Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson was supposed to have two rehab games with Triple-A Iowa and then rejoin the team Friday in Cincinnati. Best-laid plans and all, both Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s I-Cubs games at Omaha got rained out.
So instead of action with Iowa, Swanson reported to Wrigley Field Wednesday. So did two Cubs pitchers currently on rehab assignments:
And so, Swanson will indeed be activated from the 10-day injured list for tonight’s game in Cincinnati against the Reds. To make room for Swanson on the active roster, infielder B.J. Murray Jr. was optioned to Iowa.
While the Cubs have a capable backup infielder in Pedro Ramirez, and Nico Hoerner can play shortstop, the Cubs defense is not nearly as good without Swanson at short and Nico at second, where they are both elite fielders. Swanson left the game against the Cardinals Aug. 16 with an oblique injury during his first plate appearance that afternoon, so he’s been out exactly a month. The Cubs were 72-52 entering that game against the Cardinals and they have gone 13-16 in Swanson’s absence, including that day.
I’m not suggesting that poor record since Swanson’s injury is cause-and-effect, but clearly, they have missed his defense. Hopefully he’s 100 percent (or close) and can provide some spark to the lineup as well as defensively. Swanson had been on something of a hot streak before the injury, batting .278/.409/.528 (10-for-36) in the 11 games prior, with three doubles, two home runs, seven walks and 10 runs scored.
Many fans rely on numbers to tell the story of a baseball season. For 2026, I’m going with letters. Here’s the story of the regular season from A to Z.
A: Yordan Alvarez: He’s the only qualifier in baseball with an OBP of over .400. He’s leading the American League in batting, on-base, slugging, OPS, and walks. Where would Joe Espada’s Astros be without him? Yordan is still the favorite to win the American League MVP, despite his numbers falling off a bit down the stretch.
B: Bryan Baker: Tampa Bay scored 698 runs and allowed 618 in games through September 17. That would give them a record of 84-68 according to the Pythagorean Theorem. But they were 93-59, nine games better. Credit in part goes to their closer Baker, leading the league with 40 saves this season..
C: Pete Crow-Armstrong: When the Cubs suffered through a 10-game losing streak in May, Pete batted just .161 (5-36 AB) in those 10 games. In games through September 17, PCA in 85 Cubs victories: .357/.442/.740. He scored 89 runs in 85 Cubs wins. The NL MVP by a mile. You cannot tell the story of the 2026 season without talking about Pete Crow-Armstrong.
D: Jacob deGrom: On September 10, deGrom started against the Mariners in Seattle. In six innings, he faced just 19 batters, one over the minimum. He struck out 12, gave up one hit, walked none, and didn’t allow a run. He left the game with Texas leading by three runs. The bullpen flushed away the lead and Texas wound up losing the game. The story of deGrom’s career. Jacob is historically significant. He has started 277 games in his career, and three of his top 10 (ranked by Pitchers’ Game Score) have come in 2026.
E: Errors: There’s only been one season EVER with fewer errors per game than 2026. Of course, that would be 2025. No pitcher has made more than four errors this season. In 1969, Jim Kaat won a Gold Glove, despite making eight errors (tied for the MLB lead with Boston’s Ray Culp among pitchers). Gold Gloves were all reputation in those days. In fact, Kaat’s longtime Minnesota teammate, Zoilo Versalles, won a Gold Glove in 1965 despite making 39 errors!
F: Freddie Freeman: Freeman has hit 32 doubles this year and 579 in his career. Is 579 doubles a lot? Well, that’s 90 more than the next-closest active player, Paul Goldschmidt. And when Freddie legs out his 600th, he’ll become only the 19th player with at least 600 doubles. He’s a little more than a season away from passing both Hank Aaron (624) and Barry Bonds (601).
G: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Vlad Jr. hit a home run every 25 at-bats in 2025. He’s hit a home run every 58 at-bats in 2026. He didn’t hit his first home run at home this year until Toronto’s 75th home game. He had gone 84 straight home games without a homer.
H: Bryce Harper: In March, Harper hit a two-run game-tying homer in the 8th inning of the WBC Finals. This season, his wRC+ (139) has been one of the top dozen in the majors. In October, can he lead the Phillies to his first World Series championship?
I: Raisel Iglesias: The Braves have spent all season in first place, and Iglesias is a big part of that.In the last 10 years (2017-2026) only one player (Kenley Jansen) has more saves than Iglesias. He’s 33-for-36 in save chances this year for the Braves. But here’s the thing: over the last five years, he’s saved 130 games for the Braves, but only one in the postseason. That has to change.
J: Aaron Judge: #99 missed 99 days (84 games) this season with a rib injury, but the three-time MVP came back in mid-September with enough time to get his timing back at the plate. Yankees fans will have to hope that the leg tightness isn't a big deal.
K: Steven Kwan: There hasn’t been a hotter hitter in the American League since the start of July. Kwan is batting .350 since July 1, and .351 since the All-Star break. The Guardians have needed every bit of his offense, as José Ramírez has not been the same since returning from his broken left hamate bone.
L: Brandon Lowe: In his first season with Pittsburgh, Lowe has hit a career best 30 homers and has an OPS over .800. The Pirates offense was one of the big stories of the first half of the 2026 season, and Lowe was a big reason why. In the second half, injuries to Oneil Cruz and Ryan O’Hearn have sunk the Bucs but the offense was fun while it lasted.
M: Jacob Misiorowski: Milwaukee has the best record in baseball, and he’s a big reason why. Has any Brewers pitcher ever had a better season than the 24-year-old ace? Sorry, fans of Teddy Higuera. The answer is no. “The Miz” leads the majors in strikeouts (243). He leads the majors in ERA (1.89). He’s striking out more than 13 batters per nine innings! Misiorowski has had 1,053 pitches this season over 100.0 mph. No one else in pitch tracking era (2008-present) has had a season of 1,000 or more.
N: No-Hitters: On May 25,three Astros pitchers Tatsuya Imai (6 IP), Steven Okert (1 IP), and Alimber Santa (2 IP) combined to complete the Astros’ fifth combined no-hitter in franchise history. No one pitcher has completed a no-hitter since Blake Snell did it in August of 2024 for the Giants.
O: Shohei Ohtani: There are two players whose last name starts with “O” with more homers than Ohtani this season: Matt Olson and Kazuma Okamoto. But Ohtani made 14 brilliant starts (1.79 ERA) and his wRC+ of 142 is in the top 10 in the game.
P: Salvador Perez: The 36-year-old put up nearly 600 at-bats this season. And while most of them came as a DH or 1B, he did start 44 games behind the plate. In his 15-year career, he’s caught 1,427 games (1,396 starts) and nearly 12,000 innings.
Q: Quick games: On September 7, in an afternoon game at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies beat the Braves 1-0 in a game that took 1:51 to play. On June 16 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers defeated the Rays 1-0 in a game that took 1:52 to complete. And in early April, the Royals defeated the White Sox in games on April 10 and 11 that lasted in 1:54 and 1:55, respectively. Thank you, pitch clock.
