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The Royals announced they have activated Michael Massey off the Injured list and have demoted Nick Loftin to Triple-A Omaha. Massey had missed the first nine games with a calf injury. He spent three games on rehab with Omaha and hit 3-for-12 (.333) With a home run.

Massey is facing an important season after missing much of last year with injury. He hit just .244/.268/.313 with three home runs in 77 games, but came on at the end of the season, hitting .375 in his final 21 games after returning from the Injured List. The Royals signed him to a $1.57 million contract in his first year of arbitration, expecting him to fill in at second base and outfield. Massey shows good power potential for a middle infielder, but has struggled to get on base and has battled a myriad of injuries in his career.

Loftin appeared in four games and hit 2-for-9 (.222) with two walks and a double and struggled defensively in left field in Sunday’s loss to Milwaukee.

The Royals announced they have activated Michael Massey off the Injured list and have demoted Nick Loftin to Triple-A Omaha. Massey had missed the first nine games with a calf injury. He spent three games on rehab with Omaha and hit 3-for-12 (.333) With a home run.

Massey is facing an important season after missing much of last year with injury. He hit just .244/.268/.313 with three home runs in 77 games, but came on at the end of the season, hitting .375 in his final 21 games after returning from the Injured List. The Royals signed him to a $1.57 million contract in his first year of arbitration, expecting him to fill in at second base and outfield. Massey shows good power potential for a middle infielder, but has struggled to get on base and has battled a myriad of injuries in his career.

Loftin appeared in four games and hit 2-for-9 (.222) with two walks and a double and struggled defensively in left field in Sunday’s loss to Milwaukee.

Well, the good news is that the Atlanta Braves still have yet to lose a series here in 2026. By this time last year they were doing nearly nothing but losing, so I will happily take a 6-4 start over that shambolic 2-8 start that they had over the course of their first 10 games in 2025.

Still, there does feel like there were some missed opportunities to get off to an even better start. The split in Arizona comes to mind and the power outage against Seth Lugo and the Royals in their attempt to get a sweep also comes to mind as well. With that being said, winning (or splitting) series on a regular basis will pay off in the long run and since baseball is a marathon rather than a split, it’s more fruitful to look forward than backwards.

So here we are, looking forward to what’s in store for the Braves this week. Interestingly enough, it’s more interleague action as Atlanta will finish their West Coast swing in Anaheim against the Angels before returning home to take on the Guardians for three games. Let’s get into the details, y’all.

April 6-8: Los Angeles Angels

Current Record: 5-5 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 72-90

So the Angels are 5-5 so far and they actually don’t look as moribund as a lot of folks expected them to look coming into this season. Granted, this could just be a case of a bad team getting off to a decent start before eventually bottoming out but hey, the Braves can’t choose whenever they play anybody so they appear to be getting the version of the Angels that could be very tricky to deal with.

Of course, when you think of the Angels you think of Mike Trout and unfortunately for them, his status for this series is currently in doubt. Trout got hit on his left hand by a pitch on Sunday and he’s now day-to-day. It’s a shame because so far, he’s actually showed some signs of looking like the old Mike Trout who could put up some gaudy numbers and be an absolute pain for opponents to deal with. Atlanta might dodge a bullet there with Trout but they’ll still have to deal with shortstop Zach Neto, who has gotten off to a very good start to begin the season. First baseman Nolan Schanuel has launched a pair of homers as well so that’s another guy to keep an eye on (in addition to old friends Travis d’Arnaud, Jorge Soler and mangaer Kurt Suzuki as well).

With that being said, the biggest headache for Atlanta in this series may come from the pitching for the Halos. They will have to deal with José Soriano, who has yet to give up a run so far through his first two starts and Reid Detmers has also been a handful for opposing hitters to deal with here in the early goings. The good news is that the Braves will be countering Soriano with Chris Sale on Monday night and as long as both Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes continue their strong starts to their respective seasons then the Braves should be fine when it comes to matching wits on the pitching mound.

Also, we have to mention what Jo Adell did because it’s just sick and I still can’t believe he robbed three homers in a single game. Absolutely incredible stuff.

