HOUSTON, TX - JULY 01: Houston Astros left fielder Joey Loperfido (10) rounds second base in the bottom of the sixth inning during the MLB game between the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros on July 1, 2026 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Houston Astros have recently made several waiver claims of players other teams have been willing to cast off, choosing to give these players a chance with the club over their own minor league players who have performed well at Triple-A.
Should the Astros be giving their own minor leaguers a chance with team in September over players available on waivers?
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SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 09: Henry Bolte #33 of the Athletics trots around the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the bottom of the third inning at Sutter Health Park on September 09, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Athletics prevailed in the rubber match, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 in what was one of the pitching staff’s best performances of the season. The bullpen combined to shut out the Blue Jays, while center fielder Henry Bolte continued to provide the fireworks at the plate.
Opener Strategy Works for Both Teams
The two openers, A’s left-hander Brady Basso and Blue Jays right-hander Brayden Fisher, each set the tone with a scoreless first inning. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen replaced Fisher in the bottom of the second. With two outs, the hosts got their first two baserunners before catcher Brian Serven struck out to end the Athletics’ first scoring opportunity of the game.
Bolte Blast
The A’s took the lead in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Bolte hit his second home run in as many games. The rookie’s 10th home run of the season, a solo shot to left field off Lorenzen, put the Green and Gold ahead 1-0 after three frames.
Basso remained in the game for the fourth inning. He allowed two hits, the first of which was incorrectly ruled a hit after first baseman Tommy White misplayed a grounder hit directly to him. The southpaw escaped the jam, stranding two runners and preserving his team’s 1-0 lead. Basso tossed four scoreless innings on a season-high 68 pitches, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out four.
A’s Increase Their Lead
In the bottom of the fourth, White and Max Muncy hit back-to-back singles against Lorenzen, setting the A’s up with a chance to extend their lead. White scored the A’s second run on a wild pitch.
In the fifth inning, right-hander Scott Blewett replaced Basso, who gave the A’s a much longer start than everyone expected. The hosts’ defensive woes continued as left fielder Carlos Cortes’ misplay turned Brett Bateman’s base hit into a double.
Blewett escaped the threat by getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground into a double play with runners on the corners and one out. The next inning, Blewett induced another groundball double play, completing two scoreless innings of relief.
Right-hander Luis Medina followed with a scoreless seventh, keeping the A’s 2-0 lead entering the seventh-inning stretch. The Green and Gold had a chance to extend their lead in the bottom of that inning, but Toronto reliever Tyler Rogers stranded a runner at second.
Athletics left-hander Hogan Harris bounced back from Friday night’s blown save with a scoreless eighth inning against the top of the Blue Jays’ lineup.
Still holding a 2-0 lead, the Athletics turned to hard-throwing right-hander Elvis Alvarado for the save opportunity. Pitching for the first time this series, the 27-year-old allowed just one single, securing his sixth save of the season and the Athletics’ second straight series victory over a team with playoff aspirations.
The A’s have a well-deserved day off Thursday before continuing their homestand with a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners this weekend. Friday night’s pitching matchup will feature a rematch from one of the four games these teams played in Seattle earlier this month. Left-hander Jeffrey Springs will start for the Athletics, while right-hander George Kirby will take the mound for the Mariners.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets high fives Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets after hitting a three run home run against the Miami Marlins during the second inning at loanDepot park on September 08, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS Juan Soto – LF Bo Bichette – 3B Carson Benge – RF Jared Young – DH Marcus Semien – 2B A.J. Ewing – CF Brett Baty – 1B Luis Torrens – C
SP: Robert Stock – RHP
Marlins lineup
Kyle Stowers – DH Heriberto Hernandez – LF Griffin Conine – 1B Otto Lopez – SS Jakob Marsee – CF Javier Sanoja – 2B Owen Caissie – RF Graham Pauley – 3B Joe Mack – C
SP: Janson Junk – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 6:40 PM ET TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
What’s for sure is that the Lakers got to enjoy several intriguing off-court activities, including one night spent presumably partying at “a Ljubljana restaurant that also serves as a nightclub.”
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić leaves the InterContinental Hotel for a team dinner during the Lakers’ team minicamp. Andrej Tarfila/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
Dončić clearly handled his hosting duties well, which Bronny James indicated during an interview on ESPN LA 710 last week.
