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The Atlanta Braves lost an incredibly frustrating game one against the Mets yesterday and look to rebound tonight behind Martín Pérez.

Fifteen years into his career and Pérez is quietly putting together the second-best season of his career. He has already accumulated the second most WAR in a season of his career and with his ERA of 3.14, it is also his second best.

Now, he has had some luck on his side. He has an expected ERA (xERA) of 4.32 and that is largely due to a BABIP of .232 which is well below his career .303, and a strand rate of 79.7 percent which is well above his career 71.4 percent. That being said, Pérez has been arguably the best pickup for the Braves this offseason.

Pérez faced the Mets in the first week of July and struggled. In 4.1 innings he only gave up six hits, but they resulted in four earned runs, while only picking up one strikeout to two walks.

In that game A.J. Ewing hit a solo shot off him and the team went five for seven with RISP. There is a chance that Pérez will have better results based on the chances of stranding more runners.

Francisco Lindor is a player to keep an eye out for. He has had twenty-five ABs against Pérez in his career and has maintained an OPS of 1.213. Bo Bichette has also had success with an OPS of 1.100 in fifteen at-bats. Marcus Semien has had an astounding forty-one ABs against Pérez in his career and holds a batting average of .268.

In a twist of fate, Nolan McLean will be facing off against Martín Pérez for a second time in as many outings. In the game mentioned earlier, it was a high scoring affair where the Mets ultimately won 10-9. This was not due to Mclean though who pitched 6.0 innings where he surrendered two earned runs and struck out five to only one walk.

Since the All-Star break, both offenses have been performing close to the same. The Braves scored the seventh most runs, and the Mets scored the tenth most. In terms of team ERA, the teams are fairly close there as well since the break. The Braves have had the twelfth best in MLB with 3.77 and the Mets have been eighth best with 3.55.

Based on team stats alone this game could come down to which team scores early, much like last night. The Braves have the third best SP ERA since the break, but the Mets have the ninth worst. No pressure to Pérez, but this game really could come down to if he can bounce back against the Mets and have a better start than last time.

First pitch is at 7:15 EDT

Game Info

Game Time: Tuesday, August 11th, 7:15 pm EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Watch: BravesVision, Gray TV

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

This week, I go 1-on-1 with the Host of Brewers Daily, David Gasper, to get the Milwaukee perspective on the most impactful deal the Cardinals made at the deadline in 2026, sending away Dustin May and JoJo Romero for Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale.

We talk about the Tarik Skubal impact on the move, the seemingly steep price paid for a pair of rental pitchers, and what the Cardinals are getting in their two new young outfielders with loud tools and promising upside. This abbreviated edition of the podcast will bring you a great alternative perspective and perhaps validate a lot of what has been said on this forum already: the Cardinals did well on deadline day.

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Transcript:

Jake Wood (00:23)
Welcome into the Viva El Birdos Podcast. My name is Jake Wood, and I write for VivaElBirdos.com. I am the host of the show, and I am typically joined by fellow co-hosts Gabe Simonds and Scott Plaza. Unfortunately, they were unable to join us tonight. If you enjoy this episode, please be sure to like and subscribe to our channel. We are available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all of your favorite audio streaming platforms.

The Cardinals made three deals at this year’s trade deadline. The most significant of the trio was sending starting pitcher Dustin May and relief pitcher JoJo Romero to the Milwaukee Brewers for double-A outfielder Josiah Ragsdale and low-A outfielder Alexander Frias. Here to help us break this deal down from the Milwaukee perspective. He is the host of the Brewers Daily Podcast and a credentialed member of the Milwaukee media. We’re wading into enemy waters with today’s guest. Welcome, David. Gasper.

Dave Gasper (01:30)
Thanks, Jake. Appreciate you having me. And you know, we get to kind of cross behind enemy lines here as we talk about this very surprising intra-division trade.

Jake Wood (01:42)
You know, they say it’s important to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, so I’m more than happy to have you here.

Dave Gasper (01:49)
Man, I’m more than happy to be here, for sure.

Jake Wood (01:51)
Before we jump into the deal, how long have you been covering Brewers baseball, and kinda give us a just a little bit of your backstory before we jump into the good stuff?

Dave Gasper (02:00)
Yeah, so I mean I’ve been writing about the team for about nine years now. Starting as a writer at Reviewing the Brew, eventually being the editor there for several years. And then, you know, working in local Milwaukee Sports Radio as well. And currently writing for Brew Crew Ball as part of SBnation. And then, of course, the Brewers Daily podcast through FanArch, which is also on YouTube and Spotify and Apple Podcasts and all those various audio platforms.

Jake Wood (02:34)
So let’s get right into it then, Dustin May and Jojo Romero for Alexander Freus and Josiah Ragsdale. How are your fellow Wisconsinites feeling about the deal executed between the NL Central rivals?

Dave Gasper (02:48)
They’re all feeling initially that the Brewers overpaid in this deal because, you know, being a, you know, small market team and you know having the success that this team has had through the farm system, I mean we are prospect huggers over here. Matt Arnold himself is generally a prospect hugger. So when two of our favorite essentially breakout prospects this year, Josiah Ragsdale and Alexander Frias, are both included in the same deal and going to a division rival. That one stings quite a bit because a lot of us over here had our sights set on Tarik Skubal, and you know, that was where the Brewers could go. Everyone’s coming up with packages for Skubal. And then ultimately, of course, he goes to the Dodgers. Where else would he go? And the Brewers have to pivot from there. And it’s like, okay, Dustin May kind of makes sense. You look at his profile, it’s like, okay, that seems like something the Brewers could work with and could enjoy. But the price that they paid to give up, I mean, that was very steep. You think there’s got to be some sort of inter-division tax on it. But the Brewers seem to want May. And you know, Ragsdale and Frias, I mean, those are certainly hurting us over here. I mean, the Cardinals did a great job to get those two pried away from the Brewers’ hands.

Jake Wood (04:07)
You know, you mentioned Tarik Skubal, and you know, from like a St. Louis perspective, this is gonna sound completely ass backwards, but like I wanted you guys to be the ones to land Tarik Skubal. I don’t think there’s anyone across baseball outside of Los Angeles that wanted to see Tarik Skubal, you know, in a Dodgers uniform and, you know, when you’re thinking about like the broader scope of baseball, right? And the potential of a lockout looming. And you think about, well, okay, so what other teams across the league can kind of build up to potentially, you know, lessen the blow leading into these labor negotiations that are seemingly centered around mostly, you know, the LA Dodgers and what they’re doing and their ruining of baseball and such, like if you could imagine a starting rotation with Tarik Skubal and MIZ and Kyle Harrison, like that I know it it gives you that that what if what what could have been Yeah, man, I

Dave Gasper (05:06)
Yeah. Gives you the goosebumps. Yeah.

Jake Wood (05:10)
Like, even from a Cardinals perspective, like I was rooting ’cause I wanted to see just how good that could be, as much as we’re all really sick of getting our asses kicked by the Brewers.

Dave Gasper (05:26)
Yeah, I mean, I think that’s one where, as much as you guys are sick of the Brewers beating you, I think everyone’s also sick of the Dodgers just running through everybody and everything and getting every single player that they want. And it’s just like, we’re just going to, you know, win the World Series, and now we’re gonna sign Kyle Tucker too and you know, give him sixty million dollars a year because why not? And it’s just it it’s insane what they’re doing over there and how they’re saying, like, we’re just smarter than everyone else, because it’s so smart to want to target Tarik Skubal. They are just absolute geniuses over there. No one else thought of that idea. But yeah, and then like you see all these national reporters come out blasting the Brewers for not trying enough, and it’s like, anyone can do this kind of deal. Why didn’t the Brewers try? Well, and then my friend Adam McCalvey of MLB.com puts out there basically what the Brewers’ offer was. And it’s like they’re putting in Luis Peña, another top 100 prospect, and then another fringe top 100 prospect. I mean, like that was a very, very strong offer that the Brewers gave.

Jake Wood (06:34)
Certainly.

Dave Gasper (06:35)
Now they were all hitters; that was the deal. The Tigers, if they wanted an MLB-ready pitcher that they could

Jake Wood (06:43)
Right.

Dave Gasper (06:43)
put in. Basically, they were targeting Logan Henderson. And the Brewers were like, we are not going to put Logan Henderson into this deal. I kind of wish they would have maybe thrown in, like, maybe a Robert Gasser, a Coleman Crowe, a Brandon Sprout, you know, one of those other guys that’s not Henderson. And maybe then you could have maybe been a bit closer, but the Brewers still put, I think, the stronger overall prospect package together. I mean, River Ryan’s 28 years old. Like Brady Smith is in like High-A with like a five-something ERA. Like the Brewers put together the better overall prospect package. You know, even though there wasn’t a pitcher in there, like that’s also where you can negotiate versus just calling

Jake Wood (07:25)
Right.

