Major League Baseball

Covered by Will Thompson

‼️Trevor Rogers, LHP BAL (MLB)

Game Two: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Despite really struggling in Triple-A this season prior to this opportunity, Rogers threw a really nice ballgame in this one. I still don’t think his stuff looked very good, but he pounded the strike zone and kept Red Sox hitters off-balance. Given how brutal Baltimore’s rotation has been, maybe Rogers earned himself another spot start chance down the line. 

‼️Lucas Giolito, RHP BOS (MLB)

Game Two: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Giolito continued to follow the exact pattern of great start, implosion, great start, implosion, and had this great start yesterday. The fastball isn’t what it used to be, but the changeup is still pretty good and whenever he can land the slider he becomes much more effective. The righty is still getting up to speed after missing an entire year, but hopefully he can establish some more consistency and break the pattern next time out. 

🆕Marcelo Mayer, 3B BOS (MLB)

Game Two: 0-for-4, 3 K

Alright so it wasn’t the debut that Red Sox fans were hoping for in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Mayer didn’t take the bat off his shoulder in his first at bat and struggled to lay off the slider out of the zone against Trevor Rogers. Some bumps should be expected like with any rookie and expecting Mayer to quickly fill Alex Bregman’s shoes is very unrealistic.  

‼️Zebby Matthews, RHP MIN (MLB)

4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Now THIS is more like it from Zebby Matthews. The righty had a rough first start but dazzled in this one, generating 14 whiffs in just four innings. The slider and cutter accounted for nine of those whiffs and the fastball got up to 98. It won’t always be consistent, but Zebby’s stuff is phenomenal and frontline starter level if he can put it all together. 

‼️Matthew Liberatore, LHP STL (MLB)

7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR allowed

Liberatore has been brilliant so far this season and that continued with a great start against a dangerous Diamondbacks lineup. He’s not going to miss many bats, but rarely walks anyone and throws the kitchen sink at you. The stuff is better than a normal crafty lefty type in the big leagues and should play, even if the strikeouts are low. Liberatore now has a 2.73 ERA to go with a 2.52 FIP and 3.37 xFIP. 

‼️Jake Irvin, RHP WAS (MLB)

8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Irvin turned in the best start of his career yesterday, tossing eight shutout innings while punching out seven. It’s a great performance, but I’m not super high on Irvin long term. His velocity is down nearly two ticks from last year, doesn’t miss many bats and has always struggled giving up the home run ball. This was an excellent start and he’s had a strong beginning to the season, but some regression is coming. 

Matt Shaw, 3B CHC (MLB)

3-for-4, 2 2B

Shaw looks like a totally different player since cutting his leg kick down and his hot streak in Triple-A has carried right into big league action. Since being called up again, Shaw is 8-for-20 with five doubles and just one strikeout. Combine this with an insane throw he made at third base yesterday, when he fired a strike across the diamond while literally falling down onto his backside. I’m buying into Shaw’s breakout and hopefully he’s the third baseman for the long haul in Chicago. 

🍔🍟Elly De La Cruz, SS CIN (MLB)

2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB, K, SB

Man Elly shows flashes of being a superstar, like this game where he put up a combo meal and homered in the first inning to lead the Reds to a win over the Cubs. It just hasn’t been consistent enough so far this season. The main problem has been his ground ball rate. It has soared to 58% in the early going (up from 46% last season) and his average launch angle has been cut in half while still keeping the same high K rate. Hopefully he can get going soon, when he’s on there’s no more exciting player in the game. 

Josh Hader, LHP HOU (MLB)

1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, SV

Hader had a down year in 2024 by his standards, but he has fully regained prime Josh Hader form. In particular, his walk rate is the lowest of his career and the unsustainable home run problems he had have come back down to earth. The contract the Astros gave him is still crazy, but he’s back to being one of the best closers in the game. 

Drake Baldwin, C ATL (MLB)

3-for-4, BB

I keep waiting for Baldwin to come back down to earth eventually and it just doesn’t happen. Another three-hit day for the rookie, who now has a 167 wRC+ through 31 games. The .378 BABIP will come down eventually, but he doesn’t strike out much and is consistently making hard contact (58% hard-hit, 11.4% barrel). He’s a stud and has played a major factor in the Braves turning their season around after a brutal start. 

Cody Bellinger, LF NYY (MLB)

3-for-5, 2B, R, RBI

Bellinger is on an absolute heater right now and it looks to be legit. He’s hitting the ball harder and in the air more than he has in recent years and even with a rough start, it’s starting to pay off now. His hard-hit rate is at its highest point since 2020 and his barrel rate hasn’t been this high since he nearly won MVP in 2019. The Yankees may have missed out on Juan Soto, but Brian Cashman has done an absolutely masterful job allocating those resources to a bunch of different areas and the Bellinger move is working out beautifully.  

