Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Prospect call-ups galore, Austin Hays off the IL

Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season.

The premise is pretty straightforward. I’ll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I’ll list the category where I think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. I hope that it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs or not.

For a player to qualify to be on this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and I can’t help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they’re available in many places and that can hopefully satisfy readers in all league types.

Waiver Wire Hitters

Jonathan Aranda - 1B, TB: 54% rostered (38% when the article was first drafted)
(POWER UPSIDE, SECURE PLAYING TIME)

I'm not quite sure what people are waiting for with Aranda. Even the 54% mark here feels a bit low. Yes, I know Aranda sits against left-handed pitching, but he has been crushing it this season, slashing .367/.435/.700 with four home runs, 12 runs, and 13 RBI in 19 games. While his pull rates have dipped slightly, Aranda has seen a 12% jump in his fly ball rate, and he's driving the ball to right and right-center field. He's traded a bit of contact for power, but we're OK with that because he still makes a league-average amount of contact, and the ball should carry in Tampa Bay in the summer months. It's also worth noting that Aranda has played 14 games at 1B this year while Yandy Diaz has played just two. Diaz's name also came up in plenty of trade rumors this off-season, so if the Rays continue to struggle, he could be moved this summer, which even further cements Aranda's spot in the lineup. He needs to be added in more places.

Tyler Fitzgerald - 2B/SS/OF - SF: 45% rostered(28% rostered when this was drafted)
(HOT STRETCH, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

Tyler Fitzgerald is one of the hottest hitters in baseball, going 12-for-34 (.353) over his last 10 games with one home run, five RBI, and three steals. That's after a strong 2024 season where he hit .280 with 15 home runs and 17 steals in 96 games. There were some concerns with Fitzgerald's approach coming into the season with a 14% swinging strike rate and nearly 32% strikeout rate, and some of that swing-and-miss remains, with Fitzgerald sporting a 15% swinging strike rate this season. However, he has been more aggressive, swinging almost 8% more overall, which means even though he is swinging and missing, he's swinging more often, which gives him more chances to make contact. His 80% zone contact rate and 72% contact rate overall are not good, but also not horrible. At the end of the day, this is likely not an approach that will lead to consistent success for Fitzgerald, but it can lead to hot streaks when he's seeing the ball well, and that's happening now.

Dylan Moore - 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, SEA: 44% rostered(33% rostered when this was drafted)
(SPEED UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

Injuries to Victor Robles and Ryan Bliss have opened up the opportunity for everyday playing time for Moore, who can play second base, third base, or the outfield. He has seemed to settle in as the primary second baseman and is hitting .308 with four home runs and five steals in 18 games so far this season. We've also seen Dylan Moore do this before. He has great speed and plays almost every position on the diamond. However, we also know that he struggles with making consistent contact, and the cold streaks will always be there. I know that Wyatt Langford's return is going to cause some people to drop Josh Smith - 3B/SS/OF, TEX (16% rostered), and I get that in shallow formats, but Smith isn't going to start playing just once or twice a week. He was getting regular starts in left field with Wyatt Langford out and also started at third base when Josh Jung was out, so the Rangers have no problem plugging and playing him basically anywhere. He's hitting .341/.438/.512 with three steals to start the season, and is a great multi-position bench piece in deeper leagues because I still believe he can play four times a week by moving all over the field.

Rhys Hoskins - 1B, MIL: 31% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, HOT STRETCH)

I bought in on Rhys Hoskins in spring training because he talked about being fully healthy after ACL surgery in 2023 and had also changed his stance to quiet his head and improve his contact. The results didn’t come right at the start of the season, but we're starting to see them now with Hoskins going 10-for-34 (.294) over his last 11 games with two home runs and six RBI. I like his ballpark, I like his lineup, and so I have no problem adding Hoskins anywhere he's available.

Chandler Simpson - OF, TB: 27% rostered
(CALL-UP, SPEED UPSIDE )

Chandler Simpson is very fast. You don’t need me to tell you that, but it’s the basis for why you’re trying to add him this weekend. Anybody who steals 100 bases in one season has tons of fantasy juice in one category. He’s also a .321 career hitter in the minors, so he should still get on base and run a lot, but he has no thump in his bat. You’re hoping for speed and runs scored atop a Rays lineup. If you don’t really need speed, then you may not need/want to pay what it’s gonna take to get him, and if you do need speed but you're not willing to pay what it will take to get Chandler then a pivot to Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (3% rostered) makes some sense. He's starting every day in center field for the Astros and has gone 16-for-55 (.291) with seven steals so far this season. He hits eighth in the order, so he's unlikely to help your counting stats too much, but an outfielder who can hit .270-.280 and swipe bases in a good offense certainly has value in deeper formats.

Sal Frelick (OF, MIL: 27% rostered
(EVERYDAY ROLE, SPEED UPSIDE)

Frelick is playing every day in Milwaukee and hitting .319 in his 21 games with five steals and 11 runs scored. He hits fifth or sixth in the Brewers' lineup, which should lead to decent counting stats as the season goes on, but he's unlikely to hit more than five home runs this season. This play is essentially about batting average and speed, but if you need those two things, Frelick is a solid option for you. Another similar "boring but useful" outfielder is Mike Yastrzemski - OF, SF (21% rostered), who is hitting .279/.405/.525 with three home runs, two steals, and 11 RBI so far this season. His contact profile doesn't look much different, except for a slight bump in pull rate, but he has just a 9.2% swinging strike rate, which has led to a 78.3% contact rate and a solid amount of barrels early in the year. He's not going to "break out," but the Giants are a solid lineup, and Yaz has been leading off against right-handed pitching, which is a great spot to be in.

Jorge Polanco - 2B/3B, SEA: 26% rostered
(EVERYDAY STARTER, COUNTING STATS UPSIDE)

Polanco has been off to a hot start to the season, but his surgically repaired knee has been giving him some problems, and he still hasn't been hitting right-handed since injuring his side a few weeks ago. Still, even with all those injuries, Polanco continues to produce, going 15-for-41 (.366) in 12 games with three home runs, 12 RBI, and one steal.I wrote him up as an undervalued hitter in spring training, so I would recommend taking some shares. If you're after a multi-position player in deeper formats, Ernie Clement - 3B/SS, TOR (1% rostered) is starting to do what we thought he would do in spring, going 9-for-31 (.290) over his last 11 games with four runs scored and a steal. Clement is still starting four or five times a week and hit 12 home runs while stealing 12 bases in 139 games last year, so there is some low-end across-the-board value in deeper formats.