Dave Gasper (07:26)
The Dodgers and saying, Hey, let’s just get this done right away.

Jake Wood (07:29)
Right.

Dave Gasper (07:29)
And just ruin all of your leverage. So that whole thing just stinks to me. You know, how it went about. And like I wonder too, if maybe Alexander Frias was that third piece in that deal because Frias has been starting to populate on some of those top 100 lists.

Jake Wood (07:46)
Yeah.

Dave Gasper (07:47)
And you know, for him being kind of that fringe 100 guy and the fact that the Brewers ultimately did include him in a trade for a rental starting pitcher, that makes me wonder if he was potentially that third piece in that deal. And the Brewers were willing to move on from him, so you know that that’s where the Cardinals can kind of swoop in, being that pivot, as the Brewers had to pivot

Jake Wood (08:09)
Yeah.

Dave Gasper (08:10)
to Dustin May, and they end up getting one of those pieces that the Brewers were maybe thinking again- this is just pure speculation on my part that it’s him. But maybe one of those pieces that they were willing to include for Skubal, they end up sending to the Cardinals for May.

Jake Wood (08:26)
Yeah, and that’s there. There have been certain talking points as, you know, local St. Louis media has kind of talked about, you know, that’s kind of their read of the situation too, was that the Brewers were eyes set on Tarik Skubal, and whenever that didn’t happen, they were like, crap, you know, what’s what’s next? What’s plan B? And the Cardinals were just kind of sitting there like, Hey, you know, we’ve got Dustin May, you want you want a little piece of Dustin

Dave Gasper (08:52)
Yeah.

Jake Wood (08:52)
May? And Matt Arnold, like, you know, that doesn’t sound too bad. And so, like, jumped in that direction instead. And, you know, I can tell you that there were a lot, a lot of apprehensive Cardinals fans here in St. Louis, because it wasn’t until about like two o’clock Monday afternoon before this deal was consummated, and up until that point the Cardinals had done absolutely nothing, and so all of the fans were sitting here crying out, you know, Chaim, make a move, make a move, do something and our knight in shining armor, Matt Arnold, to the rescue.

Dave Gasper (09:26)
Yeah. Dude, it was the same kind of thing over here. I mean, like we like Brewers lose out on Tark Skubal. All they had done was get Bo Naylor from the Guardians and Cody Huer, who they ended up, you know, trading away. You know, like

Jake Wood (09:39)
Flipping. Yeah.

Dave Gasper (09:40)
They didn’t even want to keep Cody Huer. So all they ended up getting was Bo Naylor. And it’s like, Matt Arnold, are you gonna wake up? Are you gonna do something? You just let Skubal go. Like, like, come on. And so then it’s like, okay, yeah, you know, you get Dustin May and

It’s like, alright, hey, you know, there you go. I like him. He’s got a sinker. The Brewers love pitchers with sinkers. And then it’s like, you know, and then there was that time, ’cause there was still like an hour or so where we knew it was May and Romero. We did not know what the return was. And then when it comes

Jake Wood (10:09)
Yeah.

Dave Gasper (10:10)
out that it’s Ragsdale and Frias, everyone’s just like, no, what are we doing? Like

Jake Wood (10:14)
Ha ha ha ha.

Dave Gasper (10:16)
That is way too much. So yeah, that cost him a bit, and of course, like everyone begs him to do something and then he does something, and they’re like, Not that. Don’t do that. Trade prospects

Jake Wood (10:27)
Yeah.

Dave Gasper (10:28)
to get someone. Not THOSE prospects. Like it’s fun to see that play out.

Jake Wood (10:31)
Yeah. We want you to fleece somebody. Don’t give away the farm. Yeah. Well

Dave Gasper (10:36)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Trade prospects. The prospects we hate. You know, like, don’t trade the good ones. Well Yeah. Yeah.

Jake Wood (10:41)
Yeah. Well, that’s that’s every fan base, so I mean what do you what do you expect?

But you know, I do, I wanna kinda turn our attention to Dustin May just a little bit because I do think that even though he’s not Tarik Skubal, the Brewers are still getting a guy who can be a number three in that rotation, assuming health. Because I don’t know what the Brewers can take from how the Cardinals handled him, but the Cardinals were able to get, you know, the most healthy, most effective version of Dustin May so far. And you know, i we this season we saw a return of the top-end stuff that he’s able to generate. And even I know this is not the most pleasant memory for us in different circumstances, but Dustin May no-hit the Brewers through the first seven innings in a start back at the end of May. And I have to think that that memory kind of stuck in the back of the mind of Brewer’s front office members whenever thinking, okay, maybe Dustin May might be, you know, he may not be the top of the rotation arm we were looking to pair with Miz, but he’s still gonna give us you know, really good quality you know, in the middle of our rotation instead. And then I also think it’s really interesting that JoJo Romero was included in this package as well. Because whenever I look at the Brewers’ bullpen, now you can tell me I haven’t been paying as close attention to the Brewers’ roster. I know they have Aaron Ashby at the back end of games, but I also thought they had D L Hall back there, which was another lefty. Is he still injured, or is he active and returned?

Dave Gasper (12:15)
He’s back now. He just came back. Yeah, he had like a peck issue like a month or so ago, like tightened up on him. But yeah, he just came back the other day, and you know didn’t go super well. Came in for the seventh inning and ended up giving up a two-run homer to Endy Rodriguez, I believe,

Jake Wood (12:33)
Mm.

Dave Gasper (12:33)
and then ended up getting yanked for Antonio Sanzatella, the other Brewers trade deadline edition. So yeah, but yeah, you got DL Hall there, you got Aaron Ashby, and then you have Uribe, Abner Uribe, and Trevor McGill kinda locking down the eighth and ninth innings. So yeah, it’s a good bullpen, but one that could use some reinforcements. They have ridden their horses pretty hard. Aaron Ashby’s been used a ton. You know, Grant Anderson’s kind of been used a ton. Eurebay’s been used a ton. So they could use kind of some fresh arms back there.

Jake Wood (13:09)
And the good news is that, you know, Jojo’s not on the IL because of an arm issue. His appendix literally burst. And that was

Dave Gasper (13:17)
Yep. Yeah.

Jake Wood (13:18)
Actually, the surprising thing here in St. Louis for most of us was the fact that JoJo’s appendix bursting was the single giant death nail to the Cardinals’ wildcard hopes, and the Cardinals really had nobody to fill that leverage lefty role

Dave Gasper (13:35)
Mm-hmm.

Jake Wood (13:35)
out of their pen, which right out of the break, they were blowing games left and right. And, you know, I do wanna say that surface level numbers, JoJo Romero is not all that like impressive, but whenever he comes into games, into high leverage situations, you can count on that dude as nails to get you important like high leverage, high stress outs ninety-five percent of the time. And and I think that Brewer fans are gonna come to really like seeing JoJo Romero come out of that bullpen down the stretch, and especially as you guys get into October and you’re facing Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber and Matt Olson potentially and all of those those big lefties that perhaps you know Pat Murphy is gonna wanna go to earlier in a high leverage situation early if a if a starter just doesn’t have it that night in the playoffs, I think that JoJo Romero could be a a a very unheralded piece, a part of this. But, you know, you referenced it before, but what are the Cardinals and their organization getting in an Alexander Frias and a Josiah Ragsdale? Obviously, you know, they aren’t the very tippy top of the Brewers farm, but, you know, they both still come very highly regarded from a very deep Brewers system.

Dave Gasper (14:53)
Yeah, I mean, Frias, I mean, he’s got as much upside as anyone really. I mean, he’s got the potential to put it all together to maybe be like, you know, a top ten, top twenty prospect in all of baseball. If he continues on the trajectory that he’s been on. I mean, he lit up the complex league. Hasn’t been maybe quite as dominant in Low A Wilson, but still incredible tools, incredible talent there with him, power, you know. Contact ability, good speed. So lots of great stuff there with Frias. A little bit further away, but I mean, a teenager with some incredible, you know, raw talent, raw upside. Josiah Ragsdale, I mean, really a breakout prospect. He was a seventh-round pick out of Boston College. And has just, you know, lit up the minor leagues this year. I mean, him and Andrew Fisher and Josh Adamshewski and all those guys down in Appleton and then Biloxi on Double-A. I mean, they have just been raking all season, putting up monster numbers. Ragsdale, I mean, he was not expected to be this good. I mean, he’s expected to be solid.

Jake Wood (15:58)
Yeah.

Dave Gasper (16:00)
The power wasn’t necessarily expected to be there that much. But I mean, he’s got like a 20-20-30 season now, like 20 doubles, 20 homers, 30 steals, something like that. So, like the power has really kind of shown up quite a bit. The steals are there. But also you gotta watch out for that strikeout rate. I mean, even with his home runs and his success there in Double-A. The strikeout rate of near thirty percent with Double-A Biloxi. So, you know, there might be some question as to whether or not he’s gonna be able to make enough contact as he goes up the chain. But still a very talented player. You know, I think at the very least a pretty high floor of a fourth outfielder.

