A few days ago, MLB Pipeline updated their top 100 list, and for some reason, Devin Fitz-Gerald did not feature. They must regret that decision right now because the 20 year old Fitz-Gerald has been playing like a no doubt top 100 prospect. In his last 10 games, Fitz-Gerald has 7 home runs for the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

The craziest part is that Fitz-Gerald is not a prospect who is known as a slugger. Fitz-Gerald is known for having a highly polished hit tool as a switch hitting infielder. At 5’10 185 pounds, he does not look like a slugger, but is hitting like one. His strikeout rate is hovering around 15% and he rarely misses in the zone. Fitz-Gerald combines these skills with above average power as well.

One of my biggest risers/favorite prospects is 20 year old Devin Fitz-Gerald.

In A+:

.319 / 11 HR / 31 RBI / 11 SB
15.2 K% and 14.6 BB%

19.4 Whiff%
88.3 Z-Contact%

Think Kevin McGonigle with more pop👁️pic.twitter.com/I8d4Y56luS

— Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) May 17, 2026

Fitz-Gerald’s home run power does not come from crazy strength or elite exit velocities. He is not like his Wilmington teammate Ethan Petry, who looks like your typical power hitter. Instead, Fitz-Gerald specializes at hitting the ball at good angles. He has mastered the art of pulling the ball in the air, which allows him to hit homers with the least amount of resistance.

His elite hit tool and ability to tap into every ounce of his raw power is why Fitz-Gerald is getting comparisons to Kevin McGonigle. That is very lofty praise, but it is something he deserves. McGonigle was one of the best pure hitters the minor leagues has seen in the last decade. We still need to see a bit more from Fitz-Gerald to throw that tag on him, but he is trending in that direction.

The numbers are absolutely insane for him. He is hitting .307 with a 1.073 OPS with 11 homers and 11 stolen bases as a 20 year old in High-A. Just as a reminder, Fitz-Gerald had only played in 10 games above rookie ball before this season. He is one of just four hitters with 10 homers and 10 steals in the minors, and the only one with a strikeout rate under 20%.

Devin Fitz-Gerald is 1 of 4 players in Minor League Baseball with at least 10 HR & 10 SB.

He's the only player on the list with a K% below 20% and he and Eric Hartman are the only two that are 20-years-old or younger.

He's slashing .321/.437/.664 with a 179 wRC+ over 159 PA. pic.twitter.com/nXKVCv1jo6

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) May 16, 2026

I am not sure those stolen base numbers will translate to the big leagues, but that is not the end of the world. The one knock on Fitz-Gerald is that he is not an elite athlete with flashy physical tools. However, he makes up for that with elite baseball instincts that he learned from his father, who is the coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, one of the best high school baseball programs in the country.

Those instincts make me believe that Fitz-Gerald could steal 12-15 bases in the big leagues despite only having average speed. Fitz-Gerald’s polished skills are his defining trait as a player. It is why he has a chance to hit 20-25 home runs in the big leagues despite only having average raw power. While Fitz-Gerald does not have the physical tools of a Ronny Cruz, at the end of the day, the numbers do not lie. 

Wilmington is usually a very difficult place for batters to hit, but not for Fitz-Gerald. He is making it look easy. Power usually suffers for hitters at Wilmington, but Fitz-Gerald hits the ball at such good angles that he can find the shorter parts of the park. He also has the ability to make a ton of contact.

Another neat thing about Fitz-Gerald is that he is a switch hitter. It seems like players who grow up with fathers that are around the game are inclined to switch hit. Both Fitz-Gerald and Eli Willits grew up around the game and are switch hitters. Fitz-Gerald has been much better from the left side of the plate this season, but he did hit a grand slam as a righty last week.

Not a typo, Devin Fitz-Gerald has homered again and this time it’s a grand slam.

6 homers in his last 7 games, a 1.099 OPS, and 9 HR to begin the year. Stud. pic.twitter.com/3AHnDzdpXS

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) May 14, 2026

He is just hitting .188 from the right side, but his OPS is still a solid .722 from that side of the plate. His numbers from the left side are totally absurd. He is hitting .343 with a 1.176 OPS as a lefty. For now, I am not too concerned with his relative struggles from the right side. He does not get as many reps as a righty, and he is still just 20 years old.

While Fitz-Gerald is a bat first prospect, he is not a bad defender either. His lack of elite athleticism or arm strength limits him, but his baseball instincts translate well to the field. He has played 15 games at second base, 9 games at shortstop and 8 games at third base. I think second base is the best fit for him, but Fitz-Gerald has the ability to play all over the infield. That versatility only adds to the Kevin McGonigle comparison.