Kyle Manzardo - 1B, CLE: 24% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, HOT STREAK COMING)

I understand that Manzardo hasn't produced the way people wanted this season with a .194/.316/.500 slash line, but I like so much of what he's doing process-wise. For starters, he has 19 strikeouts and 11 walks in 19 games with a sub-10% swinging strike rate, so we're not concerned about his contact quality. If he's anything, he's maybe being a bit too passive on fringe strikes, but a 76% contact rate overall is fine. He has also raised his pull rate and his fly ball rate, and has a 20% barrel rate in 45 batted ball events. Now, we know it's too early for those stats to stabilize, and I think some calibration needs to be done where Manzardo doesn't need to lift the ball AS MUCH as he currently is. However, we have a young hitter who is not swinging and missing, understands the strike zone, and is getting to his barrel more often than in years past. That's something I want to buy into, and I think Manzardo will likely end up having a better season than Matt Mervis - 1B, MIA (9% rostered), who has been on fire from a power standpoint of late with four home runs in his last 10 games. There has never been any doubt about Mervis' power, and he was a fantasy darling back when he was on the Cubs a couple of years ago, but his minor league numbers didn't carry over to the big leagues. He now has an everyday role in Miami, but also has a 40% strikeout rate and a 19.8% swinging strike rate, so the batting average is not going to be good even if his power and playing time remain.

Nick Kurtz - 1B, ATH: 24% rostered
(PROSPECT STASH, POWER UPSIDE)

I've had Kurtz in here for a couple of weeks, and his roster rate has climbed from 5% over those two weeks, so you may have missed the window on stashing him, but if you can, you should now. Kurtz was the fourth overall pick in last year's draft and got an aggressive assignment to Triple-A after a strong spring training. Well, he's hitting .348/.395/.738 in his first 16 Triple-A games with seven home runs and 22 RBI. The Athletics have been playing Brent Rooker in the outfield more often this past week, which tells me that a Kurtz call-up is brewing. Roman Anthony - OF, BOS (28% rostered) is another top prospect who may not be long for the minors. The Red Sox will need to clear up some space in the outfield for him, but he's off to a strong start in Triple-A and should be up soon, especially if Ceddanne Rafaela continues to struggle to make good on his strong spring training. Rafaela could move into a super utility role with Jarren Duran in CF and Anthony in LF.

Pavin Smith - 1B/OF, ARI: 24% rostered
(COUNTING STAT UPSIDE, EVERY DAY JOB)

It's tough to roster players like Smith, who sit every time a left-hander is on the mound, but if you're playing in a daily moves league or a league that lets you change hitters mid-week, you should at least put him on your radar. Smithis somebody that I’m in onafter he hit .270/.348/.547 with nine home runs and a .896 OPS in 158 plate appearances in a part-time role last year. This season, he's gone 20-for-51 (.392) with three home runs and 10 runs scored. It's early days, but he's pulling the ball way more than he has before, which has led to more swing and miss but also more authoritative contact. If he starts lifting the ball more, then he should see the hot stretch continue. If you were looking for a first baseman who is going to play more often, then Nolan Schanuel - 1B, LAA (12% rostered) could be your guy. I had Schanuel on a few teams last year. He has good speed for a first baseman and a 91% zone contact rate, which highlights his overall batting average upside. So far in 2025, Schanuel has posted much better bat speed numbers and has hit the two hardest balls of his MLB career. Remember that he's only 23 years old and debuted in the same season he was drafted. There is still some potential growth here, and it wouldn't surprise me if Schanuel hit .275 with 15 home runs and 10 steals. That's not bad for a deeper league corner infield target.

Kameron Misner - OF, TB (18% rostered)
(POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME)

Misner found himself with a shot at a starting job thanks to an oblique injury that could keep Josh Lowe out for multiple months, and he has delivered, going .360/.404/.660 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 15 games. I know that there is a tendency to write this off as a fluke that will flame out soon, but a few interesting things are happening here. For starters, he’s added 2.8 mph to his bat speed, which is among the tops in baseball in the early going. Misner is pulling the ball less and also chasing far less, waiting for pitches he can drive to all parts of the field. That has led to a huge improvement in swinging strike rate and a really impressive 95.2% zone contact rate. Misner struggles to make contact on anything out of the zone when he does chase, but his chase rate has been cut to just 27%, so that might not hurt him as much as it used to. Remember that Misner was a former first-round pick, who hit .248/.360/.442 with 17 home runs and 30 steals in Triple-A for the Rays last season, and these new approach changes make me feel confident that at least some of this is real. Misner's teammate Jake Mangum - OF, TB (11% rostered) is another option, especially if you're in a deep league and looking for speed. Mangum makes more contact than Misner does, but is a far more aggressive hitter, so he won't draw walks or hit for much power at all. He's a good bet for a better average and more steals, so if those are the two categories you're after, Mangum could be your guy.

Gabriel Arias - 2B/3B/SS, CLE: 16% rostered
(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)

It might be time to start taking note of what Arias is doing. The 25-year-old won the starting second base job for the Guardians and has gone 17-for-61 (.279) with four home runs and 10 RBI to start the season. Arias added 1.3 mph to his swing as welland now has an average bat speed of 75.7 mph, which is 15th-best in all of baseball, right around Elly De La Cruz, James Wood, and many other high-upside power hitters. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt talked up Arias in spring training and has used him at 2B, 3B, and SS already this season. He could be a solid bench add in deeper formats, but we need to acknowledge that his 22% swinging strike rate is an issue. Some aggressive hitters can sustain a certain level of success even when they swing and miss more than normal, but 22% is super high. It's a bit of an issue.

Austin Hays - OF, CIN: 12% rostered
(EVERYDAY ROLE, COUTING STAT UPSIDE)

Last week, we talked about Austin Hays as a stash while he was nearing his activation off the IL. He has come off the IL and started as the clean-up hitter in every game while going 8-for-22 with three home runs and seven RBI. We know who Hays is as a hitter, and he's not going to set the world on fire. However, he's a .262 career hitter, who has shown 20+ home run power in Baltimore and could run into 20-25 home runs in Cincinnati. Hitting every day behind Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain should help his counting stats too. If you're looking for an outfielder in deeper leagues, I think it's time to roll the dice on Alek Thomas - OF, ARI: 2% rostered, who was once a top prospect in the Diamondbacks organization but battled injuries and could never seem to transition his minor league ability into MLB success. Thomas has also started four of the last five games in center field and seems to have wrestled away the starting job from Jake McCarthy pretty firmly for now. Thomas is just 24 years old and is a former top prospect, so it makes sense for Arizona to continue to give him a chance to play full-time. So far, he’s hitting .292/.364/.438 in 55 plate appearances with 10 RBI and two steals. He seems to have a slightly more aggressive approach this season, pulling and barreling the ball more often, which could make him an intriguing fantasy asset for batting average and steals.

