Category: Sports News

The trade deadline is all anyone is talking about with the final days ticking down. The Phillies, as are all of the other contenders in the league, are definitely going to be buyers, which means one or several moves are going to be in the offing.

Or are they?

Matt Gelb wrote the other day about the team scouring for starting pitching and coming to something of a conclusion about their deadline strategy:

The Phillies have told teams in recent weeks that they are searching for a No. 5 starter, according to several sources from rival clubs who were granted anonymity to disclose trade talks. That is no surprise. But, of late, the Phillies have been more willing to discuss higher-caliber arms — the kind of pitcher who would be capable of starting a postseason game.

That would cost more in prospects than a filler fifth starter. But, as the Phillies have canvassed the dearth of hitting upgrades and considered their bullpen situation, all roads could lead to a bigger rotation addition as the piece that raises the bar the most.

Does this mean that the team is willing to continue with their current roster and only add a significantly more expensive piece at the deadline, or are they going to just tinker around the edges to raise the floor of the entire roster? It’s an interesting thing to think about.

It has been a fun year for Cardinals prospect watchers. With one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, there is something exciting happening almost every day. Sadly, we only have six to eight weeks left of minor league baseball to enjoy. Today I want to highlight the handful of prospects that will have the opportunity to further cement themselves in the Cardinals’ future plans as we reach the stretch run. Just for fun, I will highlight the players I am betting on to finish the season with a flourish. 

Please note: The statistics in this article do not include games played Friday night.

Waiting for the Call

The Cardinals have six rookies on the active roster, including JJ Wetherholt, Bryan Torres, Blaze Jordan, Jimmy Crooks, Luis Gastelum, and Nathan Church. Despite the influx of youth, there are still four legitimate prospects I would expect to debut in some capacity. We have talked a lot about these guys already, so I will keep this brief, but this group of players will keep the remainder of the season interesting, even if the Cardinals’ playoff chances fizzle. 

Joshua Baez and Leonardo Bernal are already on the 40-man roster and a phone call away. They might not be 100% ready, but the Cardinals need to see what they have going into 2027. Cade Winquest has flown under the radar since being returned by the Yankees. His ERA of 5.74, more than two runs higher than his xFIP of 3.50, has obscured the fact that he has been dominant in Memphis. With Luis Gastelum promoted to St. Louis, Winquest is the most exciting reliever on the farm with a chance to make a real impact this season. 

Player to Bet On

Quinn Mathews has gone from one of the hottest prospects in baseball in 2024 to a huge question mark thanks to his continued struggles with command. He is one of the most fun guys to watch when he is on, and one of the most frustrating when his control abandons him. Well, he may have finally turned the corner. Mathews has an 18/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last three starts. Over his last eight starts, he has pitched 45.1 innings and walked only 16 batters. This improvement in walk rate is no fluke. Over his first ten starts, Mathews threw only 40.6% of his pitches in the strike zone (MLB average is 47.6%). In the following eight starts, his Zone% was 48.3%. Most of this improvement has come from a four-seam fastball that he is now landing in the zone 55.1% of the time. He has improved his command without sacrificing velocity or allowing harder contact. Quinn is ready. 

Making up for Lost Time

The guys in this group will all have incomplete grades for their 2026 campaigns due to time missed. However, they are all back now, and there is still enough time to turn the season into a positive. 

Brandon Clarke has thrown the loudest three innings of any pitcher I can remember thanks to topping out at 103.1 mph in his first inning at Palm Beach. With some of the best pure stuff in minor league baseball, he will rocket into national top-100 prospect lists if he finishes the season strong and healthy. Cooper Hjerpe is striking out 44.1% of Double-A batters through his first seven innings pitched. His fastball velocity has fully returned as he averaged 92.1 mph in Statcast-tracked games. If he irons out the command, he could get a shot in St. Louis late this season. Ixan Henderson is finally back and has already ramped up to 48 pitches in his Low-A rehab start earlier this week. Henderson is Rule 5 eligible this fall, so hopefully he can finish out the year flashing the stuff that made him one of the biggest risers in the system last year. 

Players to Bet On

Yairo Padilla has only 51 plate appearances at Low-A due to a shoulder injury this spring, but he has been fantastic thus far with a 157 wRC+. To get the negatives out of the way, the concern with Padilla’s offensive game is his difficulty in elevating the baseball. This trend has held in his first taste of full-season ball. His groundball rate of 53.6% and his Launch Angle Sweet Spot of 21% would both rank as some of the worst in baseball. 

