The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have put Kyle Freeland on the 15-day injured list with cervical radiculopathy, retroactive to August 21st. Freeland left in the fourth inning of his start on August 19th against the Los Angeles Dodgers with the neck injury.

In 23 starts this season, Freeland, 33, is 4-10 with a 6.37 ERA. He is in the final year of his five-year, $64.5 million contract that included a player option for 2027 if he was able to reach 170 innings. Currently, Freeland has recorded 124.1 innings, so the IL stint makes it even less likely that the option will vest.

Additionally, the Rockies have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Blake Adams.

Adams, 25, was drafted by the Rockies in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Kansas State University. He began 2026 with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats before being promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque in May.

In 17 appearances (two starts) with the ‘Topes, Adams has gone 2-5 with an 8.10 ERA across 50 innings.

UPDATE:

Thomas Harding is reporting that the Rockies will also select the contract of RHP Mason Adams as well.

According to Harding, Mason Adams (No. 17 PuRP) will make Freeland’s start against the Washington Nationals tomorrow night. Mason Adams came to the Rockies as part of the trade that sent Brenton Doyle to the Chicago White Sox. The 26 year old has a 2.08 ERA in three starts at Triple-A Albuquerque.

Presumably, Blake Adams, a reliever, will start join the Rockies for tonight’s game while Mason Adam’s promotion will be announced tomorrow.

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The Yankees are hitting their stride at a crucial point of the season, cutting the deficit in the AL East race to just three games after sweeping Baltimore and taking two of three from Toronto. The offense that was so stagnant for much of the summer has been rejuvenated of late, thanks to a combo of players who have struggled all year starting to wake up and recent callups earning their place in the lineup. Austin Wells may have been a black hole through the first half, but since July he’s managed to find himself at the plate and it’s made a huge difference once coupled with George Lombard Jr.‘s arrival and Spencer Jones’ latest stint on the team. Throw in Jazz Chisholm Jr. running into a few home runs and Ben Rice starting to come out of a lengthy slump, and the team finally doesn’t feel like the pitching staff giving up multiple runs dooms them. Add in Cody Bellinger returning, and they just might even be able to slug their way into some wins instead of making due with a handful of offense.

On the other hand, their dominant staff has hit a couple of road bumps in the health department. Both Max Fried and Ryan Weathers hit the IL this week, and though the former is expected to be back as soon as his 15-day stint is up while the latter is still expected to be back before the end of the year that’s still a significant blow to the rotation depth all of a sudden. What do the Yankees do in the interim with their open rotation slot, and can the Triple-A depth step up when they need them most? Is the faith in the offense about to be rewarded with a hot streak to close out the year? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of August 27th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

The Nationals are getting dangerously close to the basement of the National League East, as a 3-game sweep at the hands of Miami now has them 10 games below .500 and just 1.5 games above the last place New York Mets. Their month of August has been simply abysmal, with hopes for a playoff berth having crashed all the way down to attempting to avoid ending the year 5th in the division. Washington is 2-8 across their last 10 games, but luckily, they begin the homestand with the worst team in MLB.

At just 50 wins through 130 games, 2026 has been another hard-to-watch chapter of Rockies baseball. Colorado has lost their last 6 games, and is months removed from being in any type of conversation regarding October baseball. Their pitching, per usual, has been the anchor dragging their team down, so this week’s series could be a good time for the Nationals’ offense to come alive in a big way.

Game One – Monday, 6:45 PM ET

WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (11-5, 3.22 ERA)
COL: RHP Ryan Feltner (5-7, 5.97 ERA)

With the season all but over, Cavalli is one of the few reasons to continue tuning in to Nationals’ games, especially against a team like Colorado. He can drop his ERA below the 3.20-mark with another great outing, and Feltner’s struggles this season create a favorable matchup for the Washington hitters.

Game Two – Tuesday, 6:45 PM ET

WSH: LHP Andrew Alvarez (2-5, 3.60 ERA)
COL: LHP Kyle Freeland (4-10, 6.37 ERA)

Freeland and Alvarez have been going in opposite directions this season, with the latter emerging as a potentially crucial piece to Washington’s future. His 2.42 ERA in August has continued his strong season, and a few more starts of similar caliber could earn his spot in the rotation next season.

Game Three – Wednesday, 6:45 PM ET

WSH: TBA
COL: RHP Tanner Gordon (0-4, 5.75 ERA)

The Nats have yet to announce a starter for Wednesday night’s game, but whoever they start is likely to have better numbers than Gordon. He’s another part of a rough Colorado rotation, and Washington will likely deploy a handful of relievers with uncertainty at the back end of their staff.

