, allowing three runs and striking out nine in a winning performance. Robert Gasser and Logan Henderson had nearly identical lines in their starts, as each went five innings with one run allowed on three hits and no walks. The only difference was that Henderson struck out four while Gasser struck out five. Craig Yoho was the only bullpen arm to allow a run (and even he picked up his first career win with a shutout 10th inning on Friday), as Grant Anderson, Aaron Ashby, Trevor Megill, Chad Patrick, and Abner Uribe combined for 10 shutout innings and 14 strikeouts.

Milwaukee stays home this week as they’ll host the Mets and Rockies through next weekend.

2. Chicago Cubs (56-43); 2-1 this week; 79.6% chance to make postseason

The Cubs dropped their series opener against the Twins on Friday but bounced back to win the series with a pair of wins on Saturday and Sunday.

Alex Bregman and Michael Busch both homered this weekend, while Nico Hoerner led the team with eight hits in just 13 at-bats, driving in five. Pedro Ramírez and Seiya Suzuki added four hits each, with both picking up a pair of doubles.

Matthew Boyd worked six strong innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts, while Shota Imanaga turned in the best performance of the series with seven shutout frames, striking out four. Tyler Ferguson, Gavin Hollowell, Ryan Rolison, Trent Thornton, and Jacob Webb combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts for the bullpen.

Chicago wraps up the homestand to begin the week with three games against the Tigers. After an off day on Thursday, they’ll visit the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates (52-48); 2-1 this week; 47.7% chance to make postseason

The Pirates visited Cleveland this weekend, taking two of three as they split a doubleheader on Saturday (after Friday’s game was canceled due to air quality) and won 7-1 on Sunday.

Esmerlyn Valdez continues to swing the bat like Babe Ruth, as he picked up three hits this week, all of the extra-base variety with a pair of homers and a double, driving home five. Nick Gonzales and Jacob Gonzalez both homered as well, with four other players adding three hits apiece.

Jared Jones and Paul Skenes both made strong starts, with Jones going five innings with one run allowed and nine strikeouts and Skenes allowing one run over seven innings with eight strikeouts. Mason Montgomery also worked as an opener for Khristian Curtis, with Curtis going five scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Montgomery, Gregory Soto, and Yohan Ramírez all had scoreless weekends for the bullpen.

The Pirates now head to New York to face the Yankees before they return home to host the Cubs over the weekend.

4. St. Louis Cardinals (51-47); 1-2 this week; 27.3% chance to make postseason

The Cardinals dropped two of three in Phoenix this weekend, winning Friday’s series opener against the D-backs but dropping both Saturday and Sunday’s games.

Jimmy Crooks and JJ Wetherholt both homered this week for the Cards, with Alec Burleson leading the team with six hits and scoring four runs. José Fermín added four hits, and Jordan Walker picked up three hits, including a double.

Michael McGreevy had the lone quality start of the weekend, going 6 1/3 innings with two runs allowed (one earned) and five strikeouts. Justin Bruihl, Riley O’Brien, and Matt Svanson had a scoreless inning each in relief.

St. Louis will stay out west with a visit to the Angels to begin the week. They’ll then return home to host the D-backs for a makeup game on Thursday before welcoming the Reds to town.

5. Cincinnati Reds (45-53); 2-1 this week; 1.2% chance to make postseason

The Reds visited Colorado this weekend, taking two of three against the Rockies.

It was a homer-heavy weekend in the high altitude of Denver, as the Reds had 10 homers as a team, including a pair from Spencer Steer, Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino. Elly De La Cruz added a homer and led the team with six hits, while Sal Stewart also homered and led the team with five RBIs.

Brady Singer and Hunter Greene both earned wins with quality starts, as Singer went seven innings with two runs allowed and six strikeouts, and Greene went six innings with three runs allowed and seven strikeouts. Tejay Antone, Brock Burke, Julian Garcia, and Pierce Johnson combined for 6 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts for the bullpen.

Cincinnati will continue the road trip with visits to Seattle and St. Louis through the coming weekend.

The original plan was for Shohei Ohtani to start on Wednesday’s series finale in Philadelphia, putting him in the sixth rotation spot after the break, maximizing his time off from pitching to rest his left knee, while also pitching directly before an off day. But those plans changed over the weekend, after Ohtani felt discomfort while throwing off flat ground on Friday.

From Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

“He was on the schedule when we broke for the All-Star break,” Roberts said. “And then it was more of the training staff talking to him about, ‘Hey, coming out of the break, how does Wednesday look? How do you feel? If you don’t feel 100 percent, we have the opportunity to just kick the can.’

As with Blake Snell, who has already started a rehab assignment, and Tyler Glasnow, the goal for the Dodgers is to have them all ready to pitch in October. But unlike the others, Ohtani is also the team’s best hitter. From Katie Woo at The Athletic:

“A lot of it is where we’re at and how we’ve put ourselves in a good spot,” Roberts explained. “Could he probably do it? Sure. But right now, the benefits just don’t seem to outweigh the cost at this time of the season. So I think we still have plenty of time to get him to a good spot to then pitch.

“I think that’s why we’re trying to be a little bit more on the proactive side … so we don’t have to worry about it throughout the end of the season.”

Ohtani this season has a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts with 95 strikeouts against 26 walks. Among major league pitchers with at least 80 innings this season, he ranks second in ERA and third in xERA (2.70). Ohtani’s last pitching start was July 3 against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium.

