As the Yankees continue their path to the postseason, SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes opens up the mailbag to talk roster construction when Aaron Judge returns and much more...

Are the Yankees really going to run with Grisham in center field instead of Spencer Jones and is it even likely that they’ll send Jones down with Judge returning? -@yellow643

I can see a world in which the Yankees run with Trent Grisham in center down the stretch, at least against right-handed pitching, out of respect for his experience and to give him time to get his bat going before the postseason. I don’t know if I would make that decision, and I don’t know if they will, either.

I cannot see a world in which the Yankees do not have Jones on their roster down the stretch and into October. Yes, Aaron Judge creates a roster crunch, but I don’t anticipate Jones being the one pushed out. He has been too good, and is too much of a power threat, to take off the roster for the most important games of the season. And if he is on the roster, the Yankees will have to take another position player off.

The Yankees’ general dearth of right-handed bats makes this complicated. I would assume Heliot Ramos remains on the roster as a pinch-hitter or platoon option in center against a tough lefty. So that means an infielder would have to go.

Amed Rosario feels like the likeliest choice, but even in a difficult offensive season, he maintains the Yankees’ confidence as a right-handed option off the bench. But in the postseason, Paul Goldschmidt can fill that role, even if it means pinch-hitting for someone in another infield position: The proven positional versatility of Jose Caballero and the theoretical versatility of Luis Garcia Jr. allow for creativity.

Ryan McMahon’s defense at third base is probably too important to the success of key pitchers like Max Fried to leave off the roster due to his inconsistency offensively. But I could see them making that decision if they are worried about being too left-handed.

Long story short: I think Jones has proven himself too valuable to leave him off the roster when Judge returns and beyond.

Will we ever see Giancarlo Stanton play again in pinstripes? -@MrEd315

I don’t know. His contract situation makes any kind of retirement scenario complicated: The Yankees owe him $25 million next year and a $10 million buyout if they choose not to bring him back for 2028. Thirty-five million isn’t crazy for the Yankees, but it isn’t nothing.

My expectation is that this will be up to Stanton. If he wants to try to play again – and he is just 44 home runs shy of 500 – I think the Yankees will give him that chance. Even if he is a semiregular designated hitter and a huge bench bat, his clubhouse presence probably justifies keeping him around. But his legs clearly gave out on him this year, which is not a good sign for a player with chronic elbow pain, too. I would not be surprised if he decides to call it after this season, though to be very, very clear, I have not heard anyone who would know suggest that is imminent.

Who do you think will have a better career? Nolan McLean or Cam Schlittler? -@LobstersLong

Whichever one is healthiest. Period. They’re both incredible young talents. Schlittler has been better so far and appears to be an excellent big-game pitcher. So he has the edge for now. But McLean’s stuff moves naturally in ways people spend whole careers trying to achieve. His numbers are not THAT far behind Schlittler, all things considered. To me, whoever is healthier will finish with the better resume. They’re both incredibly talented.

SAN DIEGO — Coming off the best start of his season, Will Warren is going to the bullpen — at least for Friday night. 

The right-hander is expected to piggyback Max Fried in the series opener against the Padres at Petco Park, as the Yankees try to use off-days Thursday and Monday to their advantage. 

Fried, in his second start back from the injured list for a left elbow bone bruise, is likely to be capped somewhere around 65-70 pitches again after throwing 63 across 3 ²/₃ innings against the Red Sox on Saturday.

So having Warren pitch behind him should help take some burden off the bullpen from having to cover too many innings. 

And while Warren is coming off a strong start, when he tossed seven innings of one-run ball Sunday against the Red Sox on a day when the Yankees desperately needed some length (and the win), Aaron Boone said it was not a difficult conversation to have with his pitcher to tell him he would be coming on in relief of Fried this time around. 

“We all understand where we are in the season, how important all these games are, and in Will’s case, how important he is to this team and what we’re doing,” Boone said. “We’re trying to win, and I think everyone understands that at this point.” 