“We were with [Dončić]. He was hooking us up and getting us in the right places in Slovenia, seeing the most out of the country,” James said.
Bronny James poses for a video on his Instagram account. (Instagram/@bronny).
The country made a lasting impression on James, as he added, “[Slovenia is] great… The city [of Ljubljana] was great, we had the castle that was close to us. And then we went to Lake Bled, which was great. The castle there, and then we played the [golf] course over there near Bled. I wanna go back to go to the Alps and stuff like that. The scenery and everything was great.”
James, who is now single, seems to have savored this Slovenia trip before the Lakers’ season begins.
AVOIDING BEING SWEPT: The Cubs have not been swept in a series at Milwaukee since June 28-30, 2021. This is their 12th series there since then. They avoided being swept with third-game wins in five series, including their first series a year ago. They are 26-34 in games at Milwaukee in the last week of August or later, including 7-14 since 2018. The Cubs are 7-2 this season in third games of series after losing the first two. They are 4-0 on the road, with wins at Atlanta and Pittsburgh in May, Colorado in June and Seattle in August. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
THAT THIRD GAME: At 11-12 in third games of series on the road, the Cubs already have lost more such games than they did all of last season, when they finished 15-11. They are 24-22 in all third games, home and road.. They ended last year 27-23. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
WEDNESDAY, THE GOOD DAY: The Cubs are 14-9 on Wednesday, their best record of any day of the week, ahead of 13-10 on Tuesday and 13-11 on Saturday. They ae 8-4 on the road on Wednesday, also their best, ahead of 7-5 on both Tuesday and Friday. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
ITEM FOUR: Jon Lester, Hector Rondón and Aroldis Chapman combine on a seven-hit shutout and Kris Bryant’s two-run homer in the fifth provide all the runs the Cubs would need in a 2-0 win over the Astros. It happened 10 years ago today, Friday, Sept. 9, 2016.
Here’s the third and last pitching rematch from last week’s series at Wrigley Field.
Kevin Gausman was absolutely nails in the game last Thursday, allowing just five hits and one run, with nine strikeouts. Gausman usually isn’t a strikeout pitcher, either. Do that again, Kevin. For whatever it’s worth, the Cubs are 5-1 in Gausman starts.
Logan Henderson was also very good last week, giving the Cubs just three hits. Fortunately for the Cubs, one of those hits was a two-run homer by Pete Crow-Armstrong. Do that again, PCA.
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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.
There is no arguing that Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov is one of the best hockey players in the world.
He will be a welcomed face in Florida’s locker room this season as the team looks to rebound from a rough 2025-26 campaign that saw the then-2-time defending Stanley Cup champs fail to qualify for the postseason.
Barkov suffered a devastating knee injury during training camp last September and missed the entire NHL season, eventually making it back on the ice to help his Finnish countrymen win gold medals at the IIHF World Championships in May.
He looked quite good during the World Championships, too, which was also a major milestone in his recovery, leading Finland in scoring with three goals and 11 points in 10 games.
“That was the main worry, that if I will be able to play free and not to think too much, and once the first game started, I wasn't thinking about it at all,” Barkov said on Tuesday at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour, per NHL.com.
Now Barkov has spent the summer as he normally does, preparing his body for a new NHL season.
It certainly helps, though, that Barkov knows he’s already put his surgically repaired knee to the test, one that it passed with flying colors.
“I have a better feeling going toward this camp knowing that I played some hockey, meaningful hockey, and felt good there,” said Barkov. “Especially the more we played, the better I felt. I was really happy about that.”
Barkov and the Panthers will be back on the ice next week in Fort Lauderdale, when they open their 2026 Training Camp at the Baptist Health IcePlex.
Florida will be among the favorites to come out of the Eastern Confernce and contend for the Stanley Cup once again.
“I'm really excited about going into the new season,” Barkov said.
Photo caption: Jun 22, 2025; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, UNITED STATES; Florida Panthers centerAleksanderBarkov(16) speaks to the fans during the Stanley Cup championship parade and rally. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 04: Cristopher Sánchez #61 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves during a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 04, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are the lineups for today’s matchup against Houston. Let’s discuss!
The Lakers are hiring Heat vice president of player personnel Eric Amsler as an assistant general manager.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has secured his second assistant general manager. Getty Images
He’s also the general manager of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate.
