Los Angeles, CA - April 18: Luke Kennard #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a three point basket against the Houston Rockets in the second half of a Western Conference first-round NBA playoff basketball game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
For years, the joke amongst Lakers fans has been that good shooters come to LA and immediately forget how to make threes. The list of 3-point marksmen who have donned the purple and gold and became Rajon Rondo-esque shooters is a lengthy one.
Fortunately for this year’s Lakers, Luke Kennard bucked that trend. Technically, his shooting did drop from the ridiculous 49.7% he shot with the Hawks to a measly 44.8% in LA. He found a role under head coach JJ Redick and became a vital role player for the team before the playoffs even began.
Thrust into his new role in the postseason, he responded with one of the best games of his life against the Rockets, creating a special moment for both him and the Lakers. While the rest of his playoffs were up and down, it was still a memorable time in purple and gold.
After the season, Kennard spoke about his season with the Lakers and how it differed from his previous eight seasons.
“When I first got traded here, it was, ‘How can I make an impact?’,” Kennard said. “Like I want to make an impact. I want to go win and be a part of something special. I think just playing for the Lakers and playing with some of the greats of the game, you don’t take it for granted. I sure didn’t and it’s an honor and I’m blessed to be in the position that I was in.
“I think for me as a player, just to be a part of an organi organization like this is something special. You see it firsthand…I’ve been honored and been blessed to be a part of this organization.”
After spending multiple seasons with the Clippers, it’s nice that Kennard got to play with the real team in Los Angeles. He certainly had more memorable moments in his three months with the Lakers than he did in two-and-a-half seasons with the Other Team.
DENVER — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was placed on the 10-day injured list because of lower back inflammation, the team announced.
Seager, 32, did not play in a three-game series against Houston and his placement on the IL is retroactive to Friday. The two-time World Series MVP was mired in an 0-for-27 slump that included 11 strikeouts before the injury.
Seager — in the fifth season of a 10-year, $325 million deal — is batting .179 with seven homers, 20 RBIs and a team-high 22 runs over 42 games this season.
The Rangers promoted utility player Michael Helman from Triple-A to take Seager’s place on the roster. Helman, 29, is playing in the big leagues for the first time this season after hitting .232 with five homers and 20 RBIs for the Rangers last season.
Seager is eligible to return to the active roster when the Rangers begin a seven-game homestand.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 28: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics warms up in Game Five against the Philadelphia 76ers in the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoff at TD Garden on April 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When Jayson Tatum returned to TD Garden 298 days after rupturing his achilles tendon, the unprecedented return generated one of the loudest moments you’ll ever hear from the Garden faithful.
A putback dunk, a corner three, and a crowd just waiting to go berserk. It was a defining moment to an already illustrious career: a testament to his strength, both mental and physical, as the Celtics added the one major piece that could propel them into the contender’s conversation.
That optimism ran through the rest of the regular season, which saw Tatum steadily regain his form as one of the game’s premier two-way talents. Even as the postseason ended on a sour, collapsing note with Tatum cautiously sidelined with the season down to its final lifeline, it’s hard not to look at the bigger picture of Tatum’s 2025-26 return, and just how miraculous his comeback was.
The Regular SeasonReturn
Tatum’s first two games back against Dallas and Cleveland showed an understandable level of rust, but it was his 24-point effort in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs where we saw his takeover tendencies begin to reshape. His point totals went from 15 to 20 to 24 in those first games back, and his 15-point, 12-rebound statline against the Mavericks was one of 10 double-doubles in his 16 regular season games.
It took some time for Tatum to develop confidence in certain respects, particularly firing pull-up threes around the screen and finishing hard at the rim, but certain areas of his game didn’t skip a beat. He was immediately one of the league’s most impactful defensive rebounders, an exceptional playmaker with an ever-expanding grasp of how his gravity opens up the game for others, and he became more and more confident as a scorer as his minutes increased.
As a rim-finisher, his 69% finishing within 3 feet was the first time under 70% since his first All-Star season in 2019-20. He did however shoot a career-best 46% from 10-16 feet during his 16-game sample, topping his previous best of 44% from his rookie year.
Things came together in his last six games, where he averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists on 45/37/78 splits. In Charlotte, he scored a season-best 32 points on 52% shooting, following it up three days later with a 25/18/11 triple-double in a 147-129 beatdown over Miami.
For the regular season, he averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, shooting 41% from the field and 33% from three.
Postseason Promise, and Postseason Pain
Out of the gate, Jayson’s Game 1 performance was as well-rounded an outing as you’re going to find in his playoff career. He dropped an efficient 25 points, grabbed 11 boards for another double-double, and finished with 7 assists with just a single turnover to his name during a blowout 123-91 win.
Even as Philly’s offense caught fire from three in the second quarter of Game 2, Tatum’s performance was trending in the right direction to keep Boston within striking distance, though he shot just 3-of-9 from the field in the second half while the team as a whole was just 35% as the 76ers ran away with it to tie the series at 1-1.
In their next two games, we saw him deliver two elite second halves, first in a clutch win in Game 3, where he drilled two massive threes late and hit four of his five fourth-quarter shots to send Philly off their home floor with a 108-100 defeat. Tatum and Jaylen Brown both scored 25 points in that game and stepped up as they hit the 5-under-5 mark with a scrappy Embiid-less 76ers team. If there’s a game to rewatch with fond memories this postseason, it’s this one.
In Game 4, he bounced back from a 1-of-7 shooting start with 25 second-half points as Boston again blew out the 76ers, knocking down seven of his nine shots and five of his six 3-point tries. He finished the 128-96 win with 30 points and 11 assists, putting Boston just a game away from advancing to what would have been an Eastern Conference Semifinals rematch with the Knicks.