Jake Wood (16:38)
Yeah, that seems to be what the Cardinals’ new brain trust is targeting, especially, you know, specifically in like a Josiah Ragsdale, you know, their Double-A hitting coach, had talked to one of the St. Louis reporters and talked about how, you know, this this new front office, this new regime is looking for hitters who who pull the ball in the air, who can lift and separate to their pull side. And, you know, by all accounts, that’s something that Josiah Ragsdale and the Brewers development team kind of unlocked for him in that set that next level of his development. And I think that’s kind of what made him so appealing to the Cardinals as they’re kind of shifting their mindset and their approach to more of what the Brewers tend to feature, not so much from the offensive side, but from the pitching side. Guys with big stuff, guys that play, you know, at the top of the zone and can just overpower their opponents essentially, and then, you know, from an offensive sp perspective, big exit velocity, big tools, lots of moldable clay, if you will.

David, real quickly, where can fans find you on your socials? And can you give a quick plug to your show?

Dave Gasper (17:46)
Yeah, you can find me on X or Twitter, however you want to call it still, at @DGasper24. Got lots of content like you know from the clubhouse, covering the team out there. And then the show is Brewers Daily. It is on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, all those places. Just search Brewers Daily, and you’ll find it. So yeah, it’s plenty of places. And then you know, where I do all my writing is at brewcrewball.com.

Jake Wood (18:16)
And for Cardinals fans, David’s show is very similar to what we have here in St. Louis, and B-Schaeff Daily, Brendan Schaefer, who’s the writer for MLB.com locally. So it’s very similar to what his he’s is, and if you want to keep up to date on, you know, some of the Cardinals’ near-division foes, David does excellent work. You can stay as informed as you possibly could want to be following the Brewers. It’s been a wonderful follow for me ever since David and I kind of connected a few years ago before Viva El Birdos, back whenever it was still Rambling Redbirds and that whole spiel kind of

Dave Gasper (18:52)
yeah.

Jake Wood (18:53)
was my own mind creation. But I’m so glad to finally have been able to get you on the show and be able to talk to you. David, thank you so much for your time today. We sincerely appreciate it. Hopefully we can catch up after the season and a deep Milwaukee postseason run and do kind of a post-mortem on the NL Central.

Dave Gasper (19:12)
Yeah, absolutely appreciate it, man. Appreciate you having me on, and yeah, glad we were finally able to get something on the schedule and get something done here. So this was a lot of fun, happy to do it.

Jake Wood (19:22)
Absolutely. Thank you so much. And thank YOU so much for joining us for this episode of the Viva El Birdos Podcast. Don’t forget to rate, review, and hit that subscribe button so that you’re notified every Monday morning. For my fellow writers, Gabe Simonds and Scott Plaza, who were not with us physically tonight, but in spirit, my name is Jake Wood, and we’ll talk to you all next week and bring you more great Cardinals content. Have a great day, St. Louis, and let’s go Cards!

Why did the Diamondbacks acquire him?

Due to injuries, the Diamondbacks need pitchers.  At the trade deadline, the Diamondbacks intended acquisition of Clay Holmes did not happen.  Therefore, after the deadline, they were in the market for free agent pitchers. They signed Dennis Santana to a minor league contract.

Baseball Reference shows Clay Holmes on the list of ten pitchers most similar to Dennis Santana at age 29 (when Clay Holmes was a relief pitcher).  Perhaps Clay Holmes and Dennis Santana have qualities that the Diamondbacks look for when they acquire pitchers.  

Despite being released, the Diamondbacks saw Dennis Santana as a pitcher whose stuff had NOT declined from the level of excellence shown last season.

This season, his Whiff Percentage improved for his slider, 4-seam fastball, and his sinker. This season, batters whiffed at 37.6% of his sliders.

This season, his Got-The-Job-Done (zero earned runs and zero inherited runners scored) was 70%, which was above my demarcation line of 67%.  In other words, he performed excellently in 70% of his appearances.

Dennis Santana had experience with Jeremy Bleich (assistant GM focusing on pitching) that likely indicated that Santana was capable of change (improvement) and would be comfortable changing (improving).

Why might he improve?

Relief Pitcher Volatility.  Relief pitcher performance is volatile.  This season, half the Pirates relievers are better than last season (ERA+) and half are worse per Baseball Reference. 

Reversability.  His expected ERA (xERA) went from 3.22 (84th percentile) in 2024, to 3.51 (72nd percentile) in 2025, to 5.29 (10th percentile) in 2026 per Baseball Savant.  In the absence of injury, such a large change is very likely reversable.  Mike Hazen seems to think it is reversable.

“And we’re looking to make a few tweaks and see if we can’t get him back righted. He was a leverage reliever last year, and he’s still young, and his stuff didn’t decline. So we felt like it was a worthwhile shot.” — Mike Hazen

Improving from 10th percentile to 50th percentile would only be reversing about half way, but 50th percentile performance could be enough to improve the team enough to reach the playoffs.

Pitch Mix.This season he increased his percentage of 4-seam fastballs from 28.6% to 30.3%, and he increased his percentage of changeups from 6.1% to 15.0% per Baseball Savant.  This season, 6 of his 8 HRs allowed were on those two pitch types (which was disproportionately large).  The expected SLG was very high (.535 and .555) for those two pitches.  Perhaps changing his pitch mix would increase his performance.

Why might he be called up?

Three possible reasons:

Improved To Average.  If he has improved his pitching performance to at least the 50th percentile, and can improve the Diamondbacks chances to reach the playoffs.

Improved But Not Yet Average.  When he reaches his opt-out date, the Diamondbacks may call-him up based on optimism that his performance will continue to improve (even if he has not yet reached the 50 th percentile performance.

“Santana has an opt-out in his deal if he’s not in the Major Leagues by a certain point. That is standard for a player of his stature because they don’t want to be caught not being on a roster when Aug. 31 rolls around and eligibility for the postseason becomes a factor.” — Steve Gilbert

Injury Replacement.  If an injury happens, he may the best replacement option.

Why might he remain in the minors?

Two possible reasons:

Another Pitcher Was Signed. After they signed Dennis Santana, the Diamondbacks signed Zack Littell. In July, Zack Littell showed significant improvement, albeit one bad performance in five games. Ignoring his one bad performance, comparing July to June, his ERA improved from 4.26 to 1.37, and his home runs per 9 innings improved from 3.0 to 0.5.

With that type of performance, there is a good chance that Zack Littell will remain on the active roster for the rest of the season.

Worth noting is that although this season he averaged 4.9 innings per game, in 35% of his games he entered the game as a reliever. Perhaps he will be exclusively a long reliever, leaving room for Santana to possibly join the bullpen in a different role.

Improvement Not Seen. If the Diamondbacks do not see improvement in Dennis Santana, it is likely he will remain in the minors, even if he changes teams.

Summary.

The Diamondbacks had several good reasons to acquire Dennis Santana.  He might improve as a Diamondback because relief pitcher volatility, the reversability of this season’s decline in performance, and he could change his pitch mix.

Three reasons he could be called up by 31 August are improvement to average, optimism that his performance will continue to improve at the opt-out date, and injury replacement. 

The San Diego Padres promoted their top prospect, catcher Ethan Salas, to Triple-A El Paso on July 29. He has had 43 plate appearances over nine games since joining the Chihuahuas. The Pacific Coast League is notorious for inflated offense and is a challenge for pitchers trying to maintain a reasonable ERA. The air is dry and hot, and there is frequently elevation to deal with.

Salas had been on a plateau in Double-A, especially with extra-base hits over his past several weeks with San Antonio.

The move to El Paso could be viewed as an opportunity to boost his confidence while providing him an opportunity to hone his swing for more power.

It seems to have worked with Salas hitting .333/.419/.667 in his first two series with his new team. He has four doubles, a triple, two home runs, and 12 RBI. 

His catching skills have always been viewed as advanced for his years, and he has only 53 innings of catching El Paso’s pitchers to this point. He has two passed balls, one throwing error, and has a 20% caught stealing rate for his early return.

It can be debated whether it would be a wise move to bring Salas up in September when MLB teams can expand their rosters to 28 players. It might be better to add pitching for the Friars and leave Salas at Triple-A to finish the season. With a pending labor dispute at the MLB level, promoting Salas to the major league roster would put his further development at risk should a lockout occur later this year. He would be unable to work with the minor league players if unrest should linger into the 2027 season.

The Padres have a decision to make, but the promotion of their prized prospect is something that many fans are hoping they will move on.

Multiple roster moves

The Padres brass had decisions to make and made minor-league accommodations to add some of their most recent signings. The players signed after the draft have been in Arizona being evaluated, and a few were added to Single-A Lake Elsinore’s roster this past week.