If you do not have Devin Fitz-Gerald on your top 100 prospect list, you are just wrong. This kind of bat does not come around that often. He has a rare blend of hitting ability, power and patience. His swing is picture perfect and he is crushing baseballs in a pitcher friendly environment. For goodness sakes, he has 8 home runs since May 5th and had a run where he hit 7 in 8 games. 

Devin Fitz-Gerald will be on our top 100 update. Switch hitter with such a smooth operation from both sides. Always in such great control of his timing and moves.

Entered today with a 173 wRC+. Now the third hitter in MiLB with at least 10 HR and 10 SB. pic.twitter.com/4zhr8t2EYA

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) May 15, 2026

With the way he is playing, Devin Fitz-Gerald is making the MacKenzie Gore trade a win just on his own. However, Fitz-Gerald was not the only exciting piece the Nats got in that deal. Gavin Fien, who was supposed to be the headlining piece, has been out for most of the season, but just returned to the lineup. He also has very exciting traits as a hitter. Fien hit his first home run as a pro the other day.

Yeremy Cabrera has also had a great start to the season. He tore up Low-A before getting promoted to Wilmington, where he is teammates with Fitz-Gerald. Abimelec Ortiz has not put up massive numbers, but his under the hood data has been quite good. Lastly, Alejandro Rosario will not pitch this season, but he did finally get his Tommy John Surgery. The last time we saw Rosario, he looked like an elite pitching prospect in 2024.

Paul Toboni has knocked that trade out of the park, and Devin Fitz-Gerald is the biggest reason why. He looks like one of the best pure hitters in the minor leagues, and was a great scouting job by the new regime. Fitz-Gerald had buzz last year, but got hurt, and only played 10 games above rookie ball. Evaluating him as a piece they needed to have was a great job. We are seeing why Paul Toboni was so high on Devin Fitz-Gerald. The sky is the limit for this kid and a promotion to Double-A feels like it is on the horizon.

The Dodgers last week lost Blake Snell to the injured list, with the left-hander set for surgery this Tuesday to remove loose bodies in his left elbow. This came after Tyler Glasnow was sidelined the week before with back spasms.

Losses on the field mounted too, including Monday and Tuesday to the San Francisco Giants, giving the Dodgers four straight losses by at least four runs, something they hadn’t done since 90 years ago. Shohei Ohtani’s hitting slump continued, such that he was given a two-day respite at the plate. His gem on the mound started a winning streak, then his hitting helped continue it through the weekend when the Dodgers swept the Angels in Anaheim.

After getting outscored by 20 runs in their four-game skid, the Dodgers walloped the Giants and Angels 40-5 in a five-game win streak to end the week on a high note.

Batter of the week

Managing Shohei Ohtani’s workload will be a challenge this season, and this week saw him get his first actual rest day of the year. Ohtani didn’t hit when he pitched on Wednesday and didn’t hit on Thursday either. Despite being limited to five of the seven games offensively, Ohtani made his mark anyway with two doubles, a triple, and a home run, the latter snapping a string of 52 plate appearances without a long ball (directly after a 59-PA homerless skid). Ohtani this week hit .364/.462/.682 with a team-leading eight RBI.

Honorable mention goes to Teoscar Hernández, who ended a three-week drought of no extra-base hits with three doubles and a home run in his six games this week, and led the team with 11 hits.

Pitcher of the week

After a year and a half of rehab from his second Tommy John surgery followed by gradually building back up over the last few months of 2025, Shohei Ohtani has been fully unleashed on the mound from the get-go this year, with spectacular results. His latest gem was seven scoreless innings on Wednesday to beat the Giants, allowing only four singles and two walks with his eight strikeouts. That lowered Ohtani’s ERA to a major-league-best 0.82.

“He wants to be the best pitcher in baseball,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Right now, he’s doing it.”

This is the second time Ohtani has won the batter of the week and pitcher of the week here in the same week. He also did so last year for the week of July 7-13.

Honorable mention goes to Roki Sasaki, who had by far his best MLB outing to date with seven strong innings to beat the Angels on Sunday. It’s the first time with the Dodgers a start lasted past six innings for Sasaki, who struck out eight and, for the first time in the majors, walked zero.