Manager Dave Roberts had understandably high praise for ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto after Sunday afternoon’s complete-game win at Yankee Stadium, resting the relievers directly ahead of the nightcap’s bullpen game. From Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times:

“In one game, it’s great,” Roberts said. “But the exponential effect that it has on everybody else, it is huge, and it’s hard to really nail down how valuable that is.

“If you have a guy that not only puts you in a position to win a game, but also saves a lot of arms, that goes hand-in-hand with the top end of the rotation guy.”

Yamamoto leads the majors this season averaging 6.65 innings per start.

Triple-A: Nashville Sounds (MIL) 4, Norfolk Tides 0

Trey Gibson had the start today and pitched well despite taking the a loss. He allowed a run on a walk and a triple, but covered four innings and allowed just the one run. The game remained 1-0 until the seventh inning, when three runs came in against Hans Crouse before Crouse had retired a single hitter. On the other hand, Yaramil Hiraldo, Nick Raquet, Yaqui Rivera and Enoli Paredes all had scoreless outings.

Norfolk had just two hits on the day, a single apiece from Silas Ardoin and Enrique Bradfield Jr.

Box Score

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (COL) 5, Chesapeake Baysox 4

Down 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Baysox stormed back with four late runs, their second comeback win of the weekend

Brandon Butterworth got the scoring going for Chesapeake with a home run in the fourth. In the seventh, Willy Vasquez knocked in a two-run double. In the bottom of the eighth, Thomas Sosa hit a two-run homer, scoring himself and Aron Estrada.

Luis de León pitched well, with 4.2 one-run innings where he struck out five. He was followed by Zane Barnhart, who allowed two runs in under an inning. Micah Ashman threw 1.2 scoreless, Christian Heberholz allowed one run, and Jeisson Cabrera got the save.

Box Score

High-A: Frederick Keys 17, Greenville Drive (BOS) 6

A day after scoring 12 runs on 20 hits on in Greenville, Frederick blasted six home runs in a 17-run, 25-hit donnybrook. This was a lot of hits. RJ Austin went 4-for-6. Ike Irish 4-for-7 with two home runs and six RBI. Creed Willems, in High-A rehabbing, finished 3-for-6 with a homer. Wehiwa Aloy went 4-for-5. I’ll put it this way: the top six Keys hitters each had two or more hits, and three each had four.

Starter J.T. Quinn gave up four runs in 2.2 innings on a three-run home run. Following Quinn, the bullpen pitched a solid 6.1 one-run innings. That comprised Todd Kniebbe, Riley Cooper, Cohen Achen, Trent Turzenski, Chandler Marsh, and Braeden Sloan.

Box Score

Low-A: Salem RidgeYaks (BOS) 4, Delmarva Shorebirds 2

Starting pitcher Dalton Neuschwander got jumped on early, allowing three runs on a first-inning home run. He’d pitch into the fourth and allow one run after that.

The Shorebirds got two runs back in the second inning on a Junior Aybar RBI single and a double steal!

It was a three-hit day for Perez and a two-hit day for Mejía. DJ Layton hit a double. Jordan Sanchez, Andrés Nolaya, Elvin García, Miguel Rodríguez and Aybar each had a one-hit day.

The pitchers who followed Neuschwander kept it together: Adrian Heredia threw 2.1 scoreless innings. Brendan Parks threw 1.1 scoreless, and Zac Lampton each threw an inning-plus without letting in a run.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

• There are no scheduled games for today.

Jaylon Thompson writes about the blowout loss on Sunday.

“It stinks for everybody to be out there in that situation,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You never want to be in that spot (late in the game), but that’s the spot we put ourselves in. And you know, with seven more games before an off-day, you’ve got to get a position player out there to keep people fresh to pitch tomorrow.”

Anne Rogers talks to J.J. Picollo about the upcoming trade deadline.

There will be interest in relievers John Schreiber, Daniel Lynch IV and Alex Lange, too. But the most intriguing part of this Deadline will be what the Royals decide to do with their two veteran starters, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, the latter of whom is probably the Royals’ best trade chip this year. But trading them away is not so simple.

“Those [are] two guys we’re going to count on,” Picollo said. “We already have needs in our rotation. We’ll be open-minded to anything. But we have to be very, very pointed in what we want to get out of any one of those two. And also, they made a commitment to us. I think that’s important to the morale of the team. Where you have two guys that have done what they’ve done in their careers, and they want to be here.

“With that being said, teams want to talk about them — it’s never going to hurt to at least listen. I think those guys understand that.”

Salvador Perez hit career home run #315, two shy of George Brett’s franchise record.

“You know, every day I hear somebody tell me about that,” Perez said of the record. “So it’s hard not to think about it. I don’t try to think about it when I’m hitting. I don’t like to put too much pressure on myself, you know.

“I try to see the ball and hit the ball. When it happens, I’m happy. Hopefully, I can do that quick.”

Stephen Kolek had an injury setback in his rehab start and will hit the Injured List.

“He said he didn’t feel great playing catch, but then as he got on the mound, he felt better,” manager Matt Quatraro said Sunday morning. “The first couple of innings were pretty good. In the third inning, he felt more aggressive discomfort. They thought it was best to get him out of there.”

Royals first round pick Zion Rose met with the media this weekend.

“I’m grateful to be here, with an organization that cares about their players, cares about their development, cares about the team,” Rose said. “A city that backs their team. I’m excited to get going.”