While Boone claimed this was not part of the equation, it also gives Warren some experience coming out of the bullpen, a role that he could find himself in come the playoffs. When asked if Warren would return to the rotation after Friday, Boone initially said, “Yeah, he could slot back in,” before hedging and saying, “We’ll see how it all shakes out.” 

Carlos Rodón is set to start Saturday while they were waiting on naming a starter for Sunday — Gerrit Cole would be on normal four days’ rest, which would then allow Cam Schlittler to start Tuesday against the Rockies on five days’ rest.

If Cole needs another day, Elmer Rodríguez would be available after starting Monday’s game against the Angels. 

Anthony Volpe appears to have avoided an injury scare, returning to the lineup at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday after leaving Wednesday’s game early, two innings after he was hit by a pitch. 

Volpe took an 87 mph fastball off the right forearm in the fourth inning and initially stayed in the game to steal a base and take another at-bat in the fifth, lining out to right field. But he was replaced in the field by the top of the sixth. 

By Thursday, though, he was right back in the RailRiders lineup, starting at second base. He has been on a strong run at the plate, batting .276 with a 1.008 OPS and eight home runs in 23 games since being demoted in early August.

The Seattle Mariners announced Thursday that they’ve placed OF Victor Robles on the family medical emergency/bereavement list. Robles is allowed up to three days on the list, and though the exact nature of the situation is unknown, kindness and best wishes are being sent his and his family’s way. Robles is currently in the Dominican Republic with his family, which is where Mariners GM Justin Hollander said he “needs to be.”

In his stead, Seattle has recalled OF Stuart Fairchild, the local product who Seattle acquired midway through this season. As of pregame Thursday, Fairchild isn’t yet with the club, needing to travel from where Tacoma is playing in Albuquerque. Additionally, Seattle recalled OF Brennen Davis from Triple-A Tacoma and placed him on the 60-day injured list, immediately removing him from the 40-man roster. Davis had been dealing this season with a severe hamstring strain that’s kept him out all year; most recently, he suffered an oblique injury while swinging in the cages, and has now had a setback with that oblique that will end his season.

Occupying a bench and defensive replacement role when healthy this year for the most part, Robles will be mostly a 1-1 swap for Fairchild in the next few days. Though not quite the base stealer Robles is, Fairchild roams the outfield well and runs enough to fill in. The Seattle Prep product has been a stellar hitter in Triple-A this year in his age 30 campaign, and has played in parts of the last six seasons in the bigs.

Davis is a bittersweet move, as the 26 year old outfielder who spent years near the top of prospect lists spent much of this season on the sidelines once again, unable to ring the bell when Seattle was scouring its system for any sort of offensive spark. By adding him to the 40-man roster earlier this year, Seattle retained Davis following a scorching hot spring and excellent season with the Tacoma Rainiers. Unfortunately, as has been the case every year of his career, his body betrayed him, first with the hamstring, and then the oblique. By putting him on the IL, Davis will be paid for the remainder of the year at a big league minimum rate, a goodwill gesture from Seattle for a player who by all accounts is a diligent, hard worker and high-quality teammate. Seattle may also choose to retain Davis through the winter on their 40-man roster without needing to expose him to minor league free agency once again, though it’s unclear if they’d choose to do so.

Tyrese Haliburton spent the past two years dumping his hometown baseball team in public, one jersey at a time. On Thursday night, he made it official at Wrigley Field.

The injured Indiana Pacers point guard threw out the ceremonial first pitch wearing a Cubs jersey before Chicago hosted the Brewers, taking the mound at Wrigley rather than 90 miles north in Milwaukee.

Haliburton, from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was a Brewers fan his whole life. That ended in 2024, he said, when the team invited him to throw out a first pitch that summer, then pulled the offer after his Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs.

"I was a Brewers fan and then I was supposed to throw the first pitch last summer and then they X'd that after the playoffs ended," Haliburton said on the "The Pat McAfee Show" in April 2025. "So I said, you know what, I'm no longer a Brewers fan."

