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Monday notes…

• OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH: This will be the 72nd series between the Cubs and Brewers at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs are 119-110. They have won 33 series, lost 30 and split 8. They have swept seven series, two of four games and five of three games, most recently a three-game set Aug. 2-4, 2019. The Cubs lost five of the next six series, winning only six of 20 games, capped by four losses, Aug. 10-12, 2021. They are 6-2-1 in series since then, with a record of 20-15. The Cubs are 40-31 in first games of series at home vs. the Brewers. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• AFTER DARK: The Cubs are 16-7 in night games, a winning percentage of .696. They finished last season at .563 (49-38). They are 7-1 under the lights at Wrigley Field so far. Last year, they wound up 21-11. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• PUT RUNS UP EARLY: The Cubs are 10-0 at home this year when they have scored first and 8-5 when their opponent scored first. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THE BUSCH LEAGUE: Michael Busch, 16 games in May: .315/.465/.556 (17-for-54) with five doubles, a triple, two home runs, 16 walks and 15 RBI.

Cubs lineup:

A new homestand starts today.

Watch the game live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/XjtEDVJ2uj

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 18, 2026

Brewers lineup:

Big series on deck

📺: https://t.co/eycfmE2vgm
📻: WTMJ#ThisIsMyCrew x @NicoletLawpic.twitter.com/uw7Jfn4WcO

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 18, 2026

Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Brandon Sproat, RHP

As you’ll recall, Shōta Imanaga’s second half was so bad that the Cubs didn’t use him in the deciding game of the division series in 2025.

Things have changed. Imanaga is 100 percent healthy again and in three starts this month he has been lights-out: 1.35 ERA, 0.950 WHIP, 21 strikeouts and only four walks in 20 innings.

Current Brewers, though, are hitting .329 (25-for-76) against Shōta. In particular, William Contreras has owned him — 5-for-12 with three home runs. Imanaga has been stingy with the long ball this year, just five in 54.1 innings. Keep that up and that’s a recipe for success.

With the wind blowing out tonight, this is a good test for Shōta to keep the ball in the yard.

Brandon Sproat came to the Brewers from the Mets in the Freddy Peralta deal over the offseason.

He’s had some good outings and some rough ones and has issued a lot of walks — 20 in 36 innings, an overall 13 percent walk rate, which is pretty bad. Hopefully the patient Cubs can make something out of that.

Sproat has never faced the Cubs or anyone on their active roster.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball. If you do go there to interact with Brewers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Join us and discuss game 1 of 4 in Miami in the comments below, as JR Ritchie takes the mound for the Braves and the Marlins counter with Max Meyer.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Monday, May 18, 6:40 p.m. EDT

Location: loanDepot Park, Miami, FL

TV: BravesVision, Gray TV

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

Gerrit Cole’s return to the New York Yankees rotation could be coming sooner than expected. Aaron Boone said that the idea of Cole making his next start Friday at Yankee Stadium was “on the table.” 

Cole, 35, is returning to the big league after March 2025 Tommy John surgery. He threw 86 pitches over 5 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton on Saturday. The original plan had Cole making one more minor-league rehab start.  

The Yankees have likely lost Max Fried for a month or two due to a bone bruise. Carlos Rodon struggled after beginning the season on the injured list.  

Still, Boone told reporters they would not rush Cole back because of holes in the rotation.  

“A need doesn’t necessarily mean we’re bringing him back,” Boone said, while also acknowledging it is something that the Yankees have “on the table.” 

Cole will return to a significantly different rotation. The Yankees have managed fairly well without him because of the emergence of Cam Schlittler, who has a 1.35 ERA this season, and Will Warren, who has a 2.49 ERA. Fried was pitching to a 2.09 ERA before he got hurt. The Yankees' rotation has a 3.10 ERA, the best in the majors.  

He has not pitched in the big leagues in nearly 17 months, not since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. He had elbow surgery on March 11, 2025.  

The right-hander was limited to 17 starts and 95 innings in the regular season in 2024 because of a nerve issue that the team said was unrelated to the torn UCL that shut him down for 2025.  

Cole was the unanimous 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner with 15 wins, a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 209 innings.  

