In addition to mentioning that Juan Soto is dealing with forearm tightness in his pregame press availability, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that fellow outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is dealing with lower back tightness. The team considers him day-to-day at the moment.

The perpetually-injured Robert is in his age-28 season, his first in Queens as he came to the organization in a trade with the White Sox over the offseason. Over the course of his major league career, he’s topped out at 145 games played in a single season, and his next-best total was 110. Over the last five seasons, he’s averaged 104 games played per year.

On top of the injury concerns, Robert came into this season with back-to-back 84 wRC+ seasons to his name in 2024 and 2025 in Chicago. He’s off to a slightly better start than that with a .224/.327/.329 line and a 94 wRC+, but he’s been worth just 0.2 fWAR and hasn’t looked the part of a stellar defender in center field.

Still, with Francisco Lindor out of the Mets’ lineup for the foreseeable future, the last thing the Mets need is another injured player. Here’s hoping Robert ends up being fine and returning in a matter of days, but it won’t be shocking if he ends up missing more time than that given his track record.

Hoo boy, we got an absolute litany of updates from Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss during his usual pre-game press conference. It was as if the skipper just decided to take this opportunity to clear the air about the handful of Braves players who are in various stages of working their way back onto the big league roster.

Big thanks to Grant McAuley for detailing some of these updates since there were a bunch of them. We’ll go one by one, starting with Spencer Strider:

Spencer Strider

Strider was spotted at Truist Park on Saturday doing a throwing program ahead of his rehab start on Sunday with Gwinnett. The start went well and now the Braves are planning for Strider to make his return to the roster this weekend in Colorado against the Rockies. As Weiss has mentioned in previous statements, the rotation is currently on a series-by-series basis so we don’t know which day will be Strider’s day but it will be this weekend.

Sean Murphy

Meanwhile, Murphy has been struggling a bit at the plate during his rehab stint. He did pick up three hits on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Miami’s Triple-A squad) but those were also the first three hits that he’s collected so far on rehab after going 7 games and 19 plate appearances without a hit and just one walk. As such, the Braves are giving Murphy a little more time and according to Weiss, it’ll be “4-to-5 more days” before they’ll re-evaluate his status.

Ha-Seong Kim

The Braves are anticipating that Kim will need “a couple of weeks” for a rehab assignment before they start to think about bringing him up. I’d imagine that it’ll be the same process as what Murphy is getting, so I personally wouldn’t anticipate seeing Murphy until early-May and Ha-Seong Kim until mid-May.

Raisel Iglesias

Iggy is reportedly back throwing again and his shoulder inflammation has “subsided” so this should indeed just be a minimal IL stint for Atlanta’s high-leverage reliever. Please tell me he’s learned how to sleep in a normal position.

Hurston Waldrep

Apparently Waldrep will be throwing his first bullpen session since having surgery on his elbow to remove those infamous “loose bodies.” The bullpen session will take place within the next few days. In fact, we actually got a bit of a timeline for Waldrep, as McAuley reported that the Braves are apparently targeting June as a possible time for Waldrep to get back into game action.

Spencer Schwellenbach

We also got a timeline for Schwellenbach as well but that one is a lot more nebulous. Schwellenbach still isn’t throwing yet and Weiss told the media that he’s expecting a return after the All-Star Break. So this is very much a long-term situation for Schwellenbach.

So there you have it! That’s about as clear of an update as you can get for a lot of these guys who are still trying to get back healthy in order to join a Braves squad that is flying high at the moment. The good news for Schwellenbach and Waldrep in particular is that they can likely take their time in getting healthy since the pitching staff is currently doing very well in their absence and they’ll still need plenty of time to get right anyways.

With that being said, it’s certainly exciting to know that Spencer Strider will be back soon and that guys like Raisel Iglesias, Sean Murphy and even Ha-Seong Kim are clearly on the right track as well. This team still isn’t at full strength yet and help is one the way. It’s a very good sight to see!

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that Juan Soto experienced forearm tightness after throwing on Friday, and the team is hoping he can get back to playing the field in the next few days. For now, Soto is in the Mets’ lineup as the team’s designated hitter for their series opener against the Nationals tonight at Citi Field.

Having moved from right field to left field ahead of the 2026 season—following a rather disastrous defensive showing in right in his first season with the Mets last year—the typically-durable Soto already spent some time on the injured list with calf tightness this month.

