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Ryan Clifford

Week: 6 G, 19 AB, .316/.417/.895, 6 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 4 BB, 5 K, 1/1 SB (Triple-A)

2026 Season: 49 G, 177 AB, .226/.305/.458, 40 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 21 BB, 72 K, 4/5 SB, .309 BABIP (Triple-A)

Ryan Clifford has now appeared in 350 games as a member of the Mets organization since being traded here on August 1, 2023 along with Drew Gilbert in exchange for Justin Verlander and cash considerations. Over that period of time, which has seen him play 63 games for the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones, 204 games with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies, and 83 games with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, he has struck out 431 times. He is currently leading the minor league system in strikeouts, tallied the second-most in 2025, and had the third-most in 2024.

Since 2021, when the current iteration of minor league baseball began, Jaylen Palmer has more strikeouts than anybody else in the organization, with 609 punchouts and counting- and if you add his strikeouts from his time in the Chicago White Sox organization last season, that total increases to by 154 to a whopping 763. Scrolling down the list, Ryan Clifford’s name comes in at seventh, tied with Wyatt Young, with 431 strikeouts.

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Player	Games	Strikeouts	Walks	Home Runs
Jaylen Palmer	424	609	158	40
Luke Ritter	555	570	275	93
Alex Ramirez	495	543	197	13
Omar De Los Santos	408	511	99	43
William Lugo	461	469	209	45
Kevin Parada	374	441	149	39
Ryan Clifford	350	431	219	64
Wyatt Young	538	431	266	18
Stanley Consuegra	358	420	121	48
Colin Houck	275	401	120	17
Jose Peroza	351	384	163	35
Yohairo Cuevas	375	370	218	11
Rowdey Jordan	370	365	187	28
Ronny Mauricio (MiLB)	381	363	96	78
Brandon McIlwain	345	361	145	29
Carlos Cortes (MiLB)	403	358	179	57
Jefrey De Los Santos	322	338	137	20
Chris Suero	322	336	200	36
Vincent Perozo	330	334	118	21
Nick Morabito (MiLB)	341	316	164	16
JT Schwartz	434	312	191	27
Hayden Senger (MiLB)	267	305	68	23
Kevin Villavicencio	437	292	115	11
Jett Williams	294	290	206	31
Ronald Hernandez	299	287	175	19

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Although he may have catastrophic contact and swing & miss issues, Clifford also recoups some of that value by drawing a large number of walks and displaying in-game power, something very few of the organizational strikeout leaders since 2021 have.

Channing Austin

Week: 1 G (1 GS), 6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (High-A)

2026 Season: 8 G (8 GS), 38.1 IP, 20 H, 6 R, 5 ER (1.17 ERA), 22 BB, 48 K, .221 BABIP (High-A)

Channing Austin is enjoying an excellent season. In eight games now, he has a 1.17 ERA in 38.1 innings, with 20 hits allowed, 22 walks, and 48 strikeouts. Quickly scanning the surface stats, I was a bit worried that the right-hander would have home/road splits; Maimonides Park (FKA Keyspan Park until 2009 and MCU Park until 2021) has a habit of making some very pedestrian pitchers look like aces.

Last season, the Cyclones had the second-best ERA in the South Atlantic League (3.30), with Noah Hall leading the way with a 2.72 ERA. In 2024, they had the sixth-best ERA (3.94), with Jonah Tong posting the best ERA on the team (3.71). In 2023, they had the second-best ERA (3.72), with Tyler Stuart leading the charge (1.55). In 2022, they had the second-best ERA, with Nick Zwack posting the best (1.84). And in 2021, as members of the “High-A East”, the Cyclones were fifth-best in the league (4.51), with Justin Lasko having the best individual season (2.81).

Sure enough, Channing Austin does have some somewhat noticeable home/road concerns. In 15.2 innings at home, thrown over 3 starts, the right-hander has a 1.15 ERA, with 5 hits allowed, 7 walks, and 18 strikeouts. On the road, he has a 1.19 ERA in 22.2 innings thrown over 5 starts, with 15 hits allowed, 15 walks, and 30 strikeouts. While the earned runs allowed and strikeout numbers are roughly the same, which is good, the amount of hits allowed and the number of walks issued balloon on the road, as opposed to at home. Opposing batters are hitting .094/.200/.170 against him with a .118 BABIP while at home and .188/.327/.250 with a .294 BABIP on the road.

