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After treading water in Double-A Montgomery for parts of the last two seasons, here’s a hot take: Brayden Taylor appears ready for a promotion to Durham.

If you look him up, his 99 wRC+ through 14 games doesn’t jump off the page, but the underlying data suggests he’s ready for a new challenge.

Taylor was not performing well in his first full season in Montgomery last year. Through his first 64 games, he produced just a 64 wRC+ driven largely by elevated swing-and-miss, as his contact rate was sitting at just about 70%. He was removed from games for a few weeks in July to reset and adjust his swing. After he returned to action, his production improved to 97 wRC+ across his final 44 games, and his contact rate rebounded into the mid 70s.

One of the key adjustments Taylor made was reducing the hitch in his swing while getting stacked on his back leg. He still has a bit of a bat wrap and average hand speed so some swing-and-miss will likely always be part of his profile, but it’s now seemingly more manageable.

Taylor didn’t sacrifice his average power with this change either because he still holds his weight back fairly well and he’s always had a knack for getting the ball in the air pull-side. There may have also been an adjustment to his bat angle or tilt as it appears slightly flatter than in the past. That would align with the improved contact rates, though it’s difficult to confirm given the limited minor league data and video available.

While Taylor may not be filling up the box score just yet this season, his underlying data looks encouraging; his contact rate is up over 76% so far. He’s also hitting line drives and fly balls over 70% of the time in this small sample. It’s a rate that will almost certainly regress, but one that reinforces a meaningful trend: he’s continuing to get the ball in the air even with a shorter swing.

Maintaining near-average contact rates and consistently elevating the ball pull-side will allow Taylor to out-slug his roughly average exit velocities. The Southern League is a notoriously pitcher-friendly environment, so getting to Triple-A could help that underlying performance translate more consistently.

If these contact gains are sustainable, Taylor’s combination of solid defense at 2B and 3B and above average base running can help make him a productive major league player. He’s been notably passive early and taking his walks, so a promotion to Triple-A — where pitchers are in the zone more — would be a more appropriate test for his new mechanics.

Overall, his profile still looks similar to what it was coming out of the 2023 draft: a bulk platoon second baseman with no major holes in his game who can also fill-in on the left side of the infield if needed.

At the lower end of outcomes, Taylor profiles as a versatile up-and-down option. But with the swing changes, defensive value, and track record against right-handed pitching, there’s a strong case for a more meaningful role. His development against left-handed pitching may ultimately determine whether he reaches everyday status. The key question now isn’t whether Taylor can produce in Double-A; it’s whether these underlying gains will hold against more advanced pitching.

April 24th kicks off the 2026 edition of Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Induction weekend as the Reds are in town playing host to the Detroit Tigers. This year’s class is particularly star-studded, as each of Brandon Phillips, Reggie Sanders, Aaron Harang, and manager Lou Piniella will enter the Hall with resumes that are more than well deserving.

The Reds have announced the details for the weekend, including the daily meet and greets that will be hosted at the Reds Hall:

The Reds also announced that Phillips, who has more hits, homers, runs batted in, and doubles than any other 2B in team history, will sign a one-day contract with the club on Saturday and official retire as a Cincinnati Red.

Phillips, to his credit, seems pretty damn pumped about it all.

The foursome will head into the Hall with an on-field induction before first pitch of the Saturday, April 25th game against the Tigers, with a Gala at the First Financial Center in downtown Cincinnati set for Sunday night after the end of the series.

The Reds sit at 16-9 overall after their recent 5-1 road trip, and are in 1st place in the National League Central division at the moment.

On Wednesday morning, I thought about writing a story advocating for the Mets to promote Ronny Mauricio, who was coming off a three-homer game for Triple-A Syracuse and had been tearing the cover off the ball for most of the season -- with a slugging percentage north of .600.

But there really wasn't an angle.

If Mauricio came up, he would need regular playing time.