Game 1: Monday, April 6 at 9:38 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Game 2: Tuesday, April 7 at 9:38 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Game 3: Wednesday, April 8 at 4:07 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

April 10-12: Cleveland Guardians

Current Record: 6-4 Projected Record: 76-86

Following a much-needed off day on Thursday, the Braves will be home to take on the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland’s off to a nice start as well. and they have one player in particular to thank for it: Chase DeLauter. Major League Baseball’s 2026 rookie class has had a lot of hype surrounding it and so far, the young guns look to be living up to the expectations here in the extremely early portion of the season. DeLauter is one of those young guns, as he’s come out of the gates by clubbing five homers, bringing in nine RBI and scoring seven runs, himself. Naturally, when it comes to the Guardians lineup then you have to be concerned with Jose Ramirez could do to you with Steven Kwan lurking as well. However, it’s been guys like DeLauter, Gabriel Arias, Austin Hedges, David Fry and even Rhys Hoskins who have been getting it done to get the season started for the Guardians.

More than likely, the Braves will be seeing Parker Messick, Slade Cecconi and Tanner Bibee during this series and being completely honest here, I do like Atlanta’s chances in these pitching matchups. Now granted, this’ll mean that Bryce Elder will have to keep things going in the right direction and the fifth spot in the rotation will have to deliver a good-to-great start for once but hey, this pitching staff has been puling its weight so far this season and who’s to say that they can’t get it done against this Cleveland team once they come back to town? This is another series that I’d label as “tricky” but the Braves can handle it — especially being at home where they’ve looked comfortable very early on.

Game 1: Friday, April 10 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Game 2: Saturday, April 11 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Game 3: Sunday, April 12 at 7:20 p.m. ET (NBC Sunday Night Baseball)

Well, the good news is that the Atlanta Braves still have yet to lose a series here in 2026. By this time last year they were doing nearly nothing but losing, so I will happily take a 6-4 start over that shambolic 2-8 start that they had over the course of their first 10 games in 2025.

Still, there does feel like there were some missed opportunities to get off to an even better start. The split in Arizona comes to mind and the power outage against Seth Lugo and the Royals in their attempt to get a sweep also comes to mind as well. With that being said, winning (or splitting) series on a regular basis will pay off in the long run and since baseball is a marathon rather than a split, it’s more fruitful to look forward than backwards.

So here we are, looking forward to what’s in store for the Braves this week. Interestingly enough, it’s more interleague action as Atlanta will finish their West Coast swing in Anaheim against the Angels before returning home to take on the Guardians for three games. Let’s get into the details, y’all.

April 6-8: Los Angeles Angels

Current Record: 5-5 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 72-90

So the Angels are 5-5 so far and they actually don’t look as moribund as a lot of folks expected them to look coming into this season. Granted, this could just be a case of a bad team getting off to a decent start before eventually bottoming out but hey, the Braves can’t choose whenever they play anybody so they appear to be getting the version of the Angels that could be very tricky to deal with.

Of course, when you think of the Angels you think of Mike Trout and unfortunately for them, his status for this series is currently in doubt. Trout got hit on his left hand by a pitch on Sunday and he’s now day-to-day. It’s a shame because so far, he’s actually showed some signs of looking like the old Mike Trout who could put up some gaudy numbers and be an absolute pain for opponents to deal with. Atlanta might dodge a bullet there with Trout but they’ll still have to deal with shortstop Zach Neto, who has gotten off to a very good start to begin the season. First baseman Nolan Schanuel has launched a pair of homers as well so that’s another guy to keep an eye on (in addition to old friends Travis d’Arnaud, Jorge Soler and mangaer Kurt Suzuki as well).

With that being said, the biggest headache for Atlanta in this series may come from the pitching for the Halos. They will have to deal with José Soriano, who has yet to give up a run so far through his first two starts and Reid Detmers has also been a handful for opposing hitters to deal with here in the early goings. The good news is that the Braves will be countering Soriano with Chris Sale on Monday night and as long as both Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes continue their strong starts to their respective seasons then the Braves should be fine when it comes to matching wits on the pitching mound.

Also, we have to mention what Jo Adell did because it’s just sick and I still can’t believe he robbed three homers in a single game. Absolutely incredible stuff.

