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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jazz Chisholm's switch to third base could reshape Yankees trade plans
Jazz Chisholm's switch to third base could reshape Yankees trade plans originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Now that Jazz Chisholm, Jr. had shot down any sniff of controversy about him switching positions to third base when he returns from the injured list, it's interesting to see a national columnist explain the not-so-generous reasons the New York Yankees are making the move. Advertisement On the surface, it looks like a move to keep veteran DJ LeMahieu comfortable at second. But The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal points out there's more roster-management strategy at play. 'Teams generally use their most athletic defenders in the middle of the diamond,' Rosenthal wrote, raising the obvious question: why put the quicker, more dynamic Chisholm at third? New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm, Jr. plays second base against the Rays in Tampa, April 17, 2025.© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images The first reason: LeMahieu is less athletic but feels more at home at second base. That comfort level matters. It certainly matters when he's coming off injury and struggling, hitting just .184 with a .507 OPS in his first dozen games back. The Yankees owe him $30 million for this season and next on the $90 million contract he signed back after the 2020 season. They need to find out what they have left in him. Advertisement The second, and perhaps more intriguing, reason is a nod to the trade market. According to Rosenthal, the supply of second basemen available at the deadline might be deeper than the pool of third basemen. That makes Chisholm's flexibility a valuable chess piece for the Yankees. So, if LeMahieu can't shake off his slump, New York can look to upgrade second base without losing ground elsewhere. Chisholm's versatility, the same thing the Yankees once valued in LeMahieu, could give them an advantage at the trade deadline. They have a few weeks to evaluate the situation and scope out what is going to be available at the trade deadline. Advertisement Related: Jazz Chisholm Jr. Shuts Down Yankees Drama After First Rehab Game Related: Giancarlo Stanton's Bold Rule For the 2025 Yankees This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Read these stories before Yankees-Dodgers rematch. Plus: How rare is all-lefty lineup?
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. The World Series rematch starts tonight! Plus: The Dodgers acquire a former All-Star reliever, the Nats did something kinda strange and Ken checks in on the Rangers offense. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! If you'll pardon a bit of big-market pandering: Last year's World Series was like catnip for the folks whose job it is to market the league and all MLB-adjacent things. (Full disclosure: This very newsletter is an MLB-adjacent thing.) Well, the rematch starts tonight (10:10 p.m. ET, Apple TV+). And you'd better believe we have a few stories about it. From my latest notes column: Hey, let's fire the hitting coach! The Texas Rangers, before dismissing Donnie Ecker on May 4 and replacing him with Bret Boone, were 17-18 and averaging 3.23 runs per game. Since the arrival of Boone, who joined the team's other hitting instructors, Justin Viele and Seth Conner, the Rangers are 10-12 and averaging 3.27 runs per game. Yes, that's a lower winning percentage. And an uptick in 'production' of a mammoth .04 runs per game. Advertisement If the Rangers' offensive malaise continues — they currently rank 28th in scoring, wasting perhaps the best pitching in franchise history — the team will have little choice at the trade deadline but to sell. Maybe things will change now that shortstop Corey Seager has returned from his second injury-list stint due to a strained right hamstring — the Rangers are 15-12 with Seager, 12-18 without him. But Texas' offensive ineptitude is not a new problem. In 2023, when the Rangers won their first World Series, they ranked third in runs. In '24, they dropped to 18th, prompting general manager Chris Young to add designated hitter Joc Pederson and first baseman Jake Burger during the offseason. Pederson was hitting .131 with a .507 OPS before suffering a fractured right hand. Burger is hitting .208 with a .639 OPS and recently spent 10 days at Triple A. And they are hardly the only Rangers hitters performing below career norms. Second baseman Marcus Semien's .485 OPS through Wednesday was the lowest in the majors. Right fielder Adolis García's .626 was the 20th-lowest. Seager, left fielder Wyatt Langford and third baseman Josh Jung are the only Texas hitters with OPSes above .750. Last year, the Rangers entered the deadline three games under .500 and 3 1/2 games out of first place. With a group of potential