Category: Baseball

The 2026 MLB season officially opened just over two weeks ago with Opening Day on March 26, and baseball fans have already been treated to some incredible early-season action on and off the field.

That said, FOX Sports baseball analyst Dontrelle Willis recently revealed who his top five teams are right now, which includes two American League teams and three from the National League.

Here’s who made the cut.

5. Cleveland Guardians

The AL Central-leading Guardians (8-6) check in at No. 5 on Willis’ list. They’ve only won three of their past six games, but Willis is convinced that there’s no cause for concern, as they’re riding the Chase DeLauter wave.

“They’re still able to win ballgames even though José Ramírez has not checked in,” Willis added. “You know, it starts and ends on the mound for me. Mr. [Gavin] Williams, he’s gonna continue to have a monster year.”

Last week, Cleveland rattled off back-to-back wins against Kansas City. On Wednesday, Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez went 4-for-5, including hitting a four-bagger to clear the bases with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the eighth. It was a huge early divisional win in an AL Central race that is likely going to be tight this year.

4. Atlanta Braves

The Braves (9-5) began the year without an off day through their first 13 games and a rotation missing Spencer Strider (oblique strain), Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow surgery), Hurston Waldrep (elbow surgery) and Joey Wentz (torn ACL). That said, they’ve emerged from this starting stretch in first place in the NL East, with the lowest ERA in MLB (2.03) and tied for the best run differential in MLB (+34). What’s more, they’ve managed to do this all without relying entirely on the arm of Chris Sale. Atlanta is in the midst of a three-game win streak, defeating its opponents by an average of five-plus runs over that span. That’s more than enough to land them at No. 4 on Willis’ list.

“They are finally healthy, as far as the core group of the guys that play every day [goes],” Willis said. “[Second baseman] Ozzie [Albies] is finally healthy. [Catcher] Drake Baldwin is a monster. His bat-to-ball skills and his game calling and throwing behind the plate [skills are] one of the best in all of baseball.”

3. Milwaukee Brewers

Even without Freddy Peralta and Caleb Durbin, Milwaukee is 8-5 and sits atop the NL Central. Despite the Brewers dropping their past three games, Willis isn’t ready to push the panic button. Instead, they land at No. 3 on his list.

“[Coach] Pat Murphy has these guys at the top of the [NL] Central playing his style of baseball,” Willis said. “[Left fielder] Christian Yelich looks like MVP Yelich. He looks — finally — healthy. [Center fielder Garrett] Mitchell in that lineup [is] providing some pop.”

Earlier this month, Milwaukee finalized an eight-year contract with prospect Cooper Pratt, adding the prized 21-year-old shortstop prospect to the 40-man roster and optioning him to Triple-A Nashville. The deal with Pratt includes club options that could keep him with the Brewers through the 2035 season. Pratt is among the top prospects in a Brewers farm system that ranks among the best in MLB. He was rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 60 overall prospect.

2. New York Yankees

Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt started the season on the injured list, but it doesn’t seem to be a huge factor. Boosted by 25-year-old Cam Schlittler — who has 22 strikeouts, no walks and a 1.62 ERA through three starts — a Yankees’ rotation that has looked like the best in baseball in the early going. What’s more, 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is ready to join when they need a fifth starter. Still, the AL East-leading Yankees (8-5) have dropped three in a row and are aiming to get back on track this weekend.

“My New York Yankees, who I’ve been backing for the last couple [of] weeks, have been struggling at the plate,” Willis said. “I know it, but Aaron Judge is starting to heat up.”

[MLB 2026: Dontrelle Willis Assesses Yankees Rotation Dominance]

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

“The world champions,” Willis said when asked which team is his clear-cut No. 1. “The rich get richer!”

At the end of last season, the Dodgers became the first back-to-back World Series champs since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000. In addition, it was the Dodgers’ third championship in the past six years.

The NL West-leading Dodgers (10-3) currently have the best odds to win the 2026 World Series at +230, followed by the Yankees (+1000).

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the third inning and Bryce Harper went deep two pitches later, boosting the Philadelphia Phillies over the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 on Saturday to stop a three-game losing streak.

Arizona, which had won three straight, did not use catcher Gabriel Moreno, who left Friday’s game because of left lower back tightness and was sent for an MRI.

