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The mystery of Logan Webb’s sinker usage falloff might’ve been solved with the breaking news that the San Francisco Giants have placed their ostensible ace on the 15-day IL for a blister on his right middle finger.

Ah, that certainly feels like the best symbol for this entire season, to fans and players alike. A big ol’ middle finger. F and of us for caring and certainly trying.

His 2026 began with a dominant run through the World Baseball Classic, where he allowed just 1 run (a home run to Manny Ramirez’s son) in 8.2 IP (2 GS). His Spring Training was, perhaps, less successful (7 ER in 9.1 IP, 3 GS), but still showed the dominance that he carried last season when he led the league in strikeouts with 224. He struck out 10 and walked only 1.

But the regular season got off to a rough start when the New York Yankees had a lot of fun humiliating him (6 ER in 5 IP) on Netflix for MLB’s Opening Night special. But after that, he’d have a typical Webb run, posting a 2.64 ERA in his next 85.1 innings (13 starts). But rather critically, the run includes a 15-day IL stint for a knee problem that came after another 6-earned run affair (this one against the Padres in Oracle Park). That prompted me to consider the possibility that his best days were behind him.

In that post — which Webb’s on-field performance almost immediately nuked from orbit with a Pitcher of the Month Award-winning June — I pointed out that this is around the time when the players with as many innings as Webb has to this point in their career either begin to break down due to injuries or are able to stay healthy enough to continue pitching well into their 30s.

This is already his second injury trip when he was known for his durability. And, after that incredible June (0.71 ERA in 38 IP), he’d carry a 5.89 ERA (4.03 FIP) for the rest of the season (13 starts, 70.1 IP). He stacked a lot of “worst start of his career”s this season. That, plus the multiple injuries should be bright red flags going forward.

The blister is interesting, though. As mentioned up top, his sinker use had fallen year over year:

2021 — 37.8%
2022 — 32.2%
2023 — 33.2%
2024 — 39.7%
2025 — 33.6%
2026 — 29.4%

The sinker is a friction-y pitch to be sure and in blisters are a common issue for sinkerballers. There’s also the matter of… maybe the baseballs are the problem? It’s one of the liveliest home run seasons in recent memory, but MLB sees no link between a factory defect in the production of baseballs and this home run environment, according to this piece from July in The Athletic.

Rawlings told MLB in early February that in about 50 percent of baseballs shipped for the 2026 regular season and spring training, “some excess oil from the yarn inside the baseball filtered through the leather cover of the ball, creating some yellow discoloration,” the league said in its statement.

Seems like the stitching is one thing you don’t want to mess with for pitchers, especially sinkerballers.

So, the potential for a wacky baseball, the WBC component, a new pitching coach & staff, and the catcher changeout (though, Webb did blossom in June without Patrick Bailey) all could explain a lot of the lumpy performance around that one great month. But his age and mileage could, too. The knee injury seems like it’s more the result of innings pitched and the knee could also explain the baseball. Everything just being slightly off and the cumulative effect of all these tiny difference being one big turd of a season — for Logan Webb, anyway.

He ends the year 8-9 with a 4.31 ERA (3.45 FIP) in 160.2 innings (his lowest innings total since 2021). He hadn’t won fewer than 10 games in a season since 2020! His 3.1 fWAR is his lowest since 2020, too. It’s still good enough for top 25 in MLB at the moment, though (among qualified starting pitchers — he drops down a bit if you set the minimum to 100 IP). He was about as good as Kevin Gausman and Sandy Alcantara this season, and maybe Sonny Gray, too (3.2 fWAR).

It’s the kind of season that’s almost a bit too outlandish to fear and yet when you write it all down it’s not too surprising. Baseball does this to pitchers all the time. The real trick will be retaining hope that a long offseason and lockout of rest will bring him back to his 2024 & 2025 form for at least the next couple of seasons. He’s the perfect Giant.