free agents that included right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, lefty Andrew Heaney, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and relievers David Robertson and Kirby Yates, they could have done well as sellers. But coming off a World Series title, Young gave the team the benefit of the doubt and added lefty reliever Andrew Chafin instead. Now what? Young thought he put together a championship-caliber club. Ten writers from The Athletic, including yours truly, picked the Rangers to win the World Series. The team is 27-30, but just 4 1/2 games out in the AL West. It's not as if the season is lost. Yet. Advertisement The Rangers' pitching, third in the majors in ERA, could get even stronger in the coming weeks with the returns of Jon Gray, Cody Bradford and Kumar Rocker. Perhaps the staff will grow deep enough for Young to trade from strength; Tyler Mahle, fourth in the league in ERA, is a potential free agent, as are Gray and relievers Chris Martin and Hoby Milner. More notes here. 'Reds trade Alexis Díaz to the Dodgers.' It's not as big a headline as it would have been in 2023 or 2024, when Díaz was racking up a combined 65 saves with a 3.49 ERA, making one All-Star game. It's also not the return the Reds would have gotten back then. All it cost the Dodgers for the 2025 version of Díaz — an ERA of 12.00 in six innings, and optioned to Triple-A Louisville — was 22-year-old RHP Mike Villani, who was Los Angeles' 13th-round draft pick last year. Villani's professional career consists of two games in the Arizona Complex League (though he did strike out five of the six batters he faced). The move makes a lot of sense for the Dodgers. Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips and Kirby Yates — their top five right-handed high-leverage relief options — are currently on the IL For the Reds, the benefit is less obvious. So I asked our resident expert C. Trent Rosecrans to help me understand why the Reds would make this trade right now. Here's his answer: 💬 The short answer is it saves money. Díaz is making $4.5 million this year and has two years of arbitration left. With what the Reds have seen this year, the team didn't believe he could help them at the big-league level this season. That means they'd also likely non-tender him after the season. If, in their eyes, Díaz wasn't going to help them this year and wouldn't be around next year, why pay him to pitch for the Louisville Bats? He continued to struggle in Triple A, where he had walked as many batters as he'd struck out (eight) since being optioned. He no longer had value to the Reds, and this was as good of a deal as they could get for a team willing to take on the contract. For the Reds, the only downside is looking bad if he rebounds, and fear of embarrassment isn't a good reason not to make a move. Got a text from a friend last night: 'Washington Nationals are doing an all-lefty lineup tonight.' Weird. I checked it out, and he was technically right. This lineup features seven left-handed hitters and two switch-hitters (who would be batting left-handed against Mariners starter Emerson Hancock). It got me wondering: How weird is this, anyway? It turns out, I have a resource for this sort of thing. His name is Jayson Stark. Here's what we found: And, for good measure: The Rays' starting pitcher that night was Blake Snell, who is also left-handed. I don't have any other significance to this, other than: I missed it when it happened five years ago (or perhaps I memory-holed it, as I've done with about 98 percent of that year), and I think it's neat! Wanna know why the Tigers have the best record in baseball? Cody Stavenhagen has a brilliant in-depth look at their success today, which is my 'you should definitely read this' suggestion. It follows a recent article that was more numbers-driven. Mike Trout is set to return to action tonight against the Guardians. Advertisement The All-Quarter Century teams continue to trickle in: Today, we have the Cubs, Giants, Guardians and Mets. Tim Britton has also done the exhaustive work of identifying the 25 best games of the 2000s. It is a cornucopia of still-ripening nostalgia! Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver, who was having a breakout season at 22 years old, was added to the IL between games of yesterday's doubleheader after 'hearing a pop' in his elbow. Yeesh. The most famous baseball card in the world gets a writeup here, as a current auction for a T-206 Honus Wagner has exceeded $3 million. Have you noticed the new every-inning ritual by Mets outfielders? Will Sammon asked around, and it's Juan Soto's doing. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Marlins in awkward spot with Sandy Alcantara. Plus, Francisco Lindor's leadership rituals