Over 12 major league seasons, Cole has a 3.18 ERA and 2,251 strikeouts with the Pirates, Astros and Yankees. 

Cole signed a $324-million, nine-year contract with New York in December 2019. He is making $36 million a year through 2028.  

The Yankees host the first-place Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.  

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gerrit Cole injury update: Latest as return to the Yankees nears

Hoowee, folks. We have a lot of roster moves this afternoon, five to be exact, so let’s get right into it. We’re putting the basics here for now: expect updates throughout the afternoon as we write up these moves.

Called Up:

Robinson Ortiz, LHP:

Ortiz is a 26-year-old leftie reliever who so far has been luckier than he has been good. A 1.69 ERA with no XBHs given up in Tacoma this year is certainly eye-popping, but a .216 BABIP, 17.6 BB% and a 4.09 FIP bely a more complicated profile. He was acquired in the Gough trade last November.

Ortiz will join Ferrer as the only lefties in the bullpen. He will be making his deubt when he appears.

Optioned to Tacoma:

Domingo González, RHP:

González made four appearances in his first turn in the bigs, sporting an unsightly WHIP of 1.412 but giving up no runs across his first 5.2 innings of work. He has pitched in three of the last four games, so this move is less tied to results and more to needing a fresh arm. He’s one I’d expect to see a couple more times this year.

Leo Rivas, INF

Oh, Leo. While his flexibility in the infield has been greatly appreciated with various players taking their turn on the Injured List, his .131/.263/.172 line has not been. With Colt Emerson up for good, the Mariners no longer have need for a Leo Rivas. Ranking in the bottom 1% in the league for xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, and Hard-Hit%, the bat is beyond unplayable.

Reinstated from Injured List:

Patrick Wisdom, INF (left oblique strain)

The 34-year-old infielder has appeared in one game this year with the Mariners, a pinch-hit strikeout back on April 14 before hitting the IL with a left oblique strain. During an 8-game rehab stint in Tacoma, he hit .304 with 3 home runs. He likely will be a back-up third-baseman to potentially spell Colt Emerson against tough lefties until Brendon Donovan returns.

Selected to the 40-man:

Brennen Davis, OF:

The 26-year-old outfielder was a 2nd-round pick for the Cubs in 2018. He seemed to have a promising trajectory, winning MVP in the 2021 Futures Game and twice was chosen as the Cubs’ Minor League Player of the Year. A series of injuries derailed his career. Back surgery, an ankle fracture and re-injuring his back meant that he averaged just 57 games per season from 2022-2025. Losing four prime developmental seasons surely set him back, but his performance in Tacoma has been more than solid so far. He ranks near the top of the league in exit velocity, Barrel%, and xwOBA, showing more pop than he’s been known for in the past with a .948 OPS.

Roster moves:

🔹 Robinson Ortiz (#49), LHP, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
🔹 Patrick Wisdom, INF, reinstated from 10-day Injured List (left oblique strain).
🔹 Domingo González, RHP, optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
🔹 Leo Rivas, INF, optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
🔹 Brennen Davis,… https://t.co/2NlUqfFTs2

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) May 18, 2026

The Cincinnati Reds take their tattered pitching staff further on their road show on Monday, this time to the City of Brotherly Love. That’s where they’ll find the Philadelphia Phillies, who so hot right now they’re shucking popcorn.

Seriously, they were once 9-19 and fired their manager, yet since Don Mattingly took the helm they’ve just started destroying everything in their path and now boast the exact same 24-23 record on the season as the Cincinnati Reds. That’s good enough for 2nd place in the NL East right now, and the Reds can thank them for company in the cellar of the NL Central as the Phillies enter tonight’s game fresh off a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates to park them also at 24-23 on the season.

One-time almost-Red Kyle Schwarber has been leading the charge for the Phillies, his 20 dingers so far this season the most in all of baseball. The Reds, who do not have Kyle Schwarber on their roster despite him hailing from Middletown, will try to pick up the pieces against him this evening, with hopes that Nick Lodolo can finally lock-in after missing over a month on the shelf with blister issues and return to the excellent form he flashed back in 2025.

The exhausted bullpen sure could use the rest.