Pulling back the microscope from home/away splits and looking at his overall body of work, again, there are a lot of red flags of concern. A .221 BABIP is not realistically sustainable. An 89.2% LOB%, also not realistically sustainable. A 2.9% HR/FB%? Same thing. With a 39.3% groundball rate and 40.5% flyball rate, hits will start landing.

Brooklyn has habit of making players without premium stuff look like studs. The 2019 NY-Penn champions were led by Garrison Bryant, who posted a 2.39 ERA in 75.1 innings, allowing 49 hits, walking 14, and striking out 75. The year before, Jaison Vilera posted a 1.82 ERA in 73.2 innings with 50 hits allowed, 22 walks, and 78 strikeouts. Harol Gonzalez nearly won the New York-Penn League Triple Crown in 2016 with a 7-3 record, 2.01 ERA and 88 strikeouts. Shifting focus to a player who eventually made the majors, Corey Oswalt posted a 2.26 ERA in 67.2 innings with 55 hits allowed, 15 walks, and 59 strikeouts. Seeing a pattern here? That’s not to say that good pitchers haven’t passed through Coney Island and dominated, but the stadium (and at times, the league) has had a habit of hiding the flaws of players who otherwise weren’t equipped to progress to the top of the mountain of professional baseball.

The 24-year-old Channing does not have premium stuff. His fastball is a solidly average-to-above-average pitch in a vacuum, possessing above-average velocity and flashing above-average induced vertical break readings in the past; the pitch plays down however because of his poor command of the pitch. The same can be said of his slider and curveball, both of which are fringe-average-to-average pitches, also play down because of the poor command. His changeup, which is a decidedly below-average pitch? You guessed it.

You can’t take away what the Brooklyn native has done so far: two months in, roughly one-third of the 2026 season, he’s posted incredible surface numbers. It would be great if that train keeps on rolling, but the totality of the evidence suggests that it probably won’t.

Players of the Week 2026

Week One/Two (March 27-April 5): Hayden Senger/Cam Tilly

Week Three (April 7-April 12): A.J. Ewing/Christian Scott

Week Four (April 14-April 18): Randy Guzman/Jose Chirinos

Week Five (April 21-April 26): A.J. Ewing/Channing Austin

Week Six (April 30-May 3): A.J. Ewing/Jonah Tong

Week Seven (May 5-May 10): Ryan Clifford/Jonathan Santucci

Week Eight: (May 12-May 17): Jacob Reimer/Zach Thornton

Marcelo Mayer is now officially the Red Sox shortstop (for now, anyway) but there are a lot fewer questions about his glove than there are his bat. And when it comes to his bat, it isn’t hard to pinpoint where the issues lie: “He’s 1 for 35 since his call-up on changeups, a .029 average that is the worst in the big leagues. He’s 2 for 34 on “shadow zone” pitches near or just below the bottom of the strike zone, including 1 for 19 this season.“ (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

There have been fewer questions about Masataka Yoshida’s bat this season, but still plenty of questions about how he fits into the lineup. As a result, he has a predictably sanguine attitude about the possibility of getting traded. “It’s part of the game, right? If it happens, it happens,” he said. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Considering the fact that the Red Sox are dead-last in the league in runs scored, we shouldn’t be focused on trading away hitters, anyway. And indeed, we are starting to hear whispers that the Red Sox are “looking for a right-handed bat” on the trade market. (Lauren Campbell, MassLive)

Any deal for big league talent would likely mean sending prospects out of the system, so it’s a good time to read up on Keith Law’s latest scouting report on a few notable Sox names. Here’s what he has to say about much-hyped 2025 draftee Kyson Witherspoon, who has struggled thus far in single-A: “If I had zero history on the guy at all, I’d say he’s a very likely reliever — he doesn’t repeat his delivery, his command is a 45 at best (on the 20-80 scouting scale) and neither the slider nor cutter is an out pitch yet. Given how much the Red Sox have changed him, however, I’m inclined to give him a lot of slack. Changing an arm action like this is a big deal and it might take him most of the year to get comfortable with it.” (Keith Law, The Athletic)