The rest of his offensive game has been extremely impressive for a player who is just barely 19. His max exit velocity of 109.3 mph and his 90th-percentile EV of 105.7 are both close to major-league average. He is also running an elite 96% contact rate on pitches in the strike zone. If he keeps up his current rate of production for the last six weeks of the season, he will start to make noise on national top-prospect lists. Sure, the sample size has been tiny, but the results have been extremely exciting so far. 

Deniel Ortiz is flying under the radar a bit with the Springfield Cardinals. Rainiel Rodriguez (rightfully) gets most of the attention, and Won-Bin Cho and Jesus Baez have grabbed headlines with incredible power binges. Ortiz carries a 99 wRC+ through his first 97 Double-A plate appearances, but there are still extremely positive signs in the early going. Ortiz’s plate discipline was excellent last season, and that has carried over to Springfield as he has maintained a 91st-percentile Chase%. The biggest concern for Ortiz coming into the season was his contact ability. So far, he has increased his contact rate from 71.8% to 79.1% while moving up a level. 

His power has not shown up yet, but he is recovering from a hand injury, so that is not surprising. I am not worried about the power. Ortiz posted a max exit velocity of 110.1 mph with a 90th-percentile EV of 105.3 mph at Palm Beach. Like Rainiel Rodriguez, he makes his money getting the ball in the air to the pull side. Despite the overall lack of pop, he still ranks in the 86th percentile in Pull Air% so far this year. 

If the contact rate gains hold through the end of the season, Ortiz may be the second-most-complete hitting prospect in the system after Rodriguez. 

Finishing the Breakout 

Tanner Franklin and Yoiker Fajardo came out of the gates hot for Peoria and have put together impressive seasons. Could either of them be in line for a few starts in Springfield to close out the year? Franklin may be getting close to his innings limit as he has already set a career high with 62.1, so that may be a factor. Fajardo threw 72 innings last year and just passed that total in his last start. He has been incredible in his last five starts, striking out 39.1%(!) of the batters he has faced across 22.1 innings. If he is promoted, he will be the youngest pitcher to appear in a Double-A game this season. 

Player to Bet On

Sebastian Dos Santos was one of my favorite prospects entering the season, and he has done nothing but deliver in 2026. The switch-hitting shortstop laid waste to the Florida Complex League with six home runs in 27 games to earn a promotion to Palm Beach. Dos Santos has held his own in Low-A as one of just 22 18-year-olds to play in full-season ball this year. His 99 wRC+ is seventh among the group. He has been a bit passive with a 38th-percentile Swing%, but his average exit velocity, Chase%, and Contact% are all above average for the league. Dos Santos has already popped a 109.5 mph max exit velocity, which is incredible for a player his age. Unlike Padilla, Dos Santos excels at hitting the ball in the air with a 38% Launch Angle Sweet Spot. 

Conclusion

All these players are fun and extremely important to the Cardinals’ future, but if I were forced to pick one to make waves down the stretch, give me Sebastian Dos Santos. I think we are a little spoiled by the Rainiel Rodriguez experience last season. Dos Santos is not quite on that level yet, but he is one of the most impressive teenage performers the Cardinals have had in some time. His blend of power, discipline, and contact ability at such a young age is extremely rare. He has a chance to be the next big thing in the Cardinals’ system, and I am betting he finishes 2026 with a bang. 

Ronald Acuña Jr could be back with the Atlanta Braves as soon as today. Ronald is returning to the Braves after straining his left hamstring in consecutive months. They have been much more careful with Sean Murphy, Ha-Seong Kim and Ronald after shorter IL stints earlier this season. In light of his numerous lower body injuries, I was wondering if they might ease him back into the lineup. I was also wondering if this option is even considered by the Braves and Acuña.

One of the big themes of the last two months is the rally of save the bullpen. Right now, no reliever pitches three days in a row. In some cases, some relievers are not allowed to go on consecutive days. And we saw this last night. Elieser Hernández pitched 3 innings of 3 walk/2 strikeout ball (to be fair, one walk was intentional). He hadn’t pitched since July 12th in Gwinnett, and hadn’t pitched in the major league in two years. It’s fair to say he was rested, and he carried the Braves through the late innings as Raisel Iglesias and Didier Fuentes did not appear. It might also be fair to say that he will enter the DFA cycle later today.