The Mets couldn't offer that to him at designated hitter, since they'll be using Juan Soto there frequently with the superstar having just returned from a calf injury.

Mauricio has some experience playing corner outfield, but hasn't spent a regular season inning out there since 2023. Beyond that, the Mets are still providing Carson Benge an opportunity to show he can stick. 

As far as the infield, it was locked up.

That changed on Wednesday night, in almost impossible to believe fashion for a Mets team that had already dealt with enough bad luck this season.

Francisco Lindor, while scoring from first base on a double in the fourth inning, came up lame near third base and grimaced as he slid in safely at home. He walked back to the dugout, down the steps, and straight to the clubhouse. His night was over.

During the game, the update came: Lindor left early due to left calf tightness, the same initial diagnosis (though it was the right calf) Soto got before he landed on the IL and missed 18 days.

It is indeed unusually cruel that on the night the Mets got Soto back, they lost Lindor to the same injury. Of course it happened that way. Of course there was something that added a sour note to the club finally breaking its interminable losing streak. 

Adding insult to injury (literally) is the fact that Lindor had been heating up and starting to look like himself after missing most of spring training due to hamate surgery. In the eight games he played before getting hurt, Lindor had an .829 OPS. And he had hits in his only two at-bats on Wednesday.

To hear manager Carlos Mendoza speak after the game, it was clear that Lindor would need an IL stint, with the only question being how long he'd miss.

It will be another challenge for the Mets to overcome, and they'll have to wait even longer to have their full lineup back together. In the meantime, New York must tab a replacement for Lindor at shortstop.

It was Bo Bichette who got the call to finish Wednesday's game, sliding over from third base.

The Mets could conceivably make Bichette the regular shortstop in Lindor's absence, but that didn't seem to be the way they'll turn, with Mendoza noting after the game that they would likely call up an infielder from the minors. And Mike Puma of the New York Post reported on Thursday afternoon that Mauricio is on his way to New York to join the team.

If the plan is to insert Mauricio as the regular shortstop and give him a serious chance to stick there while Lindor is out, it's hard to argue with the logic.

Bichette, who has been getting acclimated to third base since signing as a free agent during the offseason, has looked much smoother and more comfortable there since a few early hiccups. His throws have been truer, and his range strong. And although it's a small sample size, Bichette has graded out as above average at third when it comes to OAA.

He should stay there, which would open up the full-time shortstop gig for the switch-hitting Mauricio, whose ability to put a charge into the baseball remains tantalizing.

In parts of three seasons in the majors, Mauricio -- who turned 25 years old earlier this month -- has shown flashes but not yet proven he has what it takes to be a regular at the level. He also lost more than a season of development time due to a knee injury he suffered while playing Winter Ball after the 2023 campaign.

So it's difficult to look at Mauricio's output in 2025 -- a .226/.293/.369 triple slash in 184 plate appearances over 61 games -- and make any conclusions.

For one, the sample size isn't big enough. Secondly, it was Mauricio's first big league action since returning from his knee injury.

With Lindor out, it's time to see if Mauricio can limit his free swinging enough to allow his potential to be realized.

In 19 games last season in Triple-A, Mauricio had an .891 OPS.

In 63 plate appearances over 15 games this season in Triple-A, Mauricio has hit .293/.349/.638 with six homers, two doubles, 13 RBI, and 12 runs scored. And he has been absolutely stinging the ball.

There is absolutely no way to paint Lindor's injury as anything but a painful blow for the Mets, especially considering the timing. But a silver lining could be the potential emergence of Mauricio, if he takes his chance and runs with it. 

We have made it back from Japan. It was a wonderful holiday. Thanks to Tom M for doing a great job of running things while I was gone.