But things quickly fell apart.
Both Games 5 and 6 were double-digit defeats, the first a particularly tough pill to swallow as Boston let a 13-point third quarter lead slip away as the 76ers muddled their offense and relied on the interior dominance of Embiid to come back and win.
Boston relied heavily on the Jays just to maintain that third quarter lead, with the two stars scoring 19 of the team’s 29 points in that period, though neither managed a single bucket during a horrid fourth quarter that saw Boston shoot 14% from the field while a potential series-clincher slipped away.
Game 6 was an even worse experience, trading a blown lead for a near wire-to-wire loss led by a combined 53 points between Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Tatum had rare positive efficiency in the game, though on just 6-of-13 shooting for 17 points to go with 11 rebounds.
The worrying defeat set Boston up for what would be their first blown 3-1 lead in franchise history, a game in which Tatum was put on the injury report shortly before tip-off.
It wasn’t up to Tatum to sit for Game 7 with what was called left knee stiffness, but his absence was felt, even as the Celtics put themselves in position to win during a stunning 109-100 season-closing loss.
A Look Ahead
A full, healthy offseason awaits Jayson Tatum this summer, a major victory despite a bitter end to a season of overachievement.
With a step back to look at the full picture, Tatum’s return was in itself a major milestone, but how he played in that return further displayed how moldable his playstyle is for a player of his caliber, slotting right into an ecosystem of mostly new rotation players that had the Celtics fighting for homecourt advantage in the playoffs.
That smooth ride didn’t stop when Tatum worked himself back into his usual role as a showrunner, and early in the first round, it truly felt like we were seeing Tatum back at full strength.
— Celtics Performances (@BestOfCeltics0) May 13, 2026
But his workload was perhaps too big to place on someone who had a little over a month to acclimate to essentially a new team from the one he last led.
Next year’s roster will see some changes, but however big or small they end up being, one constant is Tatum getting a full offseason to ramp up with that group. What was once considered a career-killing injury now has an example in Jayson that a return to play is possible within the next season, a concept that felt truly foreign in the days following his devastating injury.
Tatum’s story faced the most difficult chapter of his career, but the page has turned, the future feels bright, and the Celtics will have their franchise player ready to go for opening night next October.
Spaniard had already pulled out of the French Open
Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon as he continues his recovery from the wrist injury that will force him out of action for at least three months during the most significant part of the tennis season.
Alcaraz has not competed since withdrawing from his second-round match at the Barcelona Open last month after feeling pain in his right wrist in his opening match of the tournament. The 23-year-old had already been forced to withdraw from the rest of the clay-court season, including the French Open, which begins on Sunday.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 15: Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves runs after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Truist Park on May 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite the wonderful start that the Braves are off to here in 2026, the one lingering nuisance from the past two seasons has been the team’s absolutely horrible run of luck when it comes to injuries. The injury bug has now apparently come for Drake Baldwin, who will be heading to the 10-day IL with a strained right oblique muscle that he apparently sustained during Monday night’s debacle against the Marlins.
The #Braves today selected C Chadwick Tromp to the major league roster and placed C Drake Baldwin on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique muscle. Atlanta also returned LHP Dylan Dodd from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list…
This is just one day after Ronald Acuña Jr. was activated from the IL after he strained his hamstring and this isn’t even the first time that we’ve seen one Braves player get activated either shortly before or after another one lands on the IL. It’s just one of those things that kind of elicits an “Are you kidding me” type of reaction every time it happens at this point.
Anyways, Baldwin will be heading to the IL with a .303/.389/.543 slash line with a .407 wOBA, 160 wRC+ and 13 home runs. He is going to be sorely missed for however long he’ll be gone and considering it’s an oblique injury, there’s no telling how long he’s going to be gone and how long it’ll take him to get back to full strength.
For now, the Braves will have to deal with an injury crisis at a position that seemed to be very well fortified at the end of last season. Sean Murphy has a fractured finger and likely won’t be back any time soon and now the Braves will be missing arguably the best-hitting catcher in the game for a very nebulous period of time. Frustration continues to abound when it comes to this team staying healthy.
Fortunately, the Braves are getting a player back from the IL, as Dylan Dodd will be returning to the fold after a rehab assignment. This is also apparently the end of the road for Aaron Bummer’s time with the Braves, as the corresponding move in activating Dodd was releasing Bummer.
Bummer has always been a controversial figure around here due to the fact that his steady numbers were seemingly outweighed by the fact that he had a knack for giving up hits at the most untimely moments. In 2026, however, Bummer just got hit left and right and ended up with a 7.63 ERA (187 ERA-) and an 8.65 FIP (216 FIP-) over just 15.1 innings of work — good for -0.8 fWAR on the season so far. Things were clearly trending in the wrong direction and Bummer will be leaving the team on a sour note after the Marlins absolutely tore him to pieces on Monday night.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 19: Chase Call #17 of the Houston Astros hits an RBI single in the seventh inning during the game between the Miami Marlins and the Houston Astros at Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Who’s Hot At The Plate?
Chase Call – Call was selected by the Astros in the 16th round of the 2025 draft. The outfielder had a monster week for Asheville hitting .556 with 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 10 runs batted in and 3 stolen bases in just 4 games. He has a .857 OPS this season.
Jason Schiavone – Another hotlist and another week with Schiavone on the list. This week was another big week for the catcher as he hit .417 with 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 runs batted in and 6 walks over 6 games. He also earned a promotion to Double-A.
Zach Daudet – Daudet was a 10th round pick last year and after a solid debut, he got off to a slow start this season. This week he turned it around though batting .381 with 5 doubles, a home run and 3 stolen bases. He also has 22 walks to 22 K in 30 games.