Tyrese Haliburton grew up a Brewers fan in Wisconsin. Tonight, he took the mound to throw out the first pitch for the Cubs ... against the Brewers 👀 pic.twitter.com/h4bwoFK4pl

— MLB (@MLB) September 3, 2026

It was a rough break up. Haliburton started showing up to Pacers games in Cubs and Dodgers gear, including a Cubs jersey at a preseason game in October 2025. When the Dodgers swept the Brewers out of the National League Championship Series that fall, he leaned into rooting against Milwaukee.

The Dodgers noticed. Manager Dave Roberts invited Haliburton to jump on the bandwagon and throw out a first pitch at Dodger Stadium.

"I'd like to offer him the first pitch at Dodger Stadium, and he can rock that Ohtani jersey in its rightful place," Roberts said on Amazon's "Good Sports With Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson."

Haliburton, who calls himself a baseball free agent, has had plenty of time to practice his first pitch. He tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City Thunder in June 2025 and was out for the entire 2025-26 season. The Pacers have said he isn't expected to play again until late 2026.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tyrese Haliburton's breakup with the Brewers becomes official at Wrigley

The good thing about this week’s series in the land of the Crawford Boxes and the choo-choo is that both Sean Burke and Davis Martin pitched extremely well, a big turnaround from their recent starts and a good sign for the stretch run. The bad thing — well, besides nearly the entire offense — is that Luis Castillo once again demonstrated that while Chris Getz may have had a very nice offseason, he had a miserable trade deadline.

Castillo started out looking good, striking out Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez. He then walked Isaac Paredes on 10 pitches and threw José Altuve a fastball that would have been a strike on Aaron Judge but was nose-high on Altuve. Altuve still sent it into the Crawford Boxes to make it 2-0 Astros.

The lead didn’t last long. Braden Montgomery singled off Hunter Brown to lead off the second, and Colson Montgomery followed with a routine ground ball to second. Peña blew the relay, though, and Chase Meidroth followed with an unplayable 50-mph dribbler. Jake Rogers and Sam Antonacci then delivered actual singles to tie the score.

There being no other Sox offensive highlights, what the heck, let’s show you the RBIs. First, Jake’s:

Nice stop by Peña, nice hustle by a catcher to avoid the DP. Then Sam’s, which actually made it to the outfield.

The Sox even got a single and a walk to lead off the third, but that apparently ticked off Brown, who entered the game 5-0 against them in his career. He then struck out the side, retired nine in a row and didn’t allow another hit through the sixth.

Meanwhile, the Astros were allowed to bat more against Castillo, which, as usual, was not a good thing. In the bottom of the third, they went single, HBP, double, triple, single to make it a 6-2 game. That was all they scored, but it was all they needed.

Will Venable left Castillo in for the fourth, when he stranded a couple of runners, but that was it for the alleged innings eater who has turned into just an appetizer nibbler. Tyler Schweitzer, Trevor Richards and even José Urquidy combined for four scoreless innings, but the feeble Sox offense didn’t manage another hit until a two-out Meidroth single in the ninth.

The one moment of good performance by Sox non-pitchers came on a nifty Braden grab with two on and two out in the fifth.

Baseball lore has it that if a player who makes a nice catch leads off the next inning, he always gets a hit. Braden only managed a walk, but that sorta counts. Didn’t matter, because Colson then hit into a real double play.

After the third, the Sox never stranded another runner in scoring position. But that’s because they never got another runner to second.

The White Sox fall to 73-67 but remain three games ahead of Cleveland, which lost to Toronto this afternoon. Their lead over Houston is down to 1 1/2 games, though. The Astros also hold the tiebreaker after winning the season series 5-2, which could matter for postseason positioning and home-field advantage if the teams finish with identical records.

The Sox now head home to face the Twins and Pirates beginning tomorrow night but, oddly, have Labor Day off.

As for the Sox MVP, there really isn’t one, but feel free to name somebody in the comments — maybe Meidroth for his two singles and two Ks, or the pen for four innings of scoreless work?