So it sounds like Witherspoon is not going to repeat Payton Tolle’s feat of breaking into the big leagues in his very first season of pro ball. That’s not at all a knock on Witherspoon, as (a) almost no one does that, and (b) Tolle just seems to be an amazing person all around, as evidenced by the fact that he seeks out autographs from just about everyone he meets. “The biggest thing right now is just appreciating where I’m at. Being a part of this organization — it sounds cliché, but it’s an honor.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Six hundred and fifty-plus episodes in, and the Royals Rundown Podcast is still finding new angles on Kansas City Royals baseball. Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco mark the milestone with one of the more wide-ranging conversations, from a series victory over the Seattle Mariners to a daunting date with the New York Yankees on the horizon.

The episode opens on a high note, recapping the Royals’ series win and the momentum it has generated heading into a critical stretch. Stephen Kolek is the pitching story of the week, delivering a complete game that doubles as one of the more unusual performances of the MLB season. Finishing with two or fewer strikeouts in a complete game is a feat rare enough that the hosts put it in full historical context. The bullpen’s contributions during the stretch also get their due, with the quality start metrics painting an encouraging picture of where the pitching staff stands right now.

The Yankees series preview is where the conversation takes on a sharper edge. Kansas City’s historical struggles against New York, including a 20-1 series record and a current ten-game losing streak against the club, frame a preview that is equal parts analytical and frank. With playoff positioning on the line, Jacob and Jeremy assess what winning this series would mean for the Royals’ postseason outlook and whether this roster is equipped to finally flip the script.

Pitching depth and roster construction also factor in, with a look at Noah Cameron, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha, who is approaching his 300th MLB start, alongside injury updates on Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, and James McArthur. On the transaction wire, the DFA of Elias Diaz, the signing of Luke Jackson, and Tyler Tolbert’s evolving role are all addressed.

Need your Royals fix? Head to royalsreview.com for news, analysis, and to engage with Royals fans around the world! Follow us online:

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More so than any other American sport, Major League Baseball stadiums have their own characteristics.

One of the biggest variations in ballparks is capacity, with the league's 2026 stadiums ranging from 56,000 (Dodger Stadium) all the way down to 13,416 (A's). While the Athletics' temporary home in Sacramento is in fact a minor league stadium, the team's new stadium in Las Vegas is expected to have a capacity of about 33,000 – which would be the second-smallest in the game.

More than two-thirds of MLB stadiums have a capacity of more than 40,000, while the league's three newest stadiums — Globe Life Field (Rangers), Truist Park (Braves) and loanDepot Park (Marlins) all rank in the lower half for capacity.

In addition to the Athletics' new home in Las Vegas, the Tampa Bay Rays are expected to have a new stadium built perhaps by Opening Day in 2029, which will likely have the lowest capacity of any stadium in the game.

Here's a look at 2026 MLB stadiums ranked by capacity:

MLB stadiums by capacity

1. Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers) – 56,000
2. Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks) – 48,330
3. T-Mobile Park (Seattle Mariners) – 47,929
4. Coors Field (Colorado Rockies) – 46,897
5. Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees) – 46,537
6. Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels) – 45,517
7. Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles) – 44,970
8. Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals) – 44,383
9. Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati Reds) – 43,500
10. Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies) – 42,901
11. Citi Field (New York Mets) – 41,922
12. American Family Field (Milwaukee Brewers) – 41,900
13. Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs) – 41,649
14. Nationals Park (Washington Nationals) – 41,373
15. Oracle Park (San Francisco Giants) – 41,331
16. Daikin Park (Houston Astros) – 41,168
17. Truist Park (Atlanta Braves) – 41,084
18. Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers) – 41,083
19. Rate Field (Chicago White Sox) – 40,615
20. Globe Life Field (Texas Rangers) – 40,300
21. Petco Park (San Diego Padres) – 39,860
22. Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays) – 39,150
23. PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates) – 38,747
24. Target Field (Minnesota Twins) – 38,544
25. Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals) – 37,903
26. Fenway Park (Red Sox) – 37,755
27. LoanDepot Park (Miami Marlins) – 36,742
28. Progressive Field (Cleveland Guardians) – 34,830
29. Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays) – 25,114
30. Sutter Health Park (Athletics) – 13,416 – temporary home in West Sacramento until team moves to Las Vegas

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB stadium capacity rankings: Biggest and smallest ballparks in 2026

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The Boston Red Sox offense has been wildly inconsistent, and things don't get any easier against Spencer Strider and the Atlanta Braves.