Week 8 results

5-2 record
45 runs scored (6.43 per game)
20 runs allowed (2.86 per game)
.815 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

29-18 record
248 runs scored (5.28 per game)
154 runs allowed (3.28 per game)
.705 pythagorean win percentage (33-14)

Miscellany

It takes a village: It was scramble mode for the Dodgers on Friday with one of their eggs cracked as Blake Snell was placed on the injured list. They used a bullpen game for the first time this season, to great success. Will Klein pitched the first two innings, followed by six reliever friends at one inning apiece to blank the Angels. Eight pitchers tied the most pitchers ever used in a shutout in Dodgers franchise history, along with May 3, 2015 in a 13-inning game against the Arizona Diamondbacks and September 29, 2019 at San Francisco, the last day of the regular season. In MLB history dating back to at least 1898, there are only 10 shutouts in which a team used at least eight pitchers. The two times nine pitchers were used in a shutout were extra-inning affairs. The Dodgers’ win on Friday was just the sixth nine-inning shutout with eight pitchers used.

More than hits: Saturday in Anaheim was the second Dodgers game this season with more runs scored than hits, along with March 27 against the Arizona Diamondbacks with five runs on four hits. Saturday was much more extreme, with 15 runs on 10 hits, thanks in large part to 10 walks and two times hit by a pitch. The win over the Angels was just the 15th major league game dating back to at least 1898 in which a team scored at least 15 runs on no more than 10 hits. The previous such game was August 10, 1993 by the Detroit Tigers against the Baltimore Orioles. The Dodgers did so one previous time, on July 13, 1929 in Brooklyn, collecting nine hits in a 15-8 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lopsided sweep: The Dodgers scored 31 runs in their weekend sweep of the Angels, while allowing just three, outscoring the Halos by 28 runs. Since moving to Los Angeles, that was their second-most lopsided run differential in a three-game sweep, behind only April 21-23 against the Reds in Cincinnati, in which the Dodgers scored 36 runs and gave up seven. Since 1958, the Dodgers have only two other three-game stretches in which they outscored an opponent by 28 runs, but they were not in the same series — July 10-16, 2021 (+30) and August 11-14, 2019 (+28).

Transactions

Monday: After missing 32 games with a strained oblique, Mookie Betts was activated off the injured list. Alex Freeland was the odd man out in the infield, sent down to Oklahoma City.

Tuesday: The Dodgers acquired recently-DFA’d outfielder Alek Thomas from the D-backs for minor league outfielder Jose Requena, and designated outfielder Michael Siani for assignment. Thomas was optioned and sent to Cameback Ranch in Arizona for now.

“We have him in the organization, we’ll kind of do a deep dive on his swing to figure out of there’s some things we can unlock,” Roberts said Tuesday. “Then, if the opportunity presents itself, to get him up here.”

Friday: Blake Snell was placed on the injured list with loose bodies in his elbow, and will be out a while. Charlie Barnes got the call from Oklahoma City.

Sunday: For the first time as a pro Jack Dreyer is on the injured list, with left shoulder discomfort. Paul Gervase and Chayce McDermott were called up from Triple-A, and Barnes was optioned.

Sunday: With Snell and Tyler Glansnow sidelined, the Dodgers added starting depth by trading for Eric Lauer, and Brusdar Graterol was moved to the 60-day injured list after a setback in his rehab assignment.

Game results

• Monday: Giants 9, Dodgers 3
• Tuesday: Giants 6, Dodgers 2
• Wednesday: Dodgers 4, Giants 0
• Thursday: Dodgers 5, Giants 2
• Friday: Dodgers 6, Angels 0
• Saturday: Dodgers 15, Angels 2
• Sunday: Dodgers 10, Angels 1

Player	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	BA/OBP/SLG
Espinal	5	1	2	0	1	1	0	.400/.400/1.000
Ohtani	26	5	8	2	1	8	4	.364/.462/.682
Hernández	30	5	11	3	1	6	2	.407/.467/.630
Tucker	25	5	7	4	0	3	3	.333/.440/.524
Muncy	26	9	5	0	2	4	4	.227/.346/.500
Rojas	13	1	5	0	0	2	0	.417/.385/.417
Smith	25	4	5	0	1	4	3	.263/.360/.421
Call	10	2	2	0	0	5	2	.286/.400/.286
Betts	23	3	4	0	2	2	1	.182/.217/.455
Freeman	26	3	4	1	0	0	5	.190/.346/.238
Kim	21	3	4	0	0	2	2	.211/.286/.211
Pages	30	4	3	0	1	5	3	.115/.233/.231
Rushing	13	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000/.231/.000
Offense	273	45	60	10	9	42	32	.258/.352/.425