Castillo would seem to be the runaway choice for goat (not GOAT), but if you prefer a batter, Munetaka Murakami was 0-for-4 with three Ks. He is 1-for-20 and hasn’t homered since Aug. 18. Colson was also 0-for-4 with a strikeout while hitting into one double play and another that should have been.

I think I’d give the dishonor to Chris Getz for his terrible work at the trade deadline, but have at whomever you like in the comments.

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to make Shohei Ohtani’s health a priority in order to help preserve him for a postseason run.

The Dodgers are looking to become the third franchise to secure a World Series three-peat.

Ohtani is expected to play a key role in trying to make that happen, but he will need to be healthy to do it.

Ohtani was not in the starting lineup as a designated hitter on Thursday, Sept. 3. It is the first time he has not been in the lineup since July 30.

Ohtani showed signs of discomfort in the Dodgers' 8-6 home loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 2. He went 0-for-4, but did walk and score a run.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani told the team he had discomfort in his biceps and neck during the game.

The Dodgers have not placed Ohtani on the injured list, but it hasn't officially been ruled out either. The Dodgers will treat Ohtani's status for the moment as "day-to-day."

The manager said he will need to have further conversations with Ohtani before deciding on the next step.

"I think for me it's just getting with him later today and seeing how his day is and how he responds to a day of rest and I think at that point we will make a decision as far as tomorrow," Roberts said.

All last weekend, my kid told me that it was going to be Labor Day that next Monday. I kept telling her no, it was next Monday. I mean, like 10 or 12 times. Then I told this to the wife. She was very quiet, then asked “it’s not Labor Day tomorrow?” Because she kept telling our kid it was, then I kept breaking her heart. So if you’re broken hearted to hear that there’s no game today, I apologize.

What is going on then? The Brewers and Cubs are kicking off shortly. The Cubs are 9 back of the Brewers, but they’re not out of it. The Cardinals can complete a sweep of the Dodgers at 10 pm Eastern.

The mutant form of college football is going on tonight as well. Missouri and Utah look poised to devour their opening week cupcakes of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Idaho, respectively. That’s going on at 7pm and 8pm.

Are you guys and gals going to the beach? Ima sit at home and broil myself. The next trip we take will be either to a sick relative’s or to Atlanta for a playoff game. Hopefully, the family can pull through and the Braves can be victorious.

Do we want to debate what the Braves playoff position will be? I’m thinking the Braves might slide into that #2 slot if the Dodgers keep slipping up. Let’s go take care of Philadelphia first.

Lately, I’ve been writing game discussions and recaps after unfortunate events.

Last Thursday, I wrote the game thread the day after the nine-game winning streak snapped.

Today, it’s following the end of five straight series wins.

But that’s okay. Listen, if you were thinking that the Royals could make the playoffs during this stretch of great baseball that began when they were 24 games under .500, I applaud you. I wish I could’ve had that kind of hope.

Still, we’ve seen this team’s best action the past couple of weeks. Even having dropped two in a row to the Fish, I’m looking forward to watching Michael Wacha take the mound tonight on the heels of his gem against Cleveland on August 28th.

Let’s bid adieu to the Marlins with a victory, one that would push them even farther behind the Diamondbacks for the last National Wild Card spot. It’s that time of year: playing spoiler.

As mentioned, Wacha takes the ball tonight. In his last outing, he absolutely cooked the Guardians, tossing eight scoreless innings while allowing four hits and zero walks while striking out 10. It was beautiful. In his third year with the Royals, Wacha has become the starting rotation’s anchor. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Royals tabbed him as the team’s Opening Day starter in 2027.

Here’s the Royals’ lineup:

Carter Jensen launched two home runs last night while also drawing a walk. He’s locked in. I’m glad to see Isaac Collins back in left because I am over the John Rave Experience. Neither one of these dudes is the long-term answer in left, but, obviously, I’d much rather see Collins out there. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino swap defensive roles, such as it is, with the former starting at first and the latter taking on the DH role. Josh Rojas starts at the hot corner over Nick Loftin.