Caleb Durbin - 2B/SS/3B, MIL: 9% rostered
(CALL-UP, EVERY DAY JOB SPEED UPSIDE)

Caleb Durbin is yet another rookie getting a starting job this week. The Brewers have said Durbin is their 3B for the foreseeable future, so you’ve got a bit of job security here. Durbin had emerged as an intriguing prospect for the Yankees over the last two years and was the central piece in the offseason trade for Devin Williams. So far this season, Durbin was hitting .278/.316/.482 at Triple- with two home runs and three steals. He’s never shown much power in the minors, but he has 30 stolen base upside and has rarely ever had a strikeout rate over 10%. He’s gonna make a ton of contact and reminds me a bit of his teammate Sal Frelick with slightly more power. He’s an option if you, like me, lost Matt Shaw in some leagues. A less exciting third base option would be Eric Wagaman - 1B/3B, MIA (1% rostered). Wagaman came up for me on a random search of players who are making solid swing decisions, making a lot of contact, and making authoritative contact. He’s always made a fair amount of contact and doesn’t lift the ball a lot, which will limit his home run upside, but his strong understanding of the strike zone means he gets his pitch often and has the chance to run a decent batting average with 15 HR power. He’ll just need to hit to keep getting at-bats. With Jonah Bride now gone and Griffin Conine injured, Wagaman has a chance to carve out some playing time at 1B/3B/DH. I’d only take gambles in deep leagues, but it might be worth a shot.

Luke Keaschall - 1B/2B/OF, MIN: 7% rostered
(CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Luke Keaschall came onto our redraft radars this spring when he showed up to spring training healthy enough to swing a bat and with Twins beat writers suggesting he could push for the 2B job by summer. It seems that summer has come early. Keaschall is a 2023 second-round pick who hit .303/.420/.483 in 102 games between high-A and Double-A before undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He’s a smart hitter who doesn’t get himself out and will take advantage of a pitcher’s mistakes and has the speed to swipe some bags when he gets on. He’s not gonna hit for tons of power, and the Twins infield could get crowded with Keaschall, Brooks Lee, Edouard Julien, Willi Castro, and Carlos Correa when everybody is healthy. He has a bit of a similar profile to Chase Meidroth - 2B/3B/SS, CWS (4% rostered), who is another multi-position option in deeper leagues. Chase Meidroth was one of the central components that came over to the White Sox in the Garrett Crochet deal. Despite the batting average not being great in spring training, he showed elite plate discipline and then went down to Triple-A and hit .267/.450/.600 with three home runs, two steals, and 11 runs scored in nine games. Now, he's getting a shot with the White Sox and will most likely be an everyday starter now that he's up. He's unlikely to hit double-digit home runs, but he can steal 10+ bags and hit .250-.260 while producing a solid on-base percentage. That may not have much shallow league value because of the poor lineup around him, but he's firmly on deep league radars.

Brooks Lee - 2B/SS/3B - MIN: 4% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY , BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE )

Lee has gone just 2-for-15 with a home run and two RBI since coming off the IL. But with Willi Castro banged up, Lee could see regular playing time. He was sidelined by a back strain late in spring training, but figured to play every day for the Twins. He didn't have a great spring and is not much of a power/speed threat, so I think he's a better real-life player than a fantasy player. Another player who would benefit from a playing time boost is Thomas Saggese - 2B, STL (1% rostered). He hit .253/.313/.438 with 20 home runs and nine steals in 125 games at Triple-A last year, and is off to a strong start in 2025, going 13-for-30 (.433) with one home run and five RBI. Even with Masyn Winn hurt, the Cardinals seem intent on not playing Saggese every day and continuing to run Nolan Gorman out there. In deeper formats, I'm OK adding Saggese and seeing if the performance leads to more at-bats.

Edgar Quero - C, CWS (1% rostered)
(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, STARTING JOB)

It's catcher's corner over here. The 22-year-old Quero is the 62nd-ranked prospect in baseball and the 6th-ranked prospect in the WHite Sox organization, so him getting the call is something to keep an eye on. Quero was off to a strong start in Triple-A, going 17-for-51 with one home run in 15 games. Quero has always been a high contact rate hitter in the minors and has never posted high fly ball rates, which tends to limit his power upside. He should hit for a decent average, but he won’t steal bases and is unlikely to hit for much power right away, which makes him more of a target in two-catcher formats for right now. As will Dillon Dingler - C, DET (8% rostered) in Detroit with Jake Rogers hurt. Dingler has gotten off to the best start of the group, going 16-for-53 (.302) with two home runs and nine RBI, and he was a top prospect in the Detroit system, so he's worth a shot as well in case any of these early gains stick.

Tirso Ornelas - OF, SD (0% rostered)
(CALL UP, STARTING JOB)

The last prospect to get called up is probably the most under-the-radar, but Ornelas figures to be the everyday left fielder (at minimum against right-handed pitchers) with Jason Heyward on the 10-day IL with knee inflammation. Ornelas became a favorite in the fantasy community after a strong spring training and started the year in Triple-A by hitting 281/.418/.359 with three steals, 17 runs scored, one home run, and seven RBI in 79 plate appearances. He's definitely more of a deep-league option, but he hit 23 homers in the minors last season, has a good feel for the strike zone, and makes a fair amount of contact, so he could be worth a gamble.

Waiver Wire Pitchers

Emilio Pagan - RP, CIN: 36% rostered
Despite my initial doubts that he could hold this job down, Pagan is clearly "the guy" for saves in Cincinnati right now, and his velocity is up, but we've kind of seen this from him in the past. We know Pagan can go through hot stretches, but he can also give up lots of hard contact and home runs, as he did on Thursday. That makes me a little nervous, even if he has Terry Francona's trust right now. I honestly have more confidence in Tommy Kahnle - RP, DET (28% rostered) since he's looked good so far and Detroit has no problem running out a closer who doesn't have elite strikeout upside or a big fastball. Kahnle has four saves and a 1.17 ERA in seven appearances so far this year, so I'm scooping if he's available.

Hayden Wesneski - SP, HOU: 37% rostered
I covered Wesneski in my Starting Pitcher News column a few weeks ago, so I'd encourage you to check that out to see how Houston is changing his pitch mix and what my expectations are for Wesneski this season.

Grant Holmes - SP, ATL: 37% rostered
I was in on Grant Holmes at the start of the season thanks to Eno Sarris and Nick Pollack, who talked him up, but the weather threw his schedule into chaos, and he was really hard to roster in shallow formats early on. Now that he’s gotten a few starts under his belt, it’s easy to see why we were in on him to begin with.