For the great lengths that the Braves are going to preserve their bullpen throughout the season, they aren’t bothering to rest the everyday players. Austin Riley has started every game but one, and has been asked to work through his struggles. Mauricio Dubon has started 98 games. Matt Olson is going to play every game as well, as they won’t pull him off his streak. It seems that the only way for everyday players to get a rest is to pull a muscle.

In the first 8 games of Ronald’s return after his first 2026 IL stint, he put together a .167/.306/.206 with a 53 wRC+. His xwOBA wasn’t terrible at .304, but it did take him a week to get back in the swing of baseball bats. So they may not miss a lot if the Braves ease him back into playing everyday. Maybe they could put him at DH for a couple of days, then gave him a full day off, followed by two of the next three games in the field.

So how much should Ronald Acuña Jr play in his first week back? I’m not sure of the answer, but I think we all know what will happen.

Good morning Birdland,

These Orioles sure do know how to wear out any goodwill they have built up with a quickness. Coming back from a successful road trip, which concluded with a streak-stopping win up in Boston, the O’s began their brief homestand with a brutal 7-6 loss to the visiting Braves. Yours truly was on recap duty for the humiliation.

There was good stuff buried within the loss. Trevor Rogers was great again, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand seems to have taken over the role of everyday third baseman, for the moment anyway. Outside of that, it was tough. The bullpen wasn’t good enough. Jackson Holliday made a bad error. Craig Albernaz was misguided in pitching to Matt Olson. And the lineup, overall, failed to cash in on their many, many opportunities.

You never want to lose a game like that, but particularly this close to the trade deadline when you are already a few games outside of the final wild card spot. This team just doesn’t have that sort of wiggle room. The front office will have to choose a direction within the next couple of days. Falling too much further behind could be all they need to decide on selling.

For those amongst the fan base hoping that the silver lining of a losing season would mean that Mike Elias gets the boot, you may have to find something else to cling onto. Orioles control person David Rubenstein spoke to the media on Friday at Kyle Bradish’s contract extension press conference, and he was very complimentary of Elias. He described the team’s president of baseball operations as “terrific,” and said that he was “very, very happy” with the job Elias has done.

There are points in Elias’ favor, of course. He opened up the team’s operations in Latin America. He has gotten his owner to commit long term to several key players. And the team, at one point anyway, was playing really good baseball on the field. The last two seasons, however, have shaken that confidence. Injuries are a reasonable, but frustrating, excuse that every team deals with. At some point, they need to win more games, and the person in control of baseball decisions is who that falls to.

Links

Amid critical Trade Deadline stretch, Rogers hopes to stay and ‘help the boys win’ | Orioles.com
If the Orioles do decide to sell, Rogers might be the player they get the most for in return. He is back to pitching like an ace, which he also did for most of 2025. Will teams view him as such? Maybe not quite, but at least a playoff-caliber starter. That should be worth quite a bit on the trade market.

Jon Meoli: Why the Orioles’ trade deadline plans hinge on Trevor Rogers | The Baltimore Banner
As Meoli explains here, the Orioles need to play really good baseball from now through the end of September in order to even make the playoffs. Previous versions of Elias would have already started preparing to sell in the next week or so.

Orioles’ Bradish reflects on extension: ‘This is where I want to spend my future’ | Baltimore Baseball
I am personally very excited about the Bradish extension. The guy is so good, and while he is not technically homegrown (drafted by the Angels) he is as close as it gets. The Orioles have groomed him and helped him beat the projected ceiling of being a relief arm to become a Cy Young caliber starter. Between him and Shane Baz, they have two spots on the rotation sorted for the next half decade.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Doug Drabek turns 64 today. He concluded his 13-season big league career with a tough 1998 campaign in Baltimore. That year he had a 7.29 ERA over 108.2 innings.
• The late Mickey Scott (b. 1947, d. 2011) was born on this day. The southpaw spent parts of two seasons in the Orioles bullpen, tossing 24.2 total innings for the team between 1972 and ‘73.
• The late Whitey Lockman (b. 1926, d. 2009) was born on this day. He played in 28 games for the 1959 Orioles, a relative blimp in his 15-season big league career.