Many more remain in Arizona playing in the games going on in the bridge league. Bridge league games are played on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (info per Jerry Espinoza on X). The league allows rehabbing and players in development to work on skills and be evaluated after the ACL concludes.

Padres utility player Samad Taylor is rehabbing with the bridge league before a formal rehab assignment.

To work the new Padres into the system, the organization made multiple cuts and adjustments to their minor league rosters.

With only 165 players allowed in the minor league system, many roster moves are needed to fold the new talent into competition. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (47-66 record, last in PCL East)

The Chihuahuas played in Reno this past week. The 4,500 feet of elevation helps the batted ball to fly but also decreases movement on thrown pitches. Padres rehabbing starter Joe Musgrove moved his rehab to the Chihuahuas on Sunday, throwing 3.1 innings of one-run ball on 6 hits and 2 strikeouts with no walks. His fastball hung between 94-96 mph, and he threw all his pitches. Musgrove relied heavily on his sinker and his fastball but also mixed in a curve, a sweeper, a cutter, and a slider. He had 42 strikes in his 53 pitches and left the game after hitting his pitch count.

Padres reliever, David Morgan, continued his rehab with El Paso this past week. Throwing twice during the week for 3.1 innings with three walks and an earned run. His velocity is back to 96-98 mph on his sinker, but he has no strikeouts with the walks.

The Padres signed minor league free agent pitchers JP France and Hans Crouse, adding them to the El Paso roster.

First baseman Romeo Sanabria, who was promoted in July, appeared in 21 games and was hitting .200 with a .575 OPS. Sanabria was sent back to San Antonio on Aug. 7.

With catcher Rudolfo Durán rejoining El Paso, catcher Anthony Vilar was sent to San Antonio. Outfielder Dustin Harris and RHP Michael Flynn were released, but Harris was resigned three days later. Infielder Nate Mondou was released.

RHSP Andrew Thurman was promoted from San Antonio to El Paso. RHP Andrew Moore was traded, and RHP Hunter Stratton was acquired.

LHP Jackson Wolf left the system via trade. 

RHP Eli Villalobos, RHP Ryan Och and outfielder Kavares Tears transferred to the 60-day injured list.

San Antonio Missions (49-59 record, last in Texas League South)

Undrafted free agent outfielder Jake Cunningham, who signed with the Padres on a minor league deal this past offseason, has thrived with the Padres after being released by the Orioles. He leads the team with a .294 average and .819 OPS. Over his 95 games between Fort Wayne and San Antonio, Cunningham has 19 home runs and 60 RBI, the most HR’s in the Padres minor league system.

Corner IF/OF Jack Costello and catcher Oswaldo Linares were promoted to San Antonio from Fort Wayne.

Outfielder Kai Murphy (son of MLB manager Pat Murphy) was moved to the development list.

Catchers Chris Sargent, Colton Vincent and RHP Andrew Dalquist were released.

LHSP Luis Gutierrez, who currently sits as the No. 14 prospect in the system, continues his rehab with San Antonio.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (46-60 record, last in Midwest League East)

LHP Kash Mayfield and RHP Miguel Mendez were traded off the roster. RHP Isaiah Lowe, RHP Sean Barnett and RHP Jeferson Villabona were promoted from Lake Elsinore.

RHP Clark Candiotti, RHP Luis German and infielder Zach Evans were released.

Infielder Bradley Frye, C/1B Yoiber Ocopio and outfielder Connor Westenberg were promoted from Lake Elsinore.

The Fort Wayne offense is still struggling, losing 5 of 6 games this past week. Outfielder Ryan Wideman leads the team with a .284 average but still has a .304 slugging percentage. 

The best overall player is first baseman Luke Cantwell with a .271 average and .906 OPS.

RHP Carson Montgomery is the leading starter after all the changes but has a 4.46 ERA in 74.2 innings pitched. RHP Abraham Parra has the most strikeouts with 73 in 77.1 innings with a 6.17 ERA.

Reliever Tucker Musgrove, who has 40 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched, has taken advantage of a new opportunity and has two saves with a 3.79 ERA.

Lake Elsinore Storm (58-50 record, first in Cal League South)

With a 4-2 record in the series against the former first-place Ontario Tower Buzzers, the Storm resumed the lead in their division. After winning the first half championship, Lake Elsinore is trying to wrap up second half honors as well. Their regular season ends on Sept. 6.

RHP Michael Salina, who had Tommy John surgery before being drafted by the Padres in the 4th round of the 2025 draft, finally began his rehab and was removed after one inning due to injury. He allowed a hit and had a strikeout before leaving the game.

LHP Ryan Reed, another 2025 draftee coming off injury, and LHP Joseph Herrera both arrived from the Arizona development list. Catchers Jake Bold and Augie Lopez (10th round draft pick) were added to the Lake Elsinore roster.

Outfielder Alex Conover (supplemental round four, 2026 draft) and third baseman Nu’u Contrades (6th round, 2026 draft) were both added to the Lake Elsinore roster.

Outfielder Jesmaylin Arias, who played 47 games in the ACL this year, was added to the Storm roster.

Infielder Dawson Willis was reinstated off the injured list.

Outfielder George Bilecki (12th round, 2025 draft), relievers Vicarte Domingo, Cal Riehl, and Carson Swilling were released.

LHP Kruz Schoolcraft was skipped over for his start this past week and the Storm used a bullpen game instead with LHP Adler Cecil making the start and LHP Ryan Reed making his debut.

DSL Padres Brown (9-38 record, last in West Division)

IF/OF Gabriel Teran has played in 21 games with a .377 average and 1.109 OPS. He leads the team with three home runs.  Third baseman and DH Osmy Osorio has 21 RBI while hitting .206, while C/IF/OF Sebastian Maldonado has 22 RBI while hitting .196.

DSL Padres Gold (35-14 record, first in Northwest Division)
Infielder Sebastian Nadales is hitting .442  with a 1.281 OPS in 13 games. OF/IF Endy Rios is hitting .404 with a 1.075 OPS in 15 games. C/IF/OF Dayquer Alfonzo it hitting .338 with a 1.025 OPS with four home runs and 47 RBI, tops on the team.

LHSP Carlos Alvarez has 10 starts and 39.1 innings pitched with a 3.66 ERA while LHSP Yunny Tovar has eight games started and 35 innings pitched with a 3.34 ERA.

Clay Holmes made his Cubs debut against the Royals on Saturday. It probably wasn’t the box score line he was looking for, but seeing as it was his first start since taking a comebacker that broke his leg in mid-May, it was perfectly fine. He threw four innings, giving up four runs (all earned) on six hits while walking two and striking out one. Here’s more about that outing directly from Holmes:

Clay Holmes on his first outing as a Cub ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/CMRYXzZJh1

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 9, 2026

Even if there are a few starts where Holmes needs to shake the rust off like his first outing, the Cubs clearly see something in his arsenal that should work well with their elite defense. Today let’s dive into the numbers behind this trade that sent one of their top prospects back to the Mets in Jefferson Rojas.

The arsenal

Holmes is your classic sinker ball pitcher. He throws his sinker, which averages 94 miles per hour, about 50 percent of the time. You know what that means: ground balls. You don’t even really have to squint to see what the Cubs front office sees in this move: ground balls with an elite defense are more likely to be outs. You can see all of Holmes’ pitches along with their velocity in this screengrab from Baseball Savant:

This is a pitcher who tinkers a bit. There have been changes to his arsenal over the last few years, but it’s mainly in how much he throws a certain pitch. The biggest thing to look at in Holmes’ pitches is that his role shifted considerably from 2024, when he was an elite reliever with the Yankees to 2025 when he became a credible starter with the Mets. You can see how Holmes’ pitch mix has changed over time below:

The stats

Holmes can tinker all he wants if he winds up with ground ball rates like the ones he’s had over the past few seasons for the Cubs. These numbers were truly eye-popping to me. I ran a FanGraphs leaderboard for every pitcher’s ground ball rates since 2021 split by season for pitchers with at least 50 innings a season. Holmes has four of the top 15 seasons out of 1961 total seasons (yes, really). His worst ground ball rate (2025 with the Mets) is still in the top 10 percent, ranking 119th. There is elite in a single season and then there is elite over time. Holmes is elite over time, and I am dreaming on the double plays he’s going to have turned behind him already. You can see key stats from his last six seasons below:

Season	Name	Team	W	L	SV	G	GS	IP	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	BABIP	LOB%	GB%	HR/FB	ERA	xERA	FIP	xFIP	WAR
2021	Clay Holmes	– – –	8	4	0	69	0	70	10.03	3.73	0.64	.273	68.35%	68.72%	15.63%	3.60	2.91	3.28	3.16	1.1
2022	Clay Holmes	NYY	7	4	20	62	0	63.2	9.19	2.83	0.28	.262	74.44%	75.76%	10.00%	2.54	2.40	2.85	2.90	1.2
2023	Clay Holmes	NYY	4	4	24	66	0	63	10.14	3.29	0.29	.301	74.12%	65.45%	7.14%	2.86	2.84	2.65	2.97	1.6
2024	Clay Holmes	NYY	3	5	30	67	0	63	9.71	3.14	0.57	.322	70.53%	64.97%	11.76%	3.14	3.25	3.02	3.01	1.2
2025	Clay Holmes	NYM	12	8	0	33	31	165.2	7.01	3.59	0.76	.280	74.02%	55.76%	10.53%	3.53	4.33	4.11	4.25	1.9
2026	Clay Holmes	– – –	4	5	0	10	10	56.2	7.31	3.18	0.64	.259	79.80%	57.93%	9.30%	2.86	4.22	3.50	3.73	1.1

Holmes isn’t going to strike out a large number of batters (although he’ll probably strike out more than one every four innings like his Cubs debut) but he also isn’t going to walk a bunch of batters. His hard hit rate was up to 44.8 percent before the injury with the Mets, which is certainly something to keep an eye on going forward. He did give up eight hard hit balls against the Royals, but honestly more than half of that was Jac Caglianone having the game of his life, so I’m not terribly worried about that as a trend going forward. The Cubs are banking on Holmes limiting the walks and and turning those ground balls, hard hit or not, into outs.