Justin Thomas– Thomas, another selection from the 2025 draft, also put together a big week for Asheville. The 22-year-old hit .333 with 3 doubles, a home run, 5 runs batted in while drawing 7 walks. Overall he is hitting.300 with a .951 OPS this season.
Yamal Encarnacion – Encarnacion has always seemed like a prospect who is flying under the radar but he is making some noise in 2026. The 22-year-old hit .300 with 3 doubles, a home run and 5 stolen bases for the Hooks. He’s hitting .279 in 35 games this season.
Who’s Hot On The Mound?
Javier Perez – Perez has been one of the best pitchers in the Astros system this season and ends up on this list again. This week the right-hander had a dominant start tossing 8 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts. He has a 2.15 ERA over 37.2 innings this season.
Parker Smith – Smith has been up and down a bit this year but put together a good outing for Asheville this week. In his one start, he went 6 innings allowing 1 unearned run while striking out 3 batters.
Jackson Nezuh – Nezuh, like Smith, has been up and down so far this year. This week he was great tossing 5 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts. Overall he has a 3.86 ERA over 25.2 innings this season.
Kellan Oakes – Oakes was drafted by the Astros in the 9th round of the 2025 draft and turned in his best pro outing this week. In one outing for the Woodpeckers, he tossed 5 scoreless innings while striking out 6 batters.
Jose Serrano – Serrano has had his struggles this year for the Woodpeckers but was really good this week. In one outing, the right-hander tossed 5 no-hit innings while striking out 6 batters. He has 16 K in 13.1 innings this season.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 16: Martín Pérez #33 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the ninth inning during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Truist Park on May 16, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The brightest side of a 4:10 pm ET start? Not wallowing in the absolute stinker that was last night’s game for a full day.
The Braves will be looking to play a Normal game of baseball to deny the Fish a guaranteed series split. Here’s hoping the gloves and bats that didn’t make an appearance yesterday actually made it down to Miami for this one.
Martín Pérez (2-2, 2.25 ERA) has been an absolute professional whenever he has been given the ball. Whether it’s stints of different lengths out of the bullpen or as a starter, he has been immensely valuable to the Braves and is making the most of a constantly-fluctuating situation.
He’ll make his sixth appearance as a starting pitcher, which will be his first since going 5.2 innings against Seattle on May 6. He was on the hook for the loss that night after giving up five hits, two earned runs, a homer, one walk, and matching his season-high in strikeouts with five. He tossed a perfect inning in each of his two relief appearances last homestand versus the Cubs and the Red Sox.
Opposing Pérez for the Marlins is the lefty Braxton Garrett, who will be making his second start this season since being recalled from Triple-A on May 14th. Prior to that, you have to go back to June of 2024 to find the last time he pitched on a Major League mound before losing the rest of his season to left forearm flexor strain. He would land on the IL again in February 2025 after needing UCL surgery.
As expected from such a long layoff , he struggled in his season debut versus the Twins. He only recorded four outs before being yanked and allowed four hits, five earned runs, walked five, and struck out three on 64 pitches. He didn’t have a feel for his slider and the command issues were too much to overcome. Garrett will be looking to find his form again and substantially lower that 33.75 ERA.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, May 19, 4:10 p.m. ET
Location: loanDepot Park, Miami, FL
TV: BravesVision
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
Brett Squires of the Omaha Storm Chasers | Minda Haas Kuhlmann
This Week in the Minors is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less-heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: “Who had a good week?”
Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers (21-23, 5.5 games back)
It was a good week for the Storm Chasers; they took 4 of 6 from the Toledo Mud Hens. At the dish, the big story of the week was Brett Squires, who just recently got promoted from Northwest Arkansas to Omaha. Squires, who can play both corner infield spots, mashed the ball all week. He was 7-for-23, with 3 homers, 2 doubles and 8 runs batted in. In his first ever week in Triple-A, Squires was up to the task. Across the two levels, Squires is slashing .296/.377/.577. Elsewhere, John Rave was 8-for-22 on the week, with a homer and 2 doubles.
On the hill, Eli Morgan, who just got called up for Kris Bubic, appeared three times, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings and striking out 4 batters. At Omaha this season, Morgan hasn’t allowed a run in 11.1 innings. Mason Black tossed 3.1 scoreless innings as well. With the starting pitching injuries adding up, Mitch Spence would probably be the best guess at making a spot start if needed. Spence threw 6 innings of 3 run ball this week against the Mud Hens. On the season, he has made 5 starts for the Storm Chasers, going 26 innings, with a 4.85 ERA, allowing just one homer, walking 10 and striking out 16. Right hander Ben Sears made two appearances, including one start, he totaled 5 innings, allowing one hit and striking out seven.
— Omaha Storm Chasers (@OMAStormChasers) May 17, 2026
The Storm Chasers will travel to take on the St. Paul Saints this week. The series runs Tuesday through Sunday.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (19-19, 4.5 games back)
The Naturals had a very rough week, losing 5 of 6 at home to the Arkansas Travelers. On the mound, Justin Lamkin, who was just promoted from Quad Cities, made his first Double-A start. The 21-year-old lefty went 5.1 innings, allowing 7 hits, 4 runs, walked 3 and struck out 7. It was a mixed bag result for the 2025 draft pick out of Texas A&M. Frank Mozzicato made two starts, giving up 8 hits and 8 runs over 7 total innings, walking 6 and striking out 9. The seventh overall pick in 2021 has had a tough time in Double-A so far this season, with a 7.86 ERA over 26.1 innings pitched. Hunter Patteson threw 4.1 scoreless innings, striking out 4.