Pitcher	Record	IP	H	R	BB	SO	ERA	WHIP
Ohtani	1-0	7.0	4	0	2	8	0.00	0.857
Sasaki	1-0	12.0	10	4	1	13	3.00	0.917
Wrobleski	1-0	6.0	7	2	1	5	3.00	1.333
Sheehan	1-0	6.0	2	2	2	6	3.00	0.667
Yamamoto	0-1	6.3	6	5	0	8	7.11	0.947
Starters	4-1	37.3	29	13	6	40	3.13	0.938
Henriquez	1-0	3.0	1	0	0	4	0.00	0.333
Dreyer	0-0	3.0	2	0	1	4	0.00	1.000
Klein	0-0	2.7	2	0	0	3	0.00	0.750
Scott	0-0, Sv	2.0	1	0	0	2	0.00	0.500
Hurt	0-0	2.0	1	0	1	2	0.00	1.000
Barnes	0-0	2.0	1	0	1	1	0.00	1.000
McDermott	0-0	1.0	1	0	0	1	0.00	1.000
Treinen	0-0	3.7	2	1	2	2	2.45	1.091
Vesia	0-1	3.3	4	3	2	7	8.10	1.800
Mills	0-0	3.0	1	3	7	1	9.00	2.667
Bullpen	1-1, Sv	25.7	16	7	14	27	2.45	1.169
Totals	5-2	63.0	45	20	20	67	2.86	1.032

Previous reviews: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7

Up next

After a pseudo-away series near enough to home over the weekend in Anaheim, the Dodgers hit the road for real this week while running the Kurt Bevacqua gauntlet, playing three games each in San Diego and Milwaukee against teams they’ve faced in the postseason once each over the last two years.

The Dodgers flipped the rotation a bit, with Shohei Ohtani bumped to Wednesday’s series finale at Petco Park, which lines him up to pitch directly before an off day (and likely two such weeks in a row). That means Emmet Sheehan on Tuesday, which will be the first start by a Dodgers pitcher on four days rest this season. The weekend rotation in Milwaukee is a guess, depending on how and when they decide to use newcomer Eric Lauer into the mix.

Mon, 5/18	Tue, 5/19	Wed, 5/20	Thu, 5/21	Fri, 5/22	Sat, 5/23	Sun, 5/24
at Padres	at Padres	at Padres	OFF	at Brewers	at Brewers	at Brewers
6:40	6:40	5:40		4:40	4:15	11:10
Yamamoto	Sheehan	Ohtani		Wrobleski	Sasaki	Yamamoto
King	Canning	Vásquez		Henderson	Gasser*	Sproat
SNLA/MLB	SNLA/MLB	SNLA		SNLA	Fox	SNLA

With the MLB Draft only about two months away I thought it would be good to examine the history of the players selected with the picks the Atlanta Braves have in the 2026 MLB Draft. With the Braves picking 26th overall for their second first round selection, I decided to start by looking at the history of the 26th pick in the draft in the modern era – or since 1987.

Every player and the team selecting them are being listed, as well as their bWAR. At the end I will run down the hit to bust rate, and what the median WAR produced is – excluding players drafted after 2020.

Note that with the WAR, a N/A indicates that the player never made it to the big leagues, while a player listed at 0.0 is for players that did appear in a big league game and just had a neutral WAR.

Picks

1987.Red Sox-Reggie Harris, RHP, -0.1 WAR

1988.Tigers-Rico Brogna, 1B, -1.1

1989.Mariners-Scott Burrell, RHP, Did Not Sign (NBA)

1990.A’s-Don Peters, RHP, N/A

1991.A’s-Brent Gates, SS, 5.5

1992.Twins-Dan Serafini, LHP, -0.8

1993.Brewers-Kelly Wunsch, LHP, 3.1

1994.White Sox-Mark Johnson, C, 1.9

1995.Braves-Chad Hutchinson, RHP, Did Not Sign (Football)