PHOENIX — The New York Yankees, who have played without All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge for most of the season, are bracing themselves now for the possibility that their three-time MVP may not play again the rest of the season.

Judge, who just returned to the lineup after a three-month absence, is being placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain. The Yankees have no idea whether he can play again this season.

When asked if the Yankees expect Judge to return in time for the postseason, manager Aaron Boone was brutally candid and said, “I don’t know.’’

“I don’t have a timeline on it,’’ Boone said. “I can’t predict anything. … I mean, we have no idea, we’re in the early stages. We’ll just obviously treat it and see what transpires.

“Hopefully, we can have him be an option at some point.’’

The Yankees survived without Judge for three months when he was out with a right rib stress fracture, and went through stretches where their offense badly struggled, but they always believed Judge would return and come to the rescue. His return lasted just 6½ games. He left Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, and underwent an MRI on Thursday that revealed the calf strain.

While the Yankees already clinched a wild-card berth and likely weren’t going to catch the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East title, they’re going to have to figure out a way to get through October perhaps without their greatest player.

“The reality is that we’ve had to play a lot of the season this year without him,’’ Boone said. “There’s no replacing a player as great as Aaron Judge, but you know we have high expectations that don’t change now. We have a lot of confidence in the people we run out there every day. We’re going to match up day in and day out, and the goal doesn’t change.’’

The Yankees kept telling themselves in the clubhouse Friday that they can still reach their ultimate goal of winning their first World Series since 2009, but without Judge, the battle just became a whole lot more challenging.

The Yankees will be without Aaron Judge for at least ten days after he was placed on the IL with a right calf strain suffered in the first inning of the Yankees’ loss to the Twins on Wednesday. It is a potentially mortal blow to their last gasp effort to chase down the Rays in the division. Nonetheless, they found ways to score, especially toward the end of his months-long absence with a broken rib, and they’ll have to tap back into that starting with tonight’s opener against the Diamondbacks

Gerrit Cole has a point to prove after giving up seven home runs in his last two starts, the most he’s given up in a two-start stretch in his career. Hitters just aren’t chasing his secondary pitches out of the zone in two-strike counts, forcing Cole to become predictable going for strikeouts with in-zone four-seamers. Opponents are increasingly hunting the fastball in counts that should favor Cole, allowing them to barrel pitches they’d otherwise be late on if they had to respect his secondaries. In 20 starts, Cole is 8-9 with a 3.67 ERA (114 ERA+), 3.95 FIP, and 117 strikeouts in 115.1 innings.

The Yankees face old foe Eduardo Rodriguez, in the midst of a renaissance season in year three of the four-year, $80 million deal he signed with Arizona in free agency after posting an ERA north of five his first two years in the desert. He has made 25 appearances against the Yankees in his career, the bulk from his time with the Red Sox, pitching to a 3.80 ERA, 4.41 FIP, and 120:52 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 128 innings. Despite averaging just 92 mph, his four-seamer grades out as fourth-best in MLB because of the way he tunnels it with his changeup, cutter, and curveball. In 30 starts, the 33-year-old southpaw is 15-6 with a 2.62 ERA (160 ERA+), 3.74 FIP, and 135 strikeouts in 178.1 innings.

The Yankees try to fit as many righties into their Judge-less lineup against the lefty, which means Paul Goldschmidt leads off, Heliot Ramos bats third, and Rosario fifth. That being said, their two best hitters against a southpaw are lefties in their own right, Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones proving that handedness is not the only factor in pitcher-hitter matchup success. The defense let them down multiple times in their extra-innings loss to the Twins and will need to be much sharper against an Arizona offense that’s among the best at putting the ball in play.

The Diamondbacks have just two hitters in their lineup (Pavin Smith and Tim Tawa) who are below league average for the season by wRC+. Gabriel Moreno has established himself as one of if not the best all-around catcher in MLB, with a 139 wRC+ and 5.0 fWAR. He’s surrounded by a decent amount of pop, Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Nolan Arenado each with over 20 home runs on the year.

