Major League Baseball

Covered by Will Thompson

Giancarlo Stanton, DH NYY (MLB)

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

The Yankees are going to be without Aaron Judge for 10 days in a crucial point of their season. Stanton has been terrific since coming back and if there was a time for one of those tears where Stanton becomes the best hitter in baseball for two weeks, now would be the perfect time. In 28 games since returning from the IL, Stanton is hitting .277/.358/.532 with 7 HR and a 147 wRC+. Judge is going to have to DH for a bit when he comes back though, which will put Stanton in the outfield and that could be an adventure. 

George Springer, DH TOR (MLB)

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

It’s been a July for the ages for George Springer, who is hitting an absurd .383/.457/.679 with 7 HR this month. The Blue Jays lineup is good, but they don’t hit for a ton of power as a group. Having this version of Springer totally changes the game for them. His hard-hit rate (45%) and barrel rate (14.3%) have both jumped significantly this year and his walk rate is at a career high. There’s not a ton of defensive value anymore, but if Springer hits like this and stays healthy it doesn’t matter. 

‼️ Kevin Gausman, RHP TOR (MLB)

6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K

The Tigers offense was lifeless again last night and Gausman took full advantage in his battle against Tarik Skubal. Gausman was unhittable in this one, generating 21 whiffs on the night and Detroit had no answer for his splitter, which got 13 whiffs in 18 swings. The righty has faced the Yankees and Tigers in his last two starts and has passed both tests with flying colors. 

‼️ Tarik Skubal, LHP DET (MLB)

6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Skubal wasn’t as good as Gausman last night, but he was still awesome. Even without his A stuff, Skubal tossed six shutout innings against the Blue Jays but as has been the case throughout this skid, could not get any run support from his teammates. 

Yandy Diaz, DH TB (MLB)

1-for-4, HR, R, RBI

The Rays are struggling right now and according to Ken Rosenthal, Yandy Diaz might be available for trade. That’s a move that could really shake up the deadline and offer contending teams the chance to add an impact bat in their lineup that likely has two more years of control (2027 vesting option based on PA). Diaz is a stud who hits the ball extremely hard but doesn’t lift the ball enough to provide big HR totals. His ability to get on-base is excellent though and even as a DH is a really attractive profile for a team to go after. I figure the Rays would get a hefty return for him as well if a team is willing to meet their asking price.  

Gunnar Henderson, SS BAL (MLB)

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

The Orioles thrashed the Rockies 18-0 at Camden Yards last night and Henderson played a big role in that. He hasn’t quite had the year he had in 2024 power wise and his barrel rate is down 3%, but he’s still a great player and will be for a long time. 

Tyler O’Neill, DH BAL (MLB)

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

To this point, it’s been a lost season for Tyler O’Neill who again has not been able to stay healthy. He has been better since coming back off the IL three weeks ago, but still has not been the middle of the order bat the Orioles envisioned when they signed him. He has homered in two consecutive games against Colorado though so maybe this is the time he starts to heat up. 

‼️ Trevor Rogers, LHP BAL (MLB)

7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Kyle Stowers this, Connor Norby that, but how about this run from Trevor Rogers. After getting hit around in Triple-A to start the year and was called up out of pure necessity, the lefty has been outstanding and every time you think regression has to hit, it doesn’t. Rogers fastball velocity has bounced back to where it was in Miami and his walk rate which spiked to 10% last year is just 7% this year. The 27-year-old has a 1.49 ERA through eight starts and while that isn’t going to sustain, there’s a lot of improvements that could point to him being a solid backend starter. That possibility would be a major win for the Orioles given how bad things looked last season. 

Jarren Duran, LF BOS (MLB)

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

When the Red Sox offense isn’t red hot like it was before the break, they’re going to need to win with their speed and athleticism. Duran is an extra base machine and wrecked this game with his speed and ability to turn doubles into triples. That makes all the difference when the Red Sox are in close games. Marcelo Mayer’s wrist injury opens up more playing time for Duran and ultimately will keep him in Boston through the deadline I’m pretty sure. 

Roman Anthony, RF BOS (MLB)

2-for-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB

Anthony is simply phenomenal. The at bats that he takes look like a guy who has been in the league for a decade and then you remember he just turned 21 years old in May. His approach is elite and his big swing was an RBI double off the monster against Clayton Kershaw. Anthony has been inconsistent against lefties since coming up, which isn’t a surprise, but he did a great job against Kershaw using the opposite field instead of pulling off. 

Michael Harris II, CF ATL (MLB)

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

Harris was a single away from the cycle, but something tells me he would rather take this line instead. His season has been a mess so far, but a tweak to his stance has sparked a recent hot streak at the plate, bringing his elbow up higher to start and opening up his stance. It’s far too early to say he’s back, but he is hitting .390 over his last 11 games with six XBH. The Braves paid Harris so they’re stuck with him and maybe this tweak can help unlock the bat again. 

Andrew Vaughn, 1B MIL (MLB)

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

I’ve talked about him a bunch on the Daily Sheet lately, but Vaughn is still mashing in a Brewers uniform. In 12 games since coming up from Triple-A, Vaughn is hitting .324/.409/.649 with three homers and three doubles. The most surprising of all has been that he’s only struck out five times in 44 PA and his chase rate is 22.5% compared to 36% with the White Sox. Still a really small sample, but Vaughn is a fascinating player to keep an eye on. 

Maikel Garcia, 3B KC (MLB)

Game One: 2-for-3, HR, 3B, R, 2 RBI, BB, K
Game Two: 2-for-4, 3B, R, K

Maikel Garcia to me might be the most underrated player in baseball this season. He’s broken out in a huge way at the plate and his wRC+ is up to 123 for the season. He’s not going to hit many homers, but he’s a doubles machine and can fly. Combine that with the fact he doesn’t chase and he doesn’t whiff much, Garcia is a really well-rounded player and a building block to work around.  

Julio Rodriguez, CF SEA (MLB)

2-for-5, HR, R, RBI

Make it four home runs in three games for JRod, who is simply terrorizing the Angels pitchers this weekend. No one seems to get hot in the second half of the season like Rodriguez, who now has a much better supporting cast around him in the lineup. He has hit seven home runs in his last 12 games and we’ll see how long he can stay hot. 

Cal Raleigh, DH SEA (MLB)

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

Cal Raleigh has reached 40 home runs by July 26th which is absolutely absurd. Does Judge’s elbow injury that will land him on the IL for at least a couple weeks swing the AL MVP race back to Raleigh? We’ll see how Judge recovers, but a Cal Raleigh AL MVP is more realistic today than ever before. 

Triple-A

Covered by Trevor Hooth

Christian Franklin, OF CHC (Triple-A)

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

This Iowa offense was on fire with James Triantos, Moises Ballesteros, Kevin Alcántara, and Owen Caissie all had extra base hits, too. Christian Franklin was the star of the show with three of them. He is up to 8 homers on the year while hitting .268. Overall his performance has been solid with a mid-teens walk rate and 11 steals on the season. The former fourth round pick isn’t the biggest prospect name on this team, but he’s doing just as well. 

Héctor Rodríguez, OF CIN (Triple-A)

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

💣💣 Sal Stewart, 3B CIN (Triple-A)

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