1996.Red Sox-Josh Garrett, RHP, N/A

1997.Orioles-Darnell McDonald, OF, 0.9

1998.Orioles-Rick Elder, OF, N/A

1999.Cubs-Ben Christensen, RHP, N/A

2000.Indians-Corey Smith, SS, N/A

2001.A’s-Jeremy Bonderman, RHP, 4.9

2002.A’s-John McCurdy, SS, N/A

2003.A’s-Brian Snyder, 3B, N/A

2004.A’s-Richie Robnett, OF, N/A

2005.Red Sox-Craig Hansen, RHP, -1.9

2006.Dodgers-Bryan Morris, RHP, 2.7

2007.A’s-James Simmons, RHP, N/A

2008.Diamondbacks-Daniel Schlereth, LHP, 0.0

2009.Brewers-Eric Arnett, RHP, N/A

2010.Rockies-Kyle Parker, OF, -1.7

2011.Red Sox-Blake Swihart, C, -0.6

2012.Diamondbacks-Stryker Trahan, C, N/A

2013.Yankees-Eric Jagielo, 3B, N/A

2014.Red Sox-Michael Chavis, SS, 0.1

2015.Angels-Taylor Ward, C, 10.9

2016.White Sox-Zack Burdi, RHP, -0.8

2017.Rangers-Bubba Thompson, OF, -0.6

2018.Red Sox-Triston Casas, 3B, 2.2

2019.Diamondbacks-Blake Walston, LHP, -0.1

2020.A’s-Tyler Soderstrom, C, 3.7

2021.Twins-Chase Petty, RHP, -0.7

2022.White Sox-Noah Schultz, LHP, 0.2

2023.Yankees-George Lombard Jr., SS, N/A

2024.Yankees-Ben Hess, RHP, N/A

2025.Phillies-Gage Wood, RHP, N/A

Breakdown

Total Players Drafted and Signed 1987-2019: 31

Total WAR: 24.4

Average WAR: 0.8

Five Best Players: Taylor Ward (114 career HR), Brent Gates (.685 OPS), Jeremy Bonderman (200 starts), Tyler Soderstrom, Triston Casas

Total 20+ WAR: 0

Total 10+ WAR: 1

Total Who Failed to Reach MLB: 12 (Excluding Burrell, who didn’t sign due to the NBA)

Thoughts

The 26th pick has been pretty awful over the last nearly 40 years. The fact that Taylor Ward is by far the best player to come out of that pick, says everything. It’s also telling that the rest of the Top 5 players to be drafted with this pick include a guy with a sub-.700 OPS, a pitcher who was more about volume (200 starts) than production (89 ERA+), a 24-year-old, and a player who despite only being 26 hasn’t done anything for the past two years due to injury.

Things could really change in the next few years though. Tyler Soderstrom is a talented young slugger, Noah Schultz and George Lombard Jr. are among the top prospects in the game, and Chase Petty, Ben Hess, and Gage Wood are all prospects with potential. You could also add that Triston Casas and Blake Walston are still young, and if they are able to return to health, could still make an impact.

The odds aren’t in the Braves favor, with nearly 40% of the guys picked 26th failing to reach the big leagues, and there really only being one player in almost 40 years who became even a solid starter.

The Kansas City Royals snapped a losing streak with a win against the Cardinals, but one win does not erase the questions that have been building, and Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco are not shying away from any of them.

The episode opens with an honest assessment of where this team stands relative to expectations, with patience for certain management decisions wearing noticeably thin. The most pointed conversation centers on Jac Caglianone’s benching, which the hosts argue is being driven by questionable split-based reasoning. It is a lineup decision that invites a broader discussion about how the front office and coaching staff are evaluating talent and making in-game strategic calls.

The player analysis segment covers significant ground. Salvador Perez’s declining offensive numbers remain a concern, while Bobby Witt Jr.’s MVP-level resurgence offers one of the brightest storylines on the roster right now. The pitching staff also gets attention, with updates on Kolek, Lynch, and Falter rounding out a thorough look at where the staff stands heading into the next stretch of games.

One of the episode’s most technically rich segments is a deep dive into Caglianone’s swing mechanics, specifically his attack angle and swing path. Drawing on data from Baseball Savant and principles from Driveline Baseball, Jacob and Jeremy work through what adjustments could unlock his considerable potential and why getting his mechanics right matters for the long-term outlook of this lineup.

And yes, there is also a mystical mojo segment. The guys attempt to metaphysically uncurse the Royals, and it is exactly as entertaining as it sounds.

Need your Royals fix? Head to royalsreview.com for news, analysis, and to engage with Royals fans around the world! Follow us online:

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– Jeremy Greco: @hokius.fromthehawkseye.com
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Just about anyone rooting for the New York Mets this season has been watching, waiting, and hoping that former All-Star Bo Bichette will break out at the plate and be himself. His first 46 games of 2026 are in the books, and the wait continues.

Bichette is coming off a brutal Subway Series, during which he went 1-for-12 and had an embarrassing error that helped the Yankees score a run. Bichette’s lone hit came in the ninth inning of a 7-6 comeback win Sunday. When he got to first base, he couldn’t help but crack a smile after finally breaking through with a knock.

A key part of the Mets’ offseason overhaul, Bichette’s signing helped ease the loss of several homegrown players. Landing him was seen as a consolation after missing out on Kyle Tucker. The Mets even secured Bichette at the last moment before the Phillies could. It seemed like signing a 28-year-old free agent out from under a division rival was a win for the front office.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was quick to talk up his splashy free-agent signing.

“This is someone who has been one of the better and complete right-handed hitters in all of baseball, really since he entered the league,” Stearns said at Bichette’s introductory press conference. “Beyond that, it brings an intense competitor. Someone who never takes a play off, who never takes an at-bat off, and that can only help the group as a whole.”