R: Eduardo Rodriguez: The Diamondbacks have won 22 of E-Rod’s first 30 starts. Talk about valuable! He has a 2.62 ERA this season (it was 5.04 and 5.02 in the two previous seasons). This is his best year since 2019.
S: Cam Schlittler: Is he the AL MVP, or just the AL Cy Young? The Yankees won 20 of his 31 starts. The Yankees don’t need a lot of offense when he takes the mound. He has a 1.14 ERA in 16 road starts this season! Since earned runs became official in both leagues in 1913, Schlittler’s 1.14 road ERA is the fourth best (minimum 15 road starts). The top three: Bob Gibson in 1968 (0.81 ERA); Walter Johnson in 1913 (1.06 ERA); and Greg Maddux in 1995 (1.12 ERA).
T: Bruce Turang: What a player! His OPS has gone up in each of his first four seasons. He’s now a 20 HR/20 SB/100 runs/100 RBI player. The Brewers need him to improve his performance in last year’s NLCS vs. the Dodgers, when he went 1-for-15 (.067).
U: Uncle Charlie (curveball): The curveball is heading toward extinction, much like individual no-hitters. Curveballs have only accounted for 6.4% of pitches this season, the second lowest rate since first tracked in 2008 (2024: 6.1%). That’s pure curves, not including slow curves or knuckle-curves. Want to know which pitcher has thrown the most curveballs (including knuckle and slow curves) this year? Philadelphia's Aaron Nola, at 942.
V: Miguel Vargas: The White Sox have been one of the best stories this year, and we could have given the “V” to manager Max Venable. But Vargas’ 31 home runs and stealing 19 bases in 21 attempts makes him the choice. Vargas has a 4.7 WAR this season, up from 1.9 last year.
W: Willson and Wilyer, the heart of the Boston lineup. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu leads the American League with 36 doubles. He also leads the AL in outfield assists with 12. Willson Contreras has an OPS of .905, second in AL to Alvarez, even ahead of Rays slugger Junior Caminero. Remember, Boston was 14 games under .500 as late as June 24. And then the season turned around.
X: Xander Bogaerts: The Padres have played well down the stretch and now appear likely to reach the postseason. And X-Man has contributed, stealing 21 bases in 22 attempts this year. It’s no fluke, either. He stole 20 of 22 last season. In his four seasons with the Padres, he has stolen 73 bases in 81 attempts. That’s efficiency.
Y: Yoshinobu Yamamoto: The Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a 1.98 ERA in 10 starts after the All-Star break. He’s probably the key to the Dodgers’ chances of completing a three-peat. Who can forget what he did last October, when he went 5-1, with a 1.45 ERA in 37.1 postseason innings.
Z: Zack Wheeler: From July 21 through August 24, Wheeler had a stretch of seven starts that saw him give up 26 runs (25 earned) in 31.1 innings (7.18 ERA). He was terrific in the first half and recaptured his form down the stretch. If the Phillies are going to go deep into October, they’ll need Wheeler (and their other two aces) to be at the top of their game.
Editors’ Note: Elliott Kalb - dubbed “Mr. Stats” decades ago by Marv Albert and Bob Costas - is the former Senior Editorial Director at MLB Network and a longtime contributor of research and information to NBC Sports’ telecasts.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 14: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers strikes out in the seventh inning of the game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on June 14, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Zoe Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We recently asked whether Dodgers fans had a preference as to which playoff seed (between top and second) they preferred. Overwhelmingly, the easier path on paper looks to be through the second seed. For most of the year, no one would have questioned this logic. However, as September has unfolded, an interesting wrinkle has become possible, if unlikely, involving both Chicago baseball teams.
At first, I only noticed it with the White Sox, but as the Cubs have dropped five of seven games to the Milwaukee Brewers over the past two weeks, all but conceding the NL Central to the Brewers, who clinched on September 15, a question now must be publicly asked.
What on Earth is happening in Chicago?
We’ll start with the moribund American League, which has looked mediocre, to be generous, for most of the year.
The Pope’s Baseball Team
Interestingly enough, there are scenarios where current American League division leaders Chicago and Houston end up watching the postseason from home if things go sideways over the next two weeks, adding to this essay’s theme of chaos.
While no one in these parts will bang on about the Astros season ending up in the trash can, a White Sox collapse would be a sour ending to what has otherwise been a fun story.
As is well known, the White Sox have been nothing short of a dumpster fire over the previous two seasons, setting the record for losses in the modern era in 2024. It’s said that every team is guaranteed to lose a third of its games and win a third of its games, and it’s the remaining third that tells the story.
If a team can’t even win its “guaranteed” third of games, that’s how you know you’ve sunk into baseball hell. What a time for some divine intervention, no?
The Pope Mural at Rate Field on June 14, 2026
It is still mind-boggling that the current Pontiff is both American and a lifelong White Sox’s fan. The White Sox have clutched on to this unexpected event with gusto, with both a mural of the Pope in Rate Field to commemorate the fact that he went to Game 1 of the 2005 World Series and an official miter giveaway day.
The 2026 White Sox are not what I would call a good team, but the turnaround is remarkable. When I first visited Rate Field, it was a drab and joyless experience, only made memorable by a decent chocolate milkshake.
Rate Field is still bad, but when the locals have something to cheer about, the facility is less drab.
The White Sox are the figurative C-student doing their best in a remedial class where all of their classmates are either going through issues at home (Minnesota), spectacularly underachieving (Kansas City, Detroit), or have skinflint parents (Cleveland). Accordingly, the White Sox have held the division lead since June and currently have the second seed in the American League.
However, the wheels have started to wobble and come off since the All-Star Break. As of the start of play on September 18, the White-Sox are 28-30 since the break, which is middle of the road, and 20-24 since August 1. As we recently covered, the Dodgers and White Sox have generally feasted on sub-500 opponents in 2026. The Dodgers have since rebounded against over-500 opponents, but the White Sox have started to lose to teams that a contending team should beat.
A final three-game series with then-second-place Cleveland just concluded with the White Sox falling out of the division lead for the first time since June. As the White Sox now are looking up at the Guardians, the precipice for flights to Cancun looms because the gaggle of mediocre teams clamoring for the sixth seed is right there, including Toronto, Texas, and, in the distance, Baltimore.
Yes, it would be the most Blue Jays thing ever for them to be basically unwatchable all year, having their fanbase whine that they should have won last year’s World Series, literally not be two games above .500 since the first week of the season, just to sneak into the sixth seed due to the sheer ineptitude of the American League.
Vlad Guerrero, Jr. hit his first home run at Rogers Centre on Game 150, which made the following near-miss from Game 7 even more darkly funny and emblematic.
The only way this scenario could get worse is if the Blue Jays end up in the ALCS, because they somehow waltz over the “happy-to-be-here” second-seed AL Central Winner.