Amsler is the second assistant general manager hire of the offseason after Pelinka, the Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager, said to start the offseason that the front office was being expanded.
Amsler will focus on the “player draft and evaluation processes,” which will include pro scouting, draft scouting and player development, while Ramadas’ focus is on the “strategy side,” which entails cap, analytics and data.
“A lot of the infrastructure is being built,” Pelinka said in May. “We will continue to staff out with assistant general manager positions. There’s a couple of those that we’re currently interviewing for and have done an extensive dive in that process. Those will be two key pillars that we’ll add for this offseason.”
The Lakers’ second assistant general manager hire comes as Josh Kushner (left) and Bob Iger (right) are in the process of purchasing the franchise. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
Amsler spent 22 years in the Heat organization, starting as an intern in 2004-05 before working his way up to various other roles: scouting and information coordinator (2005-07); scouting and player personnel coordinator (2007-14); director of scouting operations (2015-18); director of scouting/assistant director of player personnel/assistant general manager of the Sioux Falls Skyforce (2018-19) and director of player personnel/general manager of the Skyforce (2019-23) before being promoted to his most recent role with the Heat.
Kushner also has ties to the Heat, being a minority owner of the franchise since 2024. He’ll need to divest that ownership stake before becoming the Lakers’ newest owner.
At long last, Philadelphia Flyers hockey is finally approaching. Training camp is just under a week away, and the official roster is here.
On Wednesday, the Flyers dropped their official training camp roster and schedule ahead of next week's camp, which will kick off on Thursday following the conclusion of rookie camp.
The forward group, in no particular order, is as follows:
Garrett Wilson, Travis Konecny, Devin Kaplan, Sean Couturier, Nikita Grebenkin, Danila Klimovich, Alex Bump, Zach Aston-Reese, Christian Dvorak, Jack Studnicka, Nolan Foote, Noah Cates, Riley Thompson, Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras, Zayde Wisdom, Noah Powell, Noel Acciari, Cole Knuble, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, Jett Luchanko, Jacob Gaucher, Denver Barkey, Carl Grundstrom, and Porter Martone.
At the goalie position, there are no new names or faces. Starting goalie Dan Vladar returns with Joseph Woll behind him, and they are joined by prospects Aleksei Kolosov and Carson Bjarnason.
Defense, however, is where things get interesting.
Starting atop the roster, Helge Grans and David Jiricek figure to battle for a roster spot once more, as will Oliver Bonk. Travis Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Nick Seeler, Rasmus Ristolainen, Simon Benoit, Hunter McDonald, and Ty Murchison are all there, too.
Recent additions like Jackson Edward and Cam Dineen will most likely play their biggest roles in the AHL, and they will, apparently, be joined by another new signing in Andrew Perrott, who took an AHL deal with Lehigh Valley in July.
Perrott, 25, is a formerly undrafted, scrappy, undersized 6-foot defenseman who was a career AHL and ECHL tweener up until last year, when he played 51 AHL games for the Rockford IceHogs, scoring one goal, three assists, and four points with a -6 rating and a staggering 117 penalty minutes.
Perrott will participate in the NHL training camp ahead of someone like Cooper Wylie, who attended Flyers camps in the past and is heading into what will be his first pro season after four years at St. Cloud State University.
Another somewhat surprising inclusion, as mentioned above, is Zayde Wisdom, who returned to the Flyers organization last year on an AHL deal.
The 24-year-old will again have the opportunity to fight for a bottom-six roster spot, competing against the likes of Kaplan, Klimovich, Grebenkin, Aston-Reese, Foote, Grundstrom, and Wilson for that kind of role.
After a terrible 2023-24 season in which he scored only three points in 49 games, Wisdom is back on the map with a total of 27 goals and 59 points across his last two seasons, and he wore the 'A' for the Phantoms for the first time last year, too.
It's notable that the Flyers are giving their former fourth-round pick a shot in training camp ahead of younger, less experienced players like Alex Ciernik and Owen McLaughlin, but Wisdom has certainly earned it.
And between Wisdom and Perrott, the Flyers won't lack in energy or physicality during training camp and the preseason.