The last few days we saw a fair bit of sports. We went to a:

• Sumo wrestlers’ house. It wasn’t the season for sumo, but the wrestlers train together and we got to see them train. Their workouts were very tough. Strength plus flexibility and balance. It did amaze me that these rather large men were way more flexible than I am. I had a tough time sitting on the floor for the two hours they trained. And they did some exhibition type matches for us. Leg strength was a large part of the training, lifting one leg high and doing squats on the other leg. It was more interesting than I thought it would be, but they need more clothing and/or lots of waxing.
• A baseball game. Swallows vs. Tigers. It wasn’t a great game. The Tigers scored 7 runs in the first three innings. But fans for both teams cheered and chanted and sang all the way until the last out. No one left early. The best part, for us, was that we were sitting beside two guys from Switzerland who had never watched baseball before. Spent time chatting and we went for supper with them after.
• A soccer game. Also fun and also fans for both teams cheering, singing and chanting all game. Good play, not premiership level or anything but a lot of fun.
• And lucked into watching basketball, which again, with the fans being so into it, was a lot of fun.

Wearing Blue Jays caps got me into a lot of conversations. Everywhere we went people wanted to talk about the Jays.

Beyond that, food was great, there was beer, and Japanese whisky is very good. And we went to a saki tasting. Went to many Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Shrines. Played drums, watched people who knew how to play drums. Got a sword lesson and watched people who knew how to use swords. And many many other things.

I was feeling a bit cut off from the Jays as most games were happening while we were sleeping. They aren’t having the start to the season we were hoping to see. And many guys are injured:

• Trey Yesavage: Pitched yesterday. I see mention that he hit 96 mph on the fastball. Had some troubles with walks. Might make one more appearance in the minors.
• George Springer has a broken toe, but should be back soon.
• Addison Barger is working his way back from an ankle sprain. He’s working his way up to running at full speed.
• José Berríos made a rehab start yesterday, throwing 55 pitches. 4 innings, 3 hits, no walks. He’ll need a couple more rehab starts.
• Yimi Garcia is still 4 weeks from returning from elbow surgery. He has been throwing.
• Shane Bieber is starting to threw bullpen sessions. But he won’t be back until late May at best..
• Ricky Tiedemann is out with elbow soreness.
• Cody Ponce is out for the season.
• Alejandro Kirk had a screw put into his broken thumb. He’ll miss all of May.
• Anthony Santander likely won’t be back until the end of the season at best.

And the active roster has guys who I haven’t heard of:

• Lenyn Sosa has a higher batting average than on base percentage.
• Joe Mantiply hasn’t been all that bad, 4.50 ERA in 8 innings, with 12 strikeouts.

I have heard of Eloy Jiménez and he’s had a good time of it, .409/.462/.462 line in 22 at bats.

And some guys aren’t hitting:

• Tyler Heineman has a .219/.265/.219 line.
• Kazuma Okamoto has a .207/.289/.333 line, but has been a bit better the last few games, .278/.381/500 in the last five games. Hopefully it will continue.
• Nathan Lukes has a .235/.273/.294 line, but is .500/.524/.650 in his last six games.
• Davis Schneider has a .176/.333/.324 line. At least he’s getting on base a bit. He’s hitless in his last 10 at bats.

And, of course, Hoffman has been awful. I don’t know how he can be that bad with 24 strikeouts in 10.2 innings. 24 strikeouts out of 32 outs, seems like a good thing. But, of course, 16 hits against, with 2 home runs. I don’t know what the answer is, but he doesn’t look confident (and I can understand why). Pitching scared isn’t a good way to do things.

But then Louis Varland hasn’t allowed an earned run yet.

I’ve seen more about Bo Bichette’s troubles than anything else. He has been a slow starter the last few seasons, but it is tough when you are on a new team, after signing a big contract. And worse when your team is losing. Lucky for him, New York baseball fans are well know for their patience.

No game today, which is good because I’m dealing with jet lag. I was so tired yesterday and then, about 2:00 am I was wide awake. But it should only last a couple of days and I’ll be back feeling normal.