Ketel Marte hit his 14th career leadoff home run and Adrian Del Castillo had an RBI single for a 2-0 lead in the first inning off Taijuan Walker (1-2). Batters are 10 for 19 (.526) in the first inning with nine runs off Walker in three starts.

Schwarber homered off a changeup from Brandon Pfaadt (0-1), his fourth home run this season, and Harper followed with a 419-foot drive on a fastball for his third homer.

Walker allowed two runs and four hits in five innings. Brad Keller gave up a two-out RBI single to Jose Fernandez in the eighth, then struck out Nolan Arenado to strand a runner on third.

Jhoan Duran pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save. The Phillies’ bullpen has allowed two earned runs in its last 26 1/3 innings.

Rookie Justin Crawford had two hits for the Phillies and is batting .350.

Pfaadt had pink shoelaces on his cleats as a gender reveal for the baby that his brother, Brett, and his wife, Hannah, are expecting. Brett and Brandon were teammates at Bellarmine University in 2020, with Brandon drafted in the fifth round by Arizona that year.

Arizona catcher Adrian Del Castillo had three hits.

Up next

Phillies RHP Andrew Painter (1-0) and Arizona RHP Zac Gallen (1-1) start Sunday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Gavin Sheets‘ second homer of the game was a three-run, game-ending shot in the ninth inning, as the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 5-2 on Friday night.

Colorado’s Juan Mejia (0-2) came on in the ninth inning and gave up a leadoff single to Jackson Merrill and walked Manny Machado. After Xander Bogaerts flied out, Sheets hit a 99.6 mph four-seam fastball 434 feet over the wall in right-center field.

San Diego starter Walker Buehler struck out four and allowed three hits in six scoreless innings. The 31-year-old right-hander, who spent his first eight MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed a minor-league contract with San Diego in February. Mason Miller (1-0) struck out the side in the ninth.

Luis Campusano also homered and doubled for the Padres.

Colorado pinch hitter Hunter Goodman hit a two-out RBI single, moved to second when Tyler Freeman singled and scored on a hit by Jordan Beck to make it 2-all in the eighth inning.

Sheets hit a leadoff homer off Rockies’ starter Tomoyuki Sugano in the fifth inning and, after Miguel Andujar flied out, Campusano added a solo shot to make it 2-0.

Sugano gave up two runs and four hits in six innings.

Up next

Colorado’s Ryan Feltner (1-0, 4.32 ERA) is scheduled to face German Marquez (1-1, 4.50) in the second of a three-game set on Saturday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Max Muncy hit three homers, including a game-winning, two-out solo shot in the ninth inning after Edwin Diaz blew his first save, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied past the Texas Rangers 8-7 Friday night in the opener of a series between the last three World Series champions.

Diaz (1-0) blew his first save in six appearances with a three-run ninth that tied the game, 7-7. He gave up a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Joc Pederson before Evan Carter hammered a first-pitch fastball to right field. After two outs, Josh Jung singled. Pinch-runner Sam Haggerty stole second and Brandon Nimmo was intentionally walked. Ezequiel Duran followed with a tying single to left.

After Will Smith and Freddie Freeman struck out, Muncy hit a 401-foot shot to right off Jakob Latz (0-1).

The Dodgers first rallied in the sixth on Andy Pages‘ go-ahead, two-run double.

The NL West-leading Dodgers trailed by two runs before ending the AL West-leading Rangers’ three-game winning streak. Texas won the World Series in 2023, and the Dodgers followed with back-to-back titles in 2024 and ’25.

Muncy hit solo shots in the second and fourth innings off Rangers’ starter Kumar Rocker. Muncy had his second career three-homer game and moved into sole possession of sixth all-time with 212 career homers for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers rapped out 15 hits, with Muncy reaching base four times. In the eighth, the ball went off the glove of first baseman Jake Burger in foul territory, triggering a foot race to the bag. Muncy collided with reliever Luis Curvelo, who went down. Curvelo tossed a couple warmup pitches and remained in the game.

Shohei Ohtani singled in the fifth, extending his on-base streak to 44 games and surpassing Ichiro Suzuki for the longest such streak by a Japanese-born player. It was Ohtani’s only hit on his first bobblehead night of the season.