Dodgers/Blue Jays 2: Poutine’d (Again)!, which would hopefully end in five games in Toronto with a third consecutive title, would be the sequel nobody wanted, but everybody in Los Angeles needed.
Yes, the American League has generally been a disappointment in 2026, but that fact should not obscure the renaissance happening in the South Side of Chicago.
Meanwhile, at Wrigley…
I understand losing to the Brewers in the regular season.
It happens, and when the Brewers are right, their brand of baseball makes most teams look slow and silly. Where most, including me, predicted that this year would be the year the Cubs finally won the NL Central, the Cubs were hell-bent on proving everyone wrong through what can be generously described as manic swings in quality of play.
Originally, I saw the Cubs start to wobble, but then over the last week, just about every lower seed but the Padres (really?!?) decided to go ice cold. For a split-second, I thought we might get both Chicago clubs staying home this October.
Now it just looks like potential heartbreak in the Southside and maximum chaos for the Wild Cards in the National League.
As of the start of play on September 18th, there is a 4-game gap between the fourth seed and going to Cancun.
4) Cubs – 85-68, +1 game over the sixth seed, 4-6 over their last ten
5) Phillies – 85-68, +1 game over the sixth seed, 5-5 over their last ten
6) Padres – 84-69, 9-1 over their last ten
7) Diamondbacks – 80-73, 4 games back of the sixth seed, 5-5 over their last ten
This essay started while trying to answer the question “Are the Cubs really going to cough it up?” Now, one must openly wonder whether the matchups we have considered a given for about a month are going to fall by the wayside.
Before anyone in San Diego starts preparing a coronation ceremony for the Padres, it’s helpful to remember who the Padres have played over their few series:
New York Yankees (at home), 2-1
Washington Nationals (at home), sweep
San Francisco Giants (in SF), sweep
Colorado Rockies (in Denver), 3-1
I see one decent test and ten games against opponents any playoff contender should win. (See also, the Seattle Mariners who somehow went 3-9 against the Sacramento Athletics and Anaheim Angels — yikes).
Whether we are witnessing the Cubs or Phillies slowly crashing out, or the Diamondbacks crashing in, will be resolved in the next week and a half.
Even while hoping for maximum chaos, Arizona needs to either find another gear or get some significant help from some mediocre also-rans while navigating the Yankees, Rockies (in Denver), and Padres (in San Diego). Yes, the Padres and Diamondbacks conclude the regular season by playing each other in San Diego.
The Padres play the Dodgers for their final road games of the regular season just before this showdown with Arizona, but that’s just one more element of this unfolding chaos.
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 01: Oswaldo Cabrera #95 of the New York Yankees warms up before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium on July 1, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds made a series of interesting roster moves on Friday prior to the final home series of the season at Great American Ball Park.
Chief among them was claiming the versatile Oswaldo Cabrera off waivers from the New York Yankees, who had designated him for assignment earlier in the week. Now 27, Cabrera is a switch-hitter with experience all over the diamond, though his bat has yet to live up to the 108 OPS+ he posted in a 171 PA first cup of coffee at the big league level back in 2022. Since then, he’s hit just .232/.291/.328 in 778 PA across a trio of seasons, and he entered his arbitration years for the first time in 2026 at a modest $1.2 million salary.
He’s got an option remaining, though, and as a switch-hitter profiles as a pretty great final roster piece with at least a modicum of upside. He’s got an option remaining, too, so it’s likely this is a move the Reds made with eyes on 2027 as much as the final two weeks of this season.
That wasn’t the only action on the roster, however. Julian Aguiar was recalled for the first time since his Tommy John surgery, and he’ll be taking the spot on the roster previously occupied by Julian Garcia. The latter’s season is over as he is going to have surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. Adding Aguiar brings another arm with starting experience (and length), and considering that was done a) on the day Chase Burns is set to start and b) after Brandon Williamson was already used this week, my best guess is we’ll see Aguiar in bulk after Burns exits early at his pitch limit tonight.
Spencer Steer was moved to the 60-day IL to free up the other needed 40-man roster spot.
Mar 30, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers executives Jason Hillman (left), Koby Altman (center) and Brandon Weems (right) watch a game against the Dallas Mavericks in the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers are not done making off season moves. This time the changes are coming in the front office. It was reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday morning that the Cavaliers are promoting Brandon Weems to the role of General Manager under President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are promoting executive Brandon Weems to General Manager under President Koby Altman, sources tell ESPN. Weems has been in the Cavaliers organization for the last decade, rising through scouting and personnel roles before becoming assistant GM in 2022, and…
Weems, who has been with the Cavaliers organization since 2015, has taken the long road to becoming the Cavaliers GM. In the past decade, Weems has held the roles of director of scouting, director of player personnel, and most recently assistant general manager.
With Mike Gansey joining the Philadelphia 76ers this past offseason as their president of basketball operations, there became a vacancy for the Cavaliers GM role. Having served under Gansey, it became a natural transition for Weems as the team would look to continue the trajectory of the franchise and maintain consistency in their approach.
During the offseason there was the narrative that the Cavaliers would use Weems’s pre-existing relationship with LeBron James to lure him back to his third stint to Cleveland. This, as pointed out by Brian Windhorst, is a disservice to the body of work that Weems has put together and his standing within the organization. With LeBron taking his talents to the city of brotherly love, it only has become apparent that Weems’s rise in the organization is based on his own merit and not who he happened to play basketball in high school with.
Weems’s promotion already seems to be making waves across the local fan base.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - MAY 20: Tampa Bay Rays mascot DJ Kitty poses for a photo prior to a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field on May 20, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Three. That’s what the Red Sox care about right now. Both as the Magic Number and the number worn by Ceddanne Rafaela. It’s also Ranger Suarez’s ERA. All of it.
The series with the Texas Rangers went, well, not great. However it ended on mostly a high note. Aside from Willson Contreras begin hit in the hand (initial x-rays negative, not follow up announced, 2026 medical curse perhaps behind us?). One thing lining up for the Red Sox: the Rangers are fighting to get into October. The Rays have clinched. They didn’t clinch the division, but they might be, ever so slightly, less pedal to the metal.
The problem: the bats.
Not the problem: Payton Tolle.
Ranger Suarez is pitching the first game. He hasn’t faced the Rays this year but Boston signed him with big games in mind and his sterling postseason stats (1.48 ERA / 3.02 FIP). Sitting at a Magic Number of 3 a win tonight gets that to 2 minimum. Ian Seymour will try to prevent this. He’s faced the Red Sox twice this season – 3.0 innings, 3 runs and 4.0 innings, 1 run. Since the start of August batters have nearly an .800 OPS against the lefty.