Losing streak at nine as Phillies go down in extra innings to Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CHICAGO – The Phillies’ losing streak is growing like an insidious tumor. Things have gotten so bad that now even Cristopher Sanchez is getting rocked.

Sanchez, runner-up for the National League Cy Young award last season, was tagged for 12 hits, including two scorchers that cleared the bricks and ivy, in an 8-7 loss to the seemingly unbeatable Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon.

The Phillies, losers of nine straight, were swept in a four-game series at Wrigley for the first time since 1973.

The final loss was extra painful. In a show of life, the Phils rallied for four runs in the late innings to come back from a 6-2 deficit and tie the game on a pinch-hit single by Edmundo Sosa in the top of the eighth.

The lead did not last long as Brad Keller, returning to the stadium in which he pitched for the Cubs last season, surrendered a leadoff homer to Seiya Suzuki in the bottom of the inning.

The homer was Suzuki’s third of the series.

But the Phils tied the game again on a pinch-hit homer by Adolis Garcia leading off the top of the ninth, only to leave runners on the corners after putting two men on base with no outs after Garcia’s homer.

The Phils lost it in the bottom of the 10th when the Cubs pushed across the game-winning run on a hit by Dansby Swanson against Tanner Banks. 

The loss was the Phillies’ 13^th in the last 15 games as they plunged to 8-17 on the season. They are 9 ½ games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves in the NL East. If the Cubs, winners of nine in a row, are the hottest team in baseball, the Braves aren’t far behind. They’ve won eight of their last nine and 12 of their last 15, hardly a comforting thought for the Phillies as they head to Atlanta for a weekend series beginning Friday night.

Zack Wheeler will make his return in Saturday night’s game, but can one man make that much difference, especially with the way this thing is going?

Time will tell.

In the meantime, the Phils will turn their desperate eyes to rookie Andrew Painter in Friday night’s game and it would sure help if the bat rack continued to stir as it did in the late innings Thursday.

Brandon Marsh had a big day with a pair of solo homers and an RBI single, but he took a third strike with the potential tying run at third to end the top of the. ninth. The Phillies entered the day hitting .218, second-to-last in the majors.

Starting pitching continues to be a surprising issue for the Phillies. The starting staff entered the day ranked 28^th in the majors with a 5.37 ERA. (Last year, they were second at 3.53). Sanchez was hit hard in 5 1/3 innings of work. The 12 hits he allowed tied a career-high, reached in August 2024. He gave up six runs, walked two and struck out just four. Over his last four starts, Sanchez has given up 37 hits.

The big blow against Sanchez was a three-run homer by Michael Busch to dead center in the third inning. Busch hit a 95-mph fastball that was right down the middle. An inning later, Ian Happ clubbed an 0-2 Sanchez slider over everything in left field to give the Cubs a 5-2 lead that they built to 6-2 with a run in the sixth.

The Phillies’ offense showed some fight against Cubs’ starter Edward Cabrera and made it a 6-5 game with three runs in the seventh. Marsh hit his second homer and Bryson Stott (single) and Alec Bohm (double on a ball that was not caught at right-field wall) had hits. A run scored on an infield error and another on a sacrifice fly.

An inning later, the Phillies rallied to tie … then they tied it again, only to see the losing continue.

After a seven-game road trip facing National League West teams, the Dodgers are back home to start a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs beginning Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Kyle Tucker will face one of his old teams for the first time since signing with the Dodgers.

Emmet Sheehan gets the ball for the Dodgers in the homestand opener, while Jameson Taillon pitches for the Cubs.

This is the Dodgers’ first game on Apple TV this season, an exclusive broadcast which means no SportsNet LA for the series opener. The Dodgers have three Friday night games on Apple TV in the first half of the season. Wayne Randazzo will call the game alongside analyst Dontrelle Willis, plus reporter Heidi Watney.

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Cubs
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 7:15 p.m. PT
• TV: Apple TV
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)