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. From Cy Young to Sigh Young — what's up with Sandy Alcantara? Plus: A decision the O's would like back, Francisco Lindor's leadership and Ken's look at Oneil Cruz — I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! The last time Sandy Alcántara pitched a full-full season, he unanimously won the 2022 NL Cy Young Award. OK, so he did make 28 starts in 2023, but his last one came on Sept. 3. After that, he was added to the injured list with a UCL injury that ultimately led to Tommy John surgery. Adios, 2024. I know ERA isn't the best stat, but it does sorta illustrate a point here, so … 2022: 2.28 2023: 4.14 2025: 8.47 Advertisement That's bleak. If only there were a simple stat to point to: a release point, a drop in velo or spin rate, an obnoxious voodoo doll in his locker, hissing ancient druid curses. Nope. As Dennis Lin and Sam Blum point out after last night's poor showing, the velo and pitch shapes are basically the same now as they were before. Maybe that's encouraging. Maybe it just means that last bit of Tommy John recovery is happening a little slower than the Marlins would like. But it's a bummer, and not just for the 22-32 Marlins' hopes this year. Given their (track) record, the bigger issue might be Alcantara's trade value. Miami could certainly keep the 29-year-old around through his contract, which expires at the end of next year. But it sure would be valuable for a team in quasi-perpetual rebuild mode if they could dangle a Cy Young candidate with a year and a half of team control at this year's deadline. Instead, they have a guy who has allowed more earned runs than any other pitcher in baseball. More Marlins: Ronny Simon grateful for support after teary, three-error game: 'I just try to keep working hard' From my latest story: If, through some freaky genetic engineering, a scientist could combine the physical attributes of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, what might be the result? Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a member of the New York Yankees in 2022-23, thinks he has the answer. 'If you put 'em both together,' the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop said. 'I feel like it's Oneil Cruz.' Cruz, the Pirates' 6-foot-7, 240-pound center fielder, was at it again Sunday, hitting a home run 122.9 mph, the hardest-hit ball since Statcast started tracking in 2015. His exit velocities and powerful throws are the stuff of Statcast legend. His speed is pretty much elite, too. And considering he is only 26, in his first full season playing center field and working diligently to master the game's subtleties, heaven knows what he might become. Advertisement Kiner-Falefa, who said Cruz combines the quick twitch and 'missile-like' exit velos of Stanton with the athleticism and power of Judge, has an answer for that, too. 'If he maximizes his potential, he can be one of the best players ever,' Kiner-Falefa said. Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, after the weekend he just experienced in Pittsburgh, is not about to argue. Friday night, Cruz hit a 117.9 mph home run, at that point the hardest-hit homer of his career, and a 113.4 blast to tie the score in the ninth inning of a game the Pirates won, 6-5. Saturday, in a left-on-left matchup against Tyler Alexander, he hit the decisive triple in the seventh inning of a 2-1 Pirates victory. And Sunday, after righty Logan Henderson allowed Cruz's 122.9 shot on a first-pitch fastball in the third inning, Murphy took no chances in the eighth. With two outs, a 6-5 lead and runner on second, he ordered an intentional walk to Cruz, putting him on base as the potential winning run. Never mind that Cruz entered the weekend having gone nearly a month without a homer after hitting eight in his first 25 games. Murphy, 66, called it the best physical performance he has seen, by a hitter with the best bat speed he has seen. 'That guy can hit 50 homers easy, 60,' Murphy said. His current pace is a mere 34. Still, opposing pitchers shudder at the thought of missing with Cruz over the middle of the plate, and not simply because he might deposit the ball in the Allegheny River, as he did for the sixth time in his career Sunday. A batted ball coming back to the mound at some ridiculous speed is an equally frightening proposition. 'It's something you're definitely cognizant of,' Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen said. 'And you get reminded of things like that after he hits the ball 123.' Advertisement St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley jokingly suggested the best option with Cruz might be to just walk him and avoid him entirely. 'Go to first base, dude,' Helsley said, laughing. 