Game Four – Thursday, 1:05 PM ET

WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (2-8, 5.82 ERA)
COL: RHP Gabriel Hughes (0-5, 6.54 ERA)

It would certainly be nice to get any semblance of success from the 29-year-old Irvin, whose August ERA has ballooned above the 6.50 mark. Hughes hasn’t fared any better, riding a 6.54 ERA through his first 42.2 innings in the big leagues.

The Cubs already have the postseason tiebreaker over the Phillies and Padres for a potential Wild Card Series matchup.

They swept the Diamondbacks in Wrigley Field back in May, so will need to win only once to get the tiebreaker over Arizona for such a matchup. Of course, two or three wins here would be better.

For more on the Diamondbacks, here’s Jim McLennan, manager of our SB Nation D-backs site AZ Snakepit.

To start by answering the obvious question: nobody knows anything. Ketel Marte failed to show up at Fenway for the opening game in Boston — not the first time he has gone AWOL. He was put on the restricted list initially, but is now on the IL with a bad knee (which, to be fair, had been an issue for a while). Exactly what was going on has been the subject of a LOT of speculation, people poring over every social media “like”. But that’s all it is: speculation. Everyone who does know has been very tight-lipped. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens – both when Marte is fit, and perhaps, during this off-season. He now has full no-trade rights: between that and this incident, if the team does want to trade him, it won’t be easy.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team is busy fighting Philadelphia and San Diego for a wild-card spot. The only thing consistent about the team is their lack of consistency. They’ll look great one series, then flat and lacklustre the next. Beat the Dodgers, and win the season set for the first time since 2018. Then lose a series to the Rockies, at home. Then beat the Braves on the road. Early on, it seemed Arizona could only beat teams with losing records. Now it seems they’re the ones which give them the most trouble. Arizona had to come from behind in the seventh inning on Sunday to scratch out the series win over the Reds.

With Marte out, while Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll are both well down on last year’s production, Gabriel Moreno has become the team’s MVP. He goes into Sunday’s game batting .307, with a 134 OPS+. But Nolan Arenado has also surpassed expectations, and is tied for the team lead with 21 HR. At the other end of the age spectrum, outfielder Jordan Lawlar recently returned from another IL stint, and if he can stay healthy, could provide an offensive boost down the stretch.

On the pitching front, the Cubs will see Brandon Pfaadt, who was on a real roll until meeting the Red Sox buzz-saw; Eduardo Rodriguez, the most consistent starter for Arizona; and Merrill Kelly, about whom, the less said the better. Since we last met, the D-backs have dumped original closer Paul Sewald, who is now with Toronto. It’s been a loose committee since, though Brandyn Garcia has seen most of the saves. The bullpen recently got previous closer Justin Martinez and his 102 mph fastball back after Tommy John, so he may become a high-leverage option as well. 

Fun facts

The Cubs swept the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field, May 1-3. The wins were the second through fourth of the Cubs’ first 10-game winning streak.

The Cubs have not won every game of a series at Arizona since July 5-7, 2010. Since then, they are 21-28 in the desert while winning five series, losing seven and splitting three, including last season. They won the first two games in 2018 and 2021 but lost the third. They lost three straight in 2012, 2014 and 2023.

In all games of the rivalry, the Cubs are 93-100. They have been shut out 17 times and blanked the Diamondbacks only six times, with just one of those on the road, a 4-0 win on Aug. 24, 2002. Tonight’s series opener will be the Cubs’ 74th game at Arizona since then.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Kevin Gausman, RHP (1-1, 6.19 ERA, 1.375 WHIP, 4.27 FIP in three starts with Cubs; 6-11, 4.58 ERA, 1.298 WHIP, 3.58 FIP in 26 starts overall) vs. Merrill Kelly, RHP (8-11, 5.37 ERA, 1.519 WHIP, 5.79 FIP)

Tuesday: Clay Holmes, RHP (1-2, 2.81 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, 4.21 FIP in three starts with Cubs; 5-6, 2.49 ERA, 1.108 WHIP, 3.43 FIP in 12 starts overall) vs. Brandon Pfaadt, RHP (7-1, 3.39 ERA, 1.139 WHIP, 3.99 FIP)

Wednesday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (8-2, 4.15 ERA, 1.242 WHIP, 4.67 FIP) vs. Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP (13-4, 2.61 ERA, 1.206 WHIP, 3.78 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Monday: 8:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 8:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, also streaming on Peacock (outside the Cubs and Diamondbacks market territories)

Wednesday: 2:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

I keep picking two of three. One of these days it’s gotta happen. Right? So, two of three in Arizona.