Game 1: Monday, April 6 at 9:38 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Game 2: Tuesday, April 7 at 9:38 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Game 3: Wednesday, April 8 at 4:07 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

April 10-12: Cleveland Guardians

Current Record: 6-4 Projected Record: 76-86

Following a much-needed off day on Thursday, the Braves will be home to take on the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland’s off to a nice start as well. and they have one player in particular to thank for it: Chase DeLauter. Major League Baseball’s 2026 rookie class has had a lot of hype surrounding it and so far, the young guns look to be living up to the expectations here in the extremely early portion of the season. DeLauter is one of those young guns, as he’s come out of the gates by clubbing five homers, bringing in nine RBI and scoring seven runs, himself. Naturally, when it comes to the Guardians lineup then you have to be concerned with Jose Ramirez could do to you with Steven Kwan lurking as well. However, it’s been guys like DeLauter, Gabriel Arias, Austin Hedges, David Fry and even Rhys Hoskins who have been getting it done to get the season started for the Guardians.

More than likely, the Braves will be seeing Parker Messick, Slade Cecconi and Tanner Bibee during this series and being completely honest here, I do like Atlanta’s chances in these pitching matchups. Now granted, this’ll mean that Bryce Elder will have to keep things going in the right direction and the fifth spot in the rotation will have to deliver a good-to-great start for once but hey, this pitching staff has been puling its weight so far this season and who’s to say that they can’t get it done against this Cleveland team once they come back to town? This is another series that I’d label as “tricky” but the Braves can handle it — especially being at home where they’ve looked comfortable very early on.

Game 1: Friday, April 10 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Game 2: Saturday, April 11 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Game 3: Sunday, April 12 at 7:20 p.m. ET (NBC Sunday Night Baseball)

Some of us hardcore fans track Royals players from the moment they are signed. Some of these players spend some time in Royals blue at the big league level, only to depart, others never make it to Kansas City, but continue their career bouncing around in other organizations.

Some former Royals signed multi-year contracts last winter, including Ryan O’Hearn with the Pirates, Brad Keller with the Phillies, and Mike Yastrzemski with the Braves. Some were former top prospects that could use a change of scenery, like MJ Melendez with the Mets and Nick Pratto with the Rangers. Former first round pick Foster Griffin returned from a stint in Japan to become a sought-after free agent, signing with the Nationals. Some players have changed positions – Fernando Cruz and Erick Mejia were infielders when they were in the Royals farm system, and now they are pitchers.

Here’s a compilation of players that once played in the Royals organization either as big leaguers or minor leaguers, that are on MLB-affiliated rosters or in Asia to begin the year. These rosters are as of today, and are subject to change.

Hitters

CJ Alexander, Astros (AAA)

Andrew Benintendi, White Sox

Cavan Biggio, Astros (AAA)

Dairon Blanco, Rangers (AAA)

Mark Canha, Rangers (AAA)

Orlando Calixte, Chunichi Dragons (Japan)

Bobby Dalbec, Yomiuri Giants (Japan)

Paul DeJong, Yankees (AAA)

Cam Devanney, Hanshin Tigers (Japan)

Jared Dickey, Athletics (AA)

Clay Dungan, Padres (AAA)

Nate Eaton, Red Sox (AAA)

Ryan Fitzgerald, Dodgers (AAA)

Adam Frazier, Angels

Freddy Fermin, Padres

Jordan Groshans, Braves (AA)

Randal Grichuk, Yankees

Garrett Hampson, Reds (AAA)

Brewer Hicklen, Braves (AAA)

Nicky Lopez, Rockies (AAA)

MJ Melendez, Mets (AAA)

Callan Moss, Pirates (AA)

Ryan O’Hearn, Pirates

Edward Olivares, Rays (AAA)

Blake Perkins, Brewers

Tommy Pham, Mets (AAA)

Logan Porter, Giants (AAA)

Nick Pratto, Rangers (AAA)

Jakson Reetz, Mariners (AAA)

Franmil Reyes, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (NPB)

Sebastián Rivero, Angels (AAA)

Brent Rooker, Athletics

Esteury Ruiz, Marlins (IL)

Carlos Santana, Diamondbacks

Jorge Soler, Angels

Samad Taylor, Padres (AAA)

Cayden Wallace, Nationals (AA)

Joey Wiemer, Nationals

Mike Yastrzemski, Braves

Pitchers

Jason Adam, Padres (IL)