'I want to live.' So, how close is Cruz to realizing his full potential? More on that here. Boy, this did not work out well for the Orioles. Let's set the scene. Kyle Gibson, who turned 37 in October, pitched for the Orioles in 2023 and went 15-9 with a 4.73 ERA in 33 starts. If you're curious, that's the sort of season that's worth 0.7 bWAR. Last year, he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals as part of their Rotation of Dads™️, alongside Lance Lynn (37), Miles Mikolas (35) and Sonny Gray (34). He went 8-8 with a 4.24 ERA in 30 starts and was slightly better, value-wise, at 1.0 bWAR. Then came an offseason of patience. Gibson remained a free agent; the Orioles failed to bolster their rotation, losing Corbin Burnes to the Diamondbacks via free agency. On March 21, the two sides played a classic game of 'Prom is Next Weekend, So … Yeah?' and voila: a one-year deal worth $5.25 million. Gibson made it to the big leagues on April 29, aaaand yikes. Maybe you heard about that one. His next three starts weren't much better. A total of 8 2/3 innings, 14 earned runs. He has a 16.78 ERA. The Orioles designated him for assignment on May 18, releasing him on May 20. Yesterday, he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on a minor-league deal. But Baltimore is still on the hook for the remainder of his salary this year. Which means the Orioles — who were so reluctant to spend on pitching last offseason — spent $5.25M for 12 1/3 innings, 23 earned runs and -1.1 bWAR. Not to rub it in, but here are a few free-agent pitchers who signed one-year deals this winter for equal or less money than Gibson's contract: Now we get to see if the Wonka Chocolate Factory of pitching can get Gibson back on track. Leadership is a fascinating topic, because it can come in so many different shapes and sizes. Is it the player who will call out a teammate for a lack of effort? The guy who quietly provides an example by out-working his teammates even after a decade of success? Is it the clubhouse 'glue guy' who keeps things light? The 'extra coach' who helps the younger guys with their mechanics or pitch selection? Advertisement Yes. But I think there is a common thread: caring about the success of your teammates. Even the uncomfortable conversation about hustle — when done right — comes from a place of wanting success for the teammate (and the team). Here's a tactic that I haven't heard before, but it falls right in line with that common theme: Will Sammon tells us about Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor's routine of speaking to each one of his teammates after every series. Sometimes the conversation has real substance. Other times, he's just checking in. The tone is usually encouraging, but there's one thing his teammates seem to agree on: it's not just eyewash. Here, take pitcher Griffin Canning's words over mine: 'He's the first guy I've seen do it. It shows what kind of leader he is. He's in touch and in tune with every single guy in the clubhouse.' You should read the whole thing; it's a really interesting glimpse into a unique locker room dynamic that seems to be working. Our All-Quarter Century Team trend has spread to Cincinnati, and I somehow missed our Braves team until just now (you can see all of our AQC teams here). The Rockies are how bad? Here are nine numbers to quantify the misery. Astros starter Ronel Blanco will miss the rest of the season. Soooo the Astros are definitely in the market for starting pitching, right? Camilo Doval is the Giants' closer (again). The Pirates have been clear: They're not trading Paul Skenes. But given the prospect packages Jim Bowden suggests here … should they? After a couple months of action, here's Keith Law's revision of his top 50 prospects. The Angels have DFA'd 2019 batting champ Tim Anderson. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Once again, the play Jayson Stark dubbed 'the most whacked-out walk-off hit you will ever see in your life.' 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
What's it really like at a Sacramento A's game? Plus, lessons from an MLB Draft bust
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. Let's tag along as Sam Blum experiences — as the great Leonard Cohen put it — 'the minor fall, the major lift.' Plus: Cal Raleigh is having a boom season, Ken gives us notes on the Dodgers and Mets, and we hear from a first-round draft pick who never quite made it. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! Sam Blum tucked his credential in his pocket and bought a ticket to Sutter Health Park in Sacramento to watch an A's game. After all, how often do you get a chance to experience big-league baseball in a minor-league park? (Actually, you've got a pretty big window of opportunity; the A's are there for at least the next three years. Advertisement But Blum didn't just sit there and eat his chicken tenders and drink his beer. He also spoke to a few fans to find out how they feel about the A's being hyper-local. Based on the ticket prices, it feels less like the city is welcoming an old friend for a stay, and more like the two sides are sharing a bunk bed in a European hostel: the accommodations are a bit subpar, there's an expiration date on the relationship and your interaction consists of some pleasantries and