Tolle himself might pitch Saturday, but it hasn’t been announced as of writing. he could also pitch Sunday and sneak in another day of rest. Monday is an off day regardless. The Sox might be waiting to see if the Magic Number is 1 after tonight’s games to decide. Regardless, the rays will send newly repaired Mets castoff Freddy Peralta. He had an ERA of nearly 5.00 in NY and under 4.00 with the Rays. If you toss out his first start with Tampa (7 runs in 3.2 innings) he’s got a 2.66 ERA / 3.78 FIP with 30 Ks in 40.2 innings.
Likewise Sunday is up in the air for Boston. Bello? Sandoval? It might depend on the Magic Number. Griffin Jax continues to covert from relief to starting. After missing a month he got rocked for 6 runs in 2.2 innings in his first start but then tossed 10 innings allowing just a single run over his next two. His first start against Boston was in May where he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) over 4.0 innings. The second was during the sweep in July where he was hit for 7 runs in 5.0 innings. Lets see that again!
Junior Caminero leads the league with 41 homers.
Chandler Simpson is tied for the batting title at .311. He is also leading ins steals (44) and caught stealing (14).
Catcher Liam Hicks has hit .297/.390/.465 since being acquired from the Marlins. What a steal.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday, September 18: Ranger Suarez (3.33 ERA / 3.08 FIP) vs. Ian Seymour (4.27 ERA / 4.02 FIP)
Saturday, September 19: TBD (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Freddy Peralta (4.67 ERA / 4.39 FIP)
Sunday, September 20: TBD (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Griffin Jax (3.80 ERA / 3.86FIP)
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The Mets’ final homestand of the 2026 season continues tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies.
At 7:15 p.m., the second game of the Mets-Phillies weekend series will air live tonight, Friday, Sept. 18, on Apple TV’s Friday Night Baseball.
Game 1 of the three-game set went to Don Mattingly’s playoff-bound club. Starting pitcher Aaron Nola twirled seven shutout innings, only giving up three hits over 81 pitches. Offensively, Bryce Harper led the way for the Phils. His 3-for-4 night at the plate and RBI was enough for the squad to prevail and win 3-0.
Over the course of the ’26 regular season, the Mets and Phillies have met nine times; Philadelphia has taken five of those contests. New York’s last win was on July 19 when Nolan McLean tossed six no-run innings and Francisco Lindor homered, doubled, singled, walked twice and drove in a trio of runs.
Tonight’s Friday Night Baseball is exclusively streaming on Apple TV, but it’s easy to subscribe and tune in — and completely free if you’ve never tried Apple TV before.
Mets vs. Phillies start time today (Sept. 18)
Tonight’s Mets vs. Phillies game is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. ET.
How to watch Mets vs. Phillies for free
Tonight’s Mets vs. Phillies game is airing exclusively on Apple TV‘s Friday Night Baseball, so you’ll need a subscription to watch the game.
Apple TV offers a seven-day free trial for users, so you’ll be able to watch two weeks of doubleheaders before the $14.99/month payments kick in.
TRY APPLE TV FOR FREE
Amazon Prime members can also subscribe to Apple TV directly through Prime Video. It costs the same monthly price and also includes a seven-day free trial, but allows you to stream Apple’s content inside the Prime Video app.
Mets vs. Phillies pitching matchup
José Urquidy (2-2, 5.28 ERA) starts for the Phillies. Zac Thornton (4-5, 3.44 ERA) will be on the mound for the Mets.
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
With a new Vancouver Canucks season coming soon, it is time for the prospects to show off the skills they developed in the off-season. While these players are most likely headed to the AHL, it shouldn't be long before they make their way to the NHL. Here is a list of AHL-bound prospects to watch during the 2026-27 season.
Braeden Cootes
Braeden Cootes impressed the organization last season, becoming the first 18-year-old to play for the Canucks on opening night since 1990. As the 15th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Cootes came on strong. With a pre-season goal against the Seattle Kraken, Cootes made his mark early on. After a few pointless games, he was sent back to the WHL to keep working on his craft.
A year later, Cootes has the chance to remind the organization why they selected him for the opening-night roster in 2025. The chance to play for the Abbotsford Canucks can provide more professional minutes and better insight into what is expected of a top-calibre prospect. Ultimately, Cootes could be set for an impressive campaign.
Ty Mueller
Ty Mueller is another young player looking to break into the NHL. He made his NHL debut against the Minnesota Wild in 2025. During the game, he played over 10 minutes and recorded a shot on goal.
Apr 14, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Ty Mueller (39) skates in warm up prior to a game against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
With so many injuries in Vancouver last season, Mueller was called up for six regular-season games. With a pass from former teammate Curtis Douglas, Mueller got his first NHL goal on April 16 against the Edmonton Oilers. He ranked third in goals for Abbotsford, with a career-high 16 goals. If Mueller keeps this momentum, he could become an important call-up for the Canucks and possibly a regular for the 2026-27 season.
Kirill Kudryavtsev
Kirill Kudryavtsev has now established himself as a solid defenseman with the AHL Canucks. With 20 points in 44 games last season, the young defender is beginning to feel at ease on the ice. He suited up for Vancouver three times in 2025-26 and recorded his first two career assists.
During his call-up, Kudryavtsev looked confident on the blue line. He must keep delivering smooth passes to his teammates, poke-checking to win the puck back, and closing lanes to force opponents into mistakes. Kudryavtsev has the skills to impress the organization, making him an excellent choice for the Canucks to call up throughout the campaign.
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Los Angeles, CA - September 05: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow (31) walks back to the dugout after being taken out of the game during the seventh inning of an baseball game between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The NL West crown has been secured, but the regular season grind carries on, with the next checkmark being a playoff bye, and if the Brewers stumble, maybe even the NL’s top record: the Dodgers open a series against the Giants, with the former looking like a near formality, four up on Atlanta with nine to go and threatening a Brewers team that’s only two games ahead after losing to the Pirates yesterday.
One might argue that more than specific and still important team accomplishments that the Dodgers may have between now and the end of the regular season, the key is to see individual players nearing their best form. For the purposes of this Friday game against the Giants, we’ll focus on Kyle Tucker and Tyler Glasnow, who fit the bill to a T of what we’re trying to discuss here.
Through his last eight games, Tucker isn’t just showing signs of life; he has been this team’s best hitter, securing 12 hits in just 29 at-bats and leaving the yard four times: the most home runs he has hit in such a short sample in the entire season. Outstanding during the road trip, Tucker has a chance to carry some momentum into the playoffs. At the same time, it’d be quite flat to see him reverse back into the hitter we’ve seen from most of the year as the team returns to Dodger Stadium, a place in which he carries a .572 OPS in 2026.
On the mound, it’ll be Tyler Glasnow, who, after returning from the IL with pristine control, walking just one batter in the first two starts back, has now walked seven in the last two, allowing a combined eight runs. Glasnow will be matched up against the offense with the lowest walk rate in baseball, the Giants at 7.5% BB%.