The return

This was the most groan-inducing return in what was generally a great trade deadline for the Cubs front office. Pitching was expensive, and admittedly, the Cubs also got Tyrone Taylor (more on him later this week) in this deal. However, Jefferson Rojas was a top prospect in the Cubs system for a reason. Don’t just take it from me, here’s what FanGraphs most recent write-up of the 21-year-old says:

Rojas had a monster half-season at High-A in 2025, walking nearly as often as he struck out and slashing 278/.379/.492. While it was his second spin through the level, his look on both sides of the ball was enough for us to elevate him into the Top 100 in the middle of the year and hold him there through the offseason despite a really rough late-season performance at Double-A Knoxville.

Back with the Smokies to start 2026, Rojas has produced a great early-season statline but has been striking out much more than is usual for him, albeit in a very small sample made all the smaller by time off for a minor thumb issue for which he was not placed on the IL. In the days preceding his shutdown, he was very error-prone on defense (flubs, throwing inaccuracy). While Rojas isn’t going to win any Gold Gloves (his range and hands are only fair), he has the body control and arm strength to make up for his shortcomings, and he projects to stay at shortstop.

On offense, Rojas has tended to be an above-average contact hitter with excellent plate coverage. He’s frequently geared to pull and was swinging inside a lot of sliders in the lead up to list publication, but this wasn’t an issue for him last year, when he had roughly average chase and miss rates against righty slide pieces. While he’ll occasionally get extended on a pitch away from him and drive it to right field, most of Rojas’ contact is directed toward the left field foul pole, where he hooks lots of doubles and potential homers. Though he’s young, Rojas is already a pretty physical guy, and he isn’t likely to add substantial strength without it nerfing some of his mobility on defense. Here he projects to have an average hit/power combo seasoned by plus plate discipline, which should be enough for him to play every day at shortstop. His timeline — we’re looking at a post-2026 40-man addition and (slow playing it) a 2028 debut — overlaps with the team’s other infielders enough that Rojas should be considered a prime trade candidate, especially if the Cubs’ hot start is a true indication of their contender status.

Takeaways

As I said in my grading the trade deadline article, the problem isn’t that the Cubs moved Rojas, it’s that the return for a prospect of Rojas’ caliber used to be controllable starting pitching rather than rentals. To put this in perspective, Rojas was immediately FanGraphs’ top prospect in the Mets organization and while prospects aren’t promises this could be a kid we all watch in the All-Star Game someday and bemoan the Cubs front office giving him up for rentals. The flip side of that is that the Cubs have a shot to win it all now, and those seasons are precious. Props to Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins for going for it this trade deadline. I think we’d all rather sigh watching Rojas slug against the Cubs in 2028 than sigh watching the Cubs fall one pitcher and a right-handed bat short of winning the NLCS in 2026.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing hasn’t played in a game since August 1 because of a “slightly torn UCL” in his right throwing arm.

There’s currently no timeline on Rushing’s return, as it will depend on whether the 25-year-old backstop will need to get surgery to fix the elbow tear.

If Rushing does need surgery, it will mean his 2026 season is over. But he doesn’t believe that will be necessary, which he made very clear on Monday.

“I don’t have to go lay on a table and get my arm cut open. That’s a good thing. That’s where we’re at right now,” Rushing said on Monday night, per The Athletic.

He added that doctors are, “not worried about anything structurally right now,” which is a big reason why he’s optimistic about not needing surgery.

Any degree of torn UCL in their throwing arms almost certainly means surgery and a nine to 12-month recovery for a pitcher. But because position players aren’t so dependent on throwing (especially when it comes to velocity), they can sometimes play through the injury, or at least delay when they need to get surgery and return to the field.

Los Angeles could use Rushing back in their lineup as soon as possible, given that their starting catcher, Will Smith, has been on the 60-day injured list since June with an inflamed disc in his neck. But it seems that Smith close be nearing a return in the relatively near future.

The Dodgers have lose eight of their past 10 games but still hold a commanding 7.5 game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West.

LOS ANGELES — For the third consecutive season, Blake Snell is returning from an injury in the second half of the season. He’ll be activated off the 60-day injured list on Tuesday to start against the Kansas City Royals, and the Dodgers are looking for another strong finishing kick, which has become the norm for Snell.

Snell made four rehab starts on his latest minor league rehab assignment, topping out at four innings, and lasted 3 2/3 innings last Tuesday for Triple-A Oklahoma City. While his first start back might not be too long, he’ll be expected to fill innings once he gets his legs under him.

“The goal is five and 75, but to get him through five innings would be great,” manager Dave Roberts said Monday. “I think if we could get him through five [Tuesday], which would be great and which he expects, we should be able to treat him like a normal starter, given that he has an extra day or two between those starts.”

Snell’s talent has been evident for his entire career, but staying on the field hasn’t been his hallmark. Of his 11 major league season he’s reached 130 innings twice, and won a Cy Young Award in both seasons — 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays and 2023 with the San Diego Padres.

In 2025, the first season of Snell’s five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers, he only made 11 regular season starts, and won’t quite reach that number this year. But the Dodgers are more concerned about Snell being one of their postseason rotation anchors, as he was last year with three Game 1 starts, a 3.18 ERA and a Dodgers postseason record with 41 strikeouts.

Strong finishes have been an annual tradition for Snell of late, usually after returning from injury. In 2024 with the San Francisco Giants Snell was sidelined by a left groin strain, last year with the Dodgers was shoulder inflammation, and this year the last three months were spent rehabbing from May arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow to remove loose bodies.

“It’s been a long season for me. I can’t wait to getting back to pitching and figuring everything out again, just seeing how good I can be,” Snell told Kirsten Watson on SportsNet LA over the weekend in Arizona. “I only have so many games to see that, so I’m excited to get good really quickly and help the team win.”

Here are Snell’s finishing kicks for those seasons, plus his 2023 Cy Young Award season:

• 2023 (Padres): final 23 starts, 19 runs allowed, 1.20 ERA, 3.12 xERA
• 2024 (Giants): final 14 starts, 12 runs allowed, 1.23 ERA, 1.89 xERA
• 2025* (Dodgers): final 14 starts, 26 runs allowed, 2.71 ERA, 2.56 xERA

*including postseason

“I feel very confident. I had a good conversation with him [Sunday], and he’s on a mission,” Roberts said of Snell. “I like when great, talented players have that mindset. He hasn’t unfortunately been a part of this whole season, but from here on out it’s a sprint, and he’s very focused.”

The latest news and notes about the Houston Astros:

Josh Hader pitched more than 1 inning for the first time this season, something that at the beginning of the year, Astros manager Joe Espada said he would not do this season:

Josh Hader, who threw 11 pitches in the ninth inning, is back out for the 10th. It is his first multi-inning appearance since his return from injury.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) August 11, 2026

Josh Hader had not pitched two innings since returning in June but did so Monday in a key development for the Astros' playoff chase. https://t.co/6zluaXyidE

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) August 11, 2026

Cam Smith is on fire:

It was a great night for the three players the Astros got from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade:

Hayden Wesneski gave up three runs in seven innings.

Cam Smith went 3-for-4 with a homer and game-tying single in ninth.