First pitch on Monday will be chucked by righty Andrew Painter at 6:40 PM ET, and Terry Francona has shuffled his lineup once again to feature Matt McLain as the Reds leadoff man for the evening. TJ Friedl and Ke’Bryan Hayes will bat back to back at the bottom of the order, with both currently ranking among the 9 worst hitters of the 223 with at least 120 PA this season.

Here’s the full lineup for the start. Go Reds!

Back at it in Philly

Powered by @PNCBankpic.twitter.com/mSJgfpTRGP

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 18, 2026

The Mets will call up Zach Thornton to pitch in Wednesday’s game against the Nationals, according to Carlos Mendoza. It is unclear whether he will get the start or pitch behind an opener, but he will be used in some capacity.

Thornton will pitch in place of the injured Clay Holmes, who suffered a fractured fibula after taking a line drive off the bat of Spencer Jones in his last start against the Yankees. Holmes is expected to miss significant time and not return until well into the summer, leaving the team in need of a new arm. Other options under consideration including using Tobias Myers (in a potential bullpen game) or calling up another prospect, such as Jack Wenninger or Jonah Tong.

Thornton started the year in Double-A Binghamton, posting a 3.60 ERA in five starts for the Rumble Ponies before being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. In two starts there, he posted a 2.25 ERA, allowing three earned runs across 12 innings pitched. He has struck out 40 batters across 37 innings this year between Double-A and Triple-A.

Thornton entered the year ranked No. 13 in the Mets’ farm system by MLB Pipeline, and No. 14 by Amazin’ Avenue. In his preview of the left-hander, Steve Sypa wrote:

The 6’3”, 170-pound left-hander throws from a high-three-quarter arm slot and has plenty of deception in his delivery with a funky, up-tempo delivery that incorporates an extremely long arm action through the back and a slingy, crossfire release. Despite all of the movement in his delivery, Thornton has above-average command of all of his pitches. He can pound the zone with pitches, throw borderline pitches to get batters to chase, and work to all quadrants of the zone with all of his pitches. While no one pitch that the left-hander throws is more than an average offering, his large repertoire keeps batters guessing and his impeccable command helps all of those pitches play up to their greatest potential. Coming into the 2025 season, he made attacking batters and putting them in pitcher’s counts earlier a goal, a strategy that paid major dividends for him.

Thornton throws a four-seam fastball and a two-seam fastball, and while the two pitches bleed into each other a great deal, they remain two distinct pitches and two distinct grips that the left-hander uses. Coming into the 2025 season, his fastball generally sat in the high-80s-to-low-90s, topping out as high as 95 MPH, but after doing off-season weight and strength training, his fastball has more consistently sat in the low-to-mid-90s. When thrown up in the zone, his four-seam fastball has averaged a slightly above-average induced vertical break a bit over 15 inches, while his two-seam fastball has roughly MLB average downward and horizontal movement.

The left-hander’s slider generally has been his most effective strikeout pitch. Like his fastball, off-season weight training during the winter of 2024-2025 gave his slider a little extra velocity, and the pitch now sits comfortably in the mid-to-high-80s, previously sitting more in the low-to-mid-80s. The pitch has slurvy two-plane break, and like his other breaking balls, works best down in the zone thanks to its vertical drop.

Rounding out his arsenal is a curveball and changeup. His curveball sits in the mid-70s and has big 11-5 break, while his changeup sits in the low-80s with late fade and tumble. Both pitches generally induce more weak ground balls or lazy fly balls than strikeouts; In 2024, the left-hander had a 49.5% groundball rate and 25.0% flyball rate, and while both have regressed, the 43.2% and 35.2% rates he posted, respectively, still make Thornton an effective pitcher.

It is worth noting that Thornton is not on the 40-man roster, so the team will have to make a move to make room for his return. There are several players who could be options to be transferred to the 60-day IL, including Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr., neither of whom appears close to returning to big league action. Earlier today, the team transferred A.J. Minter to the 60-day IL to make room for Daniel Duarte, whom they recalled from Triple-A (while optioning Joey Gerber to Triple-A).