Tucker and Glasnow would be treated as the star players on most teams, but playing for the Dodgers, they serve slightly different roles even if the expectation for outstanding production is one and the same. Can Glasnow overcome his recent struggles while Tucker carries on in improved form? Standing in their way is the San Francisco Giants, a last-place club in everything but name, sitting in fourth place in the West with the second-worst record in the National League.
Suns head coach Jordan Ott high-fives guard Jordan Goodwin (23) during a game at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on Feb. 5, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
How do you define an X-factor? When you look up and down a roster, what skills or characteristics are you searching for in a player before giving them that designation? As we prepare for the 2026–27 Phoenix Suns season, our writing staff decided to take on that question. What makes someone an X-factor? And who will fill that role for the Suns this season?
I’ll start with my own definition. Pulling out my personal basketball dictionary, an X-factor isn’t one of your primary stars. Yes, your season may ultimately sink or swim based on how those players perform, but that doesn’t make them X-factors. That makes them primary factors. An X-factor, at least in my mind, is a role player who has the ability to significantly alter the outcome of a game or even the direction of a season. They are the needle movers; those opposing teams don’t gameplan against but wish they did. And when you look at this Suns roster, there are plenty of candidates.
Last year, in my opinion, it was Collin Gillespie. He took a real step forward as a player, and while he faded down the stretch, what he gave Phoenix through the first two-thirds of the season changed the energy, effort, and outcomes of games on a consistent basis. He was given the opportunity to become an X-factor, and for most of the season, he ran with it. When opposing fanbases are asking who you are, you did the right thing.
So when I look up and down this roster and ask who can be this year’s X-factor, and certainly no opposing fan doesn’t know who he is (for unfortunate reasons), I keep coming back to Miles Bridges. I think what he brings has the potential to change the Suns’ entire offensive ecosystem. You can also make the argument that he sits just outside the primary core, with Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks representing the main trio. Our recent SunsRank rankings reflected that as well, with Bridges landing outside that group. So, yes, Miles Bridges absolutely qualifies as an X-factor.
Bridges adds another layer of complexity, gravity, and pressure to the offense. He can attack downhill, create advantages, and force defenses to account for him in ways that should open the floor for everyone else. And if he can turn that into 18 or more points per game while remaining an efficient threat, it raises the ceiling of what this offense can become. Because if Bridges plays well enough that defenses have to treat him like a legitimate scoring threat, it creates more room for your primary factors. That means better opportunities for Devin Booker. Better opportunities for Jalen Green. And potentially a much more dynamic Suns offense.
Phoenix doesn’t need him to be its best player. It needs him to make life easier for the players who are. If his downhill pressure, physicality, and scoring force defenses to give him additional attention, the ripple effect could touch everything around him. Booker and Green get cleaner opportunities. The offense gains another dimension. And Miles Bridges becomes exactly what an X-factor should be, the variable that changes the equation.
Now, onto the rest of our Bright Side writing team. Let’s see how they define the term and who they’ve identified as their X-factors for the season.
Holden Sherman: An X-factor is the player who has the largest impact on driving your team’s wins and losses. Typically, that is your squad’s best player, but not always. Take the KD Warriors as an example. Steph Curry was the player who drove the most winning but Durant was the best.
For the Phoenix Suns, however, the team’s X-factor also happens to be their best player, which is Devin Booker. Turning 30 at the start of the season, he’s in the middle of his prime, and if he plays closer to the player we saw in 2023 than the one we’ve seen the past few seasons, the Suns could potentially be a top-six seed in an uncertain Western Conference. Along with staying healthy after not qualifying for All-NBA awards this past season, he needs to be an offensive engine not just for himself but for the team. While the roster has a good amount of continuity from a season ago, there will at minimum be two new starters from a season ago to begin the year, with Miles Bridges at the four and whoever replaces Mark Williams while he deals with his shoulder injury.
Booker needs to be the team’s leader off the court, find his own offense, especially late in games, put Dillon Brooks in a position to build off his offensive career year, allow Jalen Green to fully acclimate himself after an injury-packed first season on the Suns, and work in the team’s new starters around him, Green and Brooks
Brandon Duenas: The X-Factor term has so many different meanings. To me, it is someone who doesn’t jump off the page as a headliner. They are not the person you go to an arena to watch play. It is not Devin Booker (sorry Holden). It’s not even Dillon Brooks anymore.
It’s the player who can not only swing a game, but it’s the player who does the little things throughout. It’s the player who doesn’t get the recognition they deserve. It’s the player that mimics the phrase “you don’t know what you got til it’s gone.” To me, that is Jordan Goodwin.
We all saw what happened to the Suns’ perimeter defense without him against OKC. He is indispensable. He is the heart and soul of this team, and when he’s on offensively, very few can impact the game on both ends as he does. The silent assassin. When he goes, boy are the Suns tough to beat.
Bruce Veliz: An X-Factor for me is someone who will truly change or help shape a better season for this team. Last year, the X-Factor made that clear when he got here and shook up the culture and stepped up to the plate when injuries came to play. That is someone I am looking for this year to really help change the narrative once again on what people expect for this team, and the X-Factor to me is the person who changes that trajectory.
That’s why this year for me the X-Factor has to be Khaman Maluach, and even more so, I think now with the recent injury to Mark Williams. Maluach has to step out and really show some signs of progress after his rookie year, where he didn’t get as much of an opportunity as people may have expected/wanted. Now, after a solid summer league and being a lottery pick, the eyes are all on him to truly help this team make it to the next level, even if it’s not immediate. He will be the true catalyst in a lot of discussions surrounding this team, regardless of whether he does or doesn’t pan out.
If he can pan out, he’s that center the Suns have been wanting since the Ayton draft pick and someone who can truly be that dominant big man to Booker’s game, bringing a solid 1-2 punch. If he can reach that, not only does the future look bright for Phoenix, but the KD trade looks even better in hindsight for the team’s direction it pivoted to.
Kevin Humphries: An X-factor to me is a role player, often unproven, that will swing games for the Suns in their favor consistently. Last season, Oso Ighodaro was the ultimate X-factor to me because he was not a star player but arguably starred in his role better than anyone else on the team. He was one of the Suns’ top 5 players last season and won many games for Phoenix.
While I want to go with Ighodaro again, I believe Collin Gillespie is this year’s X-factor for Phoenix. Gillespie started 58 games last season and logged heavy minutes throughout the season, often playing through visible discomfort. In 2025-26, he had the 7th-most made threes in the NBA and was 10th in attempts. He shot a blistering 40.1% from long distance. He also averaged 4.6 assists, which was second on the team.
He will most likely start this season on the bench, but will be the first player off it and will start games when any non-center is injured. He will be the head of the snake for the bench this season, which will once again swing games. The Suns could have the best bench unit in the NBA because of Gillespie, and he could easily earn 6th Man of the Year award votes at season’s end. The big question for Gillespie is whether he can repeat his level of shooting and playmaking again this season. And if he maintains or improves his play this season, there is a case for him to start over Jalen Green to balance out the rotation for Jordan Ott. If that happens, it could force the front office’s hand to move on from Green because Gillespie is the better player.