Boston's struggles won't be undone with Ranger Suarez on the mound, but that does help our Braves vs. Red Sox predictions land squarely on the Under and the Atlanta moneyline in our MLB picks for Tuesday, May 26.

Who will win Braves vs Red Sox today: Braves moneyline (-102)

I don't care if Ranger Suarez has been the best Boston Red Sox starting pitcher in 2026; getting the Atlanta Braves at anything close to even money is too good to pass up.

This is especially the case with Spencer Strider starting for Atlanta. Now, Strider isn't quite pitching at his peak as he continues working his way back from myriad injuries, but the Red Sox lineup is a soft landing for him to build upon some encouraging results.

Boston is batting .253 in May, but that's inflated due to a .313 BABIP. The Red Sox haven't cashed those runners in with any consistency, either, scoring just 71 runs in the month (28th in MLB).

Strider limited the Red Sox to one run over 5 1/3 innings two starts ago, and Atlanta's bullpen grades out as one of baseball's best, with a 3.07 ERA.

Even with Drake Baldwin sidelined, I would play the Braves to -125, as Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies have both handled left-handed pitchers well this season, and both Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna Jr. have historically fared better vs. southpaws than their current wRC+ numbers indicate.

Braves vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-113)

While I like the Braves to win straight up, this has the makings of a pitcher's duel.

Even if brighter days are ahead for Riley and Acuna against left-handers, Suarez limits damage. The lefty has surrendered one earned run across his last 21 2/3 innings, and even if his outing is brief (as has become something of a custom for him), the Boston bullpen — similar to Atlanta's — has done an excellent job at run suppression this season.

Since April 11, Suarez is 2-1 with a 1.12 ERA and a 2.41 expected ERA. Even against the Braves' vaunted offense, which lacks Baldwin's stable presence in the middle of the lineup, expecting a massive offensive output is foolish.

Paired with Boston's own issues with run production, and I'd happily play the Under 8.5 to -140. If you can get the Under 7.5 at plus money, I'd strongly consider that, too.

Braves vs Red Sox odds

• Moneyline: Braves -104 | Red Sox +100
• Run line: Braves -1.5 (+156) | Red Sox +1.5 (-163)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+108) | Under 8.5 (-117)

Braves vs Red Sox trend

The Braves have cashed the moneyline in 35 of their last 50 away games for +21.00 units and a 34% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Red Sox.

How to watch Braves vs Red Sox and game info

Braves vs Red Sox latest injuries

Braves vs Red Sox weather

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Yes, it is still May. Yes, you are reading a trade deadline article. Some say you really should wait until the dust settles on the first half of the season before debating what a team will do at the deadline. I am not one of those people.

What do the Guardians have to offer?

Well, the Guardians have, by most outlets, a top 5 farm system. Even with the graduation of a top 40 prospect (Chase DeLauter) and the imminent graduation of a top 20 one (Travis Bazzana), the Guardians still have three top-100 prospects per MLB Pipeline. That is either as many or more top-100 prospects than 17 MLB teams. That is, of course, not accounting for helium candidates who could very well crack the top 100 within the Guardians farm system this season (Caceres, Watson, Doughty, Campbell). Nor is it accounting for the rising of already top-100-ranked prospects like Velazquez and Ingle, who should both crack the top 50 on MLB Pipeline by their next update. The former, however, is much more likely to crack the top 30 than stay outside the top 50. This is all to say that the Guardians’ system is loaded. They could very easily do whatever they want to at this deadline.

Why this year?

A wonderful question. It is very fair to curb your enthusiasm with the deadline by wondering why this year will finally be the year the Guardians make a splash at the deadline. Well, I’m full of optimism and whimsy and would love to share some of that onto with you. (If you’ve listened to the Disgusting Baseball podcast you’ll know what I’m about to say) The Guardians’ front office is not acting in the ways we’ve all become accustomed to. They’re being aggressive with prospect promotions: Delauter on the OD roster and batting 2nd in the OD lineup, Bazzana called up in April, Velazquez promoted from Akron to Columbus after 36 games. They sent Bo to Arizona a little over a month into the season and immediately traded for a 3x Gold-Glove winner in Bailey. There is nothing that suggests the Guardians aren’t going to be aggressive all year (internally), but I’m pretty confident they’ll be aggressive at the deadline too. (Author’s note: As I was editing this article, the Guardians decided to move Bazzana up to the leadoff spot. Another aggressive move!)

