Major League Baseball

Covered by Will Thompson

🚑AJ Smith-Shawver, RHP ATL (MLB)

Game 1: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR allowed

The talented young arm left his start against the Phillies after hearing a pop in his elbow. The Braves this morning placed Smith-Shawver on the 60-Day IL already with what the team calls an elbow strain. Frankly if that’s all it is, the Braves will gladly take that. Hoping for the best here and that the ligaments are still intact, but I assume we’ll find out more today. 

Nick Castellanos, RF PHI (MLB)

Game 1: 4-for-4

Game 2: 1-for-4, 2B, R, 2 K

Castellanos has given up some of his power this season in exchange for more contact and it’s worked out pretty well so far. His strikeout rate is at a career low and he still has a 105 wRC+ which is exactly what he had last season. I’m not the biggest fan of his profile given the low walk totals and the poor defense, but he’s had a solid year overall. 

‼️Chris Sale, LHP ATL (MLB)

Game 2: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K

After a slow start in 2025, Sale is pitching like an ace again and putting up very similar numbers to his Cy Young campaign last year. Craig Breslow traded this guy for Vaughn Grissom, who has a 95 wRC+ in Triple-A currently. Brutal, brutal, brutal. 

Ernie Clement, 3B TOR (MLB)

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

Clement had a monster game yesterday and continues to absolutely feast against LHP this season. The only problem is he’s basically unplayable against righties, but still a useful infielder to have on the bench of a big league roster. 

‼️Jose Berrios, RHP TOR (MLB)

6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K

Berrios is significantly outperforming his peripherals for a second consecutive season so I’m waiting for the crash to happen at any point. The crash will not come against the ice-cold A’s however, as he dominated over six shutout innings. We’ll see if he can start missing more bats like he did in this outing, that’s what would make me really believe in him again.  

Denzel Clarke, CF SAC (MLB)

0-for-2, 2 K

Alright maybe Denzel Clarke is not ready for the big leagues. Admittedly I’m not the biggest Clarke fan because of his swing and miss problems in the minors, but I didn’t foresee this. He’s now 1-for-19 with 15 strikeouts since being called up and probably should be optioned back to Las Vegas very soon. 

Junior Caminero, 3B TBR (MLB)

3-for-6, HR, 2B, 2 R, 6 RBI

Caminero is still going through his growing pains at the big league level, but he has flashes of brilliance like this game. He’s still 21 years old and has a 114 wRC+ with poor chase rates and a GB rate of over 50%. There’s still so much to like though, he has the best bat speed in the majors and hits the ball hard consistently. Caminero is going to be a monster in a few years, fans just have to be patient with him as he goes through his ups and downs at the big league level.  

Shane Baz, RHP TBR (MLB)

5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR allowed

I think we’re at the point where some concern about Baz is warranted. He’s just not missing many bats which is a head scratcher given how electric his stuff can be. Even though his fastball is in the upper 90s, opponents have a .382 wOBA against it this season and the slider has gotten hit so hard it’s borderline unusable (he has cut down his slider usage significantly in 2025). The curveball he’s added in this season has been good, but not dominant and with the fastball getting hit it kind of needs to be dominant for Baz to get close to reaching his ceiling. Hopefully I’m wrong because Baz can be really fun, but it hasn’t been the season I envisioned from him now that he’s fully healthy. 

Cam Smith, RF HOU (MLB)

2-for-4, 2B, R, SB

For a guy with so little minor league time, I’m extremely impressed with Smith this season and he looks to be on the verge of becoming a stud for years to come. The 22-year-old has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games and is hitting .375/.412/.500 in that span. The power will come at some point, but he’s making very quick improvements at the big league level. The Cubs better re-sign Kyle Tucker or this is going to be one heck of a trade to look back on. 

Luis Garcia Jr., 2B WAS (MLB)

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

On a night where the Nationals offense didn’t get going until late in the game, Garcia had a big night. He’s a below average hitter overall but there’s something to be said for a guy who always seems to put the ball in play. He would be a lot more useful if he wasn’t an absolutely woeful defender at second base with -11 DRS already this season. 

‼️MacKenzie Gore, LHP WAS (MLB)

6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K

Gore is an ace and one of the best pitchers in baseball and it’s time that he starts getting talked about like one. The lefty dominated the Mariners last night, striking out eight and walking none over six shutout innings. Gore leads all of baseball in strikeouts with 101 and every one of his secondary pitches currently has a whiff rate of over 46%. His walk rate is also at a career low this season and put all this together, you have an ace. 

Triple-A Baseball

Covered by Rhys White

Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP DET(Triple-A)

5.1 IP, H, R (ER), 5 K

The long and short of it is Gipson-Long should be able to help the Tigers soon, either as a starter or even as a long-relief option. Maybe he takes Jobe’s spot if he is injured? That situation is interesting. But regardless, Gipson-Long provides the Tigers with yet another quality arm.