Jaylon Thompson has more.

“I hate losing and I hate losing against people,” Rose said. “And I feel like, in this game, everything is a competition.

“It’s so great because it’s a team game, but in the box it’s one on one. So it’s me versus the pitcher. You know, I could care less who’s up there (pitching), and that’s the great part about it.

Freddy Fermin received a warm welcome in his return to Kauffman Stadium.

The Orioles sign pitcher Kyle Bradish to a five-year, $90 million extension.

The Cubs acquire pitcher Aaron Civale from the Athletics.

The Red Sox extend their winning streak to 13.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith is expected to miss another month with injury.

Teams are interested in trading for Athletics outfielders.

The Reds are looking to move players on expiring contracts.

Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff needs season-ending surgery.

Where could Francisco Lindor be traded?

How Pete Crow-Armstrong became an MVP candidate.

Japanese college slugger Rintaro Sasaki will sign with the Marlins instead of playing in Japan.

Former Blue Jays closer Duane Ward dies at the age of 62.

Spain bests Argentina to win the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

The Atlanta Hawks trade Zaccharie Risacher two years after making him the #1 overall pick.

How Burger King is preparing for the GLP-1 revolution.

Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and severed hand from The Empire Strikes Backsell for $3.75 million at auction.

Airlines warn that adjusting to permanent daylight savings time could take up to two years.

Your song of the day is Ned’s Atomic Dustbin with Grey Cell Green.

Today, I’m only going to cover the Memphis Redbirds and the starting pitching prospects at Springfield. On Thursday, the relievers at Springfield and the lower minors, but not the rookie leagues. I gave the update on the rookie leagues earlier this month. But there really aren’t that many interesting rookie league pitchers so it wouldn’t have added a ton to this post.

Memphis

Quinn Mathews, LHP – 25 (VEB’s #4 prospect)

Acquired:4th round, 2023 draft

Stats: 18 GS, 85 IP, 29.1 K%, 14.1 BB%, 47.9 GB%, .211 BABIP, 3.39 ERA/4.90 FIP/4.41 xFIP/4.58 DRA

The problem Quinn Mathews is currently facing is that he has not managed to string many starts together where he seemed to have control. He walked four guys in his first start this season, and then over a period of three consecutive starts, the best he did all year was 5 walks. But you could only find one three-start period where he did that. His next highest was 6 walks over 3 games. Same thing. You were more likely to look at his last three starts and see 9 or 10 walks than 5 or 6.

Good news however: his most recent three starts involved just 3 total walks, for a BB% of 4.4%. I’m not sure what kind of sample the Cardinals are looking for, I kind of think they’d walk better control over a longer period than just three starts. But he might get called up next week. It is important to note that might actually have more to do with the no off-days in the schedule than them actually thinking he’s ready. But that’s his big thing right now: if only he walked less, he’d be in St. Louis already.

Tink Hence, RHP – 23 (VEB’s #10 prospect)

Acquired: 2nd round, 63rd overall in 2020 draft

Stats: 18 G (3 GS), 20 IP, 20.2 K%, 18.2 BB%, 45.6 GB%, .278 BABIP, 6.64 ERA/6.49 FIP/6.01 xFIP/6.02 DRA

Speaking of inconsistency, Hence has not managed to find a rhythm this year at all. His ERA is updated, but his other stats will get worse because he threw 0.1 IP with a BB and HR allowed yesterday. Moved to the bullpen for what I would have assumed were innings concerns, there are now performance concerns. He seems to be facing an entirely different problem than he has in the past, when it was pretty much purely injury concerns. The good/bad news is that something has changed in his delivery or mechanics. And that’s good news because you change mechanics or delivery back to what it was before. The bad news is that if he never finds it again, he doesn’t have a future MLB career. He’s still just 23.

Tekoah Roby, RHP – 24 (VEB’s #11 prospect)

Acquired: Traded with Thomas Saggese and John King for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton

Stats: N/A

Roby underwent Tommy John surgery in the middle of last season and is not likely to pitch this season.

Brycen Mautz, LHP – 24 (VEB’s #13 prospect)

Acquired: 2nd round, 59th overall in 2022 draft

Stats: 17 G (16 GS), 22.1 K%, 15.9 BB%, 43.2 GB%, .251 BABIP, 2.92 ERA/4.90 FIP/5.65 xFIP/6.44 DRA

I feel like Mathews has gotten plenty of headlines about how much he has struggled with control, but Mautz is really getting much attention and he’s been worse. He has a good ERA, somehow, but every other stat is not good. He isn’t striking out a lot of hitters and he’s walking a ton of them. The Cardinals are clearly avoiding calling up Mautz – they’ve had chances and they went with journeymen – and looking at these stats, I understand why.

Ixan Henderson, LHP – 23 (VEB’s #16 prospect)

Acquired: 8th round, 2023 draft

Stats (CPX): 2 G, 1.2 IP, 0.0 K%, 23.1 BB%, 28.6 GB%, .500 BABIP, 21.60 ERA/9.60 FIP/11.22 xFIP

So obviously rehab appearances are not about stats, but I would call these numbers concerning. My first instinct is that he’s still not healthy. He could just as easily be rusty. Certainly if his whole rehab goes like this, I would imagine he’s shut down again.