David Bednar - RP, PIT: 36% rostered
Now, may be the time to stash Bednar if you need saves. The veteran has only allowed one hit in five innings at Triple-A while striking out seven and walking nobody. If the Pirates wanted a reset, it’s happened. There’s no reason for Bednar to remain in Triple-A any longer. Perhaps I'm biased because I have Bednar in a few places, but I watched those first few outings, and I think his defense let him down on several occasions, which helped make those outings seem worse than they truly were. Nobody in Pittsburgh has really staked a claim to the closer's role, so I expect Bednar to get it back soon. BEDNAR WAS CALLED UP ON SATURDAY, SO IT MIGHT ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE HE'S CLOSING GAMES AGAIN.

Andrew Heaney - SP, PIT: 25% rostered
We’ve seen Andrew Heaney do this before, but you’ve also wanted him on your team when he’s running hot like this. There’s nothing he’s doing that makes him seem different from the Heaney we’ve come to now, but he’s throwing strikes, the slider looks good, and he gets the Angels next time out. Just roll with this until the wheels start to wobble.

Andrew Abbott - SP, CIN: 24% rostered
Abbott had a tremendous last start, striking out 11 Orioles. In some ways, he’s a little different in 2025, leaning into his changeup more and adding a little more arm-side run. He’s also shortened up the break on his curve to have it tunnel better with his slider. I still hate the home ballpark, and I don’t love that his fastball velocity is down, so I wouldn’t say I’m “in” on Abbott, but I can see taking a chance in deeper leagues.

Eduardo Rodriguez - SP, ARI: 22% rostered
E-Rod is an interesting case because a 4.09 ERA and 1.36 WHIP through four starts doesn't seem all that great; however, he also has 29 strikeouts to just six walks in 22 innings and is among the league leaders in K-BB%. Early in the season, I like using K-BB% to identify pitchers because it tells me who's missing bats and also has command of the strike zone. That's usually a good indicator of who could have longer-term success. He'll also get a weak Rays offense at home next week, so I like that start.

Zebby Matthews - SP, MIN: 19% rostered
Matthews wasone of my favorite late-round picks early in spring training, and he has been cruising in Triple-A, pitching to a 1.80 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 15 innings in his first three starts. We thought Matthews would get a chance when Pablo Lopez went down, but that doesn't appear to be the case. However, Simeon Woods-Richardson now appears to be hurt, David Festa has struggled to pitch deep into games, and Chris Paddack has been underwhelming, so there are a few options for the Twins to give Matthews a shot if they wanted to.

Brayan Bello - SP, BOS: 16% rostered
It's finally time. Last week, I mentioned Bello if you needed an IL stash, and now it seems that he's going to make his season debut for the Red Sox next week against the Mariners. I understand his overall stats in the minors haven't looked great, but his velocity has been good, and he's getting tons of swinging strikes. When veterans are in the minors on rehab assignments, they're just working on different things with their mechanics and trying to stretch out and remain healthy, so I urge against looking too much into surface-level stats for guys on rehab assignments.

Tyler Anderson - SP, LAA: 9% rostered
Tyler Anderson is in a similar situation to Heaney. We’ve seen him be a solid fantasy starter in the past when he’s changeup is working, and it’s certainly working right now as the veteran has started the year with a 2.08 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. Anderson also gets the Pirates in his next start, so I’m happy to roll with this here.

Robert Garcia - RP, TEX: 9% rostered
This is just a bet on my continued lack of faith in Luke Jackson. I know Jackson is the closer in Texas and has been good, but I just don’t buy it. Garcia is a solid reliever who will pick up the odd save here and there as a left-hander, which will make him valuable even if Jackson continues to pitch well. But it Jackson struggles, Garcia will likely enter a clear closer committee, so why not roll the dice now? Justin Slaten - RP, BOS (10% rostered) is in the same boat. Slaten got the first save of the season for Boston, and people scooped him everywhere, but then he had one bad outing, and he was dropped in most places. Yet, he has looked legit since then and notched a save on Wednesday night in a dominant innings. Aroldis Chapman is the main closer in Boston, but Slaten will mix in when Chapman needs a rest or is needed against tough lefties in the 8th inning. That's worth a roster spot in a lot of formats. You could also add Luke Wever - RP, NYY (30% rostered) since Devin Williams simply doesn't look right in New York right now.

Abner Uribe (5% rostered) or Nick Mears (1% rostered) - RP, MIL
I know Trevor Megill is still pitching through his knee injury, but anybody who needs to get a second opinion on a knee injury is somebody I’m worried about. Pair that with declining fastball velocity, and I’m willing to add some other relievers in Milwaukee and see what happens. Both Mears and Uribe have earned a save, but they have also both repeatedly entered a game in the 6th inning. I have no idea how Pat Murphy is running his bullpen, but these are the two names I think would be in the saves mix if this Megill injury becomes relevant.

Quinn Priester - SP, MIL: 4% rostered
The Quinn Priester trade returned lots of value for Boston, but they revamped his arsenal and then shipped him off to succeed elsewhere. Since getting Priester from Pittsburgh, the Red Sox added a cutter, tightened up his slider, and narrowed the wide movement gaps in his pitch mix, which creates better tunneling and deception in the zone. So far, he's allowed one run in 10 innings for the Brewers while striking out eight. This has a real Tobias Myers feel for Milwaukee.

STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS

(ranked in loose order)

Week of 4/21

Strong Preference

PitcherRoster%Opponent
Eduardo Rodriguez22%vs TB
Jose Soriano45%vs PIT, at MIN
Andrew Heaney25%at LAA
Nick Martinez16%at MIA
Hayden Wesneski33%at KC
Tyler Anderson9%vs PIT

Fairly Confident

Brayan Bello16%vs SEA, at CLE
Michael Lorenzen6%vs COL
Shane Smith13%at MIN
David Festa8%vs CWS
Cade Povich3%at WAS
Landen Roupp26vs MIL
Matthew Liberatore15%vs MIL
Osvaldo Bido7%vs TEX, vs CWS
Kumar Rocker22%at ATH
Grant Holmes33%at ARI
Edward Cabrera4%vs CIN
Quinn Priester4%at STL

Some Hesitation

Jose Quintana1%at STL
Sean Burke6%at ATH
Lance McCullers5%at KC
Will Warren8%at CLE
Tomoyuki Sugano8%at WAS
Patrick Corbin1%at ATH
Dean Kremer4%at WAS, at DET
Chase Dollander16%at KC
Randy Vasquez4%at DET, vs TB

Columbus Blue Jackets Stat Leaders for 24-25

Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

The 2024-25 Columbus Blue Jackets season has ended, so let's take a final look at the stats, leaders, and other numbers.