Dan Altavilla, Twins (AAA)

Nick Anderson, Athletics (AAA)

Scott Barlow, Athletics

Mason Barnett, Athletics (AAA)

Scott Blewett, Cardinals (AAA)

Jonathan Bowlan, Phillies

A.J. Causey, Athletics (AA)

Chandler Champlain, Nationals (AAA)

Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox

Taylor Clarke, Diamondbacks

Dylan Coleman, Yankees (AAA)

Austin Cox, Yokohama DeNA BayStars (Japan)

Fernando Cruz, Yankees

Michael Fulmer, Giants (AAA)

Gerson Garabito, Brewers (AAA)

Robert Garcia, Rangers

Ofreidy Gómez, Mets (AAA)

Foster Griffin, Nationals

Jesse Hahn, Blue Jays (AAA)

Patrick Halligan, Red Sox (AAA)

Hunter Harvey, Cubs

Thomas Hatch, Diamondbacks (AAA)

Taylor Hearn, Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Japan)

Ben Hernandez, Mariners (AA)

Carlos Hernández, Guardians (IL)

Tim Hill, Yankees

Andrew Hoffman, Diamondbacks

Matthew Hoskins, Rays (Low-A)

Jakob Junis, Rangers

Brad Keller, Phillies

Will Klein, Dodgers

Rylan Kaufman, White Sox (AA)

Brooks Kriske, Athletics (AAA)

Jackson Kowar, Orioles (AAA)

Ben Lively, Guardians (IL)

Sam Long, Chiba Lotte Marines (Japan)

Michael Lorenzen, Rockies

Richard Lovelady, Mets

Elvis Luciano, Yomiuri Giants (Japan)

Andrés Machado, Orix Buffaloes (Japan)

Sean Manaea, Mets

Yunior Marte, Reds (AAA)

Yunior Marte, Giants (High-A)

Logan Martin, Giants (AA)

Erick Mejia, Nationals (AA)

Wyatt Mills, Dodgers (AAA)

Noah Murdock, Pirates (AAA)

Connor Oliver, Pirates (High A)

Joel Payamps, Braves

Trevor Richards, Phillies (AAA)

Jarold Rosado, White Sox (AA)

David Sandlin, White Sox (AAA)

Colin Selby, Orioles (IL)

T.J. Sikkema, Red Sox (AAA)

Brady Singer, Reds

Evan Sisk, Pirates (AAA)

Burch Smith, Tigers (AAA)

Collin Snider, Cubs (AAA)

Gabe Speier, Mariners

Josh Staumont, Reds (AAA)

Jacob Wallace, Braves (AAA)

Luke Weaver, Mets

Ryan Weiss, Astros

Kyle Wright, Cubs (AAA)

Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees

Angel Zerpa, Brewers

Tyler Zuber, Marlins (AAA)

Some of us hardcore fans track Royals players from the moment they are signed. Some of these players spend some time in Royals blue at the big league level, only to depart, others never make it to Kansas City, but continue their career bouncing around in other organizations.

Some former Royals signed multi-year contracts last winter, including Ryan O’Hearn with the Pirates, Brad Keller with the Phillies, and Mike Yastrzemski with the Braves. Some were former top prospects that could use a change of scenery, like MJ Melendez with the Mets and Nick Pratto with the Rangers. Former first round pick Foster Griffin returned from a stint in Japan to become a sought-after free agent, signing with the Nationals. Some players have changed positions – Fernando Cruz and Erick Mejia were infielders when they were in the Royals farm system, and now they are pitchers.

Here’s a compilation of players that once played in the Royals organization either as big leaguers or minor leaguers, that are on MLB-affiliated rosters or in Asia to begin the year. These rosters are as of today, and are subject to change.