FREDERICK, MARYLAND - APRIL19, 2026: Vance Honeycutt #7 of the Frederick Keys bats during a South Atlantic League game against the Hudson Valley Renegades at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Frederick, Maryland. The Renegades beat the Keys, 7-6 in 10 innings. (Photo by Rodger Wood/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Vance Honeycutt might be in the running for the best career of any position player to ever play baseball for North Carolina, but he hasn’t had an easy time of it since being drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2024. Through a season and a half in High-A ball, it looked like the concerns around his swing-and-miss and strikeout rate were going to end up overpowering all the tools he brought to the table, as he was striking out on over 40% of his plate appearances and thus not really giving himself a chance to put up any numbers. It looked like he might have turned a corner in spring ball, when he hit home runs in four straight at-bats and appeared to have reworked his swing into something more repeatable. But when he went back to the High-A Frederick Keys, it was unfortunately more of the same: 43% of his plate appearances ending in strikeouts and a dismal slash line of .182/.285/.359. He’d slipped from 5th to out of MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 prospects for the Orioles and was looking at a steep climb uphill if his big-league dreams were to be realized, because the list of players who have recorded that many strikeouts as a minor leaguer and become successful in The Show is basically empty.
Those stats and that situation don’t scream “guy ready for promotion,” but who knows what the Orioles organization was seeing under the hood. Maybe they were tinkering more with his swing. Maybe they thought he just needed a change of scenery. Or maybe they were just letting him sink or swim, giving him the opportunity to prove he’s still worth putting resources into developing. Whatever it was, they decided to promote him to their AA affiliate, the Chesapeake Baysox, on August 17th.
And whatever it was, it’s paying dividends. Honeycutt looks like a completely different player against AA pitching — through four-ish weeks, 16 games, and 65 plate appearances, he’s slashing .339/.431/.661 with 3 home runs, 11 RBI, and 10 stolen bases, and an OPS over 1.000, compiling a high-but-manageable 21.5% K rate (and is 2-5 with two home runs and a stolen base in his 17th game as I’m writing this, basically in my backyard no less). I don’t know if new coaching and a new environment has unlocked something for him, if AA pitchers are just giving him more opportunities to swing at something in the zone, or if the independent coach who recently posted about working with him during the month of August has something to do with it, but it’s a near-unprecedented turnaround for a minor league prospect and has Honeycutt looking like a bona fide prospect again.
Obviously, Honeycutt’s Double-A numbers come from a much smaller sample size than the problematic High-A ones. But he never even approached having a month like this in High-A, and we’re starting to get to a point where the sample size is big enough that it can’t be ignored entirely. Maybe this pace ends up being unsustainable for the former Tar Heel, but I think seeing him fall all the way back down would be even more surprising than the turnaround has been. As it is, he’s putting himself in a great position to maybe be looking at Triple-A at some point next year, if after a likely lockout, and resuming the trajectory that he put himself on as he wrote his legend at Boshamer Stadium.
Plenty of other recent Tar Heels are doing pretty well in the minors — including Kane Kepley, who’s the Chicago Cubs’ fifth-ranked prospect in his second year as a pro — and we’ll likely have a roundup of all of them once the minor league season is over in a few days. But this potentially career-saving stretch from Honeycutt was certainly worth covering on its own.
The Anaheim Ducks are placing forward Chris Kreider on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, according to multiple reports.
The move will help both the player and the team.
The Massachusetts native wants to return east, according to Sportsnet, which first reported the waiver move. If he clears waivers and has the final year of his contract terminated, that makes him a free agent and a new team can sign him for less than his current $6.5 million cap hit. He already received a $1 million signing bonus.
Kreider, 35, had played the first 13 years of his career with the New York Rangers before being traded to the Ducks in June 2025.
They have a little more than $9 million left with Carlsson averaging $18 million. But they still have to sign restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier, who led Anaheim with 41 goals and 69 points last season.
Taking Kreider off the books would give them a lot more room to play with in a new Gauthier contract.
Chris Kreider stats
Though Kreider's numbers have gone down, he has scored 22 goals the past two seasons and scored 17 of his 50 points on the power play last season.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 18: The sneakers worn by Tyrese Samuel #17 of the Brooklyn Nets during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 18, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Tom O'Connor/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MAY 20: Will Brennan #7 of the San Francisco Giants gets ready in the batters box against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 20, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Four games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Tuesday, and half of them were playoff games. Let’s dive into the action!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Just a little bit of news, as catcher Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) and outfielder Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) are scheduled to begin rehab assignments with AAA Sacramento.