He returned from that injury on April 22, and in the Mets’ five games since then, he’s hit .200/.429/.200 in 21 plate appearances. On the season, Soto is hitting .301/.418/.413 with one home run and a 141 wRC+ in 55 plate appearances.

While forearm tightness isn’t quite as dreaded a term for a position player as it is for a pitcher, outfielders do occasionally end up needing Tommy John surgery for injuries that arise in the forearm. Bryce Harper is the most notable of those players, but aside from the time he needed on the injury list to recover, he’s been a very good hitter after having the surgery.

For now, the Mets say that Soto is not experiencing any discomfort when swinging the bat, and the last thing they can afford in a season that’s off to a terrible start is significant time without Soto in the lineup. Keeping him at DH for the time being seems like a wise move, even if the Mets’ outfield options aren’t super appealing at the moment.

Philadelphia Phillies boss Dave Dombrowski wasn’t evasive Tuesday, didn’t try to be politically correct and didn’t bother to soothe anyone’s feelings.

He wanted to hire Alex Cora to be the team's next manager.

He might have even begged Cora at times to be their manager, saying that not only is he one of the finest managers in the game, but a future Hall of Famer.

Dombrowski didn’t even bother to wait 24 hours after Cora was fired by the Boston Red Sox on Saturday to offer him the Phillies managerial job with Rob Thomson still employed.

It wasn’t until Monday morning that Cora, in the second year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract, told Dombrowski that he was sorry, but he was going home to Puerto Rico for the summer. He wanted to be a “full-time dad" for his eight-year-old twin sons with a daughter in graduate school.

“I thought he might take it, but as time went on over the next day,’’ Dombrowski said after making the offer Sunday, “it was apparent from his perspective that he wanted to take time with his family."

Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, was disappointed, but certainly understood Cora’s reasoning. He then had to make a huge decision himself.

Should he stick with Thomson, or fire him anyway, and determine if there’s anyone in the organization who could make a difference?

“There's no question we have the talent," Dombrowski kept saying.

So, he telephoned Don Mattingly, their bench coach and the son of Phillies GM Preston Mattingly, and asked if he’d please take over the Phillies for the remainder of the season.

Mattingly, 65, who said in January that he didn’t have the energy to manage again after stints with the Dodgers and Marlins, agreed to at least ride out the rest of the season. The Mattinglys make history by becoming the first father and son to be a GM and manager for an MLB team.

Mattingly won’t be around long, just the rest of the summer, but Dombrowski still believes a change of voice is all that’s needed to have this team playing deep into October.

“This isn’t a blame game…," Dombrowski said in his press conference. “I just don’t think we’re playing up to our capabilities. I think we’re a much better club than we played. And so you make tough decisions that are tough at times….

“Four years ago, he was the right voice for us with the club that we had. There was no question about it. I just think we needed a different voice with this group where we are now."

So, Thomson, who had the finest winning percentage in Phillies’ history, leading the Phillies to four consecutive postseason berths, is out the door.

Cora will be waiting at the door and most likely will be the Phillies’ top target after the season, barring Mets owner Steve Cohen from offering a contract so lucrative that he can’t ignore.

And Mattingly is now inside the room, hoping to somehow make a difference with a team that’s grossly underperforming.

Since returning from the injured list on April 22, Juan Soto has been the Mets' DH in all five games he's played.

Looking to avoid a long-term injury, the team said they would take it slow with his return from a calf injury and has not inserted him back into the outfield yet. But by now, some could have expected him to have played at least one game in the field. So with Soto in the lineup as DH again for Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals, manager Carlos Mendoza was asked if the plan for the upcoming games will be for the star to continue to DH or not. 

Mendoza shared that Soto is currently dealing with forearm tightness and underwent an MRI that came back clean, adding the hope is he will be able to play outfield again "in the next few days."

"On Friday, after the defensive work he complained about forearm tightness, after the throwing," Mendoza said. "Obviously he was DHing that day. Saturday we got rained out. Sunday, came in, pretty much felt the same. He threw, but you know, like 50-60 feet. Yesterday, came in, got treatment, and played catch.