Goals

  1. Adam Fantilli - 31
  2. Kirill Marchenko - 31
  3. Kent Johnson - 24

Assists

  1. Zach Werenski - 59 - 4th among all NHL defensemen
  2. Kirill Marchenko - 43
  3. Sean Monahan - 38

Points

  1. Zach Werenski - 82 - 2nd among all NHL defensemen
  2. Kirill Marchenko - 74
  3. Sean Monahan - 57
  4. Kent Johnson - 57

Plus/Minus

  1. Kirill Marchenko - +29
  2. Dante Fabbro - +20
  3. Sean Monahan - +19

Power Play Goals

  1. Dmitri Voronkov - 8
  2. Sean Monahan - 7

Game Winning Goals

  1. Zach Werenski - 5
  2. Mathieu Olivier - 5

Shots

  1. Zach Werenski - 298 - 3rd in the NHL

PIM

  1. Mathieu Olivier - 139 - 2nd in NHL

Fights

  1. Mathieu Olivier - 15 of the NHL's 297

Hits

  1. Mathieu Olivier - 306 - 2nd in NHL

Blocks 

  1. Dante Fabbro - 136
  2. Zach Werenski - 131

Time On Ice

  1. Zach Werenski - 2166:22 - 26:45 per Game - 1st in NHL

Goalie Wins 

  1. Elvis Merzlikins - 26 - 21st in NHL
  2. Jet Greaves - 7
  3. Daniil Tarasov - 7

Save %

  1. Jet Greaves - .938
  2. Elvis Merzlikins - .892 - Outside top-50
  3. Daniil Tarasov - .881

Goals Against Average

  1. Jet Greaves - 1.91
  2. Elvis Merzlikins - 3.18
  3. Daniil Tarasov - 3.54

Total Goals Scored 

  1. 267 - T-7th in NHL - Franchise Record
  2. 3.26 goals per game - T-7th in NHL

Total Goals Against

  1. 267 - 25th Worst in NHL
  2. 3.26 goals per game - 25th Worst in NHL

Power Play & Penalty Kill

  1. 19.5% - 22nd in NHL
  2. 77.0% - 22nd in NHL

Corsi & Fenwick per MoneyPuck.com

  1. Corsi - 48.53% - 22nd in NHL
  2. Fenwick - 48.63% - 24th in NHL

Penalties Minutes Taken per 60 per MoneyPuck.com

  • 7.52 - 20th in NHL

Penalties Drawn per 60 per MoneyPuck.com

  • 6.69 - 6th Fewest in NHL

The Columbus Blue Jackets enter the offseason and will undoubtedly formulate a plan to build on the success of the 2024-25 season. GM Don Waddell has many important decisions to make this summer and a lot of money to spend. 

Let us know what you think below.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story. 

Zach Werenski Declines Offer To Play At World ChampionshipsZach Werenski Declines Offer To Play At World ChampionshipsColumbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has declined the offer to play for Team USA at the 2025 World Championships in May. Thank You From The Hockey News Columbus TeamThank You From The Hockey News Columbus TeamThank You, Columbus! Prediction Results For the 24-25 Columbus Blue JacketsPrediction Results For the 24-25 Columbus Blue JacketsBefore the season started, I made some predictions for the 24-25 season. Although none of them were earth-shattering by any means, no one knew what to expect from a team hit with the ultimate tragedy just over a month before training camp.  Elvis Merzlikins Gives An Update On The Injury That Ended his SeasonElvis Merzlikins Gives An Update On The Injury That Ended his SeasonThe Columbus Blue Jackets held their end-of-season exit interviews on Friday with GM Don Waddell, HC Dean Evason, and select players.  Report: Former Blue Jacket Accused Of Sexual AssaultReport: Former Blue Jacket Accused Of Sexual AssaultAccording to a report from The Athletic’s Katie Strang, former Columbus Blue Jacket and current New York Ranger Artemi Panarin has settled on an alleged sexual assault incident from December of 2023. You can read Strang's full report in the above link. 

2025 NBA playoff simulation: Will C's repeat as NBA champs?

2025 NBA playoff simulation: Will C's repeat as NBA champs? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics will look to begin another dominant postseason run when they welcome the Orlando Magic to TD Garden for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Easter Sunday.

Boston, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, aims to become the franchise’s first team to repeat as NBA champions since the 1968 and 1969 squads led by Bill Russell. It would be the first NBA team to repeat since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.

Perhaps the No. 7 seed Magic won’t pose the Celtics’ biggest threat in their title quest, but it won’t be an easy road the rest of the way. The East is filled with teams that could give the C’s some trouble, including the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and the top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers. Potential NBA Finals showdowns with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, or Denver Nuggets also won’t be cakewalks.

So, just how far will the Celtics go on their quest for Banner 19? Our partners at Strat-O-Matic ran a simulation to find out, and they ended up with some interesting results.

Let’s jump in. . .

First Round: No. 2 Celtics defeat No. 7 Orlando Magic, 4-0

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Unsurprisingly, the reigning champions steamroll the underdog Magic with a first-round sweep. Boston sets the tone for another long postseason run with two blowout victories at TD Garden before finishing the series in Orlando with two closer wins.

East Semifinals: No. 2 Celtics defeat No. 6 Detroit Pistons, 4-3

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The Celtics face a far tougher test in Round 2 against the scrappy Pistons, who are coming off an impressive bounce-back campaign. Detroit dispatched the New York Knicks in five games and brought Boston to Game 7, but couldn’t finish the job at TD Garden. The C’s survived with a 13-point victory to advance to their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference Finals.

East Finals: No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers defeat No. 2 Celtics, 4-3

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The Cavs cruised to the East Finals with sweeps of the Miami Heat in the first round and the Indiana Pacers in the second round, setting up a fascinating postseason rematch with the C’s.

Boston squeaked out a tough Game 1 win on the road, but Cleveland responded with three consecutive wins to put the Celtics on the brink of elimination.

Trailing the series 3-1, the C’s lived to see another day with a nail-biter five-point win in Cleveland. Boston forced Game 7 with a blowout victory at TD Garden.

During Game 7 in Cleveland, the Celtics led by a point at halftime before a 12-2 Cavs run put Cleveland up by 10 entering the fourth quarter. The C’s would get back within four with two minutes left, but a turnover and a basket on the other end by the Cavs’ Evan Mobley put the game out of reach in an eventual 108-98 Cavs victory.

According to Strat-O-Matic, Cleveland gets its revenge.

Celtics’ top playoff performers

Co-stars Jayson Tatum (28.1 ppg) and Jaylen Brown (22.8 ppg) led the way for the Celtics in their postseason run.

