Category: Sports News

By now, A.J. Minter has become familiar with surgeries and recoveries. In 2024, it was for his hip. Before that, it was Tommy John and thoracic outlet syndrome procedures at Texas A&M. But this one — surgery to repair a torn lat last May and the yearlong recovery that followed — has been a “weird one,” even by Minter’s standards.

It felt easy at first. Then, a rough patch followed. Minter didn’t want to rush the recovery process, and just when it seemed earlier this month that he was on the verge of finally returning, the Mets removed him from his rehab assignment due to hip discomfort.

Minter described the setback as “super minimum,” but after resuming and making his latest minor league appearance Sunday, his return could happen as early as Tuesday or Wednesday — though it’ll arrive with a lingering velocity question he’ll need to answer.

“It’s been a difficult one for sure,” Minter told The Post of his recovery before the Mets opened a series against the Reds. “Obviously, I would love to [have] been back sooner, but just kinda taking me a little bit to get back. But I do feel like I’m in a good space physically, mentally.”

It could be a different version of the 32-year-old — at least to start. He might not have the same velocity. His fastball averaged 94.5 mph in 2024 and 2025, but during his most recent appearance for Triple-A Syracuse, Minter maxed out at just 93.7 mph and hit only 90.7 on May 20.

He hopes that will change once he returns to an MLB environment. Manager Carlos Mendoza agreed and cited an example of how that was the case for Minter in spring training last year, though he also admitted that it could take time.

“He’s still gonna be able to compete with whatever he’s got,” Mendoza said. “The 91 [mph], 92, he’s got weapons to get righties and lefties. I’m not worried about it, but it’ll be something that I’m pretty sure it’ll be a topic, but like I said, I think he’s more than capable of competing with what he has right now.”

Compared to an invisible lineup and woeful starting pitching, the Mets bullpen hasn’t been a glaring concern, as the team collected the ninth-best ERA in the majors (3.46) entering Monday’s game.

But Minter, who recorded a 1.59 ERA across 12 minor league appearances this season, would serve as another lefty alongside Brooks Raley and demoted starter Sean Manaea.

Minter has tried to avoid getting caught up in the velocity. He just wants to make hitters work and earn everything. And when that happens, when Minter makes a return that Mendoza said the lefty “can’t wait” for, it’ll cap a grueling journey back to the Mets bullpen that’s now more than a year in the making.

“Whether I’m throwing 92 or 97, I feel like I’m just gonna go out there and just attack the strike zone and see what happens,” Minter said.

Eric Lauer will make his Dodgers debut by starting against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers acquired the veteran left-hander from the Toronto Blue Jays on May 17.

It’s a battle of southpaws on the mound, with Kyle Freeland starting the middle game of the series for Colorado.

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Rockies
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Tanner Gordon will be looking to help the Rockies break a two-game losing streak and perform better than the last time he faced the Dodgers when he takes the mound for Colorado in the series-opening game in Los Angeles tonight.

After a solid 2026 debut, when he threw four scoreless innings against the Astros on April 15, Gordon has struggled. His second game came against the Dodgers when he gave up six runs on seven hits, including three homers, in four innings in a 12-3 loss on April 20 at Coors Field.

In seven starts, Gordon is 0-0 with a 6.59 ERA in 27.1 innings with 30 strikeouts, six walks and six homers. With Jose Quintana forced to leave Sunday’s game after 1.1 innings with elbow soreness and with him now headed to the IL, the Rockies could use a longer start from Gordon to give some relief to the bullpen.

The Rockies (20-34) are going through a rough May where they have put up a 6-16 record, including dropping five of their last six games. In their only showdowns with the Dodgers this season, Colorado split a four-game series against L.A. at Coors Field in April. 

The Dodgers (33-20) are returning to Dodger Stadium after going 7-2 on their latest road trip against the Brewers, Padres and Angels. Emmet Sheehan (3-1, 4.93 ERA) will be on the mound for L.A. The 26-year-old RHP has given up nine home runs and 13 walks with 51 strikeouts in 45.2 innings in nine starts.

The Rockies faced Sheehan on April 18. In a 4-3 Rockies victory, Sheehan earned a no-decision when he surrendered two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

First Pitch: 7:10 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network; KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)

SBN Site:True Blue LA

Lineups:

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Kiké Hernández is back.

The Los Angeles Dodgers activated the fan favorite utilityman from the 60-day injured list on Monday, May 25 after Hernández missed the first 53 games of the season while recovering from offseason elbow surgery. Hernández is in the starting lineup and will make his 2026 debut against the Colorado Rockies.

Santiago Espinal was designated for assignment in a corresponding move, the Dodgers announced. Hernández will bat ninth in the order and gets the start at third base in place of Max Muncy, who was hit by a pitch on his right wrist in the Dodgers' 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, May 22 and has missed the last two games.

"He'll bounce around, which he has the ability to do," manager Dave Roberts told reporters. "He'll play some third. He'll play some second. If there's an opportunity to spell somebody out there in the outfield, he might do that, too. He'll be available off the bench in pinch-hitting spots, but some of it depends on Max, how Max is feeling, and see how that goes."

The Cincinnati Reds looked perfectly miserable against New York Mets rookie Nolan McLean, at least in the Top of the 1st inning in the series opener at Citi Field. McLean breezed through the top of the Reds lineup by striking out the side to begin, with none of Blake Dunn, Elly De La Cruz, or JJ Bleday looking comfortable at all in the batter’s box.