But so far, the results have been near the worst-case scenario for a player who had an epic performance for the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series just seven months ago. Bichette is hitting .210/.262/.269 with a 54 wRC+. His calling card is producing with RISP (.330 for his career), but he’s hitting an abysmal 8-for-42 (.190) in those situations this year and has just four RBIs in his last 15 games. His .518 OPS against fastballs is the third lowest of any qualified hitter in MLB, significantly lower than his career number of .813. His line drive percentage (18.8%) is at a career low, while his ground ball rate (53%) is at a career high.

“The difference this year is that his bat angle is under 45 degrees and he has been under everything,” Keith Hernandez said on SNY. “Pitches that he should hit, he’s fouling back or swinging under and missing. I would get him in (batting practice) and tell him to focus on the top half of the ball.”

One of several frustrating aspects of the situation is that Bichette has been relatively healthy since joining the team and has yet to miss a game. He has dealt with lower-body injuries at various points in his career, including during the 2024 season, when he played 81 games. Unfortunately for the team, Bichette’s stats so far this season have resembled his injury-plagued ‘24 season rather than his best years that saw him be one of the most exciting hitters in baseball.

Bichette isn’t the first big-name player to come to Queens and struggle. Juan Soto had an .822 OPS (.946 career) and 20 RBIs in his first 46 games with the Mets. Francisco Lindor was even worse with a .589 OPS (.815 career) and 11 RBIs. Both Soto and Lindor settled in to be above-average hitters in those seasons despite their slow starts.

When Soto was struggling last year, Hall of Famer and former Met Pedro Martinez was quick to defend him, reminding people that there’s a person in the uniform and that there would always be an adjustment period after switching teams on a massive contract.

Perhaps Bichette is in a similar situation, where the mental side of his game still has to catch up with the physical side. His $42 million salary this season is quite a raise from the $17.5 million he made in his final year with Toronto. Bichette himself admitted to pressing in the season’s opening series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I didn’t anticipate it, but I definitely felt that wanting to have a moment not only for my teammates, but for the fans,” Bichette said. “That’s just something I have to manage. I guess I didn’t anticipate it affecting the way I play.”

Crushing injuries and poor offensive play across the lineup have only put more of a spotlight on Bichette’s cold start, as he and Soto are expected to carry the lineup daily. Despite setbacks, the Mets have momentum in May, notching a 10-5 record and winning four of their last five series.

Maybe his base hit late against the Yankees could be the start of a breakout. In the meantime, the Mets and their faithful will just have to wait for Bichette to find consistent success in New York.

A 3-3 road trip to Boston and Pittsburgh was, for me at least, the bare minimum the Phillies had to do. Gaining some steam at home was great, but going to those two cities and laying some eggs would have left a sour taste. They had to at least go .500 to maintain that steam moving forward, but instead won five of six and again look like one of the better teams in baseball.

Deep down, we all knew this was going to be how it was with them. There’s simply too much talent to not be this good. It just looked like they all were struggling together, now they’re all on the upswing. Now they just need to maintain the momentum and take care of business at home this week.

Three up

Cristopher Sanchez – A lot of people don’t subscribe to The Athletic and I get it. However, I am one of those people that does, which means I can read this article each year, where it talks to different people around the game to try and determine who the actual Aces of the game are. Sanchez came in fifth, behind the names you’d suspect in Skenes, Skubal, Crochet and Yamamoto. However, Skenes and Skubal were placed in their own tier called “The Inner Circle”. I think it’s time to start putting Sanchez into that same conversation with those two, calling for his own placement in that “Inner Circle” of starters.

Kyle Schwarber – What more is there to say? Schwarber’s week was an incredible one and has arguably been the reason this team has moved back over .500. The starting pitching getting their act together is probably the biggest reason, but the offense was doing absolutely nothing during that 10 game rough patch. Seeing Schwarber get hot and vault himself to the top of the home run leaderboard has been a pleasure to watch.

Alec Bohm – Sometimes, a guy just needs a few days off to get his game going again. Rob Thomson had a lot of strong points to his game, but one of his weaker ones was sticking with players in the lineup when they clearly needed to come out of it. He believed that a player slumping needed to keep swinging his way out of the slump and a lot of times, that’s true. It was so blatantly obvious that Bohm needed a break, even for a day, and yet Thomson continued to put him in the lineup. Don Mattingly saw right away that Bohm’s poor production was hurting the team as well, so he sat him down to let him clear his head and he has a week where he collects nine hits in 25 plate appearances. Sometimes, it’s that easy.