What do the Guardians need?

Well, like most teams, there are a few holes needing to be filled. You may feel inclined to argue with me over some of these assertations, I would ask that you not. I am almost always right and do not appreciate criticism. Kidding! Okay, so the first thing I think they might go after is a starting pitcher. Yes, the rotation has been fantastic (6th in MLB in ERA, 12th in FIP, 9th in K-BB%). Parker Messick and Gavin Williams both look to be bonafide Game 1 starters. But, Bibee has been somewhat shaky (albeit better with Bailey), Cantillo has command issues that could cause an implosion, and Slade is, brutely, not good enough to start a playoff game. Who might be available? Let’s get into that.

SP Trade Candidates (work in progress)

Sonny Gray, BOS (3.27 ERA, 3.66 FIP)

Gray is one of those reliable vets who can give you a good five and fly in a playoff series. He is owed $31M ($20M of which Boston received in the trade) and has a $10M buyout for 2027, so it would require some money invested but that should be possible.

Tarik Skubal, DET (2.70 ERA, 2.10 FIP)

This is mostly a joke. Mostly. But, the Tigers are in freefall. Skubal is a free agent next year, and is making north of $30m this year. There are a laundry list of reasons why this will never happen, chiefly that the Guardians never make landmark trades within the AL Central and this would be nigh impossible for the Tigers to sell to their fans, regardless whom they got back. But, Skubal talks about how much he appreciates Cleveland’s fans all the time and he owes us a trade demand because he hit Fry in the face, right? Right??!!

The bullpen, however, is the much more pressing concern. Although it’s been better recently with the stabilization of Cade Smith and the emergence of Colin Holderman, the Guardians could really use another power lefty (especially with Sabrowski’s injury). They could also, just in general, use another leverage reliever. Who might be available, you ask?

RP Trade Candidates

LHRP Jojo Romero, STL (3.04 ERA, 4.24 FIP)

Romero has been markedly worse this year than he was last year and in 2023. His sweeper usage is down from last year, and his feel for the pitch is a little shaky. His sinker command has been exceptional, however, which should be a good building block for the Guardians. I’m pretty confident that he’s just a few tweaks away from being a stalwart reliever again, and this presents a fantastic buy-low opportunity for the Guardians.

LHRP Brooks Raley, NYM (1.40 ERA, 2.79 FIP)

Raley has been consistently good every year since 2022. Although he has been affected by some injuries in both 2024 and 2025 with New York, he’s still been good. He’s a rental (yay) and old (double-yay), so his price should not be exorbitantly high.

(Author’s note: Hello, me again. These next two are simply being advocated for from a baseball standpoint. I do not condone their past behavior)

LHRP Josh Hader, HOU (career 2.64 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 14.56 K/9)

Hader’s a fun one. I have no idea what Houston will do at this deadline (but I do have a very fun trade candidate who shares a clubhouse with Hader later on in the article), but Hader seems like he could realistically be traded. He’s on the third year of a 5y/$95m contract, and hasn’t pitched yet. He is slated to make a few more rehab appearances in MiLB before his activation of the 60-day, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. He’s been one of the best, if not the best, left-handed reliever in baseball since his debut. He could easily take over the closer role from Cade, and Cade could go back to being the all-world fireman that he was in his rookie season. Win-win.

LHRP Aroldis Chapman, BOS (0.51 ERA, 1.85 FIP)

(Editor’s Note: We rarely take an official site position on something, but CtC opposes the idea of acquiring Chapman. Please, NO).

RHRP Garrett Whitlock, BOS (2.79 ERA, 2.89 FIP)

Not a lefty, but Whitlock is an elite reliever. He ranks in the 85th percentile or above in Chase%, K%, and Hard-Hit%. He’s 29 and on the last year of a 4-year extension with the Red Sox. He has club options for 2027 and 2028 at $8.25m and $10.5m, respectively.