How to watch

Location: Chase Field – Phoenix, AZ

First pitch: 9:40 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, DBACKS.TV

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Campesina 101.9 FM & 860 AM (AZ)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

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A fun weekend in prospect at Chase – at least, outside the lines, where the team will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their World Series win against these same Yankees. The main party is taking place tomorrow night, but there are some things to note for tonight. Most relevantly to me who is recapping: Greg Schulte, the voice of the D-backs from their first Opening Day in 1998, through the end of the 2023 World Series, is making a return to the booth tonight. I’ve no idea how the sync between that and the TV broadcast will work out, but I think I am prepared to handle a little bit of lag for the evening.

With it being Friday night, and since I’m being robbed of most of my usual Friday night entertainment for recappage purposes – no eighties DJ on Twitch, no B-movie about killer hippopotami (they missed a trick by not calling the latter, Hippocalypse Now) – I will once again be tucking into my cider selection. Worked out well enough last Friday night, if my (slightly blurry) recollections are anything to go by. I think I have one untried flavor from the selection pack, plus a couple of “regular” brands in the fridge. You have been warned. Tim should be back for the final series next weekend, both you and my liver will be pleased to hear. 🙂

Another narrative will be taking the first pitch of the game, with Paul Goldschmidt returning to Chase Field. I’m sure he’ll still get a warm welcome, even though he is now 1,104 games (including the post-season) removed from the last time Goldy pulled on the Sedona Red. I was looked at the 2018 roster, and there aren’t many people there who are still playing in the majors this season. Ketel Marte, obviously – he was the “baby” of the roster that year! – and Ildemaro Vargas, then still a rookie. A few starting pitchers, in Taijuan Walker, Robbie Ray and Patrick Corbin. That’s about it, on a quick, non-structured glance. Let me know if I missed any!

So far, so good in Blake Snell’s bid to make another start before the end of the regular season.

Despite leaving his last outing on Wednesday in Cincinnati after just one inning due to tightness in his left groin, Snell arrived at Dodger Stadium on Friday already feeling better, saying his groin was back up to an “8 out of 10” before heading out for a session of flat-ground catch play in the outfield.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also offered an optimistic outlook on Snell’s status, saying he was “very hopeful” in the left-hander’s chances to get back on the mound before the beginning of the playoffs.

“Happy that we caught it early,” Roberts said of Snell’s injury.

Indeed, when Snell exited Wednesday’s game after 19 pitches, it raised immediate concerns about the state of the Dodgers’ rotation.

Given the injuries the team is dealing with in its bullpen and its offense’s inconsistent form through the second half of the season, the Dodgers will almost certainly need to lean on their starters during the playoffs — similar to the way they did last year, when a rotation of Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani (who will effectively be replaced by Tarik Skubal this year) carried the pitching staff to a second consecutive World Series title.

Losing Snell — who was already sidelined for three months earlier this season following an elbow procedure and has a history of left groin injuries throughout his career — would have dealt a massive blow to those plans.

However, the Dodgers are at least initially optimistic they’ve avoided anything close to a worst-case scenario.

While Roberts acknowledged that there is still “a little bit of uncertainty” regarding Snell, and no exact date for when he might pitch again, the skipper also noted that the two-time Cy Young Award winner didn’t require medical imaging; another sign of the team’s confidence that his injury was not more severe.

It’s possible that, even if Snell continues to feel better, the Dodgers could elect to rest him for the remainder of the regular season to ensure he doesn’t suffer any further setbacks before the playoffs.

But, they are also wary of giving Snell too long of a layoff entering the postseason.

“It’s not just kind of plug-and-play,” Roberts said, “[to] sit it out for two weeks and pitch in a playoff game.”

Thus, the team will continue to monitor Snell’s progress in the coming days, hopeful that a potential pitching crisis has been averted.