AAA Sacramento (77-59)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 11-1 Box score
This was about as dominant of a baseball game as you’ll see, and it certainly didn’t feel as close as the not-close-at-all score would suggest.
It was a stunning offensive performance which, well … tends to happen in Las Vegas, though that doesn’t negate the impressiveness of the day for Sacramento’s offense, which featured 18 hits, half of which went for extra bases.
There were a trio of offensive stars, but none bigger than right fielder Will Brennan. The lefty was tasked with hitting cleanup, and he played the role perfectly.
All in all, a 3-5 day with a trio of home runs and a strikeout, which brought Brennan’s OPS all the way up to .820 … a single-game raise of 31 points, which is pretty darned impressive this late in the season! It also raised his wRC+ to 111.
While Brennan was the biggest star, it’s understandable if you’re not as excited seeing him succeed as you are with some of the other players on Sacramento’s roster, given that Brennan is a 28-year old with MLB experience who was designated for assignment earlier in the year and will almost certainly be playing for a different organization next year.
So, if prospects are what you’re looking for, then allow me to introduce you to a pair who joined Brennan on the podium of offensive stars on Tuesday: center fielder Scott Bandura and left fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL). The 2026 season has been an unequivocal success for the pair of outfielders from the 2023 draft class, the former a 7th-round pick and the latter an undrafted free agent. And they’re making sure to end the year on a high note, following brief dips in performance as the season neared an end.
For Bandura, it was a game where he did a little bit of everything, as he hit 3-5 with a solo home run, a double, a sacrifice fly, and a stolen base. My word!
As for Davidson, he went a sensational 4-5 with both a triple and a double, with 1 strikeout. As we’ve grown accustomed to, the contact for Davidson (who is 93rd percentile in both average exit velocity and 50th percentile exit velocity), was loud: a 107.3-mph single, a 102.7-mph single, a 95.9-mph double, and a 101.3-mph triple.
It seems unlikely that Bandura (who has a .901 OPS and a 136 wRC+) or Davidson (who has a .912 OPS and a 135 wRC+) will debut this year, as we’re running out of time and the Giants are wanting to take a long look at Jonah Cox, Turner Hill, and Drew Gilbert, to make no mention of Grant McCray or Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL), the latter of which is starting a rehab assignment. But I certainly expect both players to be rostered as Rule 5 protections, and to show up to Spring Training (if it occurs) with a chance to win an Opening Day job.
Also nice days for designated hitter Eddys Leonard, who hit 2-4 with a walk and a strikeout; shortstop Aeverson Arteaga, who went 3-5 with 2 strikeouts; and catcher Fernando Gonzalez, who hit 1-3 with a triple, 2 walks, and a strikeout. It was a particularly impressive performance from Gonzalez, given that he’s been called up from Low-A San Jose for emergency duty (he’ll likely head back to San Jose now that Zach Morgan has been optioned to AAA).
Unfortunately, all those hits couldn’t find the bat of third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL), whose recent scuffling continued. Harber was the only player in the lineup who failed to record a hit, as he went 0-5 with a walk. Over his last 11 games, the righty has hit just 4-46 with 1 double, 6 walks, and 17 strikeouts, which came after a red-hot start to his AAA tenure. Hopefully he can find a little rhythm and end the year on a high note, because he’s dipped down to a .739 OPS and a 97 wRC+.
So, I mentioned earlier that the game was in Las Vegas, where baseballs tend to fly. It’s easy to use that as a reason to pump the brakes on any strong performances … but what happens when those performances are on the mound?
You can decide that the offensive environment is, indeed, ludicrous, and then be extra impressed by the pitching, or you can decide that the offensive environment is more tepid than we thought, and then be extra impressed by the hitting. Or heck, do both!
That’s a long-winded way of saying that LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) put on an absolute show in a bandbox. Just a week after an 8-inning start, the southpaw went 7 innings in this one, and didn’t allow a single run. 7 scoreless innings! In the Pacific Coast League! In Las Vegas!
The 2023 comp-round pick wasn’t overpowering, as he only struck out 3 batters on the day, but he limited the Aviators to just 5 hits, all of which were singles, and only walked 1 batter. He needed just 91 pitches to get through the day, and threw 63 of them for strikes.
