Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Braves a three-game series in Atlanta starting on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. on SNY.

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5 things to watch

Can David Peterson and Clay Holmes stabilize the rotation?

Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning turned in their two worst starts of the season in back-to-back days as the Mets got swept at home by the Rays.

That those performances came on the heels of Kodai Senga's hamstring injury gave some people the ability to spew sky-is-falling fodder about the state of the Mets' rotation and how ominous things are. But the fact of the matter is that the Mets will be fine.

Sean Manaea is expected to be back in a few weeks (after two or three more rehab starts), and Senga's injury isn't serious (he's still throwing and could be back in less than a month).

And while Megill might not be long for the rotation once the Mets get healthy and Canning might wind up being simply a solid back end starter, it's fair to expect both of them to do much better their next time out.

Still, the Mets are in what should be a brief period of rotation uncertainty. And they need Peterson (starting on Tuesday) and Holmes (getting the ball on Thursday) to help stabilize things.

Pitching between Peterson and Holmes, in what could be another one-start cameo, is Paul Blackburn.

Mets' offense is facing a tall task

The Braves enter this series with a 31-39 record, mostly because their offense hasn't been what they expected it to be.

But Atlanta's run differential (+12) suggests they're much better than their record. And one of the main reasons why they're dangerous is their starting rotation.

The Mets will face Spencer Schwellenbach (3.11 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) on Tuesday.

They'll go up against Chris Sale (2.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 107 strikeouts) on Wednesday.

Bryce Elder gets the start in the series finale. And while he hasn't had the best season and was roughed up against the Rockies during his last start, he has the ability to dominate -- as evidenced by the eight innings of one-run ball he threw against the Giants on June 7.

New York's top relievers are rested and ready

Because of how poorly the Mets' series against the Rays went over the weekend, all of their top relievers are extra rested.

Edwin Diazhasn't pitched since last Thursday.

Reed Garrett hasn't pitched since last Tuesday.

Huascar Brazoban hasn't pitched since last Thursday.

Jose Butto will have pitched just twice in the last 10 days when the Braves series begins.

So as the Mets navigate the aforementioned rotation uncertainty, they should be able to rely heavily on their top relievers.

How is Brett Baty doing?

Baty left Sunday's game early due to right groin tightness.

He isn't currently scheduled to undergo further testing, and more should be known about his availability before the game on Tuesday.

If Baty is unable to play, it could open the door for more playing time for Ronny Mauricio, who homered on Saturday and went 1-for-2 on Sunday after replacing Baty in the seventh inning.

Baty has been scuffling at the plate lately, but did smack a homer on Saturday.

Braves are in a perilous spot

Atlanta enters this series 13.0 games behind the Mets for first place in the NL East and 8.0 games behind the Padres for the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL.

With the trade deadline in roughly six weeks, the Braves probably have about a month or so to show they shouldn't be sellers.

They are oozing with talent up and down the roster, so it seems like just a matter of time before they start playing with more consistency.

The big question, though, is whether what the Braves do over the next chunk of games will be enough to propel them into the playoff race.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Juan Soto

Soto continued to see the ball really well while not having an eye-opening series against the Rays. He reached base five times in 16 plate appearances, and some of his outs (including a screaming line drive to the warning track in right field on Friday) were absolute bullets.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Clay Holmes

Holmes was pulled after just 5.0 innings on Friday due to feeling a bit fatigued following his prior start in Colorado. He should be back to full strength for this one.

Which Braves player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Matt Olson

Olson has been heating up, reaching base safely in 17 consecutive games.

Jett Williams had a huge week for Double-A Binghamton, and the Mets’ top prospect has earned Eastern League Player of the Week honors for his hard work.

Williams, 21, slashed .385/.467/.962 with two home runs, three doubles, and two triples for the Rumble Ponies, raising his batting average from .282 to .296 in the process.

Williams, who came into the season ranked by Joe DeMayo as the Mets’ top position player prospect (No 2 overall, trailing only RHP Brandon Sproat), now has a .926 OPS overall in 55 games this season, blasting six home runs to go along with 24 RBI, 38 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases in 22 attempts.

Selected with the No. 14 overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft, Williams has steadily risen through the Mets' system, with a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse likely at some point this season. And if he has another week like the one he just registered, that trip to Syracuse could be coming sooner rather than later.

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A's rookie Clarke makes MLB history with another defensive gem originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Denzel Clarke made remarkable MLB history on Monday.

The Athletics rookie center fielder earned his third consecutive Electric Play of the Week nod, becoming the first MLB player ever to take home the honor — which was started in 2019 — three times in a row. 

Here are all three show-stopping plays that Clarke made over the past three weeks.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK WEEKS 🤯

DENZEL CLARKE, TAKE A BOW 👏 pic.twitter.com/E3YbI7wdjq

— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2025

“He continues to blow our mind,” Athletics pitcher Grant Holman said about Clark following their team’s June 9 game against the Los Angeles Angels. “He’s unbelievable out there, and it’s a really good feeling as a pitcher to know you’ve got a guy in centerfield who’s going to track everything down and even if you give up a homer, he’s going to bring it back.”