Western Conference Playoffs

First Round

  • No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder defeat No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies, 4-2
  • No. 4 Denver Nuggets defeat No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers, 4-1
  • No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers defeat No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-3
  • No. 2 Houston Rockets defeat No. 7 Golden State Warriors, 4-3

West Semifinals

  • No. 2 Thunder defeat No. 4 Denver Nuggets, 4-2
  • No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers defeat No. 2 Houston Rockets, 4-2

West Finals

  • No. 1 Thunder defeat No. 3 Lakers, 4-1

2025 NBA Finals: Thunder defeat Cavaliers, 4-3

The Thunder take down the Cavs in a thrilling seven-game series. OKC superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averages 35.0 points and 6.0 assists per game and is a no-brainer for Finals MVP.

What are the largest NBA playoff wins? Where Thunder's 51-point margin ranks

What are the largest NBA playoff wins? Where Thunder's 51-point margin ranks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Oklahoma City Thunder brought the boom.

Boasting a league-best 68-14 regular-season record, top-seeded Oklahoma opened its NBA playoff run with a whopping 131-80 Game 1 win over the No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies.

Six Thunder players eclipsed double-digit points, with Aaron Wiggins recording 21 off the bench for welcome output. MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was only the team’s fourth-leading scorer on the day with 15 points.

It marked the largest Game 1 margin in NBA history, but how did it fare compared to playoff history? Let’s take a look:

What is the largest NBA playoff win?

Two games hold a tie for the largest NBA playoff win. Most recently in the 2009 playoffs, the Denver Nuggets crushed the New Orleans Hornets 121-63 for a 58-point win, as did the Minneapolis Lakers in their 1956 133-75 result over the St. Louis Hawks.

Denver’s win came in the first round, while Minneapolis’ was in the semifinals, though the formats differed.

What are the largest NBA playoff wins in NBA history?

Oklahoma City’s 51-point margin over Memphis is top-five worthy. Here’s a list of the 50-plus-point margins in NBA playoff history:

  • 58 points: Minneapolis Lakers 133, St. Louis Hawks 75 (1956 Western Division semifinals)
  • 58 points: Denver Nuggets 121, New Orleans Hornets 63 (2009 Western Conference first round)
  • 56 points: Los Angeles Lakers 126, Golden State Warriors 70 (1973 Western Conference Finals)
  • 54 points: Chicago Bulls 120, Milwaukee Bucks 66 (2015 Eastern Conference first round)
  • 51 points: Oklahoma City Thunder 131, Memphis Grizzlies 80 (2025 Western Conference first round)
  • 50 points: Milwaukee Bucks 136, San Francisco Warriors 86 (1971 Western Conference semifinals)

ICYMI in Mets Land: Pete Alonso, Kodai Senga star in series-clinching win over Cardinals; Jeff McNeil update

Here's what happened Saturday in Mets Land, in case you missed it...


"I think he is one of the most under appreciated defensemen in the league," Golden Knights Head Coach Hands Out High Praise For Defensive Defenseman

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) before the game against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb finished the season with a +/- rating of +42, the second-best in the NHL, earning high praise from HC Bruce Cassidy.

"I think Brayden McNabb is one of the most under appreciated defensemen in the league," Cassidy said.

The 34-year-old is known for his defensive acumen, throwing 131 hits this season and blocking 167 shots. His 167 blocked shots ranked first on the Golden Knights and 14th in the NHL. His defensive work is more than enough for Cassidy to feel this way about McNabb, but he's become more than that. 

His penalty killing work is highlighted by his improved play with the puck. He's cleaner with his breakouts and moves the puck efficiently, and it's why he's worked so well next to Shea Theodore or Kaedan Korczak.

In addition to his puck-moving, the 2024-25 campaign saw McNabb equal his career-high in goals (5) and record the third-highest point total of his career (20). He also averaged the second-most ice time of his career, 20:07, and recorded over 20 minutes for the third time in his career. 

Earlier this season, the Davidson, SK, native signed a three-year contract extension, which will keep him with the Golden Knights until he is 37 years old. His 6'4 frame and hockey IQ should help him stay in top form despite being considered one of the slowest skaters in the NHL. Since he arrived in Vegas, McNabb has been a safety blanket for each coach, and he'll continue to be vital to the team's defensive success. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Golden Knights Sticking With Lines That Have WorkedGolden Knights Sticking With Lines That Have WorkedThe Vegas Golden Knights flamed out in the first round of the playoffs last year to the Dallas Stars in large part due to HC Bruce Cassidy’s inability to find the best lines. The blame can’t all be put on him as the Golden Knights were ravaged with injuries and did not have enough time to build chemistry among linemates.  Storylines Abound When In Opening Round Series Between Golden Knights And Wild, Including Several Head-To-Head MatchupsStorylines Abound When In Opening Round Series Between Golden Knights And Wild, Including Several Head-To-Head MatchupsLAS VEGAS -- There are storylines aplenty across every NHL Playoff series, and will be as we get closer to the Stanley Cup Final.

Florian Xhekaj Is Now Part Of An Exclusive Club

Florian Xhekaj in preseason action with the Montreal Canadiens. Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The Laval Rocket ended its season with a 5-4 win over the Belleville Senators. Since the Montreal Canadiens had already clinched the league’s championship, coach Pascal Vincent opted to rest some of his regulars and iced his “B” lineup.

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Those who didn’t benefit from a night off were Florian Xhekaj, Owen Beck, and recently signed goaltender Jacob Fowler. The young netminder gave up four goals on 31 shots, finishing his night with a .871 save percentage. Not a brilliant result, to say the least, but Laval’s defense was not as strong as it usually is.

Beck, Tuch, and Noel Hoefenmayer each picked up a goal while Xhekaj scored a pair, including the overtime winner. Now that the season is over, we can say just how impressive the youngest Xhekaj’s first professional season has been.

He finishes the year with 24 goals and 11 assists for 35 points, but he also put up 175 penalty minutes, meaning he entered a very select club. Only three other players in AHL history have scored at least 20 goals while putting up at least 150 penalty minutes.

Shaun Van Allen scored 25 goals and 182 penalty minutes with the Cape Breton Oilers in 1990-91, but he was 24 years old and in his fourth pro season. He went on to play 794 games in the NHL.  

Zenon Konopka scored 24 goals and racked up 194 penalty minutes in 2007-08 with the Syracuse Crunch, but he was 27 years old and in his sixth professional season. He went on to play 346 games in the NHL.

Former Hab Cédric Paquette was the last to accomplish the feat in 2013-14 with the Crunch. He’s the only one, aside from Xhekaj, who can do it in his first professional season. He played 448 games in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20. He played his last 24 NHL games with the Canadiens.