Hunter Dobbins, RHP – 26

Acquired: Traded with Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aitia for Willson Contreras

Stats:13 GS, 62.2 IP, 17.1 K%, 8 BB%, 51.3 GB%, .303 BABIP, 4.16 ERA/4.73 FIP/4.93 xFIP/4.45 DRA

Last season, Dobbins threw just 78.2 IP all year. This year, he’s already at 84 innings. With over two months left to play, I think it’s pretty clear the Cardinals aren’t going to seriously restrict his innings, but I also think they’re trying to do minor stuff here and there to keep his innings lower than his full potential. Because he’s made 18 appearances across both the majors and minors, he’s one start behind all the MLB guys, and he’s thrown 24 less innings than McGreevy, 14 less innings than both May and Pallante, and 4 less innings than Kyle Leahy – who has also made 18 starts, but is making his 19th start tonight. He did throw 125 innings in 2024, so I assume the Cardinals hope he’ll reach that at least.

Pete Hansen, LHP – 25

Acquired: 3rd round pick, 97 overall in 2022 draft

Stats:14 GS, 59 IP, 22.0 K%, 8.5 BB%, 44.8 GB%, .324 BABIP, 4.88 ERA/4.42 FIP/4.53 xFIP/5.42 DRA

I’ll give Pete this: he’s hanging in there. I haven’t really been a believer of his, because he’s always been okay while never being the young guy. He’s never been old for his level necessarily, just a guy posting okay stats at AA at 24-years-old is not going to get my attention. But he’s mostly maintaining his production at each stop. He struck out 21.1% of people in Springfield, so far it’s even gone up a bit. He’s been worse because of the walks, but as you can see with Mautz and Mathews, it’s apparently hard to not walk guys in Memphis and 8.5% is perfectly respectable. While his stats remain okay, this is probably the first time I can squint and see him with an MLB career.

Sem Robberse, RHP – 24(VEB’s #13 prospect in 2025)

Acquired: Traded with Adam Kloffenstein for Jordan Hicks

Stats (Rehab): 5 GS, 9 IP, 24.3 K%, 0 BB%, 57.7 GB%, .407 BABIP, 6.00 ERA/3.33 FIP/2.53 xFIP

See, now this, this is the kind of performance I want to see in rehab. Who cares about the ERA in 9 IP? He has not walked a single batter and almost everything is being hit on the ground. Great sign. He only threw 14.2 IP last season, so I’m not sure how much they’re going to ramp him up cause obviously it’s going to be pretty easy to beat 14.2 IP with any kind of health.

Mason Molina, LHP – 23

Acquired: Traded with Skylar Hales for Phil Maton

Stats (AA): 14 GS, 69 IP, 28.8 K%, 9.1 BB%, 30.8 GB%, .271 BABIP, 2.87 ERA/3.61 FIP/4.65 xFIP/4.55 DRA

AAA: 2 GS, 8 IP, 33.3 K%, 11.9 BB%, 23.8 GB%, .476 BABIP, 6.75 ERA/3.91 FIP/4.13 xFIP/4.74 DRA

The Cardinals traded two months of Phil Maton and one of the pieces they got back, who had made 7 appearances in High A at the time of the time, is in AAA less than a year later. Here’s some more fun news: Mason Molina was originally drafted by the Brewers, who traded him to the Rangers for Grant Anderson, a perfectly cromulent but whatever reliever. Molina will probably have to get groundballs at some point to be a starter though – not a lot, but he’d allow too many homers with anything lower than 30%.

Ryan Fernandez, RHP – 28

Acquired: Rule 5, 2023 from Red Sox

Stats: 20 G, 22.1 IP, 22.6 K%, 7.5 BB%, 42.2 GB%, .274 BABIP, 4.43 ERA/4.34 FIP/4.08 xFIP/5.12 DRA

Not really stats that make you think he belongs in the big leagues, actually I would describe those stats as good enough for exactly the role he has now – bullpen shuttle reliever.

Hancel Rincon, RHP – 24

Acquired: Internatonal amateur free agent signing of the Dominican Republic in 2019

Stats: 27 G (3 GS), 51.2 IP, 27.1 K%, 11.3 BB%, 46.2 GB%, .304 BABIP, 4.35 ERA/5.05 FIP/4.28 xFIP/4.27 DRA

That’s about as clear-cut of a multi-inning reliever as you’ll get. His three starts were not actually starts, at least not 5 IP starts. He has walked give guys in his two most recent appearances so I don’t think he’s close to getting called up.

Austin Love, RHP – 27

Acquired: 3rd round, 90th overall in 2021 draft

Stats: 12 G, 15 IP, 20.8 K%, 20.8 BB%, 52.3 GB%, .302 BABIP, 7.20 ERA/6.34 FIP/6.33 xFIP/6.77 DRA

Love ended up with not particularly impressive numbers in Springfield despite a fantastic start. The Cardinals promoted him anyway and I guess it shouldn’t be a shock that he has struggled. I was kind of hoping he was going to be an effective reliever, but given his age, it does appear to be a true longshot, despite him being on the door step to the big leagues.

Skylar Hales, RHP – 24

Acquired: Traded with Mason Molina for Phil Maton

Stats: 26 G, 30.1 IP, 23 K%, 13.2 BB%, 52.7 GB%, .389 BABIP, 7.71 ERA/5.55 FIP/4.68 xFIP/5.00 DRA

I got to tell you, sharing the pitching stats are a real bummer. I’m pretty sure the offensive environment is a little bit crazy, so understand that a decent or even seemingly below average looking line is actually fine. But that is not an argument that these are good stats. These are an improvement over his performance last season in AAA, although it’s mostly just because he’s getting a lot of groundballs.