Isaac Paredes was 2-for-4 with a two-run double in 10th.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 11, 2026

Cam Smith’s last 10 games: .432/.462/.784 (1.245 OPS) with three homers.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 11, 2026

Yordan Alvarez continues to climb the Astros record books (he would go on to pass Gurriel with a single in the 6th):

This was the 866th hit of Yordan Alvarez's career, tying him with fellow Cuban Yuli Gurriel for 21st place on the Astros organization's all-time list. pic.twitter.com/kXZb4xt7Vz

— Javier Gonzalez (@Astros_Coverage) August 11, 2026

Some more Astros draft picks are headed to Single-A Fayetteville:

Two more 2026 draft picks are set to make their debuts this week in Fayetteville. pic.twitter.com/uyApgCzdqF

— Fayetteville Woodpeckers (@WoodpeckersNC) August 11, 2026

Isaac Paredes, after struggling through April and May, has rebounded to look much like he did a year ago since June 1:

Paredes keeps it going!💪 pic.twitter.com/9EMzJ01NUd

— Houston Astros (@astros) August 11, 2026

Jimmy Price of Astros Future lists the Astros new Top 30 Prospects after the draft:

The #Astros top 30 prospects list is here!

Here’s a look at the top five:

1. Kevin Alvarez
2. Xavier Neyens
3. Logan Hughes
4. Jack Radel
5. Albert Fermin

Full list here: https://t.co/qbk5OooDSNpic.twitter.com/VTvJJXCqlK

— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) August 11, 2026

Taylor Trammell is having the best season of his career:

A sliding snag by Trammell!#ChaseTheFight x @STIHLUSApic.twitter.com/73Ku7or8Mu

— Houston Astros (@astros) August 11, 2026

Not only are his overall numbers the best they have been, his platoon splits show him to be a quality platoon player with an OPS near .800 vs RHP

His second half numbers not only show an increase in power, but a tremendous drop in strikeout rate, with an equal increase in walk rate:

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Full slate Tuesday is here, and my favorite plays include a fade of Los Angeles Angels starter Ryan Johnson.

Join me as I dive into why I'm also expecting big nights from Griffin Conine and Junior Caminero in my three favorite MLB player props for Aug. 11.

Best MLB player props today

Ryan Johnson Over 2.5 earned runs (-118)

I find it hard to overlook the amount of data pointing toward Los Angeles Angels right-hander Ryan Johnson getting shelled this evening against the Texas Rangers.

According to Batters-Box’s current-season dataset, Johnson draws a Rangers lineup featuring six elite-rated hitters and one with a strong rating, making Texas the highest-rated offense and the only elite-rated team on today’s slate.

The Angels starter has posted a 7.25 ERA, 6.34 xERA and 1.66 WHIP over his last five starts. During that span, opposing hitters have also generated a 14.5% barrel rate against him.

In 198 games with a rating of at least 0.445, the Rangers have scored 4+ runs 56.1% of the time dating back to 2024. While that number covers an entire game, the underlying data starts with the opposing starting pitcher.

Playable to -125.

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ABTV, RSN

Griffin Conine Over 0.5 hits + runs + RBI (-143)

Miami Marlins outfielder and son of Mr. Marlin, Griffin Conine, enters Tuesday in a great spot against Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.

The superstar pitcher has struggled a ton against left-handed hitters. Over the last 60 lefties Skenes has faced, they are generating a 52% hard-hit rate, 14% barrel rate, and 65.5% elevation rate. During that stretch, those lefties have posted a .386 xBA, .670 xSLG, and .399 wOBA. Over the last 30 he has faced, those numbers are even worse.

Conine has been swinging it well over his last 10 games, posting a .257 ISO, 45% hard-hit rate, 15% barrel rate, and 80% elevation rate.

The young outfielder enters with an elite rating on Batters-Box while also covering over 77% of Skenes' pitches. In 20 games with an elite rating this season, he has surpassed this prop 60% of the time.

Win or lose, this is a great bet. Play this to -150, or bet Conine's hit prop down to -120.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MIAM, SNP

Junior Caminero Over 1.5 total bases (-127)

Tampa Bay Rays slugger Junior Caminero is set to have himself an evening in Sacramento.

The superstar enters tonight with an elite rating on Batters-Box, while also covering over 60% of Athletics right-hander Mason Barnett’s pitch mix. Over his last 25 elite ratings on the road, Caminero has surpassed this prop 60% of the time.

Barnett has allowed a 50% hard-hit rate and 66.7% elevation rate to right-handed hitters at home this season. Over his last 60 batters faced, those hitters are producing a 44% hard-hit rate, 16.7% barrel rate and 66.7% elevation rate. They also own a .333 xBA, .559 xSLG and .278 ISO during that stretch.

Meanwhile, Caminero has posted a .632 SLG and .395 ISO, while generating a 57% hard-hit rate and 21.4% barrel rate over his last 10 games.

I'd play this down to -130 if you're willing to pay the juice, or bet his home run and double props individually.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: RAYS, NBCSCA

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

This roadtrip has loomed large since last year, when the schedule first came out. Regardless of how the standings would look, we knew a nine-game slate against the Yankees, Astros and Brewers would be brutal. A year and change later, it’s still scary, but the silver lining of the 50th Flop is that it’s deadened much of the terror. I won’t speak for everyone, but this weekend I personally released my remaining hope (and subsequent frustrations) like a small coterie of bedraggled, mostly flightless pigeons. As a friend pointed out yesterday, going 3-6 on this trip would feel like a big win. We’ve written plenty on this site about the power and beauty of holding hope and expectations, but at this point, with what this team has shown, it’s freeing to look at each remaining game as simply a day with baseball. 

Game	Time	Mariners Starter	Yankees Starter	Mariners Win%	Yankees Win%
Game 1	Tuesday, August 11 | 4:05 pm	RHP Bryan Woo	LHP Ryan Weathers	49.4%	50.6%
Game 2	Wednesday, August 12 | 4:05 pm	RHP Bryce Miller	RHP Will Warren	46.9%	53.1%
Game 3	Thursday, August 13 | 10:35 am	RHP Logan Gilbert	LHP Max Fried	43.4%	56.6%

Overview	Mariners	Yankees	Edge
Batting (wRC+)	99 (9th in AL)	102 (7th in AL)	Yankees
Fielding (FRV)	-33 (15th)	13 (3rd)	Yankees
Starting Pitching (FIP-)	94 (5th)	83 (1st)	Yankees
Bullpen (FIP-)	95 (5th)	92 (1st)	Yankees

I don’t know, dude. They’re the Yankees, what more do you want me to say? They’ve won a lot of baseball games. Not as many as they have in the past, and definitely not as many as the Rays, which has to annoy them, but mostly is just messing up the Wild Card race. 

Player	Position	Bats	PA	K%	BB%	ISO	wRC+
Trent Grisham	CF	L	390	16.9%	12.3%	0.178	98
Ben Rice	DH	L	483	25.1%	12.0%	0.288	148
Heliot Ramos	LF	R	327	27.2%	5.5%	0.157	97
Luis García Jr.	1B	L	395	15.7%	4.6%	0.271	132
Jazz Chisholm Jr.	2B	L	431	31.1%	10.0%	0.180	92
Spencer Jones	RF	L	133	35.3%	11.3%	0.178	94
George Lombard Jr. (MiLB)	SS	R	358	21.2%	16.8%	0.215	140
Ryan McMahon	3B	L	283	30.4%	7.8%	0.160	84
Austin Wells	C	L	268	26.5%	11.2%	0.124	63

I look forward to the 2044 court case, when Aaron Judge sues Ben Rice for siphoning his health this season. With Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton all shelved with various maladies, the Yankees focused on bringing in some potent bats at the trade deadline. They added Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos and called up their top prospect George Lombard Jr. García is in the midst of a huge power breakout this year and Lombard should be the shortstop of the future after Anthony Volpe flamed out.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Ryan Weathers	121	26.2%	6.8%	15.7%	47.3%	3.79	3.65
Bryan Woo	127.1	24.3%	5.2%	8.6%	37.6%	4.31	3.20

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	25.1%	19.4%	95.8	99	98	85	0.408
Sinker	16.7%	26.2%	94.1	94	63	83	0.380
Changeup	30.0%	6.5%	85.7	102	114	88	0.250
Slider	9.2%	21.0%	87.0	110	113	87	0.251
Sweeper	18.9%	26.9%	81.2	110	113	103	0.294

From a previous series preview:

The new man in the starting rotation, Ryan Weathers is a product of the Marlins pitching development pipeline. He’s struggled with a bunch of different injuries over the last few years but none of them have required surgery. His raw stuff leveled up during spring training last year, adding a tick of velocity to his entire repertoire and adding a ton of movement to his changeup and sweeper. We didn’t get to see that revamped arsenal in action for very long before a lat strain derailed his season. His raw stuff was even more impressive this spring; his fastball was regularly touching 99 mph, which would make him one of the hardest throwing left-handed pitchers in all of baseball. His two secondary pitches are fantastic at generating whiffs and he’s confident enough with his changeup to use it against both righties and lefties. There’s a lot of unfulfilled promise with Weathers — he’s yet to prove that he can stay healthy and that all this raw stuff can produce outs regularly — but he’ll get an opportunity to prove it all with the Yankees this year.

