Category: Sports News

Aaron Judge is putting his calf where his mouth is.

After reiterating his intention to make himself available for the AL wild-card series, less than two weeks after suffering a moderate calf strain, Judge is scheduled to take live batting practice Monday at Yankee Stadium as he tries to convince Yankees brass to include him on the roster on the eve of their showdown with the Red Sox.

“I’ve been doing a lot of convincing, so I’m going to keep doing that,” Judge said with a grin at his locker before the live session. “But I think the most important thing is making sure I’m healthy and ready to go for this long stretch. We got another month of baseball to play, so I want to be ready for the long run we’re going to go on for this next month. We’re all going to be smart, but I think they all know I want to be out there, especially in the first game.”

The three-time MVP said he has still not run the bases, which is always a key hurdle for players to clear coming back from soft-tissue leg injuries, but indicated he has been running on an anti-gravity treadmill and left open the possibility that he could try running on the field later Monday.

While Judge’s live batting practice session should give the Yankees some important information as to how he looks and feels, they will have to weigh whether it is worth the risk of playing him this soon and leaving himself open to reinjury or suffering something worse. The soleus muscle, which is the part of the calf where Judge’s strain is located, is connected to the Achilles tendon.

“Guys take risks every single day,” Judge said. “I know a lot of guys in here are banged up and dealing with stuff. I understand the risk, I’ve got it all.”

Aaron Boone indicated that Judge resumed hitting indoors on Sunday, though the captain later said he has been hitting “for a while.”

“It feels great, which is definitely a big step forward, because you produce a lot of weight on that back leg, so feeling good there,” Judge said.

Once again, Judge added that he hopes to come back as a right fielder because it would help the Yankees the most, given that they already have a logjam at DH/first base with Ben Rice, Luis García Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt. But it is questionable whether he would be able to play the field for nine innings without issue, and if he can’t, would the Yankees really be able to carry both him and Giancarlo Stanton – who is trying to come back from three different calf strains that have sidelined him since late April and figures to be available as strictly a pinch hitter – on the same roster?

Judge, who already missed three-plus months of the regular season with a right rib stress fracture, pledged to do everything he could to be ready for Tuesday. Left unsaid: even all of that still might not be enough.

“I think the biggest thing is understanding how short – the time to be a Yankee and play this game of baseball is a very short window,” Judge said. “Ten years have gone by since I debuted out here, so time flies. I just think about that more than thinking about age. I feel like I’ll still be a good baseball player at 45.

“It’s more just your window to play this game is short, so you don’t want to miss an opportunity.”

Another long and grueling regular season has come to an end. For the Dodgers, the last six months mostly met their perennial lofty expectations of not just clinching the postseason, but winning the NL West and securing that all-important first-round bye.

As has been the case with the Dodgers over the last two years, they managed to circumvent around numerous injuries and setbacks to every single department on their team. With October baseball in close proximity to their windshield, the team is mostly healthy enough to embark on their quest to become baseball’s first three-peat champions in 26 years.

The road to glory isn’t paved evenly, but the Dodgers aren’t a team insistent on making their treks remiss of discomfort. With all the team has experienced this season, here are a few reasons why the Dodgers will be able to win the 2026 World Series.

Abundance of pitching depth

Two things about the potential postseason rotation ring a familiar chime when observing the last two playoff runs. The Dodgers are set to have a dominant four-man quartet, just like last year. The Dodgers also swung a blockbuster deal with the Detroit Tigers to shore up the rotation like they did two years ago (just replace the name Jack Flaherty with Tarik Skubal). All four pitchers in the rotation— Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow— have experience pitching in October.

The Dodgers have a very good problem when it comes to situating their bullpen. After a strong second half of the season before hitting the shelf, Roki Sasaki, like last season, has come back with dominant stuff out of the Dodger bullpen. Justin Wrobleski will be joining Sasaki as starters from the regular season expected to pitch in relief. Tanner Scott will embark on his first postseason trip as a Dodger after a brutal season last year, and although Edwin Díaz has struggled overall and dealt with injuries, he has come out firing since being recently activated off the injured list.

As was the case last season, the Dodgers will rely on their starters to handle as much volume of work as possible, limiting the reliance of swing guys that can handle multiple innings. Should any best-of-7 game series come down to the wire, the Dodgers will be prepared to throw in all their chips, whether from the rotation or bullpen, to get the job done.