Tom Mildenberger: X-factor means to me someone who, if they do well or play poorly, can affect the Suns’ win totals. My X-factor is Jordan Ott.
There were a lot of things to love about Ott’s first season in terms of buy-in and culture. He was not able to scheme even a game in the postseason where Devin Booker was free to be the number one scoring option. In his second year, he needs to be more intentional about which players he wants taking shots.
Mark Bowser: I am framing an X-factor as someone who is less predictable, and could also sway the season with a high-end outcome. I considered Man Man because of the extended time on the court he’s likely to get. I understand Booker, but I feel like we mostly know what we’re getting with him.
While not probable, let me submit that a best-case Jalen Green playing a high fraction of the 82 games, being a better distributor (not saying CP3 or KJ here), quicker ball movement, and improving three-point accuracy with improved chemistry year two in the system would easily be our #2 player and a likely All-Star. It would have positive ripple effects on other players, including Book. While also not likely, another injury-plagued season and reduced efficiency, potentially even pouting if there are fewer shots for him with the Bridges addition, could weigh down the team’s hopes. High variance player and our 2026-27 X-factor.
What did members of our community say?
There’s probably no single right way to define an X-factor, and that’s what makes the conversation interesting. It can be the role player who swings a game, the player whose absence exposes a weakness, the guy who takes a leap, or even the coach responsible for putting everyone in the right position. For the Suns, there are plenty of candidates, and everyone has a different reason for putting their name on the list.
So now we want to hear from you. How do you define an X-factor, and who is your X-factor for the 2026–27 Phoenix Suns? Is it one of the names mentioned above, or is there someone we overlooked? Let us know in the comments.
Welcome to the California Post’s weekly Dodgers recap, where we review the week that was, hand out very official awards and take stock of the state of the season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kyle Tucker (12-for-29 since Sept. 9; triple shy of the cycle on Thursday)
Off the bat, it appeared history was afoot.
Already on Thursday afternoon, Kyle Tucker had kicked his slow late-season turnaround into a suddenly more hopeful gear, hitting a two-run home run in the first, an RBI double in the second and a single that aided a three-run rally in the fourth.
Now, standing at the plate just a triple shy of the cycle in the eighth, he laced a line drive that made the feat feel possible.
Kyle Tucker of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a home run during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Getty ImagesLos Angeles Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, in Cincinnati. AP Photo/Tanner Pearson
With yet another squared-up swing, the $240 million slugger shot a ball into the left-center field gap. As two Reds outfielders converged on it, the entire Dodgers dugout rose in anticipation.
Alas, the 11th cycle in Dodgers history would have to wait.
The Reds turned a clean relay play. Tucker wisely — although, somewhat disappointingly, given the lopsided score — pulled up at second. And on the bench, all his teammates could do was razz him by mimicking send signs with their arms helplessly waving.
“I tried my best, but I don’t think I was gonna get there,” he told SportsNet LA afterward. “I probably would’ve been thrown out halfway.”
Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates a home run during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Getty Images
Well, in his last eight games, Tucker has batted .414 with seven extra-base knocks, 10 RBIs and more walks (five) than strikeouts (four).
He has hit five home runs in his last 13 games, after collecting just 11 in his first 132 games this year.
It is the version of Tucker that the Dodgers will need in the playoffs, especially with fellow left-handed bats like Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman battling ongoing injuries.
After a season that once seemed so lost, signs of revival have arrived just in time.
PITCHERS OF THE WEEK
Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (seven scoreless innings from each)
We are going with a tandem honor this week, from a pair of pitchers who will likely have the biggest influence on the Dodgers’ World Series chances.
Then again, if Skubal and Yamamoto keep pitching like they did this week — when they spun consecutive scoreless seven-inning outings in Cincinnati — those other question marks might not feel so daunting.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal celebrates in the locker room after clinching the playoffs during a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, in Cincinnati. AP Photo/Tanner PearsonLos Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrates with teammates after a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. The Dodgers clinched the National League West title. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Both pitchers have sterling postseason track records: Yamamoto with a 7-1 record and 2.25 ERA in 10 playoff outings (including last year’s World Series heroics) and Skubal with a 2-1 record and 2.04 ERA in six October appearances of his own (all with the Tigers the last two years).
Either could anchor a pitching staff on their own capable of making a run to the Fall Classic.
Together, they give the Dodgers arguably the best 1-2 punch in the majors. This week, they delivered the club’s first pair of back-to-back scoreless seven-inning outings since 2022 when Tyler Anderson and Clayton Kershaw did it.
Granted, dominating the Reds in mid-September is not the same as producing gems in the playoffs.
But with so many other concerns mounting at the moment, Skubal and Yamamoto at least represent a pillar of potential pitching excellence to lean on, one that could compensate for other shortcomings in the Dodgers’ three-peat bid.
PROSPECT OF THE WEEK
The entire Dodgers’ minor-league system
The Dodgers’ big-league club hasn’t been the only one popping bottles in beer-soaked clubhouse celebrations recently.
This year, all four of the organization’s minor-league affiliates also clinched places in their respective playoffs, with Triple-A Oklahoma City completing the quad-fecta by winning the second-half title in the Pacific Coast League on Wednesday.
It marks the first time the Dodgers have had four affiliates make the playoffs since 2019 (and that year included their now-defunct rookie-ball outpost in Ogden, Utah).
“I know people don’t care about minor-league win percentages, but we kind of do,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes told the California Post earlier this season. “I think it’s a good proxy of how well your farm system is performing and how to understand what it takes to win.”
Three of the club’s affiliates have already been eliminated, with Double-A Tulsa, High-A Great Lakes and Single-A Ontario all losing in their division championship series.
OKC, meanwhile, will begin its postseason push next week in the best-of-three PCL Championship Series against the Athletics’ Las Vegas affiliate. If they win that, they will remain in Vegas for the Triple-A National Championship Game against the winner of the International League.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Who should Dodgers hope to see in the first round of the playoffs?
With the NL West crown secured, the Dodgers still have work to do over the season’s final nine games.
Given their injury problems, they’ve never needed a first-round bye so badly.
The good news: They remain four games up on the Braves for the NL’s No. 2 seed, with their magic number down to six for securing passage straight to the NL Division Series.
And though they remain two games back of the Brewers for the best record in the majors — and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs — conventional wisdom in recent weeks has suggested that the playoff through the postseason might be better from the 2-seed anyway.
Now, however, the NL playoff field is getting muddied, with the red-hot Padres sitting just one game back of the Cubs and Phillies.
So, who should Dodgers fans root to see in a potential first-round matchup? Well, it depends on what kind of matchup you think suits the Dodgers best.