Brett Baty, 3B NYM (MLB)

3-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB

I’ll be honest, I fully gave up on Brett Baty working out, at least with the Mets. However, he’s red-hot right now and is proving me wrong. A big day for the 25-year-old yesterday against the Dodgers reaching base four times and hitting the ball in the air more than his previous big league stints has made all the difference. I still don’t love the combo of 5% walk rate, 27% K rate, and 79% in-zone contact rate though. 

‼️David Peterson, LHP NYM (MLB)

7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

On a team full of stars, David Peterson doesn’t get nearly the love that he deserves nationally. The lefty absolutely delivered in a huge start against the Dodgers on national TV and has picked up right where he left off last season. He attacks the zone no matter the opponent and his GB rate is at a career high mark of 57.6%. He’s not an ace, but is a perfect middle of the rotation arm for a contender. 

Kyle Schwarber, DH PHI (MLB)

2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, K

Schwarber has gone to another level this season and this campaign has answered the question of “what would happen if Schwarber significantly cut down on the strikeouts?” The answer is a 168 wRC+ and one of the best hitters in the game with the same elite plate discipline. Schwarber is going to be a very rich man this winter when he hits the free agent market. 

Nick Kurtz, 1B SAC (MLB)

2-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, K

Kurtz is on a heater and after some struggles early on has fully arrived. There’s always going to be some swing and miss and strikeouts, that was the case even in his very short minor league career. He’s a stud but despite Kurtz’s run, the A’s are really struggling and have fallen out of contention for a playoff spot.  

Connor Norby, 3B MIA (MLB)

3-for-5, HR, R, 3 RBI

On a day that the guy he was traded for actually helped the Orioles at the big league level, Norby had himself a day. He’s very aggressive at the plate which scares me a bit, but there’s definitely tools here and he’s going to be a core piece for the Marlins to build their lineup around. Norby’s results have been very good so far in 2025, but the expected numbers aren’t as kind so we’ll see if some regression is on the way. 

Janson Junk, RHP MIA (MLB)

5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Junk totally reinvented himself this offseason and he’s a totally new pitcher now. What a season debut in the big leagues and I hope he continues to get chances at this level. The 29-year-old is throwing a bit harder, but is throwing way fewer fastballs while upping the usage of his slider to 44% in Triple-A. That continued into this outing, where the righty threw mostly…well junk… to the Angels and had a ton of success. Excellent outing and hopefully more to come for Junk. 

Caden Dana, RHP LAA (MLB)

3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, HR allowed

Dana has been struggling in Triple-A as a starter lately and so what do the Angels do? Why call him up to eat innings in mop-up duty of course! Shockingly it didn’t go well and Dana is now back in the minors. If you need innings eaters in the bullpen, do not call on your 21 year old top pitching prospect. It seems like every team except the Angels understand this, who have done this twice with Dana this season. Please just let him develop in the minors, stop this madness. 

Triple-A

Covered by Matt Thompson

Tre’ Morgan, DH TB (Triple-A) 

3-for-4, 2B, RBI, K

Tre’ Morgan is a unique player. He’s one of the best defenders at first base that I’ve ever seen, and some of the plays he’s made this year in Durham are top tier. He’s played 24 games this season and his season line now sits at .294/.423/.365. The on-base skills are top notch, but he has only six extra base hits on the season, all doubles. Can you roster a first baseman with below-average power and no speed? Not in fantasy. It’s also a crowded situation with the Rays with the emergence of Jonathan Aranda and Curtis Mead also playing first. 

Logan Workman, RHP TB (Triple-A)

6 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Workman lacks real upside but this is a dude that will carve out a ten year career in the big leagues. He throws 95 and fills up the zone. He had two pitches with over a 35% whiff rate in this game in his slider and change, and he will also mix in a cutter which gives hitters a look with a different velocity band. He’s gotta be added to the 40-man this winter and looks like an interesting decision is looming for Tampa.

Jhostynxon Garcia, OF BOS (Triple-A) 

3-for-4, 2B, RBI, K

Garcia is 10-for-21 in his five games at Triple-A since getting promoted. He’s putting together a strong season overall but trying to fit him into the incredibly crowded Red Sox depth chart seems impossible right now. Just keep hitting though and things will work themselves out.

Roman Anthony, OF BOS (Triple-A) 

1-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, K

His homer was 116 MPH off the bat, which is insane. He shouldn’t be in Triple-A right now and we need to see him in Fenway soon.

Mick Abel, RHP PHI (Triple-A)

6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K

Abel is pitching extremely well and when he’s suppressing hits like this and getting whiffs you can deal with the four walks. Abel will be back in the big leagues soon and has risen to the top of the next man up section on the Phillies depth chart. One of the more highly regarded prep arms in recent years, his professional career has been full of ups and downs to this point. Time to add again if he’s available. There’s enough bat missing abilities here to carry some additional value.

Alejandro Osuna, OF TEX (Triple-A)

1-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, K, SB

Normally not a sheetworthy performance, but Osuna is getting called up to the Rangers to help a struggling outfield. The Rangers just lost Joc Pederson to a broken hand and the offense needs a boost. Osuna has some pop and speed and has flashed some on-base skills in the past. The Rangers are 27th in runs scored and need a jolt.