While the Yankees’ bullpen wasn’t a real problem statistically over the first several weeks of the season, its weakness and relative lack of depth have reared their ugly head over the last week or two, blowing multiple inherited leads during a 2-7 road trip that saw the Yanks lose ground to the Rays in the early divisional race.

Well, after overworking said bullpen in the final two days of the Subway Series at Citi Field, the Yankees are adding another arm to the fray, selecting the contract of right-handed reliever Yovanny Cruz and optioning fill-in fifth-starter Elmer Rodríguez back to Triple-A ahead of Monday’s series opener against the rival Blue Jays.

Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves:
• Optioned RHP Elmer Rodríguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
• Signed RHP Yovanny Cruz (#96) to a Major League contract and selected him to the active roster.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 18, 2026

This move is the culmination of a tremendous rise for Cruz, whose MLB dreams seemed as far away as ever as recently as this offseason. He originally signed with the Chicago Cubs out of the Dominican Republic in August 2016 and slowly rose through their system, but stagnated after the COVID-19 pandemic due to injuries and struggles with command. He elected free agency after 2023 and bounced from the Padres’ system in 2024 to the Red Sox’s Double-A squad in 2025, pitching to a 3.54 ERA in 89 innings across both seasons, but walking 60 as he struggled to command a high-90s fastball.

After allowing just one run in 18.2 innings with Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League, he was invited to Yankees’ spring training this February and lit up the radar gun, turning heads in the stands and in the clubhouse. Aaron Boone suggested he was seriously considered to break camp with the team, but was ultimately assigned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he’s pitched to a 3.00 ERA in 18 innings with 23 strikeouts to just nine walks.

Cruz’s arsenal is centered around his truly electric fastball, which has touched 102 mph down in Scranton and consistently sits 99, while he complements it with a high-80s slider/cutter and the occasional splitter. His performance has actually waned a bit over the last two weeks after an incredible start, but the Yankees clearly don’t see it as inhibitive towards their belief that he can contribute in the bullpen.

Yovanny Cruz, 101.5 mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/UynkqElj4J

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 13, 2026

The demotion of Rodríguez is interesting, as he allowed one run in 4.1 innings on Sunday in his third major league start. With no off days in the foreseeable future, the Yankees will need a fifth starter again on Friday against the AL East-leading Rays, and he cannot be recalled without an injury.

Could this be an indication that they’re willing to end Gerrit Cole’s rehab one start earlier than anticipated to make his long-awaited season debut? It doesn’t seem to be getting ruled out.

Yankees still discussing possibility of Cole pitching Friday at the Stadium vs. Rays, per Boone. “It’s on the table” but nothing official yet.

— Pete Caldera (@pcaldera) May 18, 2026

For the second time this season, the San Diego Padres swept the Seattle Mariners. They did so in terrific fashion, outscoring their opponents 17-7. It was production the Friars desperately needed before heading into tonight’s series against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

Lucas Giolito had an encouraging debut. He pitched five innings of one-hit ball before emerging for the sixth and failing to record an out. And, to be honest, it wasn’t totally his fault. Colt Emerson was walked on a ball four call that caught some of the plate. But, after that, the command fell off a bit and Giolito loaded the bases on three walks.

Yuki Matsui limited the damage, but not by much. The lefty gave up a walk to force in a run before allowing consecutive sacrifice flys to make the score, 7-3. He finally got out of the inning by striking out Cole Young.

But the story of the game (and the series) was Gavin Sheets’ incredible offense. That was apparent more so in this game than anywhere else, as the slugger went 3-for-3 with two walks, two homers and four RBIs. The Friars will need him to keep that up if they hope to beat the rival Los Angeles Dodgers this week.

Taking the mound

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) v. Michael King (SD)

Yamamoto pitched great at the beginning of the year but has looked slightly worse for wear in his recent starts. He’s given up 15 runs in his last four outings. That’s still good for a 3.60 ERA, but he’ll be looking to right the ship after surrendering a season-high five runs to the San Francisco Giants in his last outing.

Limiting hard contact has been the biggest problem for Yamamoto. He allowed five home runs in that four-game span. In his last start he gave up three to the Giants. The Padres have faced him before and struggled but could take advantage of his recent trouble tonight.