At the plate, Carson Roccaforte was 6-for-24 with another homer, he also struck out 11 times, however. Roccaforte is slashing .242/.350/.517 this season. He has struck out 59 times in 149 at bats. Jack Pineda was 9-for-16 on the week. Pineda is a 26-year-old middle infielder, out of Baylor in 2022. He is slashing .349/,397/.508 in 63 at bats this season. Colton Becker hit .429 this week, with a pair of doubles and walks. The utility man was named the Naturals standout of the week at the plate.
— Northwest Arkansas Naturals (@nwanaturals) May 16, 2026
The Naturals are on the road this week, taking on the Amarillo Sod Poodles. The series runs Tuesday through Sunday.
Quad Cities River Bandits (17-19, 3.5 games back)
The River Bandits had a tough week, losing 5 of 6 to the Lansing Lugnuts. On the mound, Blake Wolters made his first High-A start after being promoted from Columbia last week. The 21-year-old right hander went 3 innings, allowing 3 hits, 4 runs (all unearned), walked 1 and struck out 4. 22-year-old Emmanuel Reyes, a right hander, threw 6 innings of 1 run ball, striking out 8. Reyes was signed out of the Dominican Republic. On the season, Reyes has a 2.18 ERA over 7 starts, amassing 33 innings. He has struck out 29 hitters.
At the plate, infielder Derlin Figueroa was named the standout of the week for the River Bandits after hitting .500 on the week, with two doubles, three homers and 10 runs batted in. On the season, Figueroa is slashing .321/.398/.616. Blake Mitchell had a good week as well, going 7-f0r-23 at the plate with a homer, 4 doubles, 4 walks, and a stolen base. His 8th on the season.
Derlin Figueroa absolutely launches this heater up in the zone. It’s his 7th home run on the season and his first hit against LHP in 2026. pic.twitter.com/kzCl8UeW0p
The River Bandits are back home this week for the Beloit Sky Carp. The series runs Tuesday through Sunday.
Columbia Fireflies (18-21, 4 games back)
The Fireflies split their 6-game series against the Hickory Crawdads. Kendry Chourio went 4.1 innings in his one start, allowing 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 4 batters. The 18-year-old out of Venezuela kept his season ERA under 2. Jordan Woods, who threw 6 perfect innings last week, threw 4 innings of 1 run ball this week, striking out 3. 22-year-old righty, Jose Gutierrez threw 5 scoreless innings, in his start, striking out 5 batters. On the season, Gutierrez has a 3.52 ERA over 30.2 innings pitched.
At the plate, 21-year-old catcher Brooks Bryan slashed .462/.563/.615 on the week, including a pair of doubles. The 8th round pick in last year’s draft out of Troy is hitting .308 on the season. Josh Hammond was 6-for-22 at the plate this week, with a homer and a stolen base. Sean Gamble was 3-for-20 with a pair of runs batted in and a walk.
Josh Hammond goes oppo taco for his third home run of the season.
The Cubs have now dropped seven of nine after opening their recent trip with their 10th straight win. We are allowed, even at a crummy time to pull the camera back and say that the team has won 22 of 32 and that remains an incredible stretch of baseball. And without any parsing of numbers, the team is 29-19. That’s an excellent stretch of baseball. The kind that if prolonged over a whole season leads to division titles frequently. Even right now, the Cubs sit in first place, even if only by an eyelash.
Have I quoted lyrics from Tom Petty in this space before? Because this team is certainly free fallin’. I’m going to go out on a limb with “no” because I’m not much of a Petty fan. But that’s what this team feels like right now. Staring down Brewers phenom the Mis and another excellent opposing pitcher the next day, this is a tough spot. Of course, you look around and there aren’t a lot of NL teams circling the drain. There are just three NL teams with a winning percentage below .450. The Cubs have played just one of those teams and A) the Cubs did take advantage of that matchup and B) that team is 21-23 when not playing the Cubs.
I think we have to focus on part A of that last thought. This team did pounce on teams like the Mets and Phillies while they were playing poorly. They will get back to catching teams more favorably and they will groove again. Right now, everything is a slog and they just have to weather this storm. Again, both parts of that thought are true. They pounced when things were there for them, but they are presently struggling. None of this is permanent and be comforted that they built a real cushion. It’s way too early to fixate on it, but the Cubs have a three-game lead on the Phillies for the last playoff spot. Even if the Brewers leave town in first place, there is still cushion and still a whole lot of baseball to be played.
One of these days, we’ll have a lot more to talk about in this space. But, right now the Cubs rotation is off. The bullpen is erratic. The offense is struggling. They did manage seven hits and three walks and turned that into three runs. But all in all, it just wasn’t good enough. None of it is good enough right now. On this night, the Cubs two hitter, their five hitter and their seven hitter all had good games. But they got almost no contribution from the hitters around those guys. And on a night when the Brewers were pounding Shōta Imanaga, the game was almost entirely non-competitive.
Three Positives:
Michael Busch had a pair of doubles, drew a walk and was hit by a pitch. He drove in a run. Busch, relatively quietly, has raised his OPS to .750.
Dansby Swanson had a long two-run homer for the only real interesting moment in the game for the Cubs.
Ty Blach threw three scoreless innings. It saved the rest of the pen and kept alive whatever nominal hope there might have been for a miracle comeback.