"We did an MRI today and structurally it's fine. Ligament and all of that is fine. He's going to continue to get treatment. He's going to throw, he's going to continue to throw. And hopefully, he can play the outfield here in the next few days. Doesn't bother him to swing or anything like that, but we're dealing with that, too."

Soto last played LF on April 3 on the road against the San Francisco Giants, the game he exited after the top of the first inning with calf tightness. Overall this year, he's played seven games in left field and five as DH.

In the five games he's played since coming back, Soto has gone 3-for-15 with six walks and two strikeouts.

Mendoza also mentioned Tuesday that Luis Robert Jr. is day-to-day with lower back tightness, so having Soto available as an option defensively later in the week could help the team if Robert is still sidelined.

Carlos Mendoza says that Juan Soto is dealing with forearm tightness and the hope is for him to be able to play the outfield at some point in the next few days pic.twitter.com/IFnUzr2Hu3

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 28, 2026

Juan Soto throws in the outfield at Citi Field pic.twitter.com/TUEYJksawB

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 28, 2026

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The San Diego Padres are laying down a marker with an explosive April run – and Petco Park should be rocking again tonight, with the Chicago Cubs in town.

After last night’s 9-7 victory, San Diego has now won nine in a row at home, and my Cubs vs. Padres predictions favor the hosts over a Chicago team that had a hot streak of its own earlier this month.  

Read on for my free MLB picks ahead of this April 28 clash.

Who will win Cubs vs Padres today: Padres (+104)

With an 18-5 mark in April, the San Diego Padres look capable of pushing the L.A. Dodgers in the NL West, and I see the offense serving up enough run support for Walker Buehler tonight.

Buehler has had a bumpy start to 2026, but he’s only allowed two earned runs across his last two outings at Petco Park.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs have dropped three in a row, and righty Edward Cabrera’s last three starts have coughed up 11 runs. That spells trouble against a San Diego squad that’s 10-4 at home this year and racked up 14 hits in last night’s battle.

COVERS INTEL: Buehler’s struggles have largely come on the road (13.50 ERA this year, 6.12 ERA in 2025), but he’s posted a 3.00 ERA at Petco Park this season while giving up just five runs.

Cubs vs Padres Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-105)

If yesterday’s matchup was any indication, both lineups are ready to mash. The numbers back that up, too — the Padres have scored 32 runs across their last four contests, while the Cubs rank third in the majors in hits and runs. 

The Over has been a winning ticket in six of Chicago’s past seven games, and Cabrera’s last two starts have breezed past this O/U total. We’ve also seen 9+ runs in five of San Diego’s past eight outings.

It’s hard to make the case for the Under given all the firepower here, and Manny Machado enters with nine hits in his last five games. 

Cubs vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: Cubs -112 | Padres +104
• Run line: Cubs -1.5 (+147) | Padres +1.5 (-164)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Cubs vs Padres trend

The Over is 18-11 for the Cubs this season. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Padres.

How to watch Cubs vs Padres and game info

Cubs vs Padres latest injuries

Cubs vs Padres weather

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Let’s start with the important part of this story: Luis Arraez is having a great season right now. Do all the people who never doubted the front office’s commitment to signing a singles hitter who hadn’t played second base in some time to play second base want to serve crow to those of us who found it to be a very silly idea? Go right ahead. I promise I won’t turn the tables if his season reverses. This post is not about his fielding —

No, but seriously, let’s take a brief detour and spotlight his fielding. +6 Outs Above Average? This stat didn’t exist in 2015 or 2016, but the first year that Joe Panik has Statcast data is 2018 (his final full season with the Giants) and he had a +8 for the entire season. Did Ron Washington retool Luis Arraez’s defense in such a way that they now have their best overall second baseman since Joe Panik (Thairo Estrada’s 5.6 fWAR 2021 season excepted)? That’s an easy list to top, of course, and there’s still a lot of 2026 remaining, but goodness gracious, what a development!