“We feel confident,” Roberts said.

Miami Marlins (76-77) at San Diego Padres (84-69), September 18, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone delivered some injury updates ahead of Friday's series opener with the Diamondbacks in Arizona…

Jazz returning soon

Although the Yankees are losing Aaron Judge, likely, for the remainder of the regular season, they'll be activating Jazz Chisholm Jr. very soon.

Boone confirmed that the second baseman will return to the club during the team's final homestand, which starts Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees skipper said Chisholm is doing well and Friday was his fourth day in a row hitting. He's done a couple of days of throwing already and is "really close."

Chisholm was placed on the IL back on Sept. 10 with a sprained thumb after he jammed it sliding head-first into second base. 

The Yankees infielder was on a tear before he was injured, slashing .375/.464/.500 with a home run over his last seven games. For the season, he's batting .232/.312/.403 with an OPS of .715 to go along with his 19 home runs, 40 stolen bases and 55 RBI. 

The return of Chisholm would raise some questions regarding the team's roster. While Chisholm could take over for Max Schuemann, who is being called up to take Judge's spot, Anthony Volpe has been playing second base almost regularly in Chisholm's stead. How Boone juggles the playing time for both players will be worth monitoring.

Bad Weathers

On the other side of the return spectrum, LHP Ryan Weathers is "unlikely" to pitch before the end of the regular season, Boone revealed. 

Weathers was placed on the IL in late August due to a left forearm flexor strain, and although the southpaw has made strides, there's not enough time on the regular season calendar to get him on the mound before the postseason starts. Boone did say that Weathers will have another side session on Saturday, and that could determine whether the team will use him in the playoffs.

"We’ll see what our needs are and how he looks, and if we feel like he’s ready to come in and be a contributor," Boone said.

In 25 starts this season, Weathers has pitched to a 3.60 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. His last seven starts have been tremendous, though, pitching to a 2.27 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. 

Grisham rising

And finally, Trent Grisham is nearing a return as well.

Boone said the veteran outfielder is "pretty far" into his running progression and is doing well. He could be in play to be activated before the end of the season. 

Grisham was placed on the IL on Sept. 5 with a right hamstring strain, the same injury he suffered back in June this season. If Grisham is able to return on the upcoming homestand, Boone will, again, have to juggle the roster as Spencer Jones and Heliot Ramos have played regularly in his absence. Though Judge's injury gives Grisham a runway to start, especially against right-handers.

In 121 games this season, Grisham is slashing .211/.308/.395 with an OPS of .703.

Justin Turner wanted to keep playing baseball.

Although all MLB teams declined to sign the former Dodgers fan favorite to a minor league contract, Turner found a spot on the Toros de Tijuana in the Mexican League in 2026.

Earlier this week, the Toros de Tijuana became champions with Turner as their designated hitter in the lineup. The Toros beat the Olmecas de Tabasco in six games.

The 17-year MLB veteran reacted to the championship win in a post on X.

“I came to the @torosdetijuana because I knew there was more in the tank, but the goal was never to just play. It was always to win, to bring another championship to Tijuana!” Turner wrote.

“And the boys accomplished that! This was such a great group of guys, and not everyone who was a part of it got to hold that trophy, but we couldn’t have done it without them either. We will be bonded together forever in this championship!!

“From the second I drove across the border in TJ for the first time, I have loved every moment. The fans, the food, the stadiums, and the baseball. This is definitely a summer to remember and I cant thank my family enough for always being down for a new adventure!

“Vamos Toros! Vamos Campeons!”

At 41 years old, Turner is a champion once again.

He previously won his first and only World Series ring with the Dodgers in 2020, when he broke the franchise record for postseason home runs after hitting his 12th in Game 4 against the Rays to pass Duke Snider.

Turner spent nine seasons in LA from 2014-22, earning two All-Star selections as a Dodger.