Cade Winquest, RHP – 26

Acquired: 8th round, 2022 draft

Stats: 22 G, 25.2 IP, 29.4 K%, 5.5 BB%, 44.9 GB%, .344 BABIP, 5.96 ERA/3.62 FIP/3.31 xFIP

Well bad news: Winquest got rocked yesterday. I updated the ERA, not the other stats. And the other stats will get worse, mainly because he allowed a homer and didn’t strike anybody out. Good news though is that the K/BB ratio certainly suggests he’s very close to being MLB ready.

Ryan Murphy, RHP – 26

Acquired: Minor League Rule 5, 2025 from Giants

Stats: 19 G, 25.2 IP, 24.2 K%, 14.5 BB%, 56.3 GB%, .353 BABIP, 6.51 ERA/5.80 FIP/4.71 xFIP/4.76 DRA

Murphy is a good example of how an injury can derail a career. Murphy had 11 good starts in AA – albeit a little over 3 innings per start – and then he essentially missed his the rest of that season and the next season (which was mostly spent on rehab appearances). So the Cardinals grabbed him up and ploppped him in the bullpen. And there might be something here with his GB rate being so high.

Springfield (Starters)

Liam Doyle, LHP – 22 (VEB’s #2 prospect)

Acquired: 5th overall pick in the 2025 draft

Stats: 15 GS, 61 IP, 27.4 K%, 13.3 BB%, 33.3 GB%, .340 BABIP 5.31 ERA/4.88 FIP/4.82 xFIP

We probably should have expected some growing pains with Doyle. It was known he needed to work on his secondaries. And sometimes that leads to games like yesterday, when he walked 5 guys and struck out just 3 guys. Yesterday’s stats are not reflected in his FIP or xFIP, so those will be worse when you read this. But he is still missing quite a few bats, balls are maybe falling more often than they would in the majors, and I really don’t think the Cardinals care about Doyle’s specific stats.

Jurrangelo Cjintje, RHP – 23 (VEB’s #5 prospect)

Acquired: Traded with Tai Peete in 3-team trade for Brendan Donovan

Stats: 17 GS, 80.1 IP, 28.2 K%, 11.3 BB%, 40.8 GB%, .288 BABIP, 5.04 ERA/5.26 FIP/4.79 xFIP

Yes, I am aware Cjinjte is now in Memphis. He made his first start for Memphis yesterday, and wasn’t very good, allowing 6 ER in 3.2 IP and more walks than strikeouts. This is really not surprising because his stats at Springfield weren’t very good. So interesting move to promote him. I think the Cardinals are not looking at the same stats we are, or at least he’s doing something they are encouraged by that isn’t necessarily reflected in the stats themselves.

Brandon Clarke, LHP – 22 (VEB’s #9 prospect)

Acquired: Traded with Richard Fitts and Patrick Galle for Sonny Gray

Stats: 2 G, 3 IP, 25 K%, 16.7 BB%, 66.7 GB%, .167 BABIP, 6.00 ERA/4.99 FIP/5.44 xFIP

You would have legitimately no clue that Clarke actually pitched pretty poorly on Saturday, because the attention was rightfully on the fact that he threw 103 mph. But he walked two and struck out 1 of the 7 batters he faced while giving up two runs. It also speaks to the fact that rehab appearances don’t really matter. When the Cardinals deem him ready for Springfield, that’s when I’m going to care that he’s walking more than he’s striking out.

Cooper Hjerpe, LHP – 25 (VEB’s #16 prospect)

Acquired: 1st round, 22 overall in 2022 draft

Stats: 3 GS, 7 IP, 44.1 K%, 20.6 BB%, 41.7 GB%, .400 BABIP, 9.00 ERA/6.08 FIP/3.48 xFIP/3.10 DRA

As good as Hjerpe’s stats are so far…. he is not beating the reliever allegations with them. I’ve pitched it before, but certainly someone who is striking out 44% of batters could probably be an MLB reliever right now. I wouldn’t promote him right now, but I definitely would like to see him get innings in September. I don’t think this is a giving up on starting move – he didn’t throw an inning last season, so I don’t think the Cardinals are going to have him throw more than a few innings per start anyway. If the Cardinals are still in contention, try using him as a lefty weapon out of the bullpen. That’s just my hope.

Chen-Wei Lin, RHP – 24 (VEB’s #11 prospect in 2025)

Acquired: International amateur free agent signing out of Taiwan in 2023

Stats: 17 G (14 GS), 67 IP, 27.3 K%, 13.2 BB%, 52.6 GB%, .331 BABIP, 5.10 ERA/4.53 FIP/4.71 xFIP/5.39 DRA

While these are certainly not what I wuld call good stats, he is striking out 27% of batters while having a greater than 50% GB rate. There’s a starter toolkit here and considering injuries restricted him to 50.1 IP, it’s good to see he has been healthy.