Game 48, May 18: Brewers 9, Cubs 3 (29-19)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Michael Busch (.113). 2-2, 2 2B, BB, HBP, RBI
Hero: Nico Hoerner (.020). 0-3, 2 BB, R
Sidekick: Ty Blach (.005). 3 IP, 9 BF, H, 2 K
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Shōta Imanaga (-.301). 4.1 IP, 24 BF, 9 H, 3 BB, 8 ER, 2 K (L 4-4)
Goat: Ian Happ (-.099). 0-4
Kid: Alex Bregman (-.077). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: With runners on first and third with two outs in the fourth inning, the Brewers up two, Sal Frelick doubled and two runs scored. (.141)
Cubs Play of the Game: With a runner on first and no outs in the bottom of the first, Michael Busch walked. (.054)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 47 Winner: Michael Conforto received 151 of 158 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Michael Busch +16
Michael Conforto +15
Shōta Imanaga +10
Alex Bregman +7.5
Nico Hoerner +6.5
Ryan Rolison -8
Phil Maton -9
Matt Shaw -10
Dansby Swanson -11
Seiya Suzuki -18
Current Win Pace: 97.88 wins
Up Next: Game two of the three-game series with the Brewers. Ben Brown (1-1, 1.60, 33.2 IP) makes his third start of the season as the Cubs continue to try to stretch him out as a starter. In his two prior starts, he’s thrown eight innings, allowed one hit, two walks and struck out 10. Both of those starts were on the road, so this will be his first Chicago start of the season.
24-year-old Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski (3-2, 2.12, 51 IP) will make his 10th start of the season. He has an amazing 80 strikeouts in those 51 innings. The former second round pick (#63 overall) is coming off of a no decision in his last start against the Padres. That despite allowing only four hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out 10. This is as big a challenge as the Cubs will face.
Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Chase Shugart (55) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Everyone loves to see the random reliever pop up and turn into something that is highly effective. From a fan’s point of view, the pitcher’s effectiveness can be turned into a weapon that may or may not be used in more leveraged situations to ride that hot streak as long as it will take him. For the team that is contending like the Phillies, they’re getting good work from a pitcher that is making the league minimum, letting them potentially cross something off their trade deadline wishlist.
Chase Shugart has become that pitcher so far this year, taking a minor league deal in spring training and performing well to a spot in the Phillies’ bullpen that includes a climbing trust from the coaching staff in tight spots (0.27 aLI in his first seven appearances, 0.87 aLI in his last six appearances). His name probably didn’t ring many bells when he was brought in this offseason, but there were some interesting things with his profile that gave him some allure to the Phillies, things that he has continued to do this season. The first thing you notice is that sparkling 1.72 ERA since that is the kind of number we like to see in a reliever. Low ERA in the old days meant limiting damage, but we’re enlightened. We know that there is a lot more to it than that, which is why we look at other things.
For me personally, there are two things I look at for relievers: is he allowing inherited runners to score, and is he leaving his outing with the team in a better spot than when he came in? The first question is an easy one to answer. He’s had five inherited runners during his appearances and has only allowed one of them to score. That seems like a good number and it is, but there is a bit more context to it. Managers often time tier their relievers in different ways, but one is which pitchers do they trust with a “dirty inning”, one where there is trouble on the basepaths and in the batter’s box. Seeing that over his 13 games he’s pitched in, he’s only entered with runners on five times, the team may be looking to avoid those dirtier situations with Shugart. They’re also bringing him in when they’re behind, with ten of his thirteen appearances coming when the team is behind.
That’s totally fine since teams need pitchers to do that. There has to be someone, or multiple someones, in a team’s bullpen that come in when the team is down so as not to use higher leverage arms all the time. Shugart thus far has done a nice job of making sure things don’t get out of hand, which brings us to our second question of does he leave the team in a better spot than when he left. This is a bit more difficult to ascertain, but we can look at two things.
One of my more favorite advanced stats is RE24, which can best be explained with Baseball Reference’s definition:
Given the bases occupied/out situation, how many runs did the pitcher save in the resulting play. Compared to average, so 0 is average, and above 0 is better than average.
When the pitcher came in, did he save the team a lot of runs? Shugart has excelled in that thus far, his 5.4 mark ranking 33rd among 200 relievers who qualify here. Another thing to look at are his situational wins, best described as WPA/LI (wins probability added divided by leverage index). Shugart’s 0.3 number for this doesn’t look so great, but considering the leader for the category is Rico Garcia (1.1), Shugart’s number looks a lot better, tied for 43rd out of over 350 pitchers. He’s done a good job of making sure things don’t get out of hand. He’s done with stuff that isn’t overwhelming, but gets the job done. He’s been good at making sure he’s throwing strikes with a good, not great, fastball, keeping the baseball on the ground (though with this defense, that’s a questionable strategy), yet still doing so without generating a ton of whiffs.
That’s where the temptation comes in. While Shugart has done a good job at limiting damage when he’s been in, his stuff doesn’t really show someone who should be a getting higher leverage spots with regularity. As I said before, teams need pitchers to take this middle innings when the game isn’t particularly in question. Shugart has done this with aplomb, performing his job to the best of his capabilities. His stuff that he is using does suggest that maybe he should just stay there in that spot, not really one that can get out of a jam based on his pure arsenal as it is. While it’s not bad, it’s built more pitching to contact as opposed to generating swings and misses. This is evidenced by his ranking in the 34th percentile for hitters chasing and the 17th percentile for hitters swinging and missing.
Shugart has been a good addition to the team, a cheap option to help with middle innings. Let’s just make sure that he stays in that spot.
When Jacob Reimer is on, he checks off a lot of offensive boxes: he hits for a solid average, walks a lot, keeps strikeouts to a minimum, and showcases a solid amount of power. When he is off, as he was for virtually all of April, he is a very diminished player. In 20 games in April, he hit .186/.329/.314.
I’m not sure what the correct term would be for it, but I am beginning to think that Reimer is a player who needs to always be optimized in order to be effective. When his upper body and lower body get out of sync, he has trouble with breaking balls and pitches thrown inside. When he is unable to effectively lift the ball, he is grounding into more than his fair share of groundballs. When he is unable to pull the ball, he is hitting for less power than you’d want a corner infielder to be hitting for. When he isn’t feeling confident, he is more passive at the plate.