RHRP Bryan Abreu, HOU (career 2.86 ERA, 3.21 FIP)

Another Astro! Abreu has, since 2022, been a lockdown leverage guy. From 2022-2025, he had a 2.30 ERA and a 2.79 FIP, pitching 70 innings 3 times. This year has been atrocious for him. His walk rate has ballooned from a career 4.35 BB/9 mark to 10.69 this year. He seems to be cutting his fastball more this year, which has led to an extremely high xwOBA allowed, and a whiff rate that is 12% less than it was last year. Another somewhat reasonable buy-low and hopefully easy-fix reliever. Although, unlike most other organizations, the Astros are probably much less likely to sell low on a pitcher. But, we’ll see.

Onto the (limited) position player candidates. You can always add on hitters at the deadline, especially when you’re the Guardians. The offense has been much better this year than in year’s past, but you can always improve. Let’s start with a fun one.

Position Player Trade Candidates

DH Yordan Alvarez, HOU (179 wRC+, .481 xwOBA, 2.2 fWAR)

Yes, this is unrealistic. But, the Guardians appear to be in contention mode and they have all the pieces to make a trade for Alvarez viable. He hasn’t just sneakily been the best hitter in baseball. His xwOBA is 60 (SIX-ZERO) (SIXTY) points higher than the next best hitter. He’s a monster at the plate, and an at worst top 5 hitter in baseball when healthy. He has a career 156 wRC+ in the postseason (7th all-time, min. 150 PA). He’s a monster. He immediately takes you from contender to odds-on pennant favorite. There are not enough positive things that I can say about Alvarez. There are, however, some concerns. He has a somewhat lengthy injury history, which is especially notable considering he’s transitioned into almost a full-time DH. He has played some outfield in the last two years, but I think the Guardians should never play him in the field. He’s a bad defender, even in Houston’s little-league LF. He should really only see the field on days in which Jose *has* to DH. It’s not a perfect fit, but you can move some pieces from your MLB roster (Manzardo, Hoskins) to free up the DH role most days.

1B/DH Willson Contreras, BOS (140 wRC+, .393 xwOBA, 1.7 fWAR)

For what it’s worth, I really wanted us to get Contreras last offseason. He filled a lot of the holes on this roster that existed at the time, and would’ve been a perfect clean-up hitter. He’s a RHH 1B/DH (who used to catch but doesn’t at this point) who destroys the ball. Is he also a cranky player who occassionally trucks the opposition’s catcher? Yes.

Normally, I’d have more hitters on this list, but the number of productive RHH who would also be feasibly available at the deadline is pretty small, even for being at this point in the season. However, given where the Guardians are at right now, I think that their needs lean more heavily toward relief pitching than offense. They have, theoretically, all the bats you need at all the positions of need in the minors. If Manzardo keeps hitting the way he’s been hitting in the month of May and if Fry and Hoskins keep being productive, there might not be a need for an impact right-handed bat at the deadline.

Here’s a recap of Sunday and Monday in the minor leagues, including Double-A Tulsa opting to play on Memorial Day for the first Monday game of the season among Dodgers affiliates.

Easton Shelton, first baseman for the Class-A Ontario Tower Buzzers, powered his way to winning California League player of the week. Shelton had at least one hit, one RBI, and one run scored in all seven games last week at Inland Empire (they played a doubleheader on Wednesday), and hit .419/.424/.774 with three home runs, two doubles, 12 runs batted in, and 12 runs scored.

SHELTON SENT ONE ‼️ pic.twitter.com/wvK8SMi8tm

— Ontario Tower Buzzers (@towerbuzzers) May 20, 2026

Shelton, who signed out of high school as a non-drafted free agent in 2023, has scored in each of his last 11 games and driven in a run in eight straight contests. The 20-year-old is hitting .267/.337/.547 with a 111 wRC+ this year, and leads Ontario in home runs (10), RBI (38), and runs scored (33).

Player of the day

Ontario second baseman Kellon Lindsey had five hits, including a triple and double for Class-A Ontario. He scored four runs and drove in a pair from the leadoff spot. In seven games since returning from the injured list, the former first-round pick is 15 for 33 (.455/.486/.727).