San Diego Padres’ Trent Grisham (2) celebrates with teammate Manny Machado after hitting a home run during the fourth inning in Game 3 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in San Diego. AP
The Cubs and Phillies had seemed like tougher draws than the Braves or Padres, thanks to Chicago’s deep and homer-happy lineup and the Phillies’ powerhouse starting rotation trio.
But this week, Philadelphia lost one of its star pitchers, Jesús Luzardo, to a shoulder injury that has put his playoff availability in doubt. The Cubs, meanwhile, have seen their offense cool off and still face questions with an unimposing starting rotation.
The Braves have their own flaws (they’ve been a middle-of-the-pack offense since the All-Star break) but still boast Chris Sale at the top of their rotation.
It will all make for a fascinating final few days of scoreboard watching, with a slew of new postseason permutations now on the table.
The Dodgers, of course, won’t be overly worried about who they might square off against. Their focus is on continuing to play a better brand of all-around baseball — and making sure they avoid the best-of-three wild-card round.
PHOENIX – Oswaldo Cabrera’s Yankees tenure is officially over.
The beloved utilityman was claimed off waivers by the Reds on Friday, two days after the Yankees designated him for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Clarke Schmidt.
Aaron Boone was among those holding out some hope that the Yankees could keep Cabrera, if he went unclaimed, but it was not a surprise that another team scooped up the 27-year-old who has another minor league option remaining for next year and was batting .288 with a .790 OPS in 122 games at Triple-A this season.
Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera #95, during a spring training workout at Steinbrenner Field. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Cabrera, who had been the second-longest tenured player in the organization behind only Aaron Judge, played 305 games for the Yankees since his debut in 2002, batting .232 with a .635 OPS.
He started games at third base, second base, first base, shortstop, right field and left field, while also appearing in center field and at pitcher.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge celebrates with Oswaldo Cabrera after a win. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
Known for his bubbly personality and uplifting energy, Cabrera’s Yankees career was derailed in part by a broken ankle and ligament damage that he suffered on a gruesome slide home in a game in Seattle last season.
The scene left his teammates gutted, and while he was putting smiles on their faces later that night when they went to visit him at the hospital, the serious injury sidelined Cabrera for the rest of 2025 before he made his comeback this season.
Jared Young’s season is over. His head hurts. His short-term memory is an issue and at last check, according to interim manager Andy Green, he was heading to another doctor’s appointment after spending most of Thursday night in the hospital.
It does not sound pleasant. It also is “as good as could be expected or hoped for given what we saw last night,” Green said Friday, when the Mets and their first baseman could breathe a bit easier.
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After a frightening collision Thursday on which he lost consciousness and lay unmoving, Young has full motion of his limbs and is walking, Green said, and is dealing with the effects of a concussion.
The CT scan and all the non-neurological results “were what we wanted,” Green added, a real relief after Young had to be stretchered off the field following a play on which he tried to stretch for a ball at first base and Nolan McLean, attempting to jump over him, incidentally kneed him in the head.
“There is some short-term memory loss from how hard he got hit [Thursday], kind of remembering what happened on the field,” Green said before the Mets hosted the Phillies at Citi Field. “And he’s got a pretty bad headache, which would be anticipated as well.
New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean (26) collides with New York Mets first baseman Jared Young (29) while trying to field a ball during the sixth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Thursday, September 17, 2026, at Citi Field. Jason Szenes for New York Post
“More tests over the next few days to really understand all that he is dealing with. But everything we have heard has been really optimistic from a recovery standpoint and getting-back-on-the-field-eventually standpoint.
“Relieved, I think everyone is.”
Young is a popular figure in the Mets’ clubhouse, sticking in the major leagues for the first time in his career at age 31. Young was drafted back in 2017, only got a 22-game taste of MLB in 2022-23 with the Cubs and then spent 2024 playing in South Korea.
He returned stateside last year with a split contract with the Mets, did not receive much of a chance in 2025 and ran with opportunity this year, when he could not fill Pete Alonso’s shoes but easily did the best among the first basemen the club tried.
“You definitely see the joy and appreciation he has for being here,” Bo Bichette said of Young, who finishes his season with a .759 OPS, nine home runs and 39 RBIs in 103 games, with the bulk of his damage caused against right-handed pitching. “He’s ready for any situation that he’s ever put in with a smile on his face. He is happy for everybody’s success always.”
Green’s time with Young stretches back to Chicago, when Young was a prospect trying to establish himself and Green was the major league bench coach.
New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean (26) collides with New York Mets first baseman Jared Young (29), knocking him out, during the sixth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Thursday, September 17, 2026, at Citi Field. Jason Szenes for New York Post
In 2022, the Cubs called up Young for his debut in mid-September and then optioned him again on Sept. 27. The Triple-A season ended Sept. 28. Young was told he could go home.
“This guy likes to play so much,” Green recounted. “He said, ‘Can I drive to Iowa and play?’ ”
And so he drove to the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate for one game that he made memorable, drilling a walk-off home run to beat the Toledo Mud Hens.
“It’s just indicative of the type of person he is, how much he loves being on the baseball field,” Green said. “He’s loved in that clubhouse. And he was loved in the Triple-A clubhouse — any place he is, he’s thought really highly of.”
In officially moving Young to the seven-day concussion list and calling up Ronny Mauricio, the Mets lost a player and person who has a reputation as gamer who is always happy to be where he is.
But they believe they have only lost him for the season.
“I’ve never seen the guy upset about anything,” said A.J. Ewing, a locker-mate of Young. “He’s always coming in, he has a smile on his face, and I feel like it spreads on other people, for sure.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 11: TJ Rumfield #7 of the Colorado Rockies bats during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on July 11, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BRONX, N.Y. — From the time he was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the New York Yankees in November 2021, T.J. Rumfield dreamed of playing in Yankee Stadium. That dream became a reality last week.
However, it didn’t come in Yankees pinstripes. Rather, it was in Colorado Rockies purple and black.
“It’s a dream come true, to be honest with you,” Rumfield said prior to the Rockies’ three-game series against the Yankees on Sept. 8. “Any time you’re in Yankee Stadium, it’s just hallowed ground. Just kind of walking around, it’s kind of surreal, taking it all in. This is the big leagues to me, this is the show. It would just be nice to come up here and play some good games.”
The 26-year-old lefthanded first baseman was dealt in January by the Yankees to the Rockies for pitcher Angel Chivilli. The trade has been a win for Colorado. While Chivilli has spent a good portion of the season on the injured list, Rumfield is a candidate for National League Rookie of the Year. He ranks seventh in Major League Baseball (fifth in the NL) in batting with a .300 average. He has 155 hits in 146 games, including 29 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs and 69 RBIs. He is second in the NL (third in MLB) in on-base percentage at .392. Defensively, he leads the team and is tied for second among all first basemen with 10 defensive runs saved.
“He’s the man. He’s so good,” said Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy, who himself is having a career season. “It’s insane that this is his first year in the big leagues. I feel like he’s so calm and collected, he’s obviously got a great eye. It just seems like the game is in slow motion for him. It’s been super fun to watch.”