Braden Davis, LHP – 23

Acquired: 5th round, 2024 draft

Stats: 17 GS, 73 IP, 26.5 K%, 14.2 BB%, 41.8 GB%, .315 BABIP, 4.68 ERA/5.13 FIP/5.04 xFIP

I know Chaim Bloom has a reputation for taking things slow with pitchers, but there are kind of lot of pitchers in this system that were seemingly promoted aggressively and who don’t have particularly great stats at that aggressive placement. Davis made 8 total starts last year and missed a lot of bats and missed the strike zone a good amount. If they repeated Davis in High A, I’m sure they were confident he would have good stats, so they wanted to push him. I just kind of get the feeling that the Cardinals don’t want their starters to be too dominant because then they aren’t being challenged enough.

Blake Aitia, RHP – 23

Acquired: Traded with Yhoiker Fajardo and Hunter Dobbins for Willson Contreras

Stats (High A): 14 GS, 57.1 IP, 26.6 K%, 10.3 BB%, 38.6 GB%, .324 BABIP, 3.92 ERA/5.11 FIP/4.84 xFIP/4.27 DRA

AA: 2 G, 12 IP, 17 K%, 4.3 BB%, 33.3 GB%, .200 BABIP, 3.00 ERA/5.09 FIP/4.92 xFIP/6.47 DRA

Davis is followed by another pitcher who honestly proves my point more. It does not feel like Aita gets promoted in an organization that promotes its pitchers too slow. It could be an entirely AAA to majors reputation that Bloom got here. It feels like pitchers are promoted aggressively honestly.

Brandt Thompson, RHP – 23

Acquired: 17th round, 2024 draft

Stats (AA): 12 G (8 GS), 28.8 K%, 9.8 BB%, 46.5 GB%, .323 BABIP, 4.89 ERA/4.11 FIP/3.96 xFIP

AAA: 6 G, 22.1 IP, 15.5 K%, 9.3 BB%, 46.6 GB%, .338 BABIP, 5.64 ERA/4.57 FIP/4.97 xFIP

Thompson is currently in Springfield, hence why he isn’t in the Memphis section. Props to Randy Flores on picking this guy up in the 17th round, regardless of how far he ends up making it, Thompson looks more like a potential MLBer than the vast, vast, vast majority of 17th rounders ever do and that alone makes it a good pick.

And that’s where I’m going to stop. It felt kind of awkward, because I reached the end of Memphis and noticed that covering all of Springfield would actually make this a fairly long post, but I didn’t want to ignore Springfield completely, so today you get the starters, and on Thursday, you get the relievers plus the lower minors. Covering all the bullpen pitchers really adds up. Thankfully, I can pretty much ignore the bullpen guys in the lower minors. So I will get the pitching section finished on Thursday.

Good morning, baseball fans!

It’s a full week of interleague play for the San Francisco Giants this week.

First up, the Giants take a quick trip east for a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals starting tonight. After that, they head back to Oracle Park to welcome the Los Angeles Angels to town for a weekend series.

As usual, it’s time to pick which series we’re most interested in this week. And I am met with a difficult decision, because the Royals and the Angels are (as of the time this is being written) two of the only teams in baseball with worse records than the Giants. They are also both former World Series adversaries. And I have much fonder memories of the 2014 World Series than I do the 2002 World Series. So I’m going to go ahead and pick the Royals.

Which series are you most interested in this week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants play the first of three against the Royals tonight at 4:40 p.m. PT.

Happy Monday, everyone! We’re fully into the second half of the season now. With that, we will be hearing a lot about the trade deadline and which teams seem poised for a potential postseason run. It’s wild to think that we are already thinking about that, but such is the course of the season. We wait and wait until the baseball season starts, and then before we have a chance to even think about it, the season is halfway over.

To lead off our Monday, we’re looking at some injury updates from Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, a sad update from what was meant to be a very happy weekend in Toronto, and looking at some trade deadline questions and speculation.

Let’s just jump right into it!

• Jay Jaffe continues his replacement-level killers series by focusing on right field.
• Ian Brown shares that the Red Sox are on their first 13-game winning streak after sweeping the Rays.
• Aaron Judge’s ribs are healing, but he’s not ready to return to baseball just yet. Story by Bryan Hoch.
• Tom Dierberger talked to Mookie Betts about one rule he’d like to see changed (and it would end some games earlier).
• Pirates rookie Esmerlyn Valdez has hit 12 home runs in just 31 games. (AP)
• Ken Griffey Jr is passionate about creating more opportunities for Black players in baseball. Story by Tyler Kepner. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Very sad news out of Toronto.

• Michael Baumann looks at the contract extension for Chase Burns.
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto has shown himself to be the newest ace for the Dodgers, especially after a shutout against the Yankees. Story by Sonja Chen.
• Sonja Chen reports that Shohei Ohtani will not make his next anticipated start due to knee issues, his next start is TBD.
• Rintaro Suzuki has opted to forego his pro career in Japan to join the Marlins. (AP)
• Jim Bowden looks at the six teams that appear most likely to be sellers at the trade deadline. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Talk about a lucky find.

• Aiden Stepansky looks at Paul Skenes’ reemergence with a 7-inning gem.
• A few fresh trade rumors to keep you up to date ahead of the trade deadline. (MLB)
• Is Brandon Pfaadt an ace now? Tom Verducci thinks he might be.
• Hunter Goodman is the first Rockies player to have 2 3-run games in the same season. (AP)
• 12 questions that will define the trade deadline. Story by Ken Rosenthal. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• If you aren’t on the Jimothy side of the internet, I’m sorry for this niche joke. But also, everyone should be on the Jimothy side of the internet.