This lineup will face Sandy Alcantara, who captured the National League Cy Young Award back in 2022. Since, he’s struggled, falling off in 2023, missing all of 2024, and rebounding in 2025. Now, he’s as close to 2022-form as he’s been. He leads the Majors in games started, innings pitched, and batters faced, but has also allowed the most hits. The Marlins haven’t won any of his starts since August 8.

His offense:

Name me a more anonymous lineup the Majors. Not that the Marlins are bad—they’re clearly not, as they have a winning record. But this offense—heck, this franchise—is just so…I don’t know…boring, and they have been for years. When they first entered the National League with the Rockies, they were a cool new thing, especially when they won the World Series in 1997 (thanks a lot, Jose Mesa) and 2003.

Since? Yawn.

And still, they are 71-69 and just 2-and-1/2 games back of Arizona for a playoff spot (albeit with the Padres also ahead of them).

First pitch tonight at 6:40. It will be hot.

Tampa Bay Rays @ Texas Rangers

Thursday, September 3, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

LHP Shane McClanahan vs. RHP Cal Quantrill

Go Rangers!

BALTIMORE — Adley Rutschman reported to his longtime workplace on Thursday, Sept. 3, greeted several longtime Camden Yards staffers and made the well-worn walk into the Baltimore Orioles' clubhouse.

He prepared for a game that will be attended by hundreds of fans wearing his jersey as he resumed the fight for an American League wild-card spot.

But the stopover in the Orioles' clubhouse was only to exchange hugs and laughs and talk some smack with his friends. His pregame prep was in service of catching Boston Red Sox starter Jake Bennett, not Orioles rookie Brandon Young.

And the socks and undershirt and all other trappings he pulled on were not in the black and orange of the Orioles – or his college, Oregon State - but rather the red of Boston’s Olde Towne Team.

Rutschman’s professional life was turned upside down five weeks ago, when the only organization he knew, the one he led out of the darkness of a rebuild and into the playoffs traded him north, within the division, to a club that now finds itself running the same wild-card race that his friends on the Orioles are desperate to stay in.

And in his first at-bat as a visiting player, Rutschman showed why he became a franchise staple in Baltimore.

He drilled a Brandon Young curveball 377 feet, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the top of the first and leaving little doubt who he works for now.

Yet they still love him in Baltimore.

ORIOLES FANS GREET ADLEY.

Adley Rutschman was greeted with a standing ovation in his first at-bat with the Red Sox at Camden Yards. pic.twitter.com/QKqCar2CaH

— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) September 3, 2026

Rutschman got an extended standing ovation before his first at-bat as the ballpark played his usual walk-up song from Kid Cudi. He got a hug from Pete Alonso as the Polar Bear climbed into the batter's box for his first at-bat.

And a video that played after the first inning touched on so many highlights as an Oriole - from his Home Run Derby appearance to his wide-eyed debut and a cigar celebration after clinching a playoff berth.

If it sounds like commemorating an era now past, well, that's exactly what it was.

When club president Mike Elias, who made Rutschman the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 and the first selection in his career, dealt Rutschman to Boston in a seven-player trade Aug. 3, it brought Rutschman and his pals to tears. They were simply trying to go to a movie.

Instead, the plug was pulled on a movement, on a young core that led the Orioles to consecutive playoff appearances, a friend group busted up by the business of baseball.

And so upon his return Thursday, Rutschman filibustered most of a 10-minute session with a larger throng of media than almost any he encountered as an Oriole by talking of page-turning, and new opportunities and a positive acclimation.

The St. Louis Cardinals will enter the gauntlet again Thursday night as it’ll be game 3 against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Quinn Mathews will start for the Cardinals going up against the formidable Tarik Skubal for the Dodgers. First pitch scheduled for 9:10pm central time at Dodger Stadium and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.