Monsters: The Hernández Brothers, Season 3

Yes, it has been two years since Netflix released their second season of the show Monsters, centered on the crimes of Lyle and Erik Menendez. The Dodgers are preparing for their third season of manning two clutch and criminal forces in the postseason, both of whom share the same surname.

While Teoscar Hernández battled a hamstring injury that cost him a month’s worth of time, he has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball in the month of September, and his bat becomes even more volatile come October. Hernández hit five home runs during last year’s postseason run, and over the last two postseasons, he is slashing a respectable .254/.327/.454 with eight home runs and 25 RBI over a 33-game stretch. His bat will be crucial in the middle of the lineup, along with a resurgent Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy protecting him.

The Dodgers’ X-factor isn’t someone that has been getting everyday playing time in the regular season, but he brings out the flare for the dramatic when the lights shine brightest. Kiké Hernández’s first big postseason moment came with his hat trick in Game 5 of the 2017 NLCS, and in every World Series run with the Dodgers, he’s had multiple moments stamped into the highlight reel.

Kiké Hernández is one of the best postseason hitters of all time, as in 103 career postseason games with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, he is slashing .272/.339/.486 with 16 home runs and 42 RBI. Hernández has continued to demonstrate his defensive versatility, and should any Dodger hitter in the everyday lineup fall into a slump, Hernández has the potential to be called on and perform the way he has in the postseason for the last nine years.

It’s Sho-time!

A detriment to this year’s Dodgers team compared to last year is that Shohei Ohtani won’t be performing his two-way duties. Ohtani hasn’t pitched since early July, and knee and biceps issues hampered his offensive production for most of the second half.

On the offensive side of the ball last year, Ohtani was a force to be reckoned with in 2025, as he tied Corey Seager for the most home runs hit by a Dodgers in a postseason run with eight, including a multi-home run game in Game 3 of the World Series where he reached base nine times. Although a left shoulder subluxation limited his production in the 2024 World Series, he managed to hit three home runs between both the NLDS and NLCS.

Ohtani’s bat is essential to how the Dodgers perform. The team was able to minimize his absence with a torrid month of September, but his presence at the top of the lineup sends shivers down the spines of their opposition. The first-round bye will also allow Ohtani to continue to heal up from his lingering right biceps issues, and whether he hits leadoff or second behind Mookie Betts, the reigning NLCS MVP will be looking to add more hardware to his résumé.

What's different about these Phillies? Bryce Harper, Trea Turner weigh in originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ATLANTA — Yes, these Phillies.

The same core that has reached the postseason five consecutive years, yet hasn’t won a playoff series since 2023, has another opportunity to finish what it started.

But Bryce Harper sees some differences in this version of the Phillies, even if many of the names are familiar.

“I think they’re different, but they have a little bit of the same DNA,” Harper said Monday at Truist Park. “We have a lot of the same and similar DNA that we’ve had the last couple years, with a sprinkle of a couple other guys.”

Those additions, along with the growth of several returning players, could help determine whether Philadelphia’s latest postseason appearance ends differently from its previous two.

The most obvious change is in the bullpen.

Over the last two postseasons, Phillies relievers have combined for a 6.82 ERA, a 1.65 WHIP and six home runs allowed in 30 1/3 innings. Their ERA jumps to 11.42 when pitching with a lead.

Those numbers help explain why Philadelphia hasn’t advanced beyond the NLDS in either of its last two appearances.

This year’s relief group looks considerably different. José Alvarado is the only remaining member of the Phillies’ 2023 bullpen, and after posting a 5.86 ERA this season, he isn’t expected to handle the most important late-inning assignments.

Instead, Philadelphia has Jhoan Duran at the back end, with Jonathan Bowlan, Alex McFarlane and Chase Shugart among the newer faces who could be asked to get the ball to their closer.

The Phillies haven’t seen how this group will respond together in October. That uncertainty leaves them with questions, but at least they’ll be trying to solve a familiar problem with a different group of pitchers.

The offense, meanwhile, has undergone fewer changes. Philadelphia still relies heavily on Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, with Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott providing much of the production behind them.

And that group has something to prove.

Of the 12 teams that played multiple postseason series across 2024 and 2025, the Phillies had the lowest batting average, the lowest average with runners in scoring position and the highest chase rate.

Too often, Philadelphia has struggled to put the ball in play when it has an opportunity to score. It was one of the reasons the club acquired Luis Arraez in August, but a left ankle sprain suffered during the final week of the regular season will keep him off the Wild Card roster.

That puts more responsibility on the returning hitters to sustain rallies against an Atlanta pitching staff that begins the series with Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle.