Up next

The Cubs have Thursday off, then return to Wrigley Field to host the Cincinnati Reds in a three-game series beginning Friday afternoon.

Garrett Crochet just lost a bit of control over his future.

Thanks to a unique provision in his contract, Crochet, who has been on the injured list for most of the season and last pitched for Boston on April 25, had an interesting clause activated by the team that takes away his 2030 opt-out in his contract.

Crochet has spent 120 consecutive days on the IL, which triggers a clause that voids his 2030 opt-out, with his salary set at $30 million for his age-32 season.

No one knows what baseball will look like in 2030 and if there will be a salary cap in the major leagues, but $30 million is certainly a bargain by today’s standards for Crochet’s services.

Crochet was the league’s fourth-most valuable pitcher according to WAR via FanGraphs from 2024-25, though he’s spent most of 2026 injured while the Red Sox have surged in the second half. 

Assuming MLB does not add a salary cap as owners battle players in CBA negotiations with a potential work stoppage looming, Crochet may have just missed out on a massive raise on his contract.

Many expect impending Dodgers free agent Tarik Skubal to sign a huge contract this offseason, although the same collective bargaining uncertainty still exists.

Crochet is owed just $45 million in 2031 and 2032, making this deal a complete bargain for Boston. 

The Red Sox acquired Crochet in a December 2024 trade with the White Sox for prospects Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez. 

Crochet had an incredible first season in Boston, posting a career-best 2.59 ERA with 18 wins as the Red Sox’s unquestioned ace and workhorse starting pitcher.

While he battled injuries this season, he is expected to return, though given where we are in the season, he will likely take on a bullpen role rather than take time to build up to a starting pitcher’s workload.

The Red Sox sit 3.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL wild-card race with a 71-59 record entering Monday’s slate.

Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.

MONDAY

Carson Benge became the fourth player since 1997 to record a solo assist at home plate on consecutive batters, after Brian Hunter (May 18, 1998), Gary Sheffield (April 25, 2001), and Rocco Baldelli (August 12, 2004). (source: Sarah Langs on X)

Carson Benge became the first Mets outfielder with two outfield assists to the catcher in the same inning. (source: Sarah Langs on X)

Since being eliminated by San Diego in the 2022 Wild Card Series, including a 7-1 Game 1 loss, the Mets have now won seven of their last eight series openers against the Padres.

TUESDAY

Prior to Tuesday night, the Padres were the only National League team to never have a right-handed batter deliver a multi-homer performance at Citi Field. Tatis became the first Padre to accomplish the feat, and just the second Padre with a multi-homer game at Citi Field after Ryan Schimpf on August 12, 2016.

Zac Thornton’s 14 whiffs marked his most in a game out of his nine career starts, while his seven strikeouts were tied for his most in a game.

WEDNESDAY

With his fourth-inning homer, Carson Benge became the second Met with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases in their rookie season, joining Darryl Strawberry (26 homers, 19 stolen bases) in 1984.

Nate Lavender became the seventh Mets rookie to earn a win this season, along with Nolan McLean, Zac Thornton, Jonah Tong, Chayce McDermott, Jonathan Pintaro, and Jefry Yan. That gives them the most rookies on a team to earn a win this season. It also ties them for the third-most in franchise history, behind 1995 (9) and 1983 (8).

FRIDAY

Brett Baty’s 114.0-mph double in the fourth inning off Sean Burke marks the third-hardest-hit ball of Baty’s career, and the fourth-hardest-hit ball by a Met this season.

SATURDAY

Christian Scott struck out five or more batters for an 11th consecutive outing. He is one of only seven MLB pitchers with an active streak that long, along with Dylan Cease (31), Jacob Misiorowksi (24), Jesús Luzardo (13), Gerrit Cole (12), Tarik Skubal (12), and Gavin Williams (11).

Luis Torrens hit his sixth homer in 10 games for the first time in his career, becoming the first Mets catcher with six or more homers in a 10-game span since Francisco Alvarez from July 4-19, 2023. Prior to this 10-game span, Torrens had only clubbed 10 homers over 204 games with the Mets.