This day in O’s history

The Baseball Reference tool that tracks events in baseball history was down when writing this, but maybe it’s back up by now. In any event, here are some happenings from beyond Birdland on this date:

1965 – Bob Dylan performs his first concert with an electric guitar. This takes place at the Newport Folk Festival.

1976 – Viking 1 takes the famous Face on Mars photo

1978 – Louise Joy Brown, the first human to be born after conception from in vitro fertilisation, arrives.

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It’s a battle of the aces tonight at PNC Park when Shota Imanaga and Paul Skenes go head-to-head.

The Chicago Cubs are +117 moneyline underdogs tonight, but my Cubs vs. Pirates predictions are picking them over the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are overvalued at -122.

Keep reading for my free MLB picks for Saturday, July 25.

Who will win Cubs vs Pirates today: Cubs moneyline (+114)

Paul Skenes’ resume speaks for itself, but the Pittsburgh Pirates ace is not himself this season.

Skenes’ ERA is up to 3.43 compared to his 2.35 career average, and he’s not getting nearly as many swings and misses. His Whiff % is down to the 68th percentile in MLB after ranking in the 83rd last season.

Meanwhile, Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga is trending up with a stingy 1.62 ERA over his last three outings. He’ll dominate a Pirates lineup that’s missing three everyday players and ranks 19th in runs scored and 20th in SLG since the All-Star break.

Play the Cubs up to +110.

COVERS INTEL: Imanaga has a 0.28 career ERA in five starts against the Pirates. He pitched six scoreless, hitless innings vs. Pittsburgh on April 10.

Cubs vs Pirates Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-116)

Skenes has a lofty 5.27 ERA over his last five starts, and the Pirates cashed the Over in each of those games.

Both bullpens are also shaky, with Pittsburgh’s relief corps owning the 10th-highest ERA in MLB (4.40), slightly worse than Chicago’s (4.04).

It feels like this line was set with prime Skenes in mind, but that’s probably not who the Cubs will face tonight.

The Over is the play up to -120.

Cubs vs Pirates weather

Temperatures will be 80F at first pitch, with minimal winds blowing out to center field. Slight boost to the batters.

Cubs vs Pirates odds

• Moneyline: Cubs +117 | Pirates -122
• Run line: Cubs +1.5 | Pirates -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Cubs vs Pirates trend

Chicago is 12-3 in its last 15 road games against Pittsburgh. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Pirates.

How to watch Cubs vs Pirates and game info

Cubs vs Pirates latest injuries

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It's a busy day in the Majors, and I've found value on the mound and at the dish. 

Let's dive into my favorite MLB player props and MLB picks for Saturday, July 25, including Casey Mize, CJ Abrams, and Sonny Gray. 

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Casey Mize	Under 1.5 earned runs	+101
CJ Abrams	Over 1.5 total bases	+111
Sonny Gray	Under 2.5 earned runs	-145

Casey Mize Under 1.5 earned runs (+101)

Detroit Tigers starter Casey Mize has been dominant lately, posting a 2.22 FIP across his last four outings while surrendering just 0.40 HR/9. In fact, the righty hasn't given up a homer in back-to-back starts. 

Mize is also pitching well at home this season, compiling a 2.17 FIP. He held the Los Angeles Angels to one earned run in his last appearance, and Mize faces a Kansas City Royals lineup with a 90 wRC+ in the last week and minimal power at the moment. 

I'll play this pick up to -120. 

• Time: 1:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Royals.TV, DSN

CJ Abrams Over 1.5 total bases (+111)

CJ Abrams is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now. The Washington Nationals slugger has a .440 average and .560 ISO across his last six games, going deep four times during that span. 

Abrams has cashed the Over in total bases in six of his last seven contests. No one has been able to slow him down since the All-Star break. The youngster will face Arizona Diamondbacks lefty Mitch Bratt tonight, and he has a 9.10 FIP in his last two outings. 

But Bratt doesn't typically stay in long, and the Diamondbacks bullpen isn't exactly lights out, posting a 4.75 xERA in the last week. 

I'll play this pick up to -120. 

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: DBacks.TV, Nationals.TV

Sonny Gray Under 2.5 earned runs (-152)

The Boston Red Sox hand Sonny Gray the baseball today against the Toronto Blue Jays, and he's in a prime position for another gem. The righty has been carving up opponents, sporting a 3.18 FIP over the last month while giving up just 0.71 HR/9. 