Hitters

CJ Alexander, Astros (AAA)

Andrew Benintendi, White Sox

Cavan Biggio, Astros (AAA)

Dairon Blanco, Rangers (AAA)

Mark Canha, Rangers (AAA)

Orlando Calixte, Chunichi Dragons (Japan)

Bobby Dalbec, Yomiuri Giants (Japan)

Paul DeJong, Yankees (AAA)

Cam Devanney, Hanshin Tigers (Japan)

Jared Dickey, Athletics (AA)

Clay Dungan, Padres (AAA)

Nate Eaton, Red Sox (AAA)

Ryan Fitzgerald, Dodgers (AAA)

Adam Frazier, Angels

Freddy Fermin, Padres

Jordan Groshans, Braves (AA)

Randal Grichuk, Yankees

Garrett Hampson, Reds (AAA)

Brewer Hicklen, Braves (AAA)

Nicky Lopez, Rockies (AAA)

MJ Melendez, Mets (AAA)

Callan Moss, Pirates (AA)

Ryan O’Hearn, Pirates

Edward Olivares, Rays (AAA)

Blake Perkins, Brewers

Tommy Pham, Mets (AAA)

Logan Porter, Giants (AAA)

Nick Pratto, Rangers (AAA)

Jakson Reetz, Mariners (AAA)

Franmil Reyes, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (NPB)

Sebastián Rivero, Angels (AAA)

Brent Rooker, Athletics

Esteury Ruiz, Marlins (IL)

Carlos Santana, Diamondbacks

Jorge Soler, Angels

Samad Taylor, Padres (AAA)

Cayden Wallace, Nationals (AA)

Joey Wiemer, Nationals

Mike Yastrzemski, Braves

Pitchers

Jason Adam, Padres (IL)

Dan Altavilla, Twins (AAA)

Nick Anderson, Athletics (AAA)

Scott Barlow, Athletics

Mason Barnett, Athletics (AAA)

Scott Blewett, Cardinals (AAA)

Jonathan Bowlan, Phillies

A.J. Causey, Athletics (AA)

Chandler Champlain, Nationals (AAA)

Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox

Taylor Clarke, Diamondbacks

Dylan Coleman, Yankees (AAA)

Austin Cox, Yokohama DeNA BayStars (Japan)

Fernando Cruz, Yankees

Michael Fulmer, Giants (AAA)

Gerson Garabito, Brewers (AAA)

Robert Garcia, Rangers

Ofreidy Gómez, Mets (AAA)

Foster Griffin, Nationals

Jesse Hahn, Blue Jays (AAA)

Patrick Halligan, Red Sox (AAA)

Hunter Harvey, Cubs

Thomas Hatch, Diamondbacks (AAA)

Taylor Hearn, Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Japan)

Ben Hernandez, Mariners (AA)

Carlos Hernández, Guardians (IL)

Tim Hill, Yankees

Andrew Hoffman, Diamondbacks

Matthew Hoskins, Rays (Low-A)

Jakob Junis, Rangers

Brad Keller, Phillies

Will Klein, Dodgers

Rylan Kaufman, White Sox (AA)

Brooks Kriske, Athletics (AAA)

Jackson Kowar, Orioles (AAA)

Ben Lively, Guardians (IL)

Sam Long, Chiba Lotte Marines (Japan)

Michael Lorenzen, Rockies

Richard Lovelady, Mets

Elvis Luciano, Yomiuri Giants (Japan)

Andrés Machado, Orix Buffaloes (Japan)

Sean Manaea, Mets

Yunior Marte, Reds (AAA)

Yunior Marte, Giants (High-A)

Logan Martin, Giants (AA)

Erick Mejia, Nationals (AA)

Wyatt Mills, Dodgers (AAA)

Noah Murdock, Pirates (AAA)

Connor Oliver, Pirates (High A)

Joel Payamps, Braves

Trevor Richards, Phillies (AAA)

Jarold Rosado, White Sox (AA)

David Sandlin, White Sox (AAA)

Colin Selby, Orioles (IL)

T.J. Sikkema, Red Sox (AAA)

Brady Singer, Reds

Evan Sisk, Pirates (AAA)

Burch Smith, Tigers (AAA)

Collin Snider, Cubs (AAA)

Gabe Speier, Mariners

Josh Staumont, Reds (AAA)

Jacob Wallace, Braves (AAA)

Luke Weaver, Mets

Ryan Weiss, Astros

Kyle Wright, Cubs (AAA)

Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees

Angel Zerpa, Brewers

Tyler Zuber, Marlins (AAA)

The Cubs continue their early-season interleague tour through American League divisions. They began with an AL West club (Angels), played an AL Central team (Guardians) over the weekend, and now it’s an AL East matchup with the Rays, who come into this series with the same record as the Cubs — 4-5. But Tampa Bay has played all nine of its games on the road so far, scheduled that way to make sure the renovated Tropicana Field was ready to go. The Rays will be the last of MLB’s 30 teams to play their home opener this year.