Whitman, who turns 25 next week, had a bit of a rude introduction when promoted to AAA earlier this year, which resulted in spending some time operating out of the bullpen. But lately he’s really started to figure things out, which perhaps is the natural progression of adjusting to a new level, or perhaps is a chip on his shoulder after watching LHPs Matt Wilkinson and César Perdomo, and RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) get promoted to the Majors ahead of him.
Either way, Whitman is on one hell of a 5-start run: 31 innings, 28 hits, 4 walks, 6 earned runs, and 24 strikeouts. Suddenly, his ERA in AAA is all the way down to 3.84, which is a delightful number in the PCL (his FIP is lagging behind, at 4.79). And while he’s not striking out a ton of batters (63 in 73 innings), he’s doing a magnificent job at limiting walks (21).
Unfortunately, the shutout was lost by RHP Ryan Walker, who made his Sacramento return after being optioned. Walker gave up 2 hits, including a solo home run, while striking out 2 batters in 2 innings.
AA Richmond (73-58)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles) 11-3 Box score
The Squirrels are really ending the season with a thud, as they’ve been piling up both losses and uninteresting performances. This game was, sadly, an exception to neither rule.
How bad was this game? Well, the best performance belonged to catcher Onil Perez … who didn’t catch at all, but instead tossed a perfect 9th inning in his role as reliever, a gig he’s now reprised thrice in the last handful of games.
That was easily the best pitching performance, as 4 of the 5 arms who came before Perez gave up runs, and the 5th (RHP Tyler Vogel) allowed 3 baserunners in 1.2 innings. Most notable, unfortunately, was how much RHP Miguel Mendez struggled, as the 24-year got knocked out in the 2nd inning after allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, and 5 runs, while recording just 5 outs (3 by way of strikeout, though). Mendez, who was part of the Robbie Ray trade, had pitched well in his 1st 3 outings for Richmond, so this game was hopefully an outlier. But it sure was an ugly outlier!
The offense mustered just 3 hits on the day, all of them singles. Only 1 player reached base multiple times, as third baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL) hit 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout. I think we can move on now.
High-A Eugene (0-1)
Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 8-7 Box score
Into the playoffs we go, but Eugene immediately finds themselves in a hole after losing the 1st game in the best-of-5 championship series. The good news is, after tonight, the games return to Oregon for the rest of the series.
As was the case with Richmond, this loss was largely due to a rough start by an exciting talent acquired at the deadline, LHP Henry Lalane. The 6’7 22-year old, who came over in the Heliot Ramos trade, couldn’t find the strike zone in this one, as he threw just 51 of 91 pitches for strikes, while walking 6 batters in just 4.2 innings. Lalane only allowed 3 hits in the game but, paired with those 6 walks, that put 4 runs on the board for the Canadians.
Lalane is going to be a fascinating Rule 5 decision for the Giants. He’s certainly not a player they want to risk losing, but they have to feel like the risk is fairly minimal, given that he only made it to High-A recently, and has really struggled there: in 8 official starts at the level (5 with the Giants and 3 with the Yankees, and not including this playoff outing), Lalane posted a 3.86 ERA and a 4.78 FIP and, if you include the playoffs, had just 35 strikeouts to 18 walks in 42 innings. I suspect, given those numbers and the team’s roster crunch, that Lalane will go unprotected, but you could understand if the Giants have hesitations.
Unfortunately, Lalane set the tone, as the rest of the pitchers struggled as well.
The offense was quite a bit better, and once again led by just-signed catcher Charlie Muniz. The Giants signed Muniz — college baseball’s all-time leader in home runs — out of the Pioneer League a week ago, and he put up donuts in his 1st 3 games, before ending the year with his 1st hit: fittingly, a home run.
He was back at it again in this one, hitting 2-4 with a home run and a double, while striking out twice. Muniz, who is 24, was presumably signed to fill out the catching depth when the organization had a strong need for backstops, but I’m guessing the Giants are excited to have him in the system, and look forward to seeing what he can do next year, especially since they didn’t use any of their draft picks on catchers this year.
Muniz had the best game, but second baseman Kaedon Kent had the most hits, as the lefty, who just turned 23, went a nearly-perfect 4-5 with 2 runs batted in, though he did strike out once and was caught stealing. Kent, who was drafted in the 3rd round last year out of Texas A&M, spent the entire year in High-A, where he also spent his debut action a season ago. Across 86 games between the Giants and Yankees, he posted a .790 OPS and a 107 wRC+ in the regular season, with just a 16.0% strikeout rate. He’ll certainly head to AA next year, to play second next to Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who struggled in this game, hitting 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and a sacrifice bunt.