Selected No. 127 overall by the Athletics in the 2021 MLB Draft, Clarke has had quite the entertaining 21 games to start his big-league career. 

According to Statcast, he already is eighth in outs above average with eight, and according to FanGraphs, 22nd in defensive runs saved over 160-plus innings with seven. Oh, yeah, his sprint speed ranks in the 96th percentile.

It’s worth noting that Clarke is slashing .209/.232/.284 with 14 hits, three RBI and one home run thus far. While not the greatest start to a big-league career, Clark’s electric defensive capabilities have kept him in A’s manager Mark Kotsay’s lineup.

“That’s about as far over a fence as you can get without going over and making a play,” Kotsay told reporters about Clarke’s June 9 catch in Anaheim. “We talk a little bit about, you know, his range and the package is instinct; it’s reaction and it’s speed, and he’s got them all.“

Giancarlo Stanton is set to make his debut for the Yankees Monday night against the Los Angeles Angels, league sources say.

Stanton has been out since spring training with tendinitis in both elbows. He had three hits in 11 at-bats last week on a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset.

On Sunday, as the Red Sox stifled the Yankee offense for a third consecutive day at Fenway Park, Stanton faced simulated versions of Angels pitchers on the high-speed Trajekt machine.

Now, manager Aaron Boone must find regular playing time for Stanton, Ben Rice, and Paul Goldschmidt -- essentially three players for two spots. Stanton will DH, while the other two can play both first base and DH. Rice can catch, but he can’t take too many starts away from backup catcher J.C. Escarra, who also must remain fresh.

Stanton is 71 home runs from 500.

Why MLB exec thinks Red Sox ‘did well' in Devers trade with Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The consensus in the media and especially among the fanbase is that the Boston Red Sox did not do a good job in the Rafael Devers trade with the San Francisco Giants.

The deal, which was announced Sunday, was stunning. The Red Sox had just completed an impressive sweep of the rival New York Yankees at Fenway Park. For the first time all season, the Red Sox had built some real positive momentum.

And then, just like that, the face of the franchise was gone. And the group of players Boston received in return for an All-Star caliber player in Devers looks, at least on paper, to be underwhelming.

The #RedSox today traded 3B/DH Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, in exchange for LHP Kyle Harrison, RHP Jordan Hicks, minor league OF James Tibbs III, and minor league RHP Jose Bello.

Harrison has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester.

— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 16, 2025

But not everyone views the trade that way.

MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand spoke to several executives across the league to get their opinions on the trade. One National League executive actually thinks the Red Sox “did well” in the deal.

“They definitely got some good players with upside, so when you combine those guys with whatever they get with the repurposed Devers money, I think the Red Sox did well,” an NL executive told Feinsand.

“But far more important than the player return is the fact that they were able to move Devers and all of his money. They just signed him, so to have changed their mind on that kind of commitment so quickly really means that they felt they had to move him, which is a really difficult spot to be in. They moved quickly, kept it quiet, and pulled it off.”

An anonymous American League exec also thought the Red Sox did OK based on the situation.

“It’s a pretty good return considering that Boston didn’t have many options,” an AL executive told Feinsand. “I think there was a path to get him to first base — maybe in 2026 — but that would have required some serious diplomacy on [chief baseball officer Craig] Breslow’s part. And in the meantime, they had nowhere to go with [DH Masataka] Yoshida. I was surprised they got real talent back while moving all of that money.”

If any of the four players the Red Sox acquired from the Giants makes a positive impact in Boston, that would obviously make the deal look a lot better. But this trade will ultimately be judged on how the Red Sox upgrade their roster with the money they saved by getting rid of Devers’ contract. His deal had eight years and about $254 million remaining, and that’s a significant amount of money.

For example, if the Red Sox use this money to acquire a starting pitcher who can be an ace alongside Garrett Crochet, then the deal will look a lot different. But it’s up to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to find the most effective way of using the team’s new financial flexibility.

Devers leads Giants in first All-Star voting return before debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Rafael Devers has yet to make his Giants debut, and the left-handed slugger already leads the team in the 2025 All-Star Game fan voting.

Yes, you read that right.

A day after the 28-year-old’s shocking blockbuster trade from the Boston Red Sox to San Francisco, MLB released the first All-Star return, with Devers amassing 796,382 votes. 

The Giant who has the most All-Star votes after the first round: pic.twitter.com/m5Nub0ekBa

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) June 16, 2025

That makes Devers the Giants player with the most votes and a distant second to Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani in the designated hitters category. 

Third baseman Matt Chapman, per the figures released on Monday, is the Giants player with the second most number of votes, tallying 183,223.

Voting leaders through the first MLB All Star ballot update! pic.twitter.com/TJH7MOU5MK

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2025

Devers, in 73 games with Boston this season, batted .272/.401/.504 with 15 home runs, 58 RBI and 56 walks in 334 plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Devers has yet to make a single play appearance for San Francisco, and his All-Star pedigree is already speaking for itself.

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