Perhaps the Reds just needed to shake off some quick rust after being idle for three of the previous four days. Whatever it was, they flipped the switch shortly thereafter and eventually blasted the Mets prized rookie and the rest of their roster in a 7-2 win to begin their road trip.

Bleday later homered off McLean, Tyler Stephenson did, too, and that was more than enough to back the best start of Nick Lodolo’s blister-delayed 2026 season. The latter fired 6.0 IP of 6 H, ER, 0 BB, 7 K ball on 98 pitches, keeping New York’s offense completely off the board until a solo homer by Marcus Semien in the Bottom of the 6th.

For that, Lodolo takes home this game’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game award, something I certainly hope he does again another two-dozen times before the season’s end.

While Dunn and Elly struggled (0 for 9, 5 K) atop the order, it was the middle-back of the lineup that carried the offense on the day. Bleday homered, Eugenio Suarez went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double, and 2 runs scored, Nate Lowe walked twice, poked a soft double down the RF line, and scored, and Spencer Steer came up large with a key hit and drove in 3 on the day. That, of course, came before Stephenson in a Reds lineup that increasingly looks potent again with Ke’Bryan Hayes on the IL and TJ Friedl on the back of milk cartons all over the tri-state area.

It was an all-around excellent win, the Reds feasting on the Mets on a day when so much of Cincinnati spends feasting on metts. And the Reds now get to hand the ball to Chase Burns tomorrow in the second game of the series. That will commence at 7:10 PM ET, with the Reds with the serious upper-hand on paper.

Out of all the potential issues the Mets could face, this wasn’t supposed to be one of them. Nolan McLean was their constant. Their ace who could stabilize, solve everything and stop losing streaks single-handedly during his starts.

In an ideal world for the Mets, Carlos Mendoza wouldn’t have needed to walk to the mound in the fourth inning Monday and pull McLean after just 78 pitches.

He wouldn’t have needed to turn to his bullpen that early. But after delivering the worst start of his career last week, McLean one-upped that on Memorial Day, lasting just 3 ¹/₃ innings in his shortest outing with the Mets, surrendering seven runs on five hits, walking two and hitting two more batters in the Mets’ 7-2 loss to the Reds at Citi Field.

“It’s just bad pitching, honestly,” McLean said, turning a question about his stretch and windup splits into a telling line that he hasn’t needed to utter much throughout his young career. “If I’m just gonna be straight up, I just haven’t been pitching my best, and I gotta be better.”

The usual issues appeared again for the Mets (22-32). They couldn’t manage to score more than two runs for the fifth consecutive game and now have their second four-game losing skid of the season. They made Reds starter Nick Lodolo, who entered with a 7.20 ERA, look like an All-Star. The boos at Citi Field were temporarily replaced by “Let’s go Knicks” chants.

“I mean, they’re all frustrating,” manager Carlos Mendoza said when asked if this current stretch was more frustrating after the Mets appeared to turn a corner. “Especially when you’re not playing well. They’re all the same, to be honest with you. Yeah, it sucks.”

But around all that, McLean tossed what he called a second uncompetitive start in a row. The 24-year-old mostly breezed through opponents last season and at the start of 2026, too, and that’s exactly what happened Monday for his first 18 pitches.

McLean struck out the side in the first inning, but he quickly unraveled after hitting Reds third baseman Sal Stewart. He eventually loaded the bases and watched as Cincinnati scored its first two runs when Spencer Steer grounded into a fielder’s choice and McLean threw a wild pitch.

Then, JJ Bleday crushed a homer over the right-center field fence in the third, before Steer connected on a two-run single the following frame and Tyler Stephenson launched a two-run homer on the first pitch after a mound visit. McLean has allowed 16 runs, with 13 earned, across his last nine innings, walking four batters and hitting four others.

He has struggled to land his secondary pitches while also getting into bad counts, McLean and Mendoza agreed. McLean also admitted that he dealt with fatigue early Monday — perhaps trying to get “a little bit too much after it” to fix what went wrong after his start against the Nationals last week, he said. When he cruised through the opening frame, Mendoza thought, “Oh, he’s on today,” but everything unraveled from there.

And all it takes — with these Mets and this offense — is one bad inning to sink them, let alone three from their ace strung together. Marcus Semien homered in the sixth as part of a two-hit day to give a lineup missing Juan Soto (illness) for a second consecutive day a temporary jolt. Carson Benge added an RBI groundout the following frame to score Brett Baty.

But that was it. The Mets, as they’ve done all season, had other chances and failed to convert. They had runners on first and third with two outs in the third, but Mark Vientos rolled over a pitch and grounded out. They had the same situation again in the fifth inning, but this time, Vientos struck out on a curveball that hit him.

On most occasions, McLean could bail out the Mets. He could deliver a gem — or at least give them a chance to win. The last thing the Mets need is another rotation problem. Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga are already injured. Sean Manaea and David Peterson have already been demoted at different points, though Peterson is slowly working his way back. Freddy Peralta has mostly underwhelmed.

And now, at the very least, they have a worrying trend with McLean.

“He’s gonna get back on track,” Mendoza said. “He’s got too good of stuff for this to keep going. … It just sucks it happens on back-to-back outings, especially in the middle of this stretch.”