Three down

Edmundo Sosa – Remember each time that we say, me included, how Sosa needs to play more and Bohm needs to play less? At the time, it wasn’t wrong. Bohm was horrid and Don Mattingly acted accordingly, sitting him down two games to get his head on straight. The only problem is – Sosa is in one of his own slumps right now and probably shouldn’t be playing much either. I think I know what the team should be looking for at the trade deadline.

J.T. Realmuto – It really does look like age has caught up to Realmuto offensively. As Matt Gelb pointed out, he’s missing fastballs in the zone badly this year. Even though his bat speed is fine, he’s just getting blown away right now. Will it change? Maybe. It had better.

Aaron Nola – There is only so much a person can defend a guy. I’ve been pro-Nola during these struggles last year and this, but even I can’t defend some of his recent performances. Even with the usual caveats of “lower your expectations!”, there is only so low one can go with him.

Recaps

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks build big lead, hold off Rockies in road trip finale – A weather delay was announced five minutes before the scheduled first pitch, and a few minutes later, groundskeepers rolled out the field tarp. Light rain then began to fall. At 1:31 p.m., in Denver, fans were told to seek shelter with lightning in the area. But the sky eventually cleared up, the tarp was off the field by 2:35 p.m. and the game got under way. Fans in the stands sang along and danced to music, including Neil Diamond’s classic “Sweet Caroline. Most appeared to have waited out the delay.

[dbacks.com] Carroll homers twice as D-backs erupt, then hold off Rox late rally – After being held homerless for the first two games of the series, the D-backs unloaded on the Coors Field bleachers Sunday, with Corbin Carroll knocking a pair to pace Arizona’s 8-6 win over the Rockies and secure the series win and a .500 road trip. Gurriel knocked his first homer of the season in the two-run fifth and Carroll’s second homer of the game, a 448-foot blast to right-center, accounted for a sixth-inning insurance run to make it an 8-2 lead. Michael Soroka pitched 5 2/3 innings for Arizona, allowing two runs (both earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out eight.

[Arizona Sports] Corbin Carroll knocks 2 home runs in Diamondbacks’ win over Rockies – With the D-backs up 3-0 in the fourth inning, Carroll hit a 94-mph fastball off Rockies righty Michael Lorenzen into the Colorado bullpen for his sixth homer of the season to make it 5-0. His second homer of the day marked the ninth-career multi-home run game of Carroll’s career. His last multi-homer game came on June 3 last season against the Atlanta Braves. Carroll’s offensive outburst was a welcome sight for the Diamondbacks, as Arizona left 10 runners on base and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position in a 4-2 loss to the Rockies on Saturday.

Team news

[AZ Big Media] Paul Sewald of the Diamondbacks has, literally, returned home – Last spring, Sewald and his wife, Molly, purchased a home in the Valley with a plan: six months at home, six months on the road, and stability for their two young daughters. The cycle of packing, unpacking and re-establishing routines was getting tiring. Then the phone rang. “The Diamondbacks called, and we thought, ‘That’s amazing,’” Sewald said, sitting in the dugout during batting practice. “Pretty cool to stay at home.” For Sewald, the move wasn’t just convenient — it was personal. Sewald and Molly met while she was an ASU student. His brother, Johnny, is also a former Sun Devil. The couple considered settling in the Valley during Sewald’s first stint with the D-backs, from 2023-2024.

[SI] Diamondbacks Prospect Manuel Pena Simply Can’t Be Ignored Any Longer – To say infield prospect Manuel Pena has been swinging a hot bat for the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles would be a vast undersell. The 22-year-old is simply posting a .963 OPS, with a .634 slugging percentage through the first 36 games of the Texas League season. The reason that slug is so high? Pena has 15 home runs already. That is on pace for just over 57 long balls in the 138-game Texas League season. Six of his home runs have come in the month of May, including a two-homer game back on May 7.

And, elsewhere…

[ESPN] Mariners call up top prospect Colt Emerson for MLB debut – [Emerson] will be the youngest Mariners player to make his major league debut since Félix Hernández did so at 19 on Aug. 4, 2005. Emerson signed an eight-year, $95 million contract April 1 — the biggest commitment at the time for a minor leaguer yet to make his major league debut. The Mariners selected Emerson with the 22nd pick in the 2023 draft, and his stock only rose from there. General manager Justin Hollander said, “This is not a 15 at-bat or 20 at-bat tryout to see if he’s capable of taking the job and running with it for the rest of the year.”

[Awful Announcing] Joe Davis, John Smoltz discuss whether MLB should change ABS strike zone – As Davis explained, walk rates (specifically, unintentional walk rates) are at an all-time high because the ABS has shrunk the strike zone. Davis then asked Smoltz, “Would you tweak the ABS zone, make it bigger in certain areas?” “No,” Smoltz, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, responded. “I think lowering it gives hitters a chance with velocity down vs. velocity up. If that strike zone was higher, no chance.” “That’s a spot where the zone has shrunk the most,” Davis said. “The top of the zone is three inches shorter than what umpires were calling last year.”