a silent prayer that they don't snore too loudly. Of course, by the eighth inning, there was a 'Let's go OAKLAND' chant — a veritable honk-shoo for the Sacramento City Council, I'm sure. One thing I found particularly interesting was the players being … pretty honest in their quotes. Here's starting pitcher Luis Severino: 'The field's not the best. The stadium is not the best, or has the accommodations of other stadiums. … We have a good record on the road versus at home. It's not easy. It's not what we thought it was going to be, but it's what we have right now.' Severino's right. The A's are 9-19 at home and 14-13 on the road. Leftover notes from Saturday's Dodgers-Mets broadcast on Fox: Shohei Ohtani — So much for the idea that Ohtani would abandon base stealing as he prepares to return to the mound. Another 50-50 season might be out of reach once he resumes pitching, but at his current pace, Ohtani would finish with 59 homers and 32 steals. And, while it stands to reason that he'll preserve energy as a pitcher by running less often, we've all learned it's foolish to set limits on him. For his career, Ohtani has stolen 156 bases in 197 attempts — a success rate of almost 80 percent. Dodgers urgency — The closeness of the NL West race influenced the Dodgers' recent decisions to part with their two longest-tenured veterans, Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor, for more talented, younger players. And while manager Dave Roberts surely would prefer that his club was not dealing with so many injuries, the added challenge is helping the Dodgers stay on edge. Roberts believes the team's late clinch last season benefited it in the postseason. And now, between the injuries, difficult current schedule and competitiveness of the division, he does not need to manufacture reasons to keep his players interested. Advertisement Juan Soto — Francisco Lindor, Carlos Beltrán and Mike Piazza all are examples of superstars who initially struggled with the Mets, and Soto's adjustment is even more complicated. His $765 million contract makes him a center of attention. He doesn't have Aaron Judge to shield him the way he did last season with the Yankees. And he felt the full brunt of his decision to leave the Yankees for the Mets last weekend at Yankee Stadium. The booing in the series finale was so loud, some with the Mets believe it got to Soto. For his part, Soto told me, 'Little by little, I'm settling in.' He went on to praise the Mets' coaches for helping him get more comfortable. Carlos Mendoza and Soto — Mendoza, the Mets' manager, is in a unique position to counsel Soto. Before assuming his current position, Mendoza spent 15 years in the Yankees organization. So, he understands the differences in the franchises, how they are run and how they are perceived. And he has talked to Soto about how with the Mets, they have a unique opportunity to build something. Not a replica of the Yankees, but a dominant franchise of their own. David Peterson — With a 2.79 ERA in 10 starts, Peterson is realizing his potential in part because of the surgery he underwent in November 2023 to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. Prior to the surgery, Peterson struggled to keep his back foot connected with the mound; it would slip off because his rotation was limited. Now that he's able to rotate better on his back leg, he can keep his foot connected longer. 'Everything starts from the ground up,' he said. 'Cleaning up stuff in the feet and the legs in turn helps with the upper half.' I've had a theory for a while now that once we get the automated ball-strike system in the big leagues, we'll slowly start to see more offensive production from catchers — framing will matter less, and when one skill begins to devalue, another usually takes its place. Until then, Cal Raleigh's 2025 season is an aberration, not the norm. The interesting thing about those results: Raleigh's 2.0 FRM (FanGraphs' pitch-framing stat) ranks eighth out of 19 qualified catchers. O'Hoppe ranks last, at -5.2, while Smith ranks 11th, at -0.2. And for the time being, that's still important. Even before last night's two-homer outburst, Raleigh was hitting .254/.372/.577 (.948), and his expected stats (you can find those here) suggest he's not getting particularly lucky. Wanna guess how many Mariners catchers have ever posted an OPS of .948 or higher in a season in which they took enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title? To quote the great Jayson Stark: 'That would be none.' In 2006, the San Diego Padres had the 17th pick in the draft. By then, future All-Stars like Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum and Max Scherzer were already off the board, while names like Ian Kennedy, Daniel Bard and Adam Ottavino still remained. The Padres chose Matt Antonelli, a second baseman with a .324 career average (and a .935 OPS) during his three years at Wake Forest. Advertisement Antonelli