As you likely know, BCB’s Ashley MacLennan also writes for the SB Nation Rays site DRays Bay. Here’s Ashley with some comments on the Rays for us.

The start of the 2026 season hasn’t really gone the way the Rays had hoped, though of course the very small sample size is at play. One of the highlights of the season so far, though, has been the return of Shane McClanahan, the All-Star pitcher the Rays had to live without for two seasons. In his one start this year against Milwaukee he looked really good, despite the Rays not being able to get much run support to get him the win.

Drew Rasmussen has also had a good start to the year so he’ll be a pest to Chicago bats. The fielding for the Rays has been a difficulty so far, with plenty of errors and inconsistent results. They’ll hopefully get their feet under them soon, but right now they’ve had struggles with keeping game leads and providing their pitching staff run support when needed.

Chandler Simpson, as always, will be one to watch out for if he gets on base, as he has incredible speed and great steal instincts and he’s not afraid to be aggressive.

Fun facts

The Cubs have played only 25 previous games against the Rays. They have played fewer against only one current team: 24, vs. the Athletics. They also have played 25 vs. the Orioles.

The Cubs are 11-14 overall against the Rays, but only 2-6 at Tampa, where they lost three straight in 2008, split two games in 2017 and went 1-2 in 2024. Last year, the Cubs won two of three at Wrigley Field.
…
This will be the Cubs’ third consecutive series against an American League team, their longest such stretch of the season.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Jameson Taillon, RHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.286 WHIP, 4.47 FIP) vs. Shane McClanahan, LHP (0-1, 3.86 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, 3.40 FIP)

Tuesday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (1-1, 6.75 ERA, 1.179 WHIP, 1.90 FIP) vs. Drew Rasmussen, RHP (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 0.700 WHIP, 4.08 FIP)

Wednesday: Colin Rea, RHP (0-0, 4.26 ERA, 1.421 WHIP, 3.18 FIP) vs. Joe Boyle, RHP (0-0, 3.18 ERA, 0.882 WHIP, 1.68 FIP)

NOTE: Colin Rea is not officially listed as the Wednesday starter as of the time this series preview posted, but it does seem likely that he’ll be the guy on Wednesday.

Times & TV channels

Monday: 3:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 5:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Wednesday: 5:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

I keep saying “two of three” and at some point, I’m going to be right. Maybe this time.

Up next

The Cubs have Thursday off, then return to Wrigley Field for a three-game series against the Pirates beginning Friday afternoon.

The Cubs continue their early-season interleague tour through American League divisions. They began with an AL West club (Angels), played an AL Central team (Guardians) over the weekend, and now it’s an AL East matchup with the Rays, who come into this series with the same record as the Cubs — 4-5. But Tampa Bay has played all nine of its games on the road so far, scheduled that way to make sure the renovated Tropicana Field was ready to go. The Rays will be the last of MLB’s 30 teams to play their home opener this year.

As you likely know, BCB’s Ashley MacLennan also writes for the SB Nation Rays site DRays Bay. Here’s Ashley with some comments on the Rays for us.

The start of the 2026 season hasn’t really gone the way the Rays had hoped, though of course the very small sample size is at play. One of the highlights of the season so far, though, has been the return of Shane McClanahan, the All-Star pitcher the Rays had to live without for two seasons. In his one start this year against Milwaukee he looked really good, despite the Rays not being able to get much run support to get him the win.

Drew Rasmussen has also had a good start to the year so he’ll be a pest to Chicago bats. The fielding for the Rays has been a difficulty so far, with plenty of errors and inconsistent results. They’ll hopefully get their feet under them soon, but right now they’ve had struggles with keeping game leads and providing their pitching staff run support when needed.

Chandler Simpson, as always, will be one to watch out for if he gets on base, as he has incredible speed and great steal instincts and he’s not afraid to be aggressive.

Fun facts

The Cubs have played only 25 previous games against the Rays. They have played fewer against only one current team: 24, vs. the Athletics. They also have played 25 vs. the Orioles.