Right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) and third baseman Isaiah Barkett both had strong games, with the former (taken in the 7th round last year) going 1-3 with a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout, while the latter (taken in the 10th round a year ago) hit 2-3 with a double, a walk, and a stolen base. Maldonado was sensational following a late-season promotion to Eugene, as he posted a 1.023 OPS and a 154 wRC+ in 22 games with the Emeralds. Barkett quietly had a strong season as well, with an .886 OPS and a 125 wRC+ with Low-A San Jose, then a 10-game stint in Eugene where he had a .786 OPS and a 114 wRC+. Barkett posted sub-10% strikeout rates at both levels, and showed some fantastic defensive versatility.
Low-A San Jose (1-0)
San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports (A’s) 10-5 Box score
A great start to the playoffs for the Baby Giants, who won the lone road game in their best-of-3 series, and now will get 2 chances to finish off the Ports at home, and earn a shot in the championship series. Then again, it shouldn’t be surprising that San Jose started the playoffs on the right foot, as they ended the year having won 20 of their final 22 games.
Sometimes things in baseball can’t be explained. Or perhaps that red-hot streak by San Jose is what explains things. When you’re hot, you’re hot, and it’s contagious.
All of that is to say that center fielder Andy Polanco, an 11th-round pick in 2024, wrapped up his 2nd pro season with 2 career home runs: 1 last year in the ACL, where he played 47 games, and 1 this year in Low-A, where he appeared in 98 contests.
And so, naturally, the 21-year old homered in his 1st at-bat of this playoff game. And then he homered in his 2nd at-bat, as well.
And another one. Second two-run home run in as many innings, this one off the bat of Andy Polanco, and the Giants lead 4-0! pic.twitter.com/upDUlnJrn6
It was a star showing all around for Polanco, as he ended the day 3-4 with a stolen base and an outfield assist. Hard to do much more than that! Polanco only posted a .728 OPS and an 83 wRC+ this year, but he played incredible defense, and stole 38 bags. There’s a lot to like there, but the power-to-strikeout ratio (1 home run in 393 plate appearances with a 30.5% strikeout rate) is deeply concerning. We’ll see what improvements he can make next year.
Andy Polanco again! Two at-bats, two home runs, as Polanco doubles his regular season home run total.
Designated hitter Drew Smith, a 15th-round pick in July who only got into 3 official games (but hit a home run), had a delightful introduction to the playoffs, as he went 2-5 with a 2-run home run and 2 strikeouts. Smith had 16 home runs for Oregon this year and a .280 isolated slugging percentage, so the Giants are certainly hoping to see a lot of that next year!
Drew Smith sneaks one down the right field line for the Giants FOURTH home run of the game. Giants lead 7-0 in the fifth. pic.twitter.com/uaXdLGbP14
Meola has to feel a little disappointed that he spent the entire year in San Jose, after also playing 16 games there last season following being drafted in the 4th round. He really struggled early on, but turned his season around in the second half, which was enough to push him past league average (.821 OPS, 103 wRC+). The glove plays, even if the bat is lagging, so it’ll be fun seeing him in Eugene next year, turning two with shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL). Speaking of González, he had a solid game, hitting 2-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Between injuries and beginning the year in the Arizona Complex League, González had just a 31-game sample in San Jose (plus these playoff games). And I still think that was easily enough to get him to Eugene to open 2027.
While the 4 home runs from the hitters stole the show, it was a fabulous pitching performance from RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL). Cayama showed both the control and the electricity that make him such an exciting prospect, as he struck out 5 batters in as many innings, with just 1 walk. Cayama, who also allowed 4 hits and a hit batter, got tagged for just 1 run, which came on a solo home run.
It was great seeing Cayama have such a nice outing, because he ended the regular season with an absolute clunker of a performance. It was an odd season for the Venezuelan, who turns 20 next month, as he posted a 4.87 ERA and a 4.27 FIP, while missing a chunk of the season with an injury. But he also had 73 strikeouts in just 57.1 innings, with only 17 walks. That counts as a very nice year in my book.