But he’s currently the only Giants regular without a home run. Even Harrison Bader got one before he hit the IL. He’s never had more than 10 in a season (2023) and the only other time he had 0 was in 2020. It’d be a little wacky and probably not a good thing if he hit 0 home runs in a season. In the history of Major League Baseball, there have been 181 second basemen to amass at least 400 plate appearances and hit 0 home runs. Just 77 of those have come in the past 100 years and only 31 in the last 50 years. The only times that has happened this century: Chris Getz (2011 Royals) hit .255/.313/.287 in 429 PA (118 G) and Mickey Morandini (2000 Phillies & Blue Jays) hit .257/.322/.313 in 457 PA (126 G). Luis Castillo managed it for the 1999 Florida Marlins, too, but his triple slash of .302/.384/.366 was much better (despite just a 102 wRC+) and included 50 stolen bases. Luis Arraez has stolen just 35 bases for his career. But let’s dig in a little more to see if it’ll happen:

Why he will

• He hit 8 home runs just last year.
• He’s got 65 games left at Oracle Park to try to yank one onto the arcade above the bricks in right field.
• He’s homered in just 11 of the 32 parks he’s played in, but he play in them a combined 14 times remaining in 2026, including 4 more in Petco Park.
• The Phillies have the highest Park Factor for left-handed hitters hitting homers (132) in the sport! Sure, the Phillies will be throwing two lefties at the Giants for this series, but if Arraez parks one against Andrew Painter, you read it here first.
• The league’s home run rate at this point last season was 1.09. It’s 1.08 today. It went up as last season progressed, ending at 1.18. More home runs will be hit and he’ll be able to get in on the action.
• Edit: As Roger of There R Giants points out below, he already has homered this year.

Why he won’t

• He’s never homered in Coors Field? 11 games, 53 plate appearances and only a pair of extra base hits for his career (a double and triple)?? Or in Chase Field (16 games, 71 PA)?! What is going on here???
• He’s never homered in Oracle Park (29 G 125 PA).
• His .057 ISO is the lowest of his career and there are reasons to argue it’ll remain down around there: he’s a year older and playing most of his games at a park that suppresses offense in all forms.

Look, chances are he’ll sock a few out this season. Dingers aren’t a part of his game, but it’s still a big part of being a big leaguer in the 21st century. He has a career slugging percentage of .412 but over the past three seasons it’s averaging .391. So, a clear decline from his age-22 to 26 seasons (.326/.379/.427) but a very valuable player if he can make the defense at second base work with what is largely a singles-only offensive skillset.

The A’s announced on Tuesday afternoon that the team was placing third baseman Max Muncy on the IL with a broken bone in his left hand. The team recalled fellow third baseman Brett Harris from Triple-A to take his roster spot.

It’s a tough break for Muncy after his solid start to the season. The former first-round pick is hitting .239/.308/.402 with two home runs and two stolen bases. The strikeouts (37) are still an issue as is the glove at third base but Muncy at least was providing some offense from the hot corner, something the A’s sorely lacked last year. It seemed like Muncy’s HBP last week was a bullet dodged but in the end the team eventually discovered the fracture and now he’ll be out for a while.

The team hasn’t addressed how long Muncy will be on the shelf for but his absence will be measured in weeks, not months. While Muncy is down the team will likely split third base duties between Darell Hernaiz and Harris. Hernaiz is hitting .222/.323/.421 with just one long ball in 15 games this year. Harris meanwhile has spent the beginning of the season with the Aviators and is hitting .274/.408/.419 with the Las Vegas. He hasn’t had much success in the big leagues up to this point and was getting some playing time at first base recently but this could be an opportunity for him back at the hot corner while Muncy is down.

The New York Yankees (19-10) face the Texas Rangers(14-15) in the second game of their series. The Yankees won Monday’s opener 4-2. The scheduled starting pitchers are Cam Schlittler for the New York Yankees, with a 1.77 ERA, and Jacob deGrom for the Texas Rangers, with a 2.13 ERA.

How to watch New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers

• Date: Tuesday, April 28

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET / 5:05 p.m. PT

• Where: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

• TV Channels: Rangers Sports Network, Amazon Prime Video

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• New York Yankees: 19-10 (No. 1 in AL East)

• Texas Rangers: 14-15 (No. 2 in AL West)

Odds

• Spread: Texas Rangers +1.5

• Moneyline: Texas Rangers +105 (46.8%) / New York Yankees -125 (53.2%)

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting pitchers

New York Yankees: Cam Schlittler (3-1, ERA: 1.77, K: 41, WHIP: 0.73)
Texas Rangers: Jacob deGrom (2-0, ERA: 2.13, K: 35, WHIP: 1.07)

Weather: 61°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 40,000 | Roof: Retractable | Surface: Artificial Turf