Weathers has had a bit of an up-and-down season for the Yankees, but he’s stayed healthy and has posted back-to-back scoreless outings. In his first start of the season way back in April, he held the Mariners to just a single run in 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Will Warren	114	23.0%	7.5%	12.7%	43.3%	4.18	3.85
Bryce Miller	79	25.8%	4.9%	13.1%	37.8%	3.08	3.83

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	35.3%	38.7%	93.7	110	96	96	0.298
Sinker	36.7%	18.6%	93.3	103	137	104	0.360
Changeup	0.9%	20.4%	87.0	97	99	123	0.259
Curveball	1.7%	7.4%	81.3	106
Sweeper	25.5%	14.9%	84.1	97	63	82	0.399

Thanks to the injury to Gerrit Cole last spring, Will Warren earned a spot in the Yankees rotation out of the gate last year and posted a solid first full season in the big leagues. His 4.44 ERA was a bit higher than his 4.07 FIP, but his peripherals gave him a solid foundation to build off of. This year, he’s taken a small step forward. His ERA and FIP are still a little out of sync, but he’s cut his walk rate by nearly two points while maintaining his excellent strikeout rate. His low arm slot gives his pitches plenty of horizontal movement and his four-seam adds a generous amount of ride for his arm angle. He’s got a pretty good sweeper to pair with his fastball, but it can get hit around a bit, especially by left-handed batters.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Max Fried	81.1	24.0%	8.0%	1.4%	48.5%	2.88	2.40
Logan Gilbert	139.1	26.4%	5.8%	11.9%	37.7%	3.42	3.57

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	18.8%	17.8%	95.0	102	102	112	0.259
Sinker	14.1%	45.1%	93.2	108	126	121	0.268
Cutter	28.1%	7.0%	91.9	101	121	120	0.226
Changeup	16.2%	0.7%	85.6	102	94	78	0.241
Curveball	14.9%	7.3%	73.9	118	87	125	0.218
Slider	1.1%	2.8%	84.4
Sweeper	6.9%	19.2%	80.1	110	78	139	0.178

From a previous series preview:

After signing a massive eight-year free agent deal with the Yankees in December 2024, Max Fried posted one of the best seasons of his career in New York. His velocity was up two ticks and he rejiggered his pitch mix to emphasize his cutter against right-handed batters. With two fantastic breaking balls, a solid changeup, and three different fastball looks, he’s got a weapon for any situation. If he needs a swing and miss, he’ll turn to one of the best curveballs in baseball. If he needs a groundball out, he’ll go to his sinker or changeup. That deep repertoire paired with excellent command makes him one of the toughest pitchers to face in the AL.

A bone bruise on his throwing elbow interrupted Max Fried’s season in May. He missed a month and a half of the season but recently returned from the IL at the end of July. He’s leaned pretty heavily on his cutter this year and it’s been one of the most effective pitches in the majors. Back in April, he held the Mariners scoreless across seven innings, allowing just three hits while striking out six.

---

The Big Picture:

Team	W-L	W%	Games Behind	Run Diff	Recent Form
Astros	61-59	0.508	—	-25	L-W-L-L-W
Rangers	60-59	0.504	0.5	-33	W-W-W-L-W
Mariners	56-63	0.471	4.5	-19	W-L-L-L-L
Athletics	47-72	0.395	13.5	-168	L-L-W-W-L
Angels	45-74	0.378	15.5	-94	W-W-L-L-L

Team	W-L	W%	Games Behind	Run Diff	Recent Form
Yankees	66-52	0.559	+7.0	+82	W-L-W-W-L
Red Sox	64-54	0.542	+4.5	+83	W-W-L-L-L
Rangers	60-59	0.504	—	-30	W-W-W-L-W
Tigers	58-60	0.492	1.5	+87	L-W-L-W-W
Twins	59-61	0.492	1.5	-31	W-W-L-L-W
Guardians	58-61	0.487	2.0	-27	L-L-W-L-L

Don’t look at this. That’s not healthy. Maybe leave this alone for a little bit. We can check back before they go to Houston, maybe.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Royals fans and fans across the country.

Earlier this week, John Sherman sat down for a recorded interview with Josh Vernier of 96.5 FM The Fan. During the course of the interview, Sherman provided something of a state of the union address for the team. Royals Rundown covered it extensively in their latest podcast, but the aspect I want to focus on today is his assertion that J.J. Picollo’s assertion that the team intends to compete next year is accurate.

I was heartened by the fact that Sherman seemed to acknowledge the amount of work the team needs to do in order to achieve that goal. He noted that they only have three healthy starting pitchers under contract, that the bullpen needs a complete overhaul, and the lineup probably needs an addition or two. However, he also seemed to take for granted that the team would be healthier and that the younger players would continue to get better.

He also indicated that the team believes they can improve the bullpen without spending a lot of money. It’s true that very good relievers can often be had at low cost and that even the expensive relievers can have bad years. Check out the Dodgers’ attempts to fortify their own bullpen last year with Tanner Scott and this year with Edwin Díaz. And finding five or more (definitely more) relievers in a single offseason is a big task. To say nothing of making the other changes. The Mets tried to do a similarly-sized overhaul of their own team in the past offseason, and they’re one of the few teams nearly as bad as the Royals this year.

Still, Sherman said the team knew it would have to spend some serious money, especially in the rotation. Does that mean they’ll be in the running for Tarik Skubal or Casey Mize? Only time will tell. Either way, are you feeling better after hearing him speak?

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We’ve reached a big part of the minor league calendar, as this past week marked the debuts of eight members of the Yankees’ 2026 draft class in A-ball, which also coincided with a number of position player promotions. While the prep bats and all pitchers will likely be held back until 2027, it’s a great time to get to see these newbies in action.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Record: 24-13 (61-50), 0.5 GA in the International League East after a 2-4 week against the Rochester Red Wings (Nationals)

Run differential: +43 (+46)

Coming up: Away @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies)

The RailRiders’ eight-game winning streak unceremoniously ended with a dominant week by Rochester, slowing the momentum of a team that has been one of the best in Triple-A for several weeks. Scranton lost four consecutive games by a total of 29 runs from Wednesday to Saturday before rallying back from a late deficit to salvage the series finale on Sunday.

Deadline reinforcements by the Yankees have a trickle-down effect on the Triple-A team, which has seen its roster utterly decimated by injuries, promotions, and opt-outs over the course of the season. With the recent demotions of Anthony Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and Max Schuemann, however, they have as much offensive talent as you could ask for. All three came up big this week, with the former two both homering and the latter putting up two three-hit games. The recent signings of Christian Bethancourt (who has been red hot since joining the org) and veteran Mitch Garver only bolster it:

The RailRiders’ lineup took its lumps with injuries forcing call-ups and opt-outs, but things look as good as they’ve been all season for the current International League leaders. pic.twitter.com/kHA3O6BhYz

— Yankees Prospect Watch (@NYY_Prospects) August 7, 2026

Both of the games they won were tossed by the same man, as Brendan Beck got the bookend starts on Tuesday and Sunday and seemed to be the only RailRiders pitcher to slow down that Rochester offense, striking out a career-high 12 on Tuesday. None of the veterans held up in the other three starts, while Elmer Rodríguez’s recent stretch of strong starts came to a screeching halt with five walks in four choppy innings. We also saw Carlos Rodón get back on the mound on Saturday, but he was ineffective in 2.2 innings.

Overall, it was a nightmare week for the bullpen, with the exception of a strong week by Bradley Hanner, who’s probably the next man up in the Scranton Shuffle outside of Angel Chivilli, who also looked good in his one outing. Eric Reyzelman, Chris Kean, and Zach Messinger all struggled.

Players of Note:

Jasson Domínguez: .309/.388/.496, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 10 SB, 130 wRC+
Marco Luciano: .288/.378/.475, 9 HR, 30 RBI, 22 XBH, 123 wRC+
Oswaldo Cabrera: .296/.353/.436, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 26 XBH, 104 wRC+
Brendan Beck: 9-2, 2.66 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 19.7 K-BB% (115 IP)
Elmer Rodríguez: 7-3, 2.85 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.32 WHIP, 11.7 K-BB% (85.1 IP)

Double-A Somerset Patriots

Record: 18-21 (55-53), 5 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after a 2-4 week against the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians)

Run differential: -14 (+22)

Coming up: Home vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays)

It was a mess of a week for Somerset, who won back-to-back one-run games on Wednesday and Thursday before getting blasted in every other game, including a 14-run bludgeoning on Tuesday. For a team who’s shown such great highs, their lows are going to likely keep them out of the postseason.

The offense got a major boost this week with the promotion of resurgent 21-year-old prospect Roderick Arias, who’s been one of the best hitters in the system since the start of June. His first week in Double-A went well, as he went 9-for-25 with five RBI and three extra-base hits. His reduced strikeout rate has also been a major development. It was a good week for Josh Moylan (7-for-22, HR, 5 RBI, 4 XBH), Coby Morales, and DJ Gladney, who only missed a week with his prior injury.