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Tyler Fitzgerald hit a three-run home run in the first inning, helping the Comets to a Sunday win over the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks). It was the second home run in three days for Fitzgerald, who since getting acquired by the Dodgers has started seven games in left field, two at third base, two at second base, two at designated hitter, and one apiece at shortstop and right field.

Ryan Fitzgerald, playing first base on Sunday, doubled and scored in the win.

Carlos Duran pitched two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers lost on Sunday to the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins), but rebounded with a Memorial Day rout of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals).

Tulsa scored seven runs in both the first and second innings on Monday. Sean McLain, who tripled and homered in Sunday’s loss, hit a grand slam in the first inning on Monday.

Leadoff man Kendall George batted three times in those first two innings, and scored the 14th Tulsa run of the game, but in doing so appeared to get injured while trying to avoid a bat-retrieving dog near the Drillers dugout.

George came out of the game after that, replaced in center field by Chris Newell.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons’ Sunday home series finale against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) was postponed by rain.

No makeup date has yet been announced. The only time these two teams meet again this season is June 9-14, but that’s at Wisconsin.

Class-A Ontario

Chase Harlan homered twice and drove in five runs in the Tower Buzzers’ Sunday rout of the Inland Empire 66ers (Mariners).

Harlan hit a solo shot in the fourth inning and a two-run homer in the eighth inning. He also had a sacrifice fly and RBI single in his three-hit game. The 19-year-old, drafted by the Dodgers in the third round in 2024, is hitting .333/.460/.507 with a 149 wRC+ this season with nearly as many walks (team-leading 31) as strikeouts (33).

Cam Leiter struck out five in his two scoreless innings. He has 27 strikeouts and five walks in his first 17 innings as a pro this year.

Transactions

Double-A: Right-hander Antonio Knowles demoted to Tulsa from Oklahoma City. Catcher/infielder Bryan Garcia was sent back to the Arizona Complex League after two games active for Tulsa, during which time he did not play

High-A: Right-hander Robby Porco promoted from Ontario to Great Lakes.

Class-A: Right-hander Accimias Morales sent back to Ontario after 18 walks, 10 strikeouts, and eight runs allowed in eight innings for Great Lakes.

Sunday scores

• Oklahoma City 5, Reno 3
• Wichita 8, Tulsa 4
• Great Lakes vs. Wisconsin, postponed by rain
• Ontario 17, Inland Empire 9

Monday score

• Tulsa 14, Northwest Arkansas 8

Tuesday schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Sterling Patick) at Dayton [Reds] (Ovis Portes)
• 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Christian Romero) at Sugar Land [Astros] (TBA)
• 6:35 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) vs. Visalia [D-backs] (TBA)

No Tuesday game for Tulsa after playing on Memorial Day.

Tommy Edman is expected to start his rehab assignment for Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

A couple of days ago, we asked for your input on which struggling Yankee you all were most concerned about. There were a variety of options, as the team has clearly seen problems arise in both their lineup and their bullpen that have defined their struggles up to this point. With plenty of input in outright votes as well as more in-depth responses via comments, let’s dig into the players that prompted the most worry.

Leading off, the overwhelming majority of you weighed in to elect Austin Wells as our most concerning struggling Yankee, at a whopping 66 percent of the vote. A couple of you also added commentary to your decision, with toddmarlin122 saying “third base and catcher need to be replaced asap,” ConorGallogly adding “I almost put Austin Wells because the organization has so little catching depth,” MDG92 chiming in that they’re “most concerned about Wells, because I don’t see it getting any better, and he was supposed to be a bat-first catcher,” and David6776 putting in “position wise though, I’m more worried about catcher. With the challenge system, Wells’ pitch framing is less valuable, we can’t have so many dead bats.”

That’s a lot of eyes on catcher specifically, and it makes sense that so much attention would be there. Wells indeed developed as a bat-first catcher that was looked at skeptically defensively, but the total inverse came true in the majors: he’s never found his stride consistently at the plate, but he’s handled the pitching staff beautifully and is one of the best framers in the league. The introduction of ABS does take away some of the effectiveness of Wells’ game, but only to a point as challenges can easily be wasted early in a game and batters can hesitate to pull the trigger on challenging borderline calls hoping to save their shot for a key at-bat later in the game. Still, it’s a slight damper on what is clearly Wells’ biggest strength individually that we can monitor, combined with the much easier to see struggles to get anything going offensively.