Gray has surrendered Under 2.5 earned runs in five consecutive appearances, consistently pounding the strike zone and inducing weak contact. He'll face a Jays lineup that is in horrendous form, posting a mere 69 wRC+ in their last 10 games. 

Expect Toronto's struggles to continue. It will be another gem for Gray. 

I'll play this pick up to -160. 

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, NESN

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The Detroit Tigers head into today's matchup with the Kansas City Royals as a heavy -168 moneyline favorite behind Casey Mize. 

After winning the first two games of the series, my Royals vs. Tigers predictions are targeting another victory for Detroit. 

Find out more in my MLB picks for Saturday, July 25. 

Who will win Royals vs Tigers today: Tigers moneyline (-168)

Casey Mize has been utterly dominant lately for the Detroit Tigers. The right-hander sports a 2.22 FIP across his last four outings while allowing just 0.40 HR/9. 

Michael Wacha hasn't been awful for the Kansas City Royals, but he is vulnerable right now. The right-hander owns a 4.83 xERA in his last four appearances, allowing 1.85 HR/9. 

The Tigers are swinging it relatively well, carrying a 100 wRC+ and .182 ISO in the last week. They should be able to do some damage off Wacha and K.C.'s vulnerable bullpen, who have a 6.29 FIP in their last 26 1/3 frames. 

I'll play this pick up to -170. The run line is also a solid option if the moneyline becomes out of sight. 

COVERS INTEL: Mize has compiled a 2.17 FIP at home this season compared to a 3.06 FIP on the road. 

Royals vs Tigers Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-121)

There's obviously some vulnerability for the Kansas City 'pen, but they've allowed fewer runs lately, surrendering four in this series so far.

Detroit's relief corps has a 4.70 xERA in the last week, but they've held opponents to a 4.9% barrel rate and just 0.61 HR/9. 

While the Tigers are in respectable form offensively, they're not tearing the cover off the baseball, and Wacha isn't exactly getting lit up at the moment.

Mize, meanwhile, is lights-out at Comerica Park, and he often pitches into the fifth or sixth, limiting Detroit's bullpen exposure. 

K.C. also carries a 90 wRC+ in their last seven contests with a .158 ISO. 

Hammer the Under to -130. 

Royals vs Tigers weather

Conditions should be pleasant at Comerica Park this afternoon, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures climbing from the mid-70s into the low 80s. Winds look light, and rain does not appear to be a concern. Overall, weather should have minimal impact, though the warmer afternoon air could slightly help carry.

Royals vs Tigers odds

• Moneyline: Royals +156 | Tigers -163
• Run line: Royals +1.5 (-133) | Tigers -1.5 (+127)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+113) | Under 8.5 (-117)

Royals vs Tigers trend

The Tigers have hit the Under in 26 of their last 40 games at home (+10.75 Units / 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Royals vs. Tigers.

How to watch Royals vs Tigers and game info

Royals vs Tigers latest injuries

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The Los Angeles Angels are a mess, and are likely best served by opening the floodgates this trade deadline. They leaked on Thursday that they are interested in trading shortstop Zack Neto, but perhaps the single most-likely-to-be-dealt player on the entire market is lefty starter Reid Detmers.

Detmers just turned 27 and is under team control for two seasons after this. He’s always been decent enough, with a pair of two-win seasons and a strong bullpen year in 2025 that was cut short by elbow injury. This year, it’s a bit of a coming out campaign for Detmers, with a 3.27 FIP and 3.32 xERA contributing to a 3.0 fWAR across 120 innings so far in 2026.

If he played for a functioning franchise, he’d probably be approached with an extension — 3.5-4 win seasons from guys in their age-27 seasons are nothing to sneeze at. But this isn’t a functioning franchise, and the returns from dealing away a player like this are probably more in line with the direction that a (in theory) rebuilt front office would want to go. Once again, teams like this are an object lesson that Yankee fans, for as frustrated as we can get with them, have it better than most.

Detmers features one of the best arrays of breaking pitches in the sport, especially his slider, which he’ll often front door against southpaws and run hard away from right handed batters. It’s been a +14 (!!) run pitch for him this year, running a 35 percent whiff rate. His curveball, which has seen usage drop off this year, gets a whiff 38 percent of the time, and you wonder if the right idea is to lean into pitching backwards even more. Neither of his four-seam nor sinking fastball are all that good, and that may be what keeps him outside the inner circle of elite starters. Then again, the Yankees have had success developing all kinds of fastballs making him the kind of pitcher that fits Matt Blake’s pitching lab — play up the breaking balls that are working, and add some shape to a fastball while in a rotation that features some damn good heaters.