Twice, in May and June, Rumfield was named NL Rookie of the Month. Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer believes Rumfield should be NL Rookie of the Year.
“Just look at the numbers,” Schaeffer said. “He’s been so great this year offensively, defensively as well. This is a both sides of the ball game and he’s done a great job from both sides.
“He’s handled the pressure in his first year exceptionally well. Every game, he plays with so much confidence. T.J.‘s a kid who can handle anything.”
Rumfield has been having fun this season and is honored to just be mentioned and considered for an award like NL Rookie of the Year. “It just makes me grateful for all the people I had coming up that helped me, especially in the Yankees organization,” he said. “They developed me into the player I am today. I’ve been able to run with this opportunity now because of the preparation and the things I’ve done before this.”
His father Toby was drafted in 1991 by the Cincinnati Reds and played 1,204 games in the minors over 12 seasons, including four at Triple-A.
Originally selected by the Phillies in the 12th round of the 2021 Draft, Rumfield was dealt with left-handed pitcher Joel Valdez to the Yankees for right-handed pitcher Nick Nelson and catcher Donny Sands. He worked his way up through the Yankees organization: High-A Hudson Valley in 2022; Double-A Somerset in 2023, where he earned a Rawlings MiLB Gold Glove; and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2024 and 2025.
In two seasons with the RailRiders, he batted .288 in 252 games (265-for-920) with 57 doubles, one triple, 31 home runs, 158 RBIs, 157 runs and 113 walks.
“Scranton was so much fun. Playing for (manager) Shelley (Duncan) and playing for that city, I feel like it was just a blessing,” Rumfield said. “To be able to even have the opportunity to play with the Yankees in Triple-A and to play every single day, not every young guy gets that opportunity. To be able to do that and then eventually catch the eye of somebody from another organization is kind of what you dream about. And then to be able to be in the big leagues now is awesome.”
McCarthy is a Scranton native, so he and Rumfield have been able to bond over that.
“He’ll be like, ‘I used to live by this grocery store,’ and I’m like, yeah, I know that (place),” McCarthy said. “It’s funny. I just feel like Scranton kind of takes on a new meaning when you tell someone you’re from there in professional baseball. I feel like at some point, someone’s probably made a pit stop there whether they played or came as a visitor.”
Unfortunately, with the Yankees already having a lefthanded-hitting first baseman with power in Ben Rice, Rumfield was expendable and traded for Chivilli. He was a nonroster invitee to Rockies spring training and wound up earning a spot on the team.
“I think everybody within the Yankees organization was happy for me,” Rumfield said. “I don’t know if they were sad to see me go or anything. But they were definitely excited for me and the opportunity and I’ve just ran with it from spring training on, just trying to make the team out of camo and I did. I just didn’t look back from there.”
Colorado has one of the worst records in the major leagues. But with Rumfield and other young players like Cole Carrigg and Zac Veen complementing veterans like McCarthy and Hunter Goodman, the future looks promising for the Rockies.
Somewhere along the way, the Dodgers did the impossible: They met the requirements to become the sports franchise Los Angeles demanded.
Appreciating what this means requires an understanding of how Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant transformed this city in the early 2000s,
With O’Neal and Bryant as their stars, the Lakers didn’t just win championships.
They were unbeatable.
This image was reinforced by the play of O’Neal, a 7-foot-1, 325-pound freak of nature who literally couldn’t be stopped.
By the time the Lakers completed their three-peat in 2002, championships were no longer something Los Angeles hoped for.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs to first base after hitting a single in the third inning of an MLB game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Los Angeles, Friday, August 21, 2026. CHRIS TORRES/EPA/Shutterstock
They became something the city expected.
This is the standard used to measure teams with aspirations of becoming a cultural touchstone in this congested market. With plenty of other entertainment options, casual fans won’t invest too much of their time and money in a team unless they believe it will create the kind of citywide pride O’Neal’s Lakers once did.
The Lakers haven’t been that team for some time. The Rams are producing a worthy on-field product, but they remain in the process of winning back fans they lost over the two decades they spent in St. Louis.
“What’s funny is Los Angeles has always been looked at, as far as sports, (as) a Laker town,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think we might have the market share right now in Los Angeles. It’s great. I think we draw more fans than anyone in the world, obviously, with the home dates we have. But it’s 40,000, 50,000 every night. We travel well. I do think the guys see it. They feed off it.”
The Dodgers managed to do this despite playing a sport that is particularly hard to dominate. The Lakers could dump the ball into O’Neal 30 times a game. The Dodgers have employed a number of Hall of Famers over the years, but as great as Shohei Ohtani is, he can only hit four times a game, maybe five.
The Dodgers have become a different kind of juggernaut.
With substantial investment from their owners, they have built some of the deepest rosters in baseball history. In its first season operating the team, Guggenheim Baseball Management signed All-Star outfielder Andre Ethier to an $85 million extension, picked up a then-unknown Yasiel Puig for $42 million, traded for All-Star infielder Hanley Ramirez and assumed more than $260 million in contract obligations in a blockbuster trade for Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett.
Season after season, the Dodgers fielded one of the most expensive teams in the major leagues — if not the most expensive team.
Which is why at some point in each of the last 14 seasons, the Dodgers were considered favorites to win the World Series.
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) throws to first to get Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart out in the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
They are well into their second decade as baseball’s model franchise — or, depending on the perspective, Evil Empire. The last time they didn’t reach the playoffs, the world was a completely different place. LeBron James had just won his first NBA championship. “Gangnam Style” was a global phenomenon. The recreational use of marijuana was still outlawed in every jurisdiction of the United States.
There’s an entire generation of fans who don’t know what it’s like for the Dodgers to not be legitimate contenders.
Consistency by itself didn’t turn the Dodgers into the Dodgers of today. Actually winning championships was important, of course, and doing that required them to adjust how they built their rosters.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman used to operate as if the playoffs were a crapshoot. The organization’s focus was on the regular season, on just reaching the postseason. Because depth is required to survive a 162-game schedule, quantity was emphasized over quality.
The approach didn’t produce any championships. The Dodgers reached the World Series twice in their first eight seasons under Guggenheim ownership but lost both times.
General manager Andrew Friedman of the Los Angeles Dodgers answers questions from the media during a news conference at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. The news conference was held to introduce Mookie Betts and David Price. Getty Images
The failures prompted them to pursue real difference-makers.
Mookie Betts, who was the catalyst of the championship team in 2020. Freddie Freeman, the home run hero of the 2024 World Series. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Most Valuable Player of the 2025 World Series. And, of course, Ohtani, the franchise’s most transformative player since Fernando Valenzuela, or maybe even Jackie Robinson.
The Dodgers have won three of the last six World Series.
Even with Ohtani dealing with right arm and left knee injuries, they will open the postseason as the odds-on favorites to win their third consecutive championship.
As fragmented as Los Angeles can be, most of the city can get behind that.