Wells’ bat has been average throughout his first three seasons, but its taken a complete nosedive in 2026. Despite working a career-best 14.7 walk percentage to this point, Wells is well-under the Mendoza line and slugging less than he’s getting on base, completely negating his defensive value by being a black hole at the bottom of the lineup. The team’s lack of options within the organization have given him little challenge for starting time, as J.C. Escarra has managed to look even worse offensively and commanded no more than the typical backup catcher’s playing time and the team appears unwilling to burden Ben Rice with the tools of ignorance now that he’s emerging as an elite bat. It’s on Wells to pull things together for now, and at best perhaps the Yankees look for an upgrade from Escarra to prompt some competition for their incumbent catcher.

The player that came in second at 13 percent of the vote was Jazz Chisholm Jr., and it’s easy to see why his name was on people’s minds as well. Chisholm was perhaps the team’s worst hitter through the first month and change of the year, completely missing his power swing as the cold of April sapped his ability to get a solid grip on the bat. Chisholm admitted to this being part of his problems, but he also had miscues in the field on top of the offensive struggles that elicited some heat from the fanbase. However, Chisholm has heated up with the weather, hitting for an .850 OPS in May to pull himself up to a slightly-above average 104 wRC+. He’s also gotten a couple of bombs on the board to pair with 13 stolen bases, continuing to apply pressure in that regard (though the team as a whole has struggled to swipe bags of late). Jazz will be one to monitor still, but he’s trending in the right direction and has the track record to inspire belief that he’s turned things around.

Third place in our polling went to the Other option, meaning that they opted not to chose either of our two main candidates nor any of Camilo Doval, Trent Grisham, or Ryan McMahon. Reading through the comments though, it’s clear who that other choice is: none other than the Captain, Aaron Judge. Several commenters felt no clarification was necessary other than to type his name, but others added on with WhittakerWalt asking “did he get old overnight, or is this just his usual slump?” while David6776 led off his thoughts with “for player, I’m most worried about Judge. Wondering if he’s starting to need glasses, and he’s probably our most important players.”

I can’t lie, I was surprised that so many of you were sounding off on Judge’s slump. We have the foresight of having seen his walk-off homer on Sunday and the double he laced in Monday’s game as indications that he’s breaking out of it, but even with those results its undeniable that he’s been on a cold streak: over his last 12 games, Judge owns a .593 OPS with that lone blast as his only long ball and the only two runs he’s batted in. However, given the body of work that he’s put up this season alone, I thought it would be clear that he’s going through just that — a slump. Judge has been one of the focal points of the offense, and when he’s firing on all cylinders he can hide the lineups’ flaws nearly single-handedly. His numbers may not be at the all-time pace he’s been on over the last two seasons, but he was putting those kinds of numbers up before this stretch and I have no doubt that he’ll get back to that territory before long.

If there was one area I would critique Judge’s play thus far, it would be his reluctance to abuse ABS to his advantage — Judge has seldom pulled the trigger on challenging a pitch, despite being the poster child of who the system should benefit after all of the low strike calls he’s taken throughout his career. He did confidently tap the helmet on a 3-2 pitch that was initially called strike three, and started walking towards first base before the replay confirmed that he’d indeed taken ball four, which leads me to believe that his top-notch plate discipline isn’t too out of whack. Instead, his timing is the thing that’s off, leading to him swinging through pitches and getting under more of them. I get the worries to a degree, as everyone knows the offense without Judge performing like he has throughout his MVP campaigns is a flawed one, but we don’t need to rush straight to being convinced that the cliff is here and Judge is going to start his decline.

Overall, I’d agree with the polling that Wells is the player I’m most concerned with, followed closely by McMahon who got a smattering of comments pointing out his performance as well. The two have ran into the occasional pitch that they can demolish, but haven’t done much else otherwise offensively, and having two regulars performing that poorly on top of having some starters still sitting with below-average numbers is a recipe for disaster. The Yankees have mostly avoided an outright tumble in the standings, facing one truly bad stretch of play that saw them lose three straight series to the Rays, Orioles, and Mets on the road. To avoid that in the future, it sure would help if one of those two could start to turn things around.