Bohm and Stott enter the postseason swinging the bat well, something Turner believes reflects the growth he’s witnessed within the clubhouse this year.

“I think it was just kind of cool to see guys struggle at times and then pull themselves out of it at times,” Turner said. “It didn’t go as well as it could have gone for a lot of us.”

He pointed specifically to Bohm, whose difficult start gave way to a productive final several months.

“He’s been such a good player for a long time, and then this second half or the last two-thirds of the season, he’s been really, really good for us,” Turner said.

But the Phillies have also introduced a different kind of hitter into the lower part of their lineup.

Justin Crawford, who made his major league debut earlier this season, has given Philadelphia another player capable of reaching base, putting pressure on the defense and delivering in important situations.

From June 14 through the end of the regular season, Crawford hit .294, the 15th-highest average in baseball among players who appeared in at least 80 games during that span. He ranked third among rookies who met that qualification.

His production with runners in scoring position was even more striking.

Crawford hit .491 in those situations over that stretch, the highest average among 109 players who met the same games-played requirement. His 1.131 OPS with runners in scoring position ranked fifth.

He won’t necessarily start every postseason game. Crawford shares center-field duties with Derek Hill, whose speed, defense and production against left-handed pitching give interim manager Don Mattingly another way to construct his lineup.

Hill has made quite an impression on Harper.

“He’s just a professional, I would say. He’s got a professional mindset,” Harper said. “Obviously having his pops, coming from a big-league family, I think that helps a lot.”

Harper went a step further when discussing Hill’s arrival, which came in a June trade with the Chicago White Sox.

“I think it’s one of the better moves Dave has made for our organization bringing him in,” Harper said, referring to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

His praise extended well beyond Hill’s production. Harper singled out the way the outfielder prepares, backs up bases, looks for opportunities to advance and helps Philadelphia’s younger players.

“He’s a gamer. He plays the game the right way, and you need guys like that on your team,” Harper said.

Hill is also part of a trio that has developed a close bond away from the field.

Along with Bryan De La Cruz and Edmundo Sosa, he belongs to “Team Blessed,” a group built around their shared faith and a competitive batting-cage routine during games. All three have contributed in important moments throughout the season, frequently coming off the bench without the benefit of regular at-bats.

Harper mentioned Hill and De La Cruz specifically when asked what makes this club different from previous Phillies postseason teams. Both have given Philadelphia additional options against left-handed pitching, something it lacked earlier in the year.

And Harper believes players in those supporting roles can end up being the ones everyone remembers.

“It’s funny to look back on a lot of postseasons in baseball history,” Harper said. “Not many of the superstar players play to their ability.”

Harper himself is a notable exception.

Among the 109 hitters in postseason history with at least 200 plate appearances, his .986 OPS ranks third, trailing only Carlos Beltrán and Albert Pujols. His .596 slugging percentage is fourth. 

But his point wasn’t about the stars who have delivered in October. It was about the players whose contributions nobody saw coming.

Consider Travis Ishikawa, a part-time first baseman who found himself playing left field for the 2014 San Francisco Giants. In Game 5 of the NLCS, Ishikawa hit a three-run, walk-off homer against the Cardinals to send San Francisco to the World Series.

That’s the type of player Harper had in mind when discussing Philadelphia’s reserves.

“You never know who the October hero is going to be,” Harper said. “Then you get to the end and you’re like, man, that guy had a great postseason and you might never hear from him again.”

Hill, De La Cruz, Sosa and Crawford will have opportunities to write their own postseason stories. For some, it will be their first chance to experience an October environment that Harper knows well.

His advice is to avoid treating it as a different game.

“All the work that you put in during the season and all the work that you put in to get you to this point, all that doesn’t matter,” Harper said. “It’s the same game that we’ve been playing. It just might get a little bit quicker or might speed up on you a little bit if you let it.”

That doesn’t mean the veteran slugger wants his younger teammates to ignore the occasion.

“If you can really try to just enjoy the moment, I don’t know, you could go 0-for-4 tomorrow or you could go 0-for-5 tomorrow or you can go 3-for-4 with two homers and win a game,” Harper said. “If you just really take in the moment, take in the opportunity, there’s no greater feeling.”

The Phillies have considerable postseason experience, but this season has tested them in ways their more recent teams haven’t necessarily encountered.

They began 9-19, underwent a managerial change and spent much of the year rearranging their pitching staff because of injuries and inconsistent performances.