There’s no guarantee that Xhekaj will be able to have that kind of career, but his first season certainly is an encouraging sign, and he looks like a good candidate for an energy line in Montreal down the line. This season, he also pulverised the rookie goal scoring record in Laval which stood at 17. When he scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Saturday night, he celebrated in a particular fashion, not taking the time to celebrate with his teammates and heading straight to the dressing room, as if to say, “Time to get on with the real business!”

Thanks to winning the league championship, the Rocket has a bye for the first round of the playoffs and will face the winner of the Cleveland Monsters—Toronto Marlies duel. A team only needs to win three games to move on to the division semifinal. The Monsters have won seven of the eight duels between the two sides this season and look to be the favorites in that series.


Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

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Kane Suggests Mutual Interest in Red Wings Return

Apr 1, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Le, Imagn Images)

In April a year ago, Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane—then an expiring free agent—raised eyebrows at his locker clean-out day press availability when he spoke about his time in the Red Wings in the past tense: "It was fun to be a Wing and in this organization. I'll definitely have some memories to last me a life time," Kane said then.

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That sounded like a farewell, but instead, on the cusp of free agencies opening, Kane agreed to a one-year, bonus-laden deal to remain in Detroit for another season, remaining with the franchise where he revitalized his career after hip resurfacing surgery.

Now, Kane is again an expiring free agent, but during Saturday's locker clean out interview, his message about the future was one Red Wings fans will be eager to here.  Regarding free agency, Kane said he would "definitely take some time to think, but overall, I've really enjoyed my time here, and I think it's been a great place for me to continue my career and play and there's a lot of great things about the organization."  Kane then proclaimed, there is "definitely some mutual interest in coming back and continuing on here."

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In 72 games this season, Kane scored 21 goals and added 38 assists.  He started the season slow, but his game picked up with the arrival of new coach Todd McLellan and his creative touch proved an essential ingredient in Detroit's lethal power play.

On Saturday, Kane pointed out that free agency can be unpredictable but said another contract similar (in term and bonus structure, something players over the age of 35 are able to include in their contracts) to his present one sounds appealing.

"Last year I felt like I sat up here and said one thing I was thinking at the time—talking about security and maybe multi-year contracts—and then a month, a couple weeks later, you think completely different," Kane said.  "So I think those are conversations that still need to be had with myself, my family, the people closest with me, my agent, obviously with the organization too and figure all that out, but I thought this year with my age and the one-year bonuses and kinda working that contract, I thought it worked well for both sides."

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'I Can't Say Enough': Jared Bednar Praises Avalanche GM For New Additions

Mackenzie Blackwood (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

“All the pieces, including depth pieces, serve a purpose.”

Adding new players is a delicate process.

The Colorado Avalanche knows a thing or two about that this year. While the calendars were still reading the year 2024, they had swapped out their entire goalie tandem. Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen were out, and Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood came in.

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Further into the season, the Avalanche made many more additions. Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle, Ryan Lindgren, and Jack Drury were a few of the other players acquired during the season.

With that many new faces on the team, concern arises about upsetting the team chemistry. To the players’ credit, that was not the case.

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A Round One Schedule for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is HereA Round One Schedule for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is HereNHL Public Relations announced the full schedule for games 1-4 of round one for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday morning. Dates for games 5-7 were also announced with times listed as TBD, meaning they will be announced once or if they become necessary.

“We came back with a lot of the same guys,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said to the media in a scrum after his team’s Game 1 victory over the Dallas Stars. “We were banged up early in the season. We got a look at our guys going into the season, what we liked and didn’t like.” 

“I feel like as a coach we were really lucky,” Bednar revealed. “We re-vamped the most major parts of our lineup.” 

“The two goalies right away, strength down the middle of the ice when you get Drury, Coyle, and Nelson, added some grit and determination on the backend in Lindgren.”

Blackwood performed admirably in the first playoff game of his career. The 28-year-old stopped 23 of 24 shots to backstop the Avalanche to a 5-1 victory in Game 1.

Not bad for his first playoff game.

“It’s never easy winning (in the) regular season, playoffs it gets harder every single round,” Bednar said. “We feel like we have a good team and it’s up to us to go play our best hockey for two weeks at a time, as far as you can possibly go and try to reward the organization for giving us those players.”

“I can’t say enough about the moves that he made to revamp our team.”

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Barry Hoban, British cycling legend and Tour de France icon, dies aged 85

  • Yorkshire-born cyclist won eight stages of Tour de France
  • Famously beat Eddy Merckx at Gent-Wevelgem in 1974

The pioneering British road sprinter and Classics rider Barry Hoban has died at the age of 85. Hoban was for many years the UK record holder for stage wins in the Tour de France with a tally of eight during his 17-year professional racing career, a total bettered only by the greatest sprinter of them all, Mark Cavendish, in 2009.

Hoban’s first stage victory in the Tour, in 1967, was not one he cared to remember – or that he felt was really a win – as it came the day after the sudden death of his friend and rival Tom Simpson on Mont Ventoux; he was “permitted” to escape and cross the line first by the grieving peloton.

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Paul Skenes bobblehead giveaway causes frenzy at Pirates game

Paul Skenes bobblehead giveaway causes frenzy at Pirates game originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Paul Skenes grew used to the buzz that surrounds him a while ago.

Still, Saturday was different. Throughout an unseasonably warm spring afternoon, the mania that seems to follow the 22-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates ace whenever he takes the mound collided with the reality of the current state of his underperforming team.

A day that began with fans queueing up outside the gates of PNC Park more than five hours before Skenes delivered his first pitch — all in the in hopes of securing one of the 20,000 bobbleheads inspired by the National League Rookie of the Year — ended with a 3-0 loss and the increasingly familiar chants urging owner Bob Nutting to sell the team.

The irony this time is that the club’s executives avoided the kind of public-relations missteps that have become all too frequent over the season’s opening month.

Due to what Pirates president Travis Williams called unprecedented demand, the team pledged to make sure that every one of the 37,113 who waited in lines that stretched for blocks in every direction — including across the Roberto Clemente Bridge into the city’s downtown — would be able to obtain one of the popular collectibles.

It didn’t take long for some of them to pop up on eBay, though for far less than a one-of-a-kind Skenes rookie card that fetched more than $1 million at a public auction last month.

Asked if he thought the bobblehead bore more than a passing resemblance to him, the bearded Skenes — who is about 6 feet taller than the figurine — shrugged.

“It’s a bobblehead,” he said. “It’s not my thing.”

He didn’t notice the growing crush of people outside the ballpark when he arrived for work, though he called seeing a sellout for just the second time this season “cool.”

“Wish we would’ve gotten the win,” Skenes added inside a postgame clubhouse so quiet the most notable noise was coming from the air conditioning unit in the middle of the room.

Those moments have been far too infrequent during an opening month in which the Pirates’ play has offered a reminder that for all of Skenes’ brilliance, it takes more than a phenom pitcher to compete against some of baseball’s best teams.