If Reimer had standout secondary tools, like exceptional speed or sterling defense, it would be easy to look past the occasional prolonged offensive doldrums, because his floor would be higher. But because his speed is minimal and his defensive abilities are negligible, there is more pressure on his bat to come through. Thanks to his strong eye, even when he is struggling offensively at the plate, he isn’t necessarily a black hole and will still draw walks, but when Reimer’s hit tool starts struggling, he really isn’t going to be actively contributing.
Here’s hoping Steve Cohen starts financially supporting my plan to fuse Jacob Reimer and Ryan Clifford into Ryan Reimer sooner rather than later.
Zach Thornton
Week: 1 G (1 GS), 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (Triple-A)
Calling it a magical season might be a bit hyperbolic, but Zach Thornton had a 2025 that really put him on the map as a player- and got him out of the shadow of the former Pirates/Mets reliever Zach Thornton on the search engine hits. Making 14 starts for the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones and the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the southpaw posted a combined 1.98 ERA in 72.2 innings, allowing 48 hits, walking 11, and striking out 78. Along with Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger, he formed a fearsome threesome of pitchers that batters had to navigate past, a dangerous hydra that few hitters were capable of dealing with. Unfortunately for Thornton, an oblique injury in early July ended his season prematurely and suddenly- and just to highlight how strong the pitching was in the system that year, Jonathan Santucci and R.J. Gordon were promoted to Binghamton at roughly the same time, and the Rumble Ponies didn’t even feel the loss of the injury to the left-hander. When all was said and done, we ranked the left-hander the Mets’ 14 prospect coming into the 2026 season.
Thornton returned to the mound with Binghamton in early April, and while he did not pitch poorly at any point, he looked less crisp and more hittable as compared to 2025. In 25.0 innings over 5 starts, the southpaw posted a 3.60 ERA, allowing 10 earned runs, with 24 hits, 9 walks, and 27 strikeouts. Promoted to Triple-A Syracuse after almost exactly a month, Thornton has actually looked a bit better. Through a pair of starts now, the left-hander has allowed three runs over 12.0 innings, scattering 8 hits, walking 3, and striking out 13.
Thornton relies on a five-pitch mix, working with a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and curveball. In his last start, he threw 33 sliders (41%), 20 two-seam fastballs (25%), 16 curveballs (20%), 7 four-seam fastballs (9%), and 5 changeups(6%); in his other Triple-A start, he threw 28 sliders (33%), 21 two-seam fastballs (25%), 16 curveballs (19%), 16 four-seam fastballs (19%), and 3 changeups (4%). This tracks with past data from the 2025 season, where he used his slider and his fastball almost as much as each other.
Thornton’s four-seam fastball has roughly average velocity for a left-hander, averaging 91 MPH and holding it throughout the ballgame. What stood out to me, looking at the data from his past two ballgames, is that he is getting more induced vertical break on the pitch now as compared to ever before. In his two starts with Syracuse, the pitch averaged 19 inches of IVB, an elite number; in the past, the highest IVB the left-hander had ever recorded was 16 inches, an above-average number to be sure but not elite like 19 is. While this is just a theory, the Triple-A ball may be enhancing the backspin that Thornton creates from his four-seam grip. The spin rate on his fastball is roughly average for a four-seam fastball, but the amount of activated spin that he is getting on the ball is enhancing it. Between his ability to locate the pitch and his ability to induce whiffs, Thornton’s four-seamer is currently sporting a 44% CStr+Whiff% in limited usage. His sinker, interestingly, has a higher spin rate than most sinkers. Most sinkers have spin rates between 2000 RPM and 2200 RPM, allowing the magnus effect to have less of an impact on the pitch, causing it to sink as gravity acts upon the ball. With a higher spin rate, Thornton’s fastball is able to resist the force of gravity longer, giving it late sink. Like his four-seam fastball, he currently has a 42% CStr+Whiff% with his sinker. Because of the lack of premium velocity, when batters make contact with the pitch, they are able to do damage.
His slider has always been his bread-and-butter, and the pitch is showing no ill effects from his return to the mound after a lengthy layup or his promotion to Triple-A. The mid-80s offering has so far averaged 35 inches of vertical drop and 5 inches of horizontal movement, resulting in a 34% CStr+Whiff% rate. When he wants to, he can throw it in the zone, and when he throws it outside of the zone, he can spot it there as well to entice batters. His curveball is much of the same, sitting in the high-70s, featuring 44 inches of vertical movement and 14 inches of horizontal break, with the ability to land in or outside of the zone depending on the situation.
Rounding out his arsenal, the left-hander’s changeup is little more than a change of pace offering at present. Its low spin rate gives the pitch a lot of downward drop, but most of its effectiveness comes from the randomness in terms of when it is thrown, not its nastiness.
There is risk in his profile because, as mentioned, his fastball does not have premium velocity and he is relying more on obstruction, sequencing, and finesse with it to prevent hitters from tattooing the pitch rather than pure brute velocity, but I am feeling bullish on Thornton at present and liking what I am seeing more than I did even last season.
Thornton’s transition to Triple-A so far has been seamless, and he has arguably better now than he was over the course of the last month in Binghamton. I wrote the following paragraph on Sunday afternoon, when I started looking up the data for this Player of the Week write-up: “If these trends continue, and Thornton continues putting up similar numbers over the rest of May, the southpaw might leapfrog Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger on my preferred pitching prospect depth chart for the Mets to call-up; Tong has had issues acclimating to Triple-A, and while Wenninger has seen plenty of success like Thornton has, I am a bit unsure how his fastball-changeup combo will work at the MLB level as a right-hander with a decidedly middling fastball to set-up his change”. Prophetic words!