The Cubs are 11-14 overall against the Rays, but only 2-6 at Tampa, where they lost three straight in 2008, split two games in 2017 and went 1-2 in 2024. Last year, the Cubs won two of three at Wrigley Field.
…
This will be the Cubs’ third consecutive series against an American League team, their longest such stretch of the season.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Jameson Taillon, RHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.286 WHIP, 4.47 FIP) vs. Shane McClanahan, LHP (0-1, 3.86 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, 3.40 FIP)

Tuesday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (1-1, 6.75 ERA, 1.179 WHIP, 1.90 FIP) vs. Drew Rasmussen, RHP (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 0.700 WHIP, 4.08 FIP)

Wednesday: Colin Rea, RHP (0-0, 4.26 ERA, 1.421 WHIP, 3.18 FIP) vs. Joe Boyle, RHP (0-0, 3.18 ERA, 0.882 WHIP, 1.68 FIP)

NOTE: Colin Rea is not officially listed as the Wednesday starter as of the time this series preview posted, but it does seem likely that he’ll be the guy on Wednesday.

Times & TV channels

Monday: 3:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 5:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Wednesday: 5:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

I keep saying “two of three” and at some point, I’m going to be right. Maybe this time.

Up next

The Cubs have Thursday off, then return to Wrigley Field for a three-game series against the Pirates beginning Friday afternoon.

With the current state of the Nationals being widely viewed as far from a legitimate contending window, fans should begin to get familiar with their next generation of top prospects. An impressive crop of talent tops the Washington prospect rankings, including SS Eli Willits, RHP Travis Sykora, and C Harry Ford, among others, but the system has already seen early success further down the list.

One player in particular who has made waves among Nats fans since his selection in the 2025 MLB Draft is right-handed pitcher Miguel Sime Jr., a flamethrowing starting pitcher.

Sime Jr., taken with the 111th overall pick in the draft out of Brooklyn’s Poly Prep Country Day School, lit up the pre-draft scene with multiple record-setting appearances in the MLB Draft League and the national travel baseball circuit. He consistently reached triple-digits with his fastball and was one of the most polarizing arms in the entire class.

The lack of polish with his secondary offerings and overall “pitchability” caused most scouts to view him as more of a project, but his 70-grade fastball alone makes his potential sky high. Washington was enamored enough with his arsenal to hand him a hefty $2 million signing bonus to secure his services, and they are banking on their ability to mold the teenager into an impact arm down the line.

The 18-year-old flashed at times in the Nationals’ minor league camp outings during 2026 Spring Training and was assigned to Single-A Fredericksburg to open his first professional season. He saw the first action of his minor league career on Easter Sunday, and, while not perfect, he put together a start that should already begin to draw more eyes to his development.

Facing the Augusta GreenJackets, the Atlanta Braves’ Single-A affiliate, he began his pro career with 2.1 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 6 batters, walking just 1, and giving up a single hit. The metrics looked the part as well, sitting around 100 MPH with his fastball and showcasing some early action with his offspeed pitches, including getting 2025 1st-round pick Tate Southisene to chase on a breaking ball out of the zone.

Sime Jr. isn’t someone who will impact the 2026 Nationals, or the 2027 Nationals, and likely not even the 2028 Nationals. However, he’s more than worth keeping tabs on, especially as Washington continues to revamp their pitching development program under new President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni.

The focus remains, at least this early in the season, on the performance of the MLB roster. With that being said, it’s no secret that not many analysts are projecting the Nationals to be a playoff team in 2026. All eyes are pointed toward the future, and the emphasis on the development of their prospects will only continue to grow under the new front office, with Sime Jr. a prime candidate to rise up the ranks if he can maintain the early growth he’s displayed.

With the current state of the Nationals being widely viewed as far from a legitimate contending window, fans should begin to get familiar with their next generation of top prospects. An impressive crop of talent tops the Washington prospect rankings, including SS Eli Willits, RHP Travis Sykora, and C Harry Ford, among others, but the system has already seen early success further down the list.

One player in particular who has made waves among Nats fans since his selection in the 2025 MLB Draft is right-handed pitcher Miguel Sime Jr., a flamethrowing starting pitcher.