MLB.com: Top 10 Plays of the Week

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous days recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (20-25) lost 7-6 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in the 3rd inning scoring 4 runs on a Strahm sac fly and Nelson 3 run home run. McPherson got the start making his Triple-A debut but struggled allowing 5 runs over 2.2 innings. After falling behind 6-4, the offense tied things up in the 7th on a Strahm 2 run single. The game went to the 9th and in the bottom of the 9th, Tacoma walked it off as Sugar Land fell 7-6.

Note: Nelson is hitting .305 in Triple-A.

• Daniel Johnson, CF: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB
• Collin Price, C: 2-for-3, R, 2 BB, SB
• Kellen Strahm LF: 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI
• James Nelson, DH: 1-for-5, R, HR, 3 RBI
• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 1-for-4, 2B
• Jax Biggers, SS: 1-for-3, R

• Brandon McPherson, RHP: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• Joey Mancini, RHP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Nate Pearson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Sam Carlson, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

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AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (17-22) lost 5-3 (BOX SCORE)

Dombroski started for the Hooks and went 4 innings allowing 1 run. The offense tied it up in the 3rd on a Whitaker sac fly. In the 8th, the Hooks rallied for 2 runs on RBI doubles from Encarnacion and Meyers. The bullpen was solid until the 9th where Ramsey allowed 4 runs, though all were unearned. The offense was unable to counter in the bottom of the inning as the Hooks fell 5-3.

Note: Austin has a .834 OPS this season.

• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI
• Jake Meyers, CF: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
• Lucas Spence, RF: 1-for-4, 2B
• Trevor Austin, 3B: 2-for-2, 2 R, 2B, BB

• Trey Dombroski, LHP: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 3 K
• Amilcar Chirinos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Alex Santos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

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A+: Asheville Tourists (9-30) lost 19-12 (BOX SCORE)

DeVos started for Asheville and went 4 innings allowing 6 runs, 4 earned. The offense got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Call RBI double. They picked up 3 more runs in the 4th on a Call 2 run home run and Thomas sac fly. Steinbaugh relieved DeVos but struggled allowing 6 runs over 1.2 innings. In the 5th, Daudet connected on a 3 run home run. Asheville rallied for 5 runs in the 6th inning to tie it on a fielder’s choice, Call 2 run double, and two runs scoring on wild pitches. The bullpen continued to struggled as the Spartanburgers added 7 more runs between the 8th and 9th inning. The offense loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th but was unable to score as Asheville fell 19-12.

Note: Walker is hitting .294 this season.

• Justin Thomas, CF: 0-for-2, RBI, 2 BB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 0-for-4, R, 2 BB
• Ethan Frey, DH: 1-for-6, R
• Drew Brutcher, 1B: 3-for-5, 2 R, BB
• Caden Powell, LF: 1-for-5, 2 R, RBI, BB
• Kyle Walker, SS: 2-for-5, 2 R
• Chase Call, RF: 4-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, SB
• Zach Daudet, 3B: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB
• Reylin Perez, 2B: 2-for-4, 2B, BB, SB

• Nolan DeVos, RHP: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Conor Steinbaugh, RHP: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Alain Pena, RHP: 0.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Nate Wohlgemuth, RHP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• Keduar Trujillo, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

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A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (18-21) won 8-7 (BOX SCORE) 

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning on an Alvarez solo home run, his 5th of the season. Carrera got the start and went 5 innings allowing 7 runs. The offense battled back in the 5th scoring 2 runs on a Sierra RBI double and Alvarez RBI single. The offense got another run in the 6th on a Ramirez sac fly and one in the 7th inning on a wild pitch. The Woodpeckers tied things up in the 8th inning scoring 2 runs on a Wakefield groundout and Sierra sac fly. The offense took the lead in the 9th inning on a Salas RBI double. Smith went the final 4 innings allowing zero runs as he closed out the 8-7 win.

Note: Sierra has a .892 OPS this season.

• Juan Sierra, LF: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Kevin Alvarez, DH: 3-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Nehomar Ochoa, 1B: 1-for-4, R, BB, SB
• DJ Newman, RF: 0-for-2, R, 3 BB, SB
• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Hector Salas, 2B: 1-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB

• Jesus Carrera, RHP: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• Aubrey Smith, RHP: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (WIN)

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Today’s minor league starters:

SL: OFF

CC: OFF

AV: OFF

FV: OFF