DETROIT, MI - MAY 4: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox during an at-bat against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Comerica Park on May 4, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This is going to be something we’ll be keeping an eye on all season, isn’t it? Yesterday, fourteen days after suffering what was hoped to be a minor wrist injury back on May 4, Roman Anthony once again swung a bat. It did not go well, and Anthony’s progression is going to be slowed down. “Obviously, you’re not going to have him swing through soreness and discomfort, so not as good news today,” said Chad Tracy. “But we’ll back off and see what happens after the off day with a few more days of rest.” A young phenom stymied by a wrist injury? If you lived through the Nomar Garciaparra era, you probably don’t want to see a sequel. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
As somnambulant as the Red Sox lineup has been, they can’t afford to lose Anthony for the long-term. As it is, the team’s underperformance is starting to weigh on a lot of the players, like Caleb Durbin. “It’s tougher honestly away from the field and pre-work. It’s all I think about. This is our life. For me, like I know what I’m capable of. And like coming into the year, I had really high expectations. Obviously as a team we did and still a lot of ball left, but obviously the games we’ve played up to this point matter a lot, too. Every game matters.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
There’s been a lot of fan debate about whether Durbin should be sent down to AAA while he tries to fight through his struggles. The team hasn’t spoken much about that, but he is going to get less playing time while Nick Sogard is up. “I don’t think it means it’s a permanent Sogie’s taking over at third,” Chad Tracy said. “I think you’ll still see Durbin. I just think that on given days, if we see a matchup we like and Sogie’s part of it, we’ll use him. But we’re searching for runs, trying to get runs.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
So the Caleb Durbin deal doesn’t look so hot right now. But Craig Breslow did nail two other offseason trades. As of now, the trades for Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray look like absolute steals. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
And let’s give thanks for the trades not made, like any trade that would’ve sent Payton Tolle elsewhere. The Sox’s “cartoon character” is showing that he’s becoming a complete pitcher. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
But a few nice offseason trades aren’t enough to shield Craig Breslow from the slings and arrows as this Red Sox team continues to flounder. And they’re not just coming from the fans, Jason Varitek’s wife is getting in on the action:
They have the “smartest man in baseball” running the show… they’ll be OK without Jason, that’s what they wanted. It’s what’s best for the team.🤗 https://t.co/NF5t06TaZx
— Catherine Varitek (@CatherinVaritek) May 18, 2026
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 17: Colt Emerson #4 of the Seattle Mariners sits in the dug out before his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres at T-Mobile Park on May 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Now nearly two months into the minor league season, the Mariners have had plenty of young farmhands show off their immense talent across the minor leagues. With midseason reranks rapidly approaching, let’s check in on Lookout Landing’s top ten preseason prospects.
SS Colt Emerson – MLB – .255/.347/.469, 10.1% BB%, 27.2% K% in AAA
Colt will soon be graduating from these ranks and is currently manning the hot corner for the big league ballclub, but the 20 year old shortstop had really started to get things going in Tacoma after a tough start to the year. He’s displaying more pop, commanding the zone at a rate more in line to his career averages, and his stellar defense remained throughout despite his woes at the plate. It’s a fair critique to question if his whiff “problems” should have kept him down in the minors a hair longer, but with that decision already made, it will be trial by fire for Colt as he looks to establish his permanent foothold in the major leagues.
LHP Kade Anderson – AA – 34 IP, 1.85 ERA, 51K, 5BB
It’s tough to poke holes in Kade Anderson’s professional career thus far. He had his first clunker last week and got hit around quite a bit, but his numbers remain pristine due to his utter dominance prior. Still just 21 years old, Anderson’s polish is unmatched across minor league baseball and has already pushed him into a near-consensus top ten prospect in all of baseball. He’ll be ready to roll in the big leagues by the start of next season at the latest.
Kade Anderson awesome again. Final line: 5.2IP, 2H, 1R, BB, 9K, 22 whiffs, 75 pitches, 49 strikes.
RHP Ryan Sloan – AA – 27.1 IP, 4.94 ERA, 32K, 10BB
Sloan got off to a rough start at Double-A, losing feel for his arsenal and leaving pitches out where they could get damaged more often than usual. He’s since turned things around and cut his ERA by multiple runs, looking far closer to the version of Sloan we’ve grown accustomed to seeing over the past year and change. Sloan was aggressively sent to Double-A Arkansas as a 20 year old, and despite his numbers looking worse than they did last season, he’s looked like he belongs. Far from flawless, but encouraging nonetheless.
A second straight very good start for Ryan Sloan. Not a lot of hard contact off him today. Final line: 4.2IP, 5H, 0R, BB, 6K, 14 whiffs, 72-47.
2B/LF Michael Arroyo – AA – .254/.325/.401, 7.5% BB%, 21.9% K%
Arroyo’s numbers haven’t been up to the caliber we’ve come to expect from Arroyo, and interestingly enough, he’s been a rare exception to the usual “Dickey Stephens Park Rule”. Posting significantly better numbers in the “pitcher’s paradise” of DSP than away, Arroyo’s had a weird year thus far and feels like the product of some small sample size nonsense. He’s walking much less than usual, but his strikeouts are right in line with his career norms and the slug has only ticked down just a hair. If he’s able to get his walk rate back to where he usually sits, he’ll be a menace atop this lineup in no time.