There are similarities to 2022, when Philadelphia also changed managers after a difficult start before making an improbable run to the World Series. That team didn’t secure its postseason berth until Oct. 3 and entered the playoffs having gone 11-14 in September.

Turner wasn’t part of that club. He joined the Phillies the following offseason, and much of what stood out to him about this year’s team had less to do with the final results than the way his teammates responded to their own struggles.

He recalled a recent conversation about Schwarber, who was still working through issues with his swing during the final days of the regular season.

“He’s hit 380 homers in his career, and one of the best hitters in the game, and he’s just not satisfied,” Turner said.

For Turner, that restlessness says something about the veteran players who have been together through several disappointing postseason exits.

“Just seeing guys kind of manage their situations and want to compete and want to get back out there and just loving the game, I think that was pretty cool from a team standpoint,” he said.

It’s a perspective that comes from watching the same players through different stages of their careers. As Harper acknowledged, they’re getting older. Stott has grown into a more established hitter, Bohm’s future in Philadelphia is uncertain, and the club has brought in new players to complement a core that has been trying to win a championship for years.

The Phillies have invested heavily in their starting rotation, traded for a closer last year they believe can handle the biggest innings and introduced players who could give their offense a different look. But much of their postseason success will still depend on familiar names producing in situations where they’ve struggled before.

Harper, now preparing for his ninth postseason in 15 major league seasons, understands how rare those opportunities can become.

He brought up Hall-of-Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who reached the Super Bowl early in his career but never returned, as an example of how little a player’s previous success guarantees about what comes next.

The Phillies have reached October five straight years. That doesn’t mean they’ll keep getting chances.

“I’m very lucky,” Harper said. “Obviously I haven’t got to the point where I want to be or our team hasn’t either, but just to be in these moments, just to be given the opportunity to be here, I’m so grateful for that. It motivates me to get to these points.”

Philadelphia arrives in Atlanta with many of the same stars, some new faces and the experience of a regular season that nearly slipped away from it.

Harper knows what he wants this group to accomplish. But after all the postseason games he’s played, he’s learned there’s no telling which teammate might deliver the moment that gets them there.

“It’s a cool opportunity for a lot of guys that have never played here,” he said. “You could end up being a hero after having just an absolute terrible year.”

Push for the playoffs coverage on NBC Sports Philadelphia is presented by Toyota, proud partner of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Here we are, awaiting the start of another postseason run. The Yankees’ season could be over in the next two to three days, or it could take us on a journey through October with the chance to finally deliver that elusive 28th title. Their run will begin as it did last year in the Wild Card Series against Boston, this time leading off with Cam Schlittler instead of bringing him out in Game 3 with Max Fried and Gerrit Cole waiting in the wings for Games 2 and 3 (if necessary). They’ll have to make it at least past this opening series without Aaron Judge, who after straining his calf has been shut down from baseball activities for the past few weeks, but the Yankee offense carries a decent amount of firepower heading into this matchup compared to where they were at during the summer.

Due to the potential of elimination, it’s hard to look much further ahead than the immediate when it comes to the mailbag going forward. There’s the possibility that by the time we reconvene to answer this week’s questions the Yankees have been sentenced to an early offseason, but there’s also the possibility that their run continues and some key stars were the reason why. To that point, the questions with the most relevance are going to depend on what happens in the coming days: will the Yankee rotation live up to their regular season pedigree, did the Red Sox expose any weaknesses that could come to haunt them against the Rays, what was the biggest takeaway from this season the Yankees can use to plan for 2027? All are viable questions depending on the results, but there’s nothing to do but wait and see which path these Yankees take us on.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of October 1st will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Two Mets are on the ballot for the 2026 ‘All-MLB’ team, Juan Soto and Nolan McLean. Voting opens today and runs through Friday, October 9. The team will be announced at the MLB Awards on November 11 in Las Vegas. For those unaware of how the All-MLB team gets selected, this is the description from the press release:

Fans and panelists will vote for their choices at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, three outfielders (without regard for left/center/right) and designated hitter, along with five starting pitchers and two relief pitchers on both the first and second teams. All choices will be based on the 2026 regular season, without regard for American League or National League affiliation.

McLean, a Rookie of the Year contender, put up 3.0 bWAR in his first full season alongside a 3.16 ERA, 128 ERA+, 194 strikeouts in 179 and two-thirds innings, while making 31 starts. Soto, who missed 51 games due to injury, also put up 3.0 bWAR while hitting .275/.393/.515 with 27 home runs and a 154 OPS+.