Jhostynxon Garcia, RF BOS (Triple-A)

2-for-4, HR, R, RBI 

Anthony is just waiting for a call-up, while Garcia might have to wait to be moved to a different organization. Trying to carve out any major league time for Garcia with the Red Sox would require at least two injuries. Keep an eye on him being moved for a cost-controlled starter for the Red Sox.

Brady House, 3B WAS (Triple-A)

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

A House call! Brady House is looking like he will be a big league regular for a while. He won’t reach the heights we wanted from him when we drafted him in our FYPDs, but he can be a perfectly cromulent big leaguer for a long time. Maybe he gets to 20-25 homers in his peak years.

Blade Tidwell, RHP NYM (Triple-A)

5.2 IP, 2 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 11 K 

The legend of the Blade continues to pitch well in Triple-A. He has a kitchen sink approach, throwing 6 different pitches, five of them over ten times in this outing. The changeup led the tally with five of the fifteen total whiffs. Blade Tidwell will most certainly get another spot start or two with the Mets, but he also looks like a prime trade candidate for the Mets as they may look to bolster the back-end of their bullpen if Tidwell isn’t part of that plan.

Alex Freeland, SS LAD (Triple-A)

3-for-5, 3 R, RBI 

Freeland should be up any day now. The dream is that he can get called up by the Dodgers and be a perfectly fine shortstop defender and one of the best 8 or 9 hole hitters in the game. Freeland could also be used if a shortstop becomes available in the trade market.

Ryan Ward, 1B LAD (Triple-A)

5-for-5, 3 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI

A throng of dongs!!!

Harry Ford, C SEA (Triple-A)

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

Lord Harry Ford with his 6th homer of the season. Harry Ford showing off this sort of power raises his ceiling and floor. He is going to be stuck behind Cal Raleigh as a catcher, but maybe we will see him shift to other defensive positions to allow him and the Mariners to get that bat into the lineup.

Otto Kemp, 3B PHI (Triple-A)

2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI (Game 1 of Doubleheader) 

At what point do the Phillies roll with their best possible lineup and call up Otto Kemp? Kemp can do what Bohm is doing, and he has more upside as he has more game power. There is a lot to like with Kemp and at some point I wanna see him up! The dream here is a 25 homer bat who maybe hits 5th or 6th for this vaunted Phillies lineup and can add a young bat that this aging core so desperately needs. 

Andrew Painter, RHP PHI (Triple-A)

5 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), BB, 5 K (Game 1 of Doubleheader) 

He threw 81 pitches in this one, and he looks ready to help the Phillies whenever the need arises in the Phillies' rotation. He was working primarily with his four-seam fastball and cutter in this one, spotting and fitting both pitches well. Painter coming in as a starter or being part of a nasty back-end of the Phillies' bullpen in the postseason is such a boon. Let’s hope for our fantasy leagues' sake it is as a starter during the regular season and as a bullpen piece in the postseason.

Double-A

Covered by Matt Thompson

Carlos Mendoza, 3B DET (Double-A)

2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI

Mendoza’s season line now sits at .349/.436/.535 which is wild considering his OPS has started with a 7 every season since 2022. Looks like the plus hit tool is playing up and generating more power this year. He can play all over and could fit as a nice utility option. Pick up in 30 teamers only right now.

Justice Bigbie, OF DET (Double-A)

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

Bigbie seemed like he was on the cusp of the big leagues and was flirting with top 100 lists after a strong 2023 season where he hit .343/.405/.537 in 115 games across three levels. A true breakout. Well he couldn’t repeat that in 2024 when he spent the entire year in Triple-A. He hit .248/.333/.334 with only four homers in 136 games. Now he finds himself at Double-A and while he’s hitting for more power he hasn't come close to matching that 2023 season. Best case here looks like the short side of a platoon here. He’s a drop if you are somehow still holding.

Max Anderson, 2B DET (Double-A)

4-for-4, 2B, R, RBI

Erie played a doubleheader and Anderson carried the load here in game two. The Nebraska product is hitting .341/.381/.555 this year and has seven homers, which is four off of his career high. The Tigers have figured something out here in Erie with plenty of hitters having career best seasons. Something interesting to follow going forward.

Troy Melton, RHP DET (Double-A)

6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 5 K

This was Melton’s longest outing of the season, going six innings on 82 pitches. Melton has some good data and is a guy I’m interested in. He’s a backend guy with a chance for more here as he can really spin it. 

‼️David Sandlin, RHP BOS (Double-A)

7 IP, 3 H,  BB, 8 K

This was also a career long outing for Sandlin, and he’s actually thrown 12 scoreless innings in his last two starts. Sandlin was sitting 95-99 with his fastball, and he is a very special arm. Chance at being a mid-rotation starter or better here. He should make his debut this year.

‼️Jonah Tong, RHP NYM (Double-A)

6 IP, 3 H,  ER, 4 BB, 7 K

Tong has only allowed four runs in his last 30.2 innings, covering his last six starts. He needs a bump up to Triple-A. He’s a small dude with an explosive arsenal of pitches and will be inside of our Top 100 when we update. Tong needs to be rostered in all fantasy leagues.