Sime Jr., taken with the 111th overall pick in the draft out of Brooklyn’s Poly Prep Country Day School, lit up the pre-draft scene with multiple record-setting appearances in the MLB Draft League and the national travel baseball circuit. He consistently reached triple-digits with his fastball and was one of the most polarizing arms in the entire class.

The lack of polish with his secondary offerings and overall “pitchability” caused most scouts to view him as more of a project, but his 70-grade fastball alone makes his potential sky high. Washington was enamored enough with his arsenal to hand him a hefty $2 million signing bonus to secure his services, and they are banking on their ability to mold the teenager into an impact arm down the line.

The 18-year-old flashed at times in the Nationals’ minor league camp outings during 2026 Spring Training and was assigned to Single-A Fredericksburg to open his first professional season. He saw the first action of his minor league career on Easter Sunday, and, while not perfect, he put together a start that should already begin to draw more eyes to his development.

Facing the Augusta GreenJackets, the Atlanta Braves’ Single-A affiliate, he began his pro career with 2.1 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 6 batters, walking just 1, and giving up a single hit. The metrics looked the part as well, sitting around 100 MPH with his fastball and showcasing some early action with his offspeed pitches, including getting 2025 1st-round pick Tate Southisene to chase on a breaking ball out of the zone.

Sime Jr. isn’t someone who will impact the 2026 Nationals, or the 2027 Nationals, and likely not even the 2028 Nationals. However, he’s more than worth keeping tabs on, especially as Washington continues to revamp their pitching development program under new President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni.

The focus remains, at least this early in the season, on the performance of the MLB roster. With that being said, it’s no secret that not many analysts are projecting the Nationals to be a playoff team in 2026. All eyes are pointed toward the future, and the emphasis on the development of their prospects will only continue to grow under the new front office, with Sime Jr. a prime candidate to rise up the ranks if he can maintain the early growth he’s displayed.

In last week’s episode of the podcast, I remarked on the new Orioles slogan for 2026, fly different, and how important it is that the O’s actually do things differently compared to last season. Since then, they’ve gone 1-5 and things are feeling all too familiar from what we’ve now been seeing since around the All-Star Break in 2024. It’s not great.

For this week’s episode, I’m reacting to all the ugliness we’ve seen over the last week. It hasn’t been good. You could fairly put more than half of the Opening Day roster on the list of players who are stinking so far. It’s still early, so at least there’s that.

We’re going to find out pretty quickly whether these guys have sterner stuff than last year’s team. If they pull it together and avoid a deep early hole, then they’ve got something they weren’t able to do last year. If they just keep falling, especially with their next opponent being a presumably-weak White Sox team, well, we’ve seen that story before. It wasn’t fun the first time around and it would feel even worse the second time after they had an offseason to try to fix everything.

Check out the episode here:

If the embedded player isn’t displaying above, view this article in Incognito Mode or find it on the podcast page here.

This is my weekly podcast about whatever is going on lately with the Orioles. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to subscribe. You can get the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you prefer to access your podcasts.

How are you feeling about the way things have gone over the first nine games? Answers could make it into the mailbag section of the next episode of the podcast.

In last week’s episode of the podcast, I remarked on the new Orioles slogan for 2026, fly different, and how important it is that the O’s actually do things differently compared to last season. Since then, they’ve gone 1-5 and things are feeling all too familiar from what we’ve now been seeing since around the All-Star Break in 2024. It’s not great.

For this week’s episode, I’m reacting to all the ugliness we’ve seen over the last week. It hasn’t been good. You could fairly put more than half of the Opening Day roster on the list of players who are stinking so far. It’s still early, so at least there’s that.

We’re going to find out pretty quickly whether these guys have sterner stuff than last year’s team. If they pull it together and avoid a deep early hole, then they’ve got something they weren’t able to do last year. If they just keep falling, especially with their next opponent being a presumably-weak White Sox team, well, we’ve seen that story before. It wasn’t fun the first time around and it would feel even worse the second time after they had an offseason to try to fix everything.

Check out the episode here:

If the embedded player isn’t displaying above, view this article in Incognito Mode or find it on the podcast page here.

This is my weekly podcast about whatever is going on lately with the Orioles. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to subscribe. You can get the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you prefer to access your podcasts.

How are you feeling about the way things have gone over the first nine games? Answers could make it into the mailbag section of the next episode of the podcast.