Things didn’t go well for the starting rotation this week. Cade Smith got the bookend starts and struggled with command, allowing nine runs in nine innings. Chase Hampton’s (3 IP, 5 R) struggles continued, Ben Hess (4.2 IP, 6 R) had a rare blowup start, and Rory Fox’s (5.2 IP, 5 R) second Double-A start wasn’t one to remember. The one constant remains Xavier Rivas, who’s quickly pushing to be one of the best pitching prospects in the organization, tossing a quality start with six strikeouts.

You either had it or you didn’t this week in the bullpen. Michael Arias, Matt Keating, and Harrison Cohen certainly didn’t have it, but Kevin Stevens, Geoffrey Gilbert, and Hayden Merda did, with the latter tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Players of Note:

Jace Avina: .258/.364/.507, 19 HR, 56 RBI, 45 XBH, 25.2 K%, 133 wRC+
DJ Gladney: .267/.325/.503, 19 HR, 68 RBI, 17 SB, 118 wRC+
Coby Morales: .271/.356/.489, 18 HR, 72 RBI, 17 SB, 126 wRC+
Xavier Rivas: 6-4, 3.65 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 22.2 K-BB% (81.1 IP)
Ben Hess: 3-4, 4.45 ERA, 4,69 FIP, 1.45 WHIP, 13.7 K-BB% (56.2 IP)

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades

Record: 21-21 (51-55), 4 GB in the South Atlantic League North after a 4-2 week against the Greenville Drive (Red Sox)

Run differential: +28 (+37)

Coming up: Home vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)

The only full-season affiliate with a winning week, the Renegades rode some fresh faces to a strong offensive week, averaging 8.5 runs per game on the week. In the series finale on Sunday, they secured a series win with a 15-12 marathon victory in 12 innings that saw four combined home runs in extras. Fun!

The offense got an infusion of talent with the promotions of Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek and UDFA backstop David McCann, with the latter mashing three homers this week in what’s been a great debut season. The incumbents were also a big part of things, as Eric Genther (7-for-18, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 3 XBH) and Core Jackson (7-for-19, 6 BB, 3 XBH) had great weeks. We also saw a 2026 draft class sighting, as UDFA Maika Niu (5-for-12, HR, 7 RBI) and 20th-rounder Dean Toigo (5-for-14, 3 RBI, 2 XBH) made their pro debuts at the level, getting big hits. It was also an unbelievable week on the basepaths, as they went 31-for-31 on stolen bases as a team.

On the pitching end, it was up and down. Franyer Herrera had one of his worst outings of the year and Allen Facundo struggled with command despite nine strikeouts in 4.1 innings, but they got solid starts out of Bryce Cunningham (5 IP, 3 R), Sean Paul Liñan (4 IP, 1 R), and Luis Serna (5 IP, 0 R), while welcoming back 2025 fourth-rounder Pico Kohn back from a multi-month absence. He didn’t finish the third inning as he continues to build up, but it’s a good sign for a guy who the team needs to break out in 2027.

Players of Note:

Eric Genther: .274/.408/.433, 11 HR, 56 RBI, 29 XBH, 126 wRC+
Core Jackson: .252/.358/.464, 12 HR, 47 RBI, 29 SB, 118 wRC+
Jackson Lovich (A/A+): .284/.354/.490, 18 HR, 69 RBI, 29 SB, 118 wRC+
Luis Serna: 5-5, 4.44 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.22 WHIP, 18.7 K-BB% (93.1 IP)
Bryce Cunningham: 2-7, 4.48 ERA, 4.73 FIP, 1.35 WHIP, 8.7 K-BB% (68.1 IP)

Single-A Tampa Tarpons

Record: 27-14 (59-42), 3.5 GA in the Florida State League West after a 3-3 week against the Clearwater Threshers (Phillies)

Run differential: +52 (+75)

Coming up: Away @ Dunedin Blue Jays (Blue Jays)

Tampa still has not lost a series since mid-June, with that streak narrowly surviving against Clearwater after being swept in a Friday doubleheader before winning back-to-back games over the weekend to secure the split and keep them firmly in a playoff spot with a few weeks to go.

A large part of the offense that got them here has moved on to Hudson Valley, so in their place, they have the rookie ball call-ups that came up last week and six 2026 draftees, including fourth-rounder Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II and fifth-rounder Bear Harrison. The former flashed some extremely impressive exit velocities, while the latter had a few big hits. 11th-rounder Anthony Potestio (4-for-9, HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB) performed best, Luis Puello had a clutch two-homer game late in the week, and Yostin Pena kept producing until a potential injury on Saturday; hold your breath.

In the rotation this week, nobody except J.T. Etheridge (0.2 IP, 3 R) left with anything to complain about. Sabier Marte (3.2 IP, 3 R) lagged behind, but everyone else looked good, even recent call-up Edinzo Marquez, who allowed one run in four innings after a spectacular return to the level last week. Tyler Boudreau (5.2 IP, 3 R) finished an out shy of a quality start, and Wyatt Parliament allowed just one run in five innings, but the star of the show was the six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts for Justin West in the best start of his brief professional career.

A few FCL call-ups made their Single-A debuts this week, with the best of the bunch being Rafael Arias’ 2.1 scoreless innings. The real storyline, though, was the return of converted catcher Antonio Gomez. Once considered one of the best defensive backstop prospects in recent memory, he’s since converted to a fireball reliever, throwing a truly alien fastball at 100 mph and 18 inches of induced vertical break. The 24-year-old might have an MLB career path after all.

🎙️Antonio Gomez makes 2026 debut….😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

Throws 6 pitches and Ks first 2:
FB 99.6, FB 100, FB 99.8
CTR 88.5, FB 100.6, FB 100.7

ALL BUSINESS ⛽️⛽️#RepBx#Yankeespic.twitter.com/fGjCLx52dT

— YankeesFarm (@YankeesFarm) August 9, 2026

Players of Note:

Luis Puello: .288/.377/.514, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 13 XBH, 131 wRC+
Yostin Pena (DSL/A): .275/.385/.425, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 34 SB, 117 wRC+
Hans Montero: .243/.371/.436, 11 HR, 49 RBI, 34 XBH, 31 SB, 115 wRC+
Tyler Boudreau: 6-2, 3.38 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 1.08 WHIP, 18.3 K-BB% (85.1 IP)
Justin West: 7-3, 4.96 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 1.42 WHIP, 17.0 K-BB% (85.1 IP)

FCL Yankees

Record: 29-29, 7.5 GB in the FCL North

Run differential: +2

Season over.

Players of Note:

Wilberson De Pena: .358/.411/.677, 16 HR, 65 RBI, 37 XBH, 22 SB, 152 wRC+
Jose Castro: .328/.488/.552, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 29 SB, 158 wRC+
Richard Matic: .283/.394/.439, 22 XBH, 28 RBI, 14 SB, 108 wRC+
Dexters Peralta: .229/.352/.505, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 20 XBH, 100 wRC+
Edinzo Marquez: 28.2 IP, 2.20 ERA, 4.79 FIP, 1.22 WHIP, 16.1 K-BB%

DSL Yankees & Bombers

DSL Yankees:
Record: 29-19, 3 GB in DSL East after a 4-1 week
Run differential: +124

DSL Bombers:
Record: 21-27, 11.5 GB in DSL Southeast after a 1-3 week
Run differential: +8

The DSL Yankees have the second-best run differential in the 60-team league, yet are currently 14th in winning percentage. Makes sense. They had a great week, headlined by truly ridiculous offensive performances by Juan Torres (12-for-21, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB, 1 2B) and Isaias Castillo, who is now one of five players in DSL history to hit 14+ home runs in a season. Torres, with seven games left, is now fifth all-time in RBIs by a DSL player. After several years of really struggling to find genuine talent in the D.R. complex, the Yankees are hitting home runs in 2026.

A truly special hitting season in the DSL this year.

Isaias Castillo has the franchise record in homers.

Yostin Pena was on pace to hammer the all-time DSL RBI record pre-promotion.

Juan Torres’ .388 BA would be the highest by a qualified DSL Yankee ever.

— Yankees Prospect Watch (@NYY_Prospects) August 8, 2026

Players of Note:

Isaias Castillo: .302/.421/.643, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 32 XBH, 24 SB, 138 wRC+
Juan Torres: .382/.464/.651, 8 HR, 61 RBI, 25 XBH, 20 SB, 161 wRC+
Poly Ojeda: .337/.492/.571, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 12 XBH, 163 wRC+ (90 PA)
Fredy Penuelas: 44 IP, 1.84 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 1.07 WHIP, 20.1 K-BB%
Cesar Acosta: 46.2 IP, 3.47 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 21.1 K-BB%

Prospect of the Week: Brendan Beck

Weekly Stats: 1-0, 10.2 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 20 K
Season Stats: 9-2, 2.66 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 19.7 K-BB% (115 IP)