did make the big leagues … for 21 games in 2008. Now 40, he's a guest writer today on our Peak desk and tells us the lessons he learned from those years coming up short of the expectations set by himself and others. I thought this one was extremely insightful: What feels like a loss can actually be relief in disguise: 'I lost a version of myself I had been building since I was 15 years old. But on the other side of heartbreak was something unexpected: freedom. Once my playing career ended, I felt an unexpected calmness for the first time in a long time. I was able to sit down and ask myself, 'What else am I good at? What do I care about? What do I really want to do?'' I believe the term is 'detachment,' and it's not an easy lesson to learn, especially if you're the sort of person whose personality is one big lifelong bulldog-bite on your desired outcome (a trait that does benefit a lot of athletes). Antonelli seems to have nailed the feeling of true acceptance. {{#if isSubscriber}}{{else}}(Remember: All links are free to read for Windup subscribers.){{/if}} The whole thing is definitely an interesting read — it's not a perspective we often get to see from pro athletes. So much for Matt Vierling's comeback; he's already back on the IL with shoulder inflammation. But in his place, newly activated Wenceel Pérez provided some magic. Have I seen articles like this before? Yes. Did I love every one of them? Also yes. Zack Meisel presents Carlos Santana trivia to Carlos Santana. Pete Crow-Armstrong's breakout season has another side effect: The Cubs are willing to discuss an extension, even in-season. That didn't take long: The Yankees already have a facial hair superstition. The Pohlads are 'making progress' on the sale of the Twins. Thing is, nobody has met the $1.7 billion asking price. Dan Hayes has details. Michael Conforto homered last night, but his season has been brutal. How much more grace will the Dodgers have? A real-life Ricky 'Wild Thing' Vaughn? Mitch Bannon tells us how Blue Jays prospect Gage Stanifer's pitching has improved with better vision. More All-Quarter Century teams: Blue Jays and Astros. Advertisement On the pods: MLB Network Radio's Mike Ferrin joins the boys this week in 'Starkville,' discussing The Athletic's MLB All-Quarter Century Team. Meanwhile, on 'Rates & Barrels,' Eno and DVR wonder if Michael King will reach Blake Snell territory (five years/$182M) when he hits free agency. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: The video of the weirdest baseball play I've ever seen. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Is Marcelo Mayer the answer to Boston's quandary? Plus, Shohei Ohtani's progress
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. Another third-base conundrum in Boston, Ronald Acuña Jr.'s huge return, Ohtani's step toward a (pitching) return and Ken dives into the Nats' rebuild. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! The 27-29 Red Sox have spent most of this season languishing in the middling place, but one bright spot has been their biggest offseason acquisition: When Alex Bregman singled on Friday, it raised his 2025 stat line to .299/.385/.553 (.938). It also marked the last time that line would change for a while. Bregman suffered a right quad strain that night, landing him on the injured list for the foreseeable future. Advertisement Not to lean too hard into the drama, but Rafael Devers won't be returning to the position. Take that as you will (but he's also hitting .291 with a .944 OPS at DH). Instead, it was 22-year-old Marcelo Mayer (Keith Law's No. 28 prospect in the sport this year) getting the call. At the time of his promotion, Mayer's professional experience at third base consisted of six games — four in Triple A this year, and two last year in Double A. He won't play there exclusively, though — a plan that was made evident in his debut, where he started at third base, shifted to shortstop later in the game and then back to third base when more substitutions occurred. He's expected to get some time at second base, too. The loss of Bregman is another big blow for the Red Sox, who already lost first baseman Triston Casas for the year (ruptured patellar tendon). They certainly hope Mayer can thrive in the big leagues, and soon — they're already in fourth place and seven games back in the AL East. More Mayer: His chaotic debut included lost keys, a long car ride and a standing ovation. From my latest column: When identifying baseball's perennial bottom feeders, the Rockies come immediately to mind, with the Pirates, White Sox and Marlins also in the conversation. The Nationals belong, too. Since winning the 2019 World Series, the Nationals rank third in the majors in losses, one behind the Pirates, 14 behind the Rockies. At 24-29 this season, they're on pace to avoid their fifth-straight 90-loss campaign — barely. Ownership's lack of investment is partly to blame. The Nationals