SUNDAY

Luis Robert Jr.’s fourth-inning single registered a 114.6 mph exit velocity. Despite only playing in 52 games so far this season, Robert now leads the Mets with eight batted balls of 110+ mph, overtaking Brett Baty and Juan Soto, who are tied for second place with seven apiece.

Nolan McLean recorded his 17th start of six or more innings pitched this season, tied for seventh-most in the Majors. That total is already tied for fourth-most by a Met in a season since 2020, trailing Chris Bassitt (23 in 2022), Max Scherzer (19 in 2022), and Luis Severino (18 in 2024).

Over his last 10 starts, McLean has tallied 59.1 innings pitchedwhile posting a 1.97 ERA. Over the last 10 seasons, the only other Mets pitchers to tally 59+ IP with an ERA below 2.00 in a 10-game span are Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, and Max Scherzer.

The White Sox became the second interleague opponent to walk-off the Mets twice in one season, after the Twins did so in 2004 with walk-off hits from Michael Cuddyer and Mike Ryan.

After being walked off by the Cubs on April 19 and being walked off twice by the White Sox in this series, the Mets were walked off three times in one state for the first time since 2021, when they suffered two walk-off defeats to the Marlins and one to the Rays.

Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:

Only six Mets players have recorded a base hit, walk, hit-by-pitch, and reached on error in the same game, with Asdrúbal Cabrera being the only Met to do it twice (April 15, 2016, in Cleveland, and May 3, 2017, in Atlanta). Cabrera is one of only 41 players to accomplish the odd feat twice in his career, a list including 13 Hall of Famers as well as near-certain future HOFer Albert Pujols.

Ahead of the 2022 season MLB expanded the playoffs to include an additional Wild Card slot, now including three Wild Card teams in both leagues. The move came a decade after MLB introduced the Wild Card Game, pitting two Wild Card teams against each other in a one-game event with the winner moving on to the LDS.

The thought process behind the third bid, at least the one presented to the public, was simple enough. Having another team completing to make the playoffs would make the final stretch of the regular season more exciting and inclusive to a deeper group of teams. It would also allow another team the chance at a World Series run.

To be fair, the expanded playoff has delivered on those two promises. Every year since the decision has seen tight races in the final days before the end of the season, often with the spot not locked in until the last day or two. Additionally, a third Wild Card team has twice reached the World Series, both in 2022 with the Phillies and 2023 with the Diamondbacks. In both those cases, the team held onto the final playoff bid by only one game in the final standings. It’s hard to say that it had been anything other than a success.

But this season is showing the other side of the coin. For the most part, the National League has had a typical year with good but seemingly not great teams fighting down the stretch. The Cubs currently hold the top Wild Card spot and have had it for most of the year. The Phillies are red hot and right on their heels in the second Wild Card slot. The Padres have used a strong second-half of the season to climb into the third seed, with the Diamondbacks, Marlins, and Cardinals still in contention. In theory those teams are all good enough to make a run. But the top teams in the N.L. have sat almost head-and-shoulders above the rest of the league with both the Brewers and Dodgers expected to win around 100 games. The season has felt like a race for next best.

Who will be the third N.L. Wild Card team?

The American League is a much bigger mess. A lot of that is due to relative mediocrity at the top, resulting in what could be a sub-.500 team making the postseason. The three best team sin the A.L. all come from the East, the White Sox lead the central and would normally be considered the weakest of division winners. But the West really screws everything up. The Astros and Rangers are tied for first place despite being a game under .500, resulting in the final Wild Card spot being held by a team that has lost more games than its won. The Guardians have the same record, tied for the final playoff spot, with the Blue Jays, Twins, and last place Orioles still within a couple of games. Even the Detroit Tigers, who tried desperately to sell at the deadline, are one hot week away from being in the playoffs.

Who will be the third A.L. Wild Card team?

With the general feeling of “meh” at best competing for the final spot in both leagues, it’s easy to feel down on the expansion. Add to that the growing feeling that teams are trying to be just good enough to be in contention down the stretch and keep fans interested without having to do the expensive work of building a real winner.

The tradeoff is basically more high-intensity baseball in September vs. a better quality of team in the playoffs.

Maybe this is a one-off blip, or maybe it’s a sign of things to come. So did baseball do the right thing with playoff expansion, or is this watered-down version of the playoffs not worth it in the end?

Has MLB playoff expansion been good for the game?

Be on the lookout later this week for results to these questions and the rest of SB Nation’s Reacts surveys.