Pages also reached base four times with four RBIs, falling a triple short of the cycle. He singled in the second, walked in the fifth, doubled in the sixth and hit a two-run blast off Curvelo in the eighth, making it 7-4.

The Rangers led 3-1 on Corey Seager‘s three-run homer with two outs off Dodgers’ starter Tyler Glasnow.

Wyatt Langford extended the Rangers’ lead to 4-2 with a two-out solo homer — his first of the season — in the fifth. He was replaced in the sixth because of right quad tightness.

Up next

Rangers RHP Jack Leiter (1-0, 2.45 ERA) starts Saturday against RHP Emmet Sheehan (1-0, 8.00).

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

The Chicago White Sox are expanding their tribute to Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and longtime fan of the baseball team.

The White Sox announced on Friday that they will hand out pope-themed hats to all fans who attend their Aug. 11 game against Cincinnati. The promotional item was originally limited to fans who had purchased specialty theme night tickets.

“The fans have spoken, and unlike some of our more limited quantity promotions, the White Sox Pope Hat is one we believe all fans should have the opportunity to take home,” Brooks Boyer, the chief revenue and marketing officer for the team, said in a release. “We viewed the promotion as a creative way to celebrate one of the franchise’s most popular fans, and by the overwhelming response we received, White Sox fans certainly agreed.”

The hats are shaped like the Pope’s miter, with the team’s sock logo in the middle. The White Sox said fans who had already purchased the specialty tickets would receive the hat and an additional item.

The pope, the former Robert Prevost, attended Chicago’s 2005 World Series opener against Houston and watched as his beloved team beat the Astros 5-3 on the way to a four-game sweep and its first title since 1917.

In May, the White Sox unveiled a graphic installation near the seat paying tribute to Pope Leo and that moment. The pillar artwork features a waving Pope Leo XIV, along with a picture from the TV broadcast of the future pope sitting with good friend Ed Schmit and his grandson, Eddie.

In June, Rate Field hosted an event honoring his election as the first American pope. A month later, at a pregame ceremony honoring the 2005 team, White Sox great Paul Konerko was presented a jersey signed by the pope, a gift from one No. 14 to another.

Pope Leo broke Vatican protocol by donning a White Sox cap last year. In October, he shouted “they lost” to someone who screamed “go Cubs.” And a few weeks ago, he gave a thumbs up to someone who yelled “God bless the White Sox!”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Oh, snap.

As the Seattle Mariners unveiled their third statue in franchise history outside T-Mobile Park, one of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, there was a blip.

A bronze statue that depicted Suzuki in his famed batting stance appeared to be defective when it was displayed Friday morning. Suzuki’s bat snapped near the handle, and the barrel veered off to the right-hand side.

After the ceremony, Suzuki joked that New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera got the best of him.

“I didn’t think Mariano would come out here,” Suzuki said with a smile, “and break the bat.”

It did not take long for the Mariners to fix the statue; Suzuki’s bat was soon turned upright and reconnected at the handle. Suzuki, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer, became only the third Mariners player to have his number retired by the franchise last year as well, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (No. 24) and Edgar Martinez (No. 11).

Griffey and Martinez joined Suzuki outside T-Mobile Park on Friday, and all three pulled a tarp off the statue together. Suzuki made history last summer as the first Japanese-born player inducted into the Hall of Fame, earning a near-unanimous 99.7% of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The way a jovial Suzuki saw it, his statue having an imperfection was only fitting.

“In the Hall of Fame, I was short one vote,” Suzuki said. “Today, the bat was broke. It kind of lets me know that I’m still not there, that I still need to keep going. So, this is a good example of that.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

The Colorado Rockies are bringing in Denver Broncos owners Greg and Carrie Walton Penner through a minority investment from the Penner Sports Group.

Rockies chairman & CEO Dick Monfort and owner/general partner Charlie Monfort announced the deal Friday. It’s been approved by Major League Baseball,

The Penner group is purchasing approximately a 40% share of the Rockies, a person with knowledge of the situation said. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the figure hasn’t been released. The group becomes the largest minority partner for the Rockies, a team Forbes has valued at $1.68 billion.