RHP Eric Nachtsheim, the team’s 6th-round pick in July, made his 2nd pro appearance. He got roughed up in his pro debut, and the only official outing of the year, since postseason stats aren’t counted. But he sure responded with his playoff performance, as he retired all 5 batters he faced, with 3 strikeouts. Nachtsheim, a 22-year old out of McNeese State, threw 16 of 23 pitches for strikes.
Home run tracker
16 — Lorenzo Meola — [Low-A] 13 — Scott Bandura — [10 in AAA; 3 in AA] 10 — Will Brennan x3 — [AAA] 3 — Andy Polanco x2 — [Low-A] 2 — Charlie Muniz — [High-A] 2 — Drew Smith — [Low-A]
Wednesday schedule
Sacramento: 7:05 p.m. PT at Las Vegas (SP: TBD) Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT vs. Chesapeake (SP: Charlie McDaniel) Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Jordan Gottesman) San Jose: Off day
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be viewed on MLB TV
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 12: The Lakers logo is displayed outside Crypto.com Arena, home of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, on August 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles Lakers owner Mark Walter is reportedly selling the Lakers to venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, brother of President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former Disney CEO Bob Iger for a record $12.5 billion. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It turns out the Lakers are not in a hiring freeze.
After spending the summer searching, the team has hired its second assistant general manager. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the team is hiring Eric Amsler from the Miami Heat.
Amsler served as the vice president of player personnel in Miami.
The Los Angeles Lakers are hiring Miami Heat vice president of player personnel Eric Amsler as an assistant general manager, sources tell ESPN. Amsler – who spent over 22 years in the Heat organization starting as an intern and working his way up in various scouting, personnel…
Another source was very quick to point out that Josh Kushner is a minority owner of the Miami Heat (he'll have to divest to purchase Lakers) https://t.co/xjlaapIj39
Amsler held a number of roles in his two decades with the Heat. According to the team’s website, he oversaw the franchise’s scouting department and served as general manager of the team’s G League affiliate. While it’s unclear if he will hold the same role in regard to the South Bay Lakers, he will likely hold a similar role when it comes to scouting and player personnel.
Prior to becoming the team’s VP of Player Personnel, he held a host of jobs with the franchise. As listed by the Heat, here were his various positions over the last 22 years:
Scouting and Information Coordinator (2005-07)
Scouting and Player Personnel Coordinator (2007-14)
Director of Scouting Operations (2015-18)
Director of Scouting/Assistant Director of Player Personnel/Assistant General Manager, Sioux Falls Skyforce (2018-19)
Director, Player Personnel/General Manager, Sioux Falls Skyforce (2019-23)
Once the ownership hoopla started, namely in Mark Walter selling his majority stake to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, many wondered or expected there to be a hiring freeze, leaving the second assistant GM spot unfilled. Fortunately for the team, that proved not to be the case and now they can move forward with a front office fitting a franchise of the Lakers’ stature.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be placed on the 10-day IL with a sprained right thumb.
"We just got an update that he does have a sprained right thumb that’s going to require an IL stint," Boone said Wednesday. "So, no baseball activities for the next 7-10 days, and then see where we’re at."
Chisholm was removed from Tuesday’s win over the Colorado Rockies in the top of the ninth inning after sliding head-first into second base in the previous inning when he tried to stretch a ball off the wall in right field into a double, hitting the bag hard with his thumb.
Boone did not announce any corresponding roster move, but did say that the Yankees would be comfortable with Anthony Volpe playing second base. Volpe has never played second base in the majors, but has played 19 games at second with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season since he was demoted from the major league roster.
"I know he's been a complete pro and completely got after it down there in everything they've thrown at him," Boone said of Volpe, "whether it's moving and playing some second base, obviously introducing some third base to him, making sure his swing is dialed in, and he's obviously swung the bat incredibly well. That's not an easy thing to do when you've been the guy in the big leagues and you gotta go back."
The 28-year-old Chisholm is hitting .232 this season with 19 home runs, 55 RBI, and 40 stolen bases.
Losing Chisholm is obviously a blow to a Yankees lineup that hasn't been at full strength for quite some time. Aaron Judge finally returned from a lengthy IL stint on Tuesday and is still ramping back up to being able to play every day, and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton remains on the IL after suffering a setback while rehabbing a calf injury.