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

The Colorado Rockies have begun the second half of their season with a series loss against the Cincinnati Reds at home. Tonight, they begin a three-game set against the Washington Nationals and then set out on the road to face the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres.

There are 61 games left in the season, and there are a few storylines worth watching as we look to the second half.

The trade deadline

The first, and perhaps most important, storyline of the second half is what the Rockies will do ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. They are clearly in line to be sellers — if they want to be. Historically, the Rockies have not been terribly active at the trade deadline, but that could change this year under a new front office.

There are some interesting potential trade chips this year. The most likely players to be traded will be a combination of veteran players, as some of the younger players such as TJ Rumfield, Kyle Karros and Cole Carrigg, are seen as part of the team’s future. These could include the following:

• Antonio Senzatela
• Jake McCarthy
• Mickey Moniak
• Willi Castro

However, it’s also possible that the Rockies move some of their younger non-rookies:

• Hunter Goodman
• Juan Mejia
• Brenton Doyle
• Ezequiel Tovar

The Goodman question is, perhaps, the most intriguing one — Do you keep your 26-year-old, back-to-back All-Star and build the next contending Rockies team around him? Or do you trade him for what could potentially be a massive haul for the next contending Rockies team?

Moving on from Moniak and/or McCarthy would open up a space for Charlie Condon and/or Zac Veen (more on that later), while moving on from Senzatela during his renaissance season could bring back a good return as well.

The rookies

The three rookies mentioned above — Rumfield, Karros and Carrigg — have all made their marks in the early season. Rumfield is making a Rookie of the Year case for himself, while Carrigg might be sneakily making his own under-the-radar case.

Through July 18, Rumfield is slashing .302/.384/.485 with 35 extra-base hits through 97 games. He took the bull by the horns in his first game and hasn’t turned back. Sure, he’s had some stretches where he’s struggled a little bit, but Rumfield made adjustments as the league has adjusted to him. And he’s been a defensive wizard at first base, which is not something that’s happened in a long time.

Carrigg has so far lived up to his “hair on fire” reputation. After making his MLB debut on June 9, Carrigg has played in 33 games and slashed .288/.371/.529 with 14 extra-base hits. He has only stolen two bases, but that should tick up as he stole 30 in Albuquerque before his call-up. Carrigg has also brought a spark to this team, as they have gone 15-18 since his debut.

Karros started off slow, slashing just .215/.316/.319 with 11 extra-base hits through May 31. Somewhere in early June, Karros made some swing adjustments and has hit .319/.409/.588 with 18 extra-base hits.

This trio of young players is likely part of the next Rockies’ core, and is showing the characteristics that the Rockies are looking for. Rumfield has the slugging capability; Carrigg has the speed on the basepaths and the “never say die” attitude; and Karros has the plate discipline and high OBP. All three have defensive prowess. They will certainly be players to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Call-ups

If players are traded, that should make room for some prospects to get promoted. We’ve already seen eight players make their MLB debuts for the Rockies:

• Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP)
• Sean Sullivan (No. 8 PuRP)
• TJ Shook
• TJ Rumfield
• Gabriel Hughes (No. 12 PuRP)
• Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP)
• Eiberson Castellano
• Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP)

But there should be more call-ups on the horizon.

Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) made his MLB debut last year and struggled mightily. Behind the scenes, there was a bigger story behind his struggles. But now that Veen is clean and sober, he has been absolutely tearing up the Pacific Coast League. Through July 18, Veen has slashed .314/.389/.578 with 48 extra-base hits (27 doubles, 5 triples, 16 home runs) and 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts. In his first cup of coffee, Veen played in just 12 games and went 4-for-34 with a double and a home run, but also struck out 14 times (41.2%). Perhaps with a new perspective (and a new body), Veen would be more successful in a second stint.

Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) has also been demolishing Triple-A and knocking on the door for his debut. The 2024 first-round pick also participated in the Futures Game for the second straight year, and probably won’t be long for Albuquerque. In 81 games, Condon is slashing .287/.409/.573 with 42 extra-base hits (16 doubles, 6 triples, 20 homers). He has just six stolen bases in eight attempts, but that’s less a part of his game than Veen’s. While Condon competed with Rumfield for first base in spring training, it looks like that position is locked up for the foreseeable future, so Condon would likely slide into the outfield once he’s called up. He’s spent about equal time at first base (47 games) and right field (37 games), so he could serve as a right-handed platoon bat at either position.

The others on the above list will likely make at least another cameo, except for Herrera who is recovering from a torn UCL. And there may be other call-ups. We just won’t know until the dust settles after the trade deadline.

The rotation

The Rockies’ rotation is filled with question marks once again, as the veteran signings haven’t quite panned out like they hoped they would, and Chase Dollander suffered a season-ending elbow injury in May that resulted in internal brace surgery.

The biggest questions will be who they keep at the end of the year, and if they trade anyone at the deadline. Of the Opening Day Five — Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen, Tomoyuki Sugano, José Quintana and Ryan Feltner — the first four are on expiring contracts, though Freeland and Lorenzen have options for the 2027 season. Feltner is entering his third year of arbitration, while Gordon is still under full team control until 2029 when he becomes arbitration eligible.