The added benefit of trading for Detmers is that you also functionally trade for a reliever at the same time. We’ve batted around all year which guy in the rotation is best suited to shore up a bullpen that desperately needs some reinforcement, and landing Detmers, who would be a better option than both Ryan Weathers and Will Warren, in my opinion lets you transfer one of those two to the relief corps. Even if you don’t want to do that, you give the rotation margin for rest. You may want to give Max Fried or Gerrit Cole the odd day off, or save Cam Schlittler’s arm in a random September start and hope that helps him in the postseason, and an additional very good pitcher gets you that room to breathe.

The downside is cost. Detmers’ skill and team control means he’s going to be pricey, and you almost drool at the potential he could reach in a pitching lab like the Brewers’. The bidding for Detmers will rival any other player on the market, and if the Angels are able to play that well — a significant if — they should be able to kick start a rebuild off the return.

The Atlanta Braves’ weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles started off strong after Friday’s 7-6 win in extra innings. Matt Olson was the man of the hour and gave Atlanta the lead in 10th, courtesy of his three-run homer. 

Things were shaky for Atlanta in the bottom half of the 10th inning, but fortunately the Braves were able to hold on and win the series opener. The series continues tonight at 7:05 ET as Bryce Elder gets the start.

More Braves News:

AJ Smith-Shawver continues to progress after a solid outing for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday. More in the minor league recap. 

The FCL Braves are done for the season, and here is how 2026 shaped up. 

MLB News:

Toronto Blue Jays 3B/OF Addison Barger will undergo season-ending elbow surgery. It has not yet been determined if he will have Tommy John or the internal brace procedure. 

From the Feed:

Cast your vote for Braves Player of the Game here!

Sometimes ups outnumber the downs. Not in Nottingham.

This little ditty from Disney’s Robin Hood is brought to you by a terrible last three days for the Cleveland Guardians. But, don’t worry, folks. At least we aren’t the Mets. Or something.

The Guardians lost 11-3. Sean Armstrong pitched horribly and seemingly got hurt.

Rumors abound on Twitter that the Guardians won’t be able to sign second round pick Logan Schmidt. In which case they will get the 60th pick in next year’s draft. Sure, why not? Add it to the mix.

AROUND MLB:

Tigers beat the Royals, but the Twins and White Sox managed to lose, thankfully.

Kyle Tucker picked a good time for his first home run of July, hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning which game the Dodgers breathing room for their third straight win on Friday night, beating the Mets to improve to 5-2 on the road trip.

Tucker’s previous home run came on June 27, one day shy of four weeks prior, with Tucker hitting .239/.313/.268 in the 80 plate appearances between long balls.

Roki Sasaki was sharp on Friday, striking out nine Mets while allowing one run in seven innings for the victory. Since the right-hander appeared to be tipping his pitches in a bad start against the Padres on July 2, Sasaki has a 1.93 ERA with 19 strikeouts against only four walks in 18 2/3 innings over his last three starts. Asked if Sasaki’s noticeably larger glove helped resolve the pitch tipping, he told reporters Friday, per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times, “Probably my face kind of got smaller … That’s why the glove looked bigger.”

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Friday, “He doesn’t seem like he’s searching anyore.”

Links

Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen session on Wednesday in Philadelphia, and he’ll throw another bullpen session on Saturday at Citi Field. Though there doesn’t appear to be a set timetable for his return to pitching, according to Roberts, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

I still think he is very honest with us about how he’s feeling and we’re aligned with that,” he said. “Every player wants to get back out there and do what they do. But I think he understands that it’s not about July, it’s about October. We’ve already taken a lot of time to get him back to full health so we’re not going to start (him in a game) earlier than we need to.”

With the August 3 trade deadline looming, Kiley McDaniel at ESPN profiled the prospects who might be traded from each major league team. He noted the outfield depth specifically and that Josue De Paula is likely the only truly untouchable prospect in the system, and called Mike Sirota, Eduardo Quintero, (shortstop) Emil Morales) and Zyhir Hope as unlikely to be traded.

Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic dug deeper into the Dodgers outfield prospect depth, profiling nine different outfielders in the Dodgers minors.