Skenes did his part, limiting the Guardians to two runs and six hits across seven efficient if not quite overpowering innings. Making the first start of his big league career on four days’ rest, Skenes struck out a season-low four batters, which he chalked up to Cleveland’s approach more than the quality of his stuff.

There was just one true mistake, a 93 mph splitter on the first pitch of the seventh that dipped down and in to Kyle Manzardo. The left-handed designated hitter turned on it and sent it bouncing into the Allegheny River to put the Guardians up 2-0.

“I’m not going to lose any sleep over this outing,” he said. “Just got to score runs.”

Something the Pirates have not done with any sort of consistency. Five days after putting up a season-high 10 runs to back Skenes in a win over Washington, Pittsburgh managed just six hits while being shut out for the third time in a week.

The Pirates went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the most damning a two-batter sequence in the sixth in which first-and-third with no outs ended with Ke’Bryan Hayes taking a ball that looked outside for strike three, immediately followed by Tommy Pham grounding into a double play.

The unease that bubbled up during the home opener — when a plane flew overhead dragging a banner urging owner Bob Nutting to put the team up for sale — is starting to become a constant.

While there were boos after Pham’s dribbler to second ended the scoring threat, a brief but noticeable “sell the team” chant curiously popped up after Skenes gave up the homer to Manzardo. It quickly died out, and Skenes was given a generous ovation when he walked off the mound after the top of the seventh following a performance that gave his team a chance to win.

Only the Pirates didn’t. Just as they haven’t in three of his five starts this season, or in 14 of their first 22 overall.

Skenes brushed aside the idea that frustration is starting to creep in, even with the Pirates dealing with the same issues — namely offense and spotty work from the bullpen — that plagued them during a late-summer swoon that dropped them out of contention in 2024.

Everyone from Nutting to Williams to general manager Ben Cherington to Shelton to Skenes has said it’s time for Pittsburgh to win. Those wins aren’t coming with any regularity.

The window to contend that the club expected to open in 2025 remains shut. And no amount of giveaways can distract the fanbase, even as their bright young hope continues to look every bit the budding superstar that he is.

Skenes brushed aside the idea that frustration is starting to mount internally, even as it ratchets up externally, even on days that begin with the giddy frenzy that seems to follow Skenes wherever he goes in full bloom.

“We’re just not executing at a high enough level and as consistently as we need to, to win these games,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a clubhouse thing. Everybody likes each other. But positive feelings, friendships and all that don’t win championships. We’ve got to figure it out.”

Canadiens: Preparing For The Capitals’ Terrorizing Power Play

Ivan Demidov in the first game of his young career. Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

After holding an optional skate on Friday morning, Martin St-Louis held a regular practice on Saturday. While it was scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m., at 10:30, most of the players were already on the ice, ready to get going.

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Former assistant coach Alex Burrows was also present and had a long conversation with Montreal Canadiens’ center Jake Evans. Samuel Montembeault revealed the nature of the conversation in the post-practice media availability. The netminder told us that Burrows had been scouting the Washington Capitals for a few weeks already, paying particular attention to their lethal power play.

Once practice started, St-Louis got everyone’s legs going with three vs. three mini-games on a reduced ice surface. Then there were some passing and shooting drills, but not as complete lines. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield always worked together, while Ivan Demidov was always with Patrik Laine.

Then, the focus was squarely on the power play. There was no change to the first unit, with Suzuki, Laine, Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Lane Hutson skating together, but much of the focus was on getting Caufield to unleash shots from the bumper position. Asked how he felt about being deployed there, the diminutive sniper answered that it was a work in progress and that it would depend on how Washington deployed its penalty kill.

On Caufield, the coach said:

He’s progressed tremendously from goal line to goal line on both sides; he’s had to score goals differently a little bit this year; you see him more on the inside. I think it’s important for him not to be a perimeter player, having all those touches in space all the time, the game isn’t going to give you that space all the time. I think especially in the playoffs, you must be willing to play inside regardless of whether you're big-bodied or not.
- Martin St-Louis on Cole Caufield.

On the second until, Brendan Gallagher, Alex Newhook, Demidov, and Mike Matheson participated in all the drills while Suzuki and Joel Armia alternated. Time will tell if St-Louis has finally decided not to overwork his captain and give him a bit of downtime. It wouldn’t be a bad idea, and it would allow him to be fresher and play better minutes.

After practice, the members of the penalty killing units were whisked away for a meeting to dissect the Capitals’ power play and its weapon of mass destruction, Alexander Ovechkin. Speaking of the Great Eight, Ivan Demidov explained that he watched him play growing up, but he was more of an Evgeni Malkin fan. The youngster is preparing to play in his second professional playoff tournament in the same season. When he was asked what he thought was different between the postseason and the regular season, he said:

The playoffs are a different game than the regular season, you need like more energy.
- Ivan Demidov on the difference between the regular season and the playoffs.

When asked about his feelings about playing the newly minted best goal scorer in league history, Patrik Laine simply replied, “I couldn’t care less.” Clearly, the Finnish sniper doesn’t feel like too much emphasis should be put on Washington’s captain.

Meanwhile, goaltender Samuel Montembeault is ready to finally make his playoffs debut and is excited about the challenge of facing the Caps.  

It was about time, after eight years, to finally get to play some playoff hockey. I’m really excited to do it with this team and am looking forward to Monday.
-

As for how he stayed cool and collected down the stretch while under much pressure, he explained:

I had some meetings with our sports psychologist here. We spoke about staying in the moment and just focusing on your breathing. When you focus on your breathing, you’re not thinking about what’s going to happen in the future or what happened in the past.
- Samuel Montembeault on how he stays calm. 

You can expect some very physical hockey when the puck drops on the series on Monday night in Washington. Josh Anderson mentioned how hard someone like Tom Wilson would play and added that he would do the same for the Canadiens. Caufield was asked how important it was that Slafkovsky played a physical game, and he said:

That’s how he should play every game. He knows it, it’s just about him making that decision himself and leading the way physically, I’d say.
- Cole Caufield on Juraj Slafkovsky

This is an assessment that most fans will agree with. There was a bit of excitement in the air in Brossard. The players were visibly happy to have reached the postseason, as they should be. The bench boss was also in good spirits, even teasing The Athletic’s Arpon Basu when he had to be called on twice to ask his question. St-Louis smiled and asked if he was in Ferris Bueller, giving everyone a good chuckle.

The Canadiens will hold another practice in Brossard on Sunday morning before taking off for Washington to prepare for game one the following day. Game two is scheduled for Wednesday, and the series will move to Montreal on Friday, when the Bell Center should be filled to the brim with overexcited fans.


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