King, on the other hand, has been fantastic this season. It’s been a return to normalcy after an injury-plagued 2025 season. He boasts a 2.63 ERA across nine starts.

Ironically, the name of the game has been limiting hard contact. King has only allowed four homers all year. It will be interesting to watch what happens when the slug-happy Dodgers lineup faces him tonight.

Batter up!

The lineup has worked well the last few days, and it seems likely that manager Craig Stammen will stick with it. Fernando Tatis Jr. has played a ton of second base. But the club may want him in the outfield for his defense against L.A.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Miguel Andujar, DH
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Gavin Sheets, 1B
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Jackson Merrill, CF
7. Ramón Laureano, LF
8. Sung-Mun Song, 2B
9. Rodolfo Durán, C

Sheets had himself a fantastic road trip, batting .625/.739/1.438 with a 2.177 OPS. Those almost feel fictional, but he’s really been that elite. The breakout is hopefully here to stay for this series.

Machado has swung a cold bat lately, but could return tonight against Yamamoto. The third baseman owns a .375 batting average and 1.194 OPS in his career against the right-hander (8 at-bats).

Relief corps

With Giolito’s debut going just about as well as it could have, the Friars only needed to use two of their relievers. Matsui and Bradgley Rodriguez covered the final four innings (two apiece), not allowing a hit and striking out five.

That leaves plenty available for game on against the Dodgers, with Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Ron Marinaccio, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta and closer Mason Miller all fresh. All but Marinaccio and Peralta are high-leverage options that will likely be used tonight if the game is close.

In need of a starter following Clay Holmes’ fibula fracture, the Mets are calling up left-hander Zach Thornton from Triple-A Syracuse.

According to manager Carlos Mendoza, Thornton could start on Wednesday against the Nationals, but there also could be an opener in front of him.

The 24-year-old Thornton is ranked by Joe DeMayo as the No. 13 overall prospect in the Mets’ system, with DeMayo writing that Thornton “has the best control and command in the system and is among the best in all of minor league baseball.”

After making five starts with Double-A Binghamton to start the 2026 season, Thornton moved up to Triple-A Syracuse, where he’s made two starts and pitched to a 2.25 ERA.

"He earned it," Mendoza said. "The way he’s been throwing the ball, especially at the Triple-A level. We like him as a lefty against this lineup. His ability to throw strikes, his pitchability.

"There were a lot of names, Jonah [Tong]was one of them obviously, but in the end we decided to go with Zach."

With Kodai Senga and Holmes on the IL, the Mets needed to fill a spot in the rotation. For now, the five-man group includes Freddy Peralta, McLean, Christian Scott, Thornton [potentially with an opener], and David Peterson, who has been pitching in a bulk reliever role with an opener in front of him.

Mendoza said that the Mets will take things "one outing at a time" with Thornton before deciding whether or not he stays in the majors.

Two days after calling right-handed pitcher Joey Gerber up from Triple-A Syracuse, the Mets have optioned him back to Syracuse and called up fellow right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte to replace him on the team’s active roster. Gerber did not get into either of the two games for which he was with the big league club, and Duarte exercised an upward mobility clause in his contract that forced the Mets to either call him up or risk losing him to another organization.

To make room for Duarte on the 40-man roster, the Mets transferred left-handed reliever A.J. Minter to the 60-day injured list, a distinction that won’t have any effect on the veteran’s ability to return to the team if and when he proves to be healthy and effective.

Duarte last pitched in the big leagues in 2024 with the Twins, and he’s thrown a total of 38.1 innings as a major league player, the vast majority of which came with the Reds in 2023. In total, he has a 3.99 ERA and a 6.11 FIP as a major league pitcher, as he’s walked nearly as many batters as he’s struck out while surrendering too many home runs.

In 17.1 innings with Syracuse so far this year, Duarte has a 2.60 ERA and a 4.21 FIP with a 19.7 percent strikeout rate and a 12.7 percent walk rate. Given the Mets’ reluctance to remove Craig Kimbrel or Sean Manaea from their active roster to this point, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see Duarte removed from the roster within the next day or two as the Mets continue to churn fringe pitchers.