Other outfield selections include Pete Crow-Armstrong, Mike Trout, James Wood, and Byron Buxton. Other starting pitcher nominees include Sandy Alcantara, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, and Tarik Skubal.

The full list of nominees can be found here, and you can vote here.

With just one day left before the Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, the rivals' third-ever meeting in the round and seventh-ever in the playoffs, New York's roster remains full of injury-induced holes. 

Manager Aaron Boone gave an update on several players at a news conference Monday, speaking about Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and more.

Judge to take live batting practice

Although Judge has made it clear that his personal goal is to be back on the field for the playoffs, Boone was still hesitant to commit to any decisions Monday. He did, however, say that the Yankee captain has been taking part in various parts of practice over the last few days.

"He did some hitting underneath and threw yesterday, underneath," Boone said. "...I believe he'll be part of the live [batting practice] today, so he's making progress. We'll continue to see where he's at."

The Yankees placed Judge on the 10-day IL on Sept. 17 due to a calf strain, ending his regular season. The two-time reigning MVP received a PPP injection for the injury last Monday, forcing him to limit activity altogether for a few days, but has since returned to the weight and training rooms.

When asked whether or not Boone saw Judge returning to right field as opposed to playing solely as a pinch hitter or designated hitter, Boone gave a similarly inconclusive response.

"I don't know," he said. "We'll continue to evaluate, and I'll listen to trainers and medical and see where we're at."

Speaking with reporters after Boone's comments, Judge noted he hasn't tried running the bases yet. In fact, he only mentioned running on the zero gravity machine. Still, he's trying to work his way onto the Game 1 roster.

"I've been doing a lot of convincing, I feel like, so I'm going to keep doing that," he said. "We're all going to be smart, but I think they all know I want to be out there, especially in the first game."

Stanton's status still unclear

Boone's answer for Stanton was the same: No final decision has been made.

"I've talked to him a bit," Boone said. "I don't know if there's one definitive [thing] like, 'Oh! There he is, he's on.' It's more just letting the day unfold, seeing where we're at, and then making a final call one way or another."

Stanton has missed nearly the whole season due to three calf injuries sustained at various points throughout the spring and summer. Last Thursday, Boone seemed hopeful about the five-time All Star's potential return to the lineup, noting that Stanton had returned to the cage and was "trending in the right direction."

Weathers, Grisham making progress

Both Trent Grisham and Ryan Weathers missed roughly the last month of the regular season, and while Boone danced around a concrete answer regarding their postseason participation as well, he mentioned they'd both likely take part in training today.

"Grish very much in play," Boone said. "[Today's] a very important day. He'll be a part of the live as well." 

He added that Weathers might warm his throwing arm up today.

Grisham was placed on the 10-day IL on Sept. 6 after tweaking his hamstring, which was declared a Grade 2 strain, less than three months after injuring the same hamstring in mid-June. His first stint on the IL lasted nearly three weeks. Weathers last pitched Aug. 22, missing the last month of the season due to a left forearm flexor strain. 

David Stearns didn't speak when Pete Alonso was in to town with the Orioles. 

So sitting in the Citi Field press conference room just two weeks later, the Mets’ president of baseball operations was asked if he had any regrets over the way things went down. 

Alonso, of course, left the Mets this offseason for a big money five-year deal with the Orioles after not receiving an offer from the only organization he’d ever known.

In turn, Stearns attempted to replace his production by bringing in veteran Jorge Polanco, who ended up appearing in just 37 games after battling wrist and ankle injuries. 

So after seeing Mets fans give their fan favorite ovation after ovation in his heroic Citi Field return, Stearns said it’s a fair question looking back on things. 

“The truth is in this job I don’t get mulligans,” he emphasized. “I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year, and the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough, so my job now is to ensure that we’ve got better success across our roster, but for the entirety of the season better production at first base, as well.”

Alonso showed no ill-effects transitioning during his first year in the American League, as he became the first player in baseball history to lead both leagues in RBI in separate seasons (113).

He also launched a league-high 43 homers and posted career-best marks in OBP (.363) and OPS (.884), among several other offensive statistics, while missing just one game (Sunday’s rainout in the Bronx). 

The Mets, on the other hand, struggled to receive much of anything from the position before Jared Young stepped up with his breakout second-half of the season. 

Even with Young's production, it wasn't nearly good enough. 

“I give Pete an enormous amount of credit, he went out and had a great year,” Stearns said. “Our entire season our first base production wasn’t neatly good enough, now it’s my job to put a group together that plays better.”