Farmelo has had one of the more difficult seasons to pin down so far. With a walk rate north of 16%, Farmelo’s OBP is in a fantastic spot right now, pairing incredibly well with his game-breaking speed on the basepaths. That said, he’s struggled with bat-to-ball, marking a second straight season we’ve seen him with elevated whiff rates. His swing is unorthodox and can get stiff at times, and there is legitimate reason to be concerned about his contact rates moving forward, but we’re still early enough in the season where it’s hard to truly panic about a player posting more than reasonable numbers on the whole. He’s producing, but we’re still in wait-and-see mode for the time being.
RF Lazaro Montes – AA – .243/.362/.529, 14.7% BB%, 30.7% K%
One of the most impressive bats to start the season, Lazaro Montes has been locked in at the plate since returning to the Travs lineup in 2026. Having a solid if unspectacular year offensively at Double-A last season, Montes has left little doubt he’s figured out Texas League pitching, slugging his way to an OPS just south of .900. Better still, when removed from the confines of DSP, Montes’ line improves drastically, raising his season OPS over the 1.100 marker with an unbelievable amount of power. The whiff is still very much present, but with the level of slug he’s able to get to in-game, it truly has not mattered. He’s got a big up arrow next to his name.
C Luke Stevenson – A+ – .265/.447/.449, 24.2% BB%, 26.5% K%
Yet another bat that’s impressed this season, Luke Stevenson has picked up right where he left off in his brief stint of pro ball last season. Currently walking at a gaudy 24.2% clip, Stevenson has been an on-base machine early in his career and owns a career OBP over .450 through ~250 PA’s. His K rate has risen this season after a recent “slump”, but his outstanding eye and impeccable defense gives him an exceptionally high floor for someone with evident bat-to-ball issues. Tapping into more power is the next step for Stevenson; he’s shown he can lay off balls and poses a constant threat to reach base, but damaging mistakes more consistently will take him from an already elite hitter to a truly special offensive threat.
The biggest riser of the season so far, Felnin Celesten has revitalized his prospect stock after a disappointing 2025 season and looks like a blue chip prospect right now. On a torrid month-long streak offensively, Celesten is clobbering the ball all over the field and has brought an advanced approach to the plate, walking nearly as often as he’s striking out. With smooth defense on the diamond and some speed on the basepaths, Celesten should be a lock to stick at shortstop and could easily move to any infield spot should he need to. He’ll be ranked significantly higher in midseason prospect reranks.
SS Nick Becker – ACL – .265/.468/.353, 27.1% BB%, 35.4% K%
ACL statlines are weird. Becker is striking out a ton, but he’s getting on base nearly half the time and also has 10 stolen bases through eleven games. Becker was drafted for his raw tools and was always likely to be a slower mover through the system, but the whiff is certainly something to monitor as the sample size grows. Statline scouting in the ACL is immensely difficult due to the varied nature of the talent at the level, but with solid numbers through his first handful of games, Becker remains an exciting player that’s still several years away from debuting.
NOTE: #10 prospect Griffin Hugus is dealing with a major arm injury and has not pitched yet. It sounds as though he’ll make his debut in 2027.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 17: Manager Skip Schumaker #55 of the Texas Rangers looks on against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park on April 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rangers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Rangers Reacts returns this week, and we want to know, how have the 2026 Texas Rangers fared, compared to your expectations coming into the season?
The Yankees (28-20) and the Blue Jays (21-26) continue their four-game series tonight at Yankee Stadium.
New York rallied late and then held on to take Game 1 of the series last night, 7-6. Trailing 5-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning, Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. each belted two-run homers to put the Yankees in front 7-5. Jesus Sanchez doubled home Ernie Clement in the top of the ninth off of closer David Bednar but was stranded there as New York celebrated the win.
Tonight’s matchup features a couple of right-handers who have enjoyed consistent success this season. Toronto sends Dylan Cease, who enters the game with a 3–1 record, 2.41 ERA, and 75 strikeouts. New York counters with Will Warren, who has quietly put together a strong start of his own. Warren comes in at 5–1 with a 3.42 ERA and 59 strikeouts.
The pitching matchup sets the tone for what should be a fun game. Cease’s high‑octane fastball and sharp breaking pitches give him the ability to dominate any lineup, but the Yankees have several hitters who have handled him well in small samples—most notably Aaron Judge, who owns a .308 average and 1.104 OPS against him. On the other side, Warren’s challenge will be navigating Toronto’s right‑handed power, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has started the season hitting .500 in limited at‑bats against him.
The New York offense averages 5.09 runs per game while the Jays’ bats produce one run less per outing (4.09 runs/gm.).
Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game Details and How to Watch: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Latest Odds: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: New York Yankees (-137), Toronto Blue Jays (+114)
Spread: Yankees -1.5 (+144), Blue Jays +1.5 (-175)
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable Starting Pitchers: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
Pitching matchup for May 19:
Yankees: Will Warren Season Totals: 47.1 IP, 5-1, 3.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 59K, 12 BB
Blue Jays: Dylan Cease Season Totals: 52.1 IP, 3-1, 2.41 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 75K, 21 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Yankees vs. Blue Jays
Anthony Volpe is 4-7 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored in his last 2 games
Trent Grisham is 3-30 over his last 10 games
Austin Wells is hitting .125 in May (5-40) without an extra base hit or an RBI
Aaron Judge has not gone yard in 8 games
George Springer picked up a couple hits last night but is still just 8-47 (.170) in May
Kazuma Okamoto has struck out 6 times in his last 12 plate appearances
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top Betting Trends & Insights: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are 8-15 on the road this season
The Yankees are 15-6 at home this season
The Yankees are 25-23 on the Run Line this season
The Jays are 20-27 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 22 times in Toronto games this season (22-23-2)
The OVER has cashed 21 times for the Yankees this season (21-24-3)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s game between the Yankees and the Blue Jays:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Yankees on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Run Line
Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 9.0
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