However, they have been auditioning younger guys — namely Sean Sullivan and Gabriel Hughes — to mixed results. Sullivan made his MLB debut on June 12 against the Athletics in Las Vegas, where he gave up just two hits and struck out two batters across three innings before being lifted due to illness. Unfortunately, it has all been downhill from there, as he has given up 22 runs across his last four starts (19.1 innings). Hughes, meanwhile, made his debut on July 3 (after being called up on July 1) and earned a three-inning save in the 15-3 victory. He’s since made two starts — one on the road at Dodger Stadium and the other at home — and has allowed five runs on nine hits with four walks and 13 strikeouts across 11.1 innings of work.

There will be a lot of decisions coming in the next few weeks to determine the outlook of the 2027 (and even the 2026) rotation.

Final record

The Rockies are on pace for about a 64-98 final record. That would be a 21-win improvement from 2025. For comparison, the Chicago White Sox improved by 19 games in 2025 after their historically bad 2024, so it’s not out of the question. And considering where this team has been the last few years, I will go on the record to say if they lose fewer than 100 games this year, Warren Schaeffer deserves Manager of the Year consideration (though he — like Rumfield, or any other Rockie in the last few years — won’t get it).

Closing thoughts

The final 61 games of the 2026 season are going to be a wild ride unlike any we’ve seen from the Rockies in recent years. It’s been an interesting year so far, and it will just get more so as we get to the trade deadline and through the final stretch.

Which storylines will you be watching most closely? Let us know in the comments!

On the Farm

Triple-A:Sacramento River Cats 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 1

The Isotopes struggled at the hands of the River Cats (Giants). They were held scoreless for the first six innings before Jordan Beck finally broke through in the seventh with a solo home run. Unfortunately, that was the only scoring of the game. Ryan Ritter, playing shortstop, went 2-for-3 with a walk. Beck, Charlie Condon, Conner Capel and Drew Avans each recorded a hit to total six for the lineup.

Andrew Baker started the game, pitching two innings and allowing just one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Eiberson Castellano then pitched the next five, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts over five innings of work. Seth Halvorsen then pitched a scoreless inning, but Victor Juarez allowed one final run in the ninth.

Double-A:Chesapeake Baysox 5, Hartford Yard Goats 4

The Yard Goats fared a little bit better than the Isotopes, but they blew a late lead by giving up four runs in the seventh and eighth innings to the Baysox (Orioles). Jose Torres got things started for the Goats with an RBI single in the second to put them up 1-0. But Brandon Butterworth answered back in the fourth, belting a solo homer off (pitcher) to tie things up. Dyan Jorge singled in the sixth two score Torres and Andy Perez, but then Willy Vasquez hit a two-run double in the seventh to tie things once again. Mike Antico singled to score Torres in the eighth, but Thomas Sosa belted a two-run homer in the eighth to seal the victory for the Baysox.

Jackson Cox (No. 16 PuRP) had a solid outing, allowing just the one solo homer on four hits with six strikeouts. But Carlos Torres and Sam Weatherly struggled in the late innings, each giving up two runs in one inning apiece. Weatherly gave up the two run homer to Sosa, earning him both his third blown save of the year as well as saddling him with his fourth loss.

High-A:Everett Aquasox 21, Spokane Indians 3

It was a football-scoring game in Spokane, as the Indians managed just a field goal against the three touchdowns scored by the Aquasox (Mariners). They mustered seven hits, but the scoring went quiet after the fourth inning. The three RBIs came from Ethan Hedges (No. 29 PuRP), Tanner Thach and Kelvin Hidalgo.

The Indians ran out six different pitchers, and none of them recorded a clean inning. Only two — Ismael Luciano and Francis Rivera — escaped without giving up a home run. Hunter Omlid took the worst of it, though, allowing seven runs on four hits with two walks and three homers across just one-third of an inning. In total, the pitching staff gave up 17 hits, 21 runs (all earned), 13 walks and six home runs.

Low-A:Fresno Grizzlies 2, Visalia Rawhide 1

The Grizzlies were the only victorious affiliate tonight, as they held the Rawhide (Diamondbacks) to just one run scored in the second inning. The Grizzlies scored their two runs in the fourth and sixth, respectively.

The Visalia run came off a homer by Adrian De Leon in the second inning. But Derek Bernard answered back with a homer of his own in the fourth, while Kyle Fossum singled to score Bernard in the sixth and put the Grizzlies back on top. Riley Kelly pitched an outstanding game, going six innings and allowing just the one run with one walk while racking up 11 strikeouts. Yanzel Correa relieved him, pitching two scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out four. Dylan Crooks earned his sixth save of the year by allowing just one hit and striking out one in his singular inning of work.

Rockies First-Half Awards: MVP, Biggest Surprise and Biggest Disappointment | Sports Illustrated

Wesley Dixon outlines who he thinks are deserving of the Rockies’ own awards. You can probably guess who the MVP is, but what about the other two?

Rockies need Gabriel Hughes to emerge in rotation to help address dearth of homegrown starters | Denver Post ($)

Kyle Newman writes about how Hughes has been adjusting to the majors, as well as his journey to get there. He also writes about how Hughes can potentially fit into a staff filled with “C-list veterans” as they haven’t been able to field many good homegrown starters. Perhaps Hughes can start the next wave of that.

Tovar hopes the All-Star break sparks offensive improvement | MLB.com

It’s been no secret that Ezequiel Tovar has struggled mightily in 2026. At the beginning of the season, after the World Baseball Classic, it looked like Tovar might take a big step forward after a down 2025. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. But Thomas Harding caught up with the shortstop about how he hopes to take a step forward after the All-Star break.

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