opened with a top-10 payroll seven out of eight seasons between 2014 and '21, but the past three years have averaged in the bottom 10. A perhaps even bigger problem is the team's failures in player development, as well as amateur and international scouting, going back more than a decade — failures that president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo's spectacular return for Juan Soto at the 2022 trade deadline can mask only so much. Advertisement Good teams both spend and develop. The Nationals do neither. So, while the Nats hold the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, selecting in the same spot where they landed Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010, the end of their rebuild is not necessarily in sight. More here. It didn't take long for Ronald Acuña Jr. to make an impact upon returning to the big leagues from injury — on Friday, he hit the first pitch he saw 467 feet. That was the lone run the 25-27 Braves scored in a 2-1 loss to the Padres, but they won 7-1 on Saturday with Acuña homering again. Atlanta has worked hard to get back to the .500 range after a miserable start to the season, and the return of a second superstar — Spencer Strider will start his third game of the season tonight — is a welcome boost, especially as they start an important series against the division-leading (and red-hot) Phillies tonight. Acuña, you likely remember, became (and remains) the league's first member of the 40/70 club in 2023, but was limited to 49 games last year before a torn ACL ended his season prematurely. To make room on the roster for Acuña, the Braves released Orlando Arcia, who had been with Atlanta since a 2021 trade. As for playing time, as David O'Brien mentions at the bottom of this notes column, Eli White will slide from right field into a straight right/left platoon in left field with Alex Verdugo. Acuña wasn't the only big return from injury over the weekend. In Cincinnati, Hunter Greene returned to the mound, while Matt Vierling's return in Detroit will boost a division-leading Tigers team. And in Minnesota, Carlos Correa is back from a short stint on the concussion IL. It's normally not newsworthy when a pitcher's rehab is to the 'he threw to live hitters' standpoint. But when that pitcher followed that live bullpen session by hitting his league-leading 18th home run that night, well … You may recall, there was some talk last October that the Dodgers might ramp up Ohtani's UCL surgery rehab to allow him to pitch in the playoffs. Not only did that not happen, but an injury to his left shoulder (sustained while sliding into second base) gave him one more thing from which to recover over the offseason. Advertisement Now, the Dodgers are taking it very slow. Despite facing hitters in practice — and touching 97 mph while doing so — he isn't expected to be back in the rotation until the second half of the season. Ohtani's not only their best hitter, but his international star power outshines every other player in the game. So they're not going to rush him back. But given the number of Dodgers pitchers on the IL and the workload of the ones who aren't, it should be noted that their restraint is admirable. Oh, and Ohtani still leads the league in home runs — he hit his 19th last night in a 7-2 win over the Guardians. More Dodgers: On Sunday, Tarik Skubal took a perfect game into the sixth, finished with a Maddux (shutout in under 100 pitches) and struck out 13, more than in any other Maddux in history. He's special. Earlier this month, Zack Meisel told you the remarkable story of Nic Enright, who pitched through chemotherapy treatments. He's a big leaguer now. Our Power Rankings have a new No. 1. 👀 Weren't we just writing about this guy? Over the weekend, Oneil Cruz hit a home run that left the bat at 122.9 mph. That's the hardest-hit ball in the Statcast era (2015-present), breaking the old record of 122.4, set by … Oneil Cruz. In one day, the A's optioned three players, added one to the IL and DFA'd Seth Brown, their longest-tenured player. Five moves! It worked … eventually. Two days later, they snapped their 11-game losing streak (and snapped the Phillies' nine-game winning streak). Once a big question, the Astros bullpen has become one of the team's biggest strengths. They don't make closers like Kenley Jansen anymore. He might be the last of his kind. Keith Law makes the argument that college baseball coaches are being irresponsible in their heavy usage of pitchers. If you missed it in Jayson Stark's Weird & Wild on Friday … please go watch this video of the weirdest baseball play I've ever seen. Advertisement After Stark's All-Quarter Century Team last week, a few of us tried our hands at team-specific versions: Cardinals, Dodgers, Yankees, Rangers. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Our staff's grades for this year's eight new City Connect uniforms. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