Dick and Charlie Monfort will continue their roles, with Walker Monfort serving as the team’s president. The organization said the investment allows the club to “retire all outstanding debt” in addition to providing an enhanced experience at Coors Field.

“Greg and Carrie have proven that they share the same passion for our region and a strong commitment to compete at the highest level,” Dick Monfort said in a statement. “We are thrilled to add them to the Colorado Rockies’ ownership group as we best position this franchise for long-term sustained success.”

The Rockies are off to a 6-7 start this season. They made big changes in the offseason after a third straight year with 100 or more losses. The front office is now led by Paul DePodesta, the president of baseball operations, and general manager Josh Byrnes.

The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group bought the Broncos from the Pat Bowlen Trust in August 2022 for a then-record $4.65 billion. Walmart heir Rob Walton also is an owner, while Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, Mellody Hobson and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice serve as limited partners.

Denver made it to the AFC championship game last season before losing 10-7 to the New England Patriots.

“While our focus remains firmly on the Broncos, we look forward to being supportive, long-term partners of the Rockies and Major League Baseball,” the Penners said in a joint statement. “We’ve enjoyed getting to know the Monforts and are grateful to join Dick and Charlie in the Rockies’ ownership group along with the other partners.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

We’re two weeks into the MLB season and while still very early, with just a handful of games to judge, teams and players are starting to give us clues as to who they might be going forward.

Despite losing three out of their last four games, the Yankees sit atop the American League East with an 8-6 record heading into the weekend. 

They will play a division opponent for the first time this season, as they travel to Tampa to take on the Rays for three games. Dominant starting pitching has been the story for the Bronx Bombers, as the 2.35 team ERA ranks second in baseball only behind the Braves. 

While the pitchers have carried the Yankees, a look at some advanced hitting stats makes me think the American League MVP could be given to a Yankee for the third consecutive year … but perhaps not to the guy you have in mind. 

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Aaron Judge has won three MVPs and will be headed to Cooperstown five years after he retires. Teammate Giancarlo Stanton might be going to the Hall of Fame alongside him. But Ben Rice — at now 65-1 odds — is the guy I have my eye on as a sleeper to be in the MVP mix into the fall. 

Rice — an Ivy League grad from Dartmouth — grew up as a Yankees fan, even though he lived in Massachusetts. In 2025, Rice quietly hit 26 home runs, despite being in a platoon situation that limited him to fewer than 500 at-bats. 

This year, Rice is a full-time player and looks poised for a breakout season.

Through 11 games, Rice is hitting .324 with three home runs and has drawn a walk per game, putting his on-base percentage at .476. 

Yes, it’s early, but the advanced stats back up the opinion that Rice is an elite bat. 

Rice ranks in the 100th percentile in Baseball Savant’s hard-hit rate and near the top in several of their advanced stats. Last year, he was in the 97th percentile of hard-hit rate, while his expected batting average was .283. That was much better than the .255 he ended up with after hitting into some tough luck throughout the year. 

Rice is also playing in a favorable home venue, with the shallow right field dimensions of Yankee Stadium tailor-made for lefty sluggers. 

With all this in mind, yes, Judge is the favorite to win this award once again and for good reason. But Rice was 150-1 just a few days ago and is now 65-1. People are seemingly starting to realize the elite potential that his bat carries. 

At 65-1, this is worth a wager, even if it’s a smaller one. I expect Rice to have a monster season now that he is a full-time player and for his odds to win MVP to shrink as we head toward the summer.

PICK: Ben Rice (+6500) AL MVP

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to follow themselves.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you by figuring out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

Padres walk it off in extras with a grand slam

Sure, the subhed tells you the result, at least in vague terms, but it’s the details that truly make this an early classic of the 2026 season. There wasn’t all that much scoring early on in this Padres-Rockies tilt: Colorado center fielder Brenton Doyle hit a solo shot in the third inning off of San Diego starter Randy Vasquez, then Padres’ right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. answered back in the bottom of the frame with a sac fly. Neither team would score again through the first nine innings — San Diego closer Mason Miller made extra sure of that in the ninth, when he struck out the side to give the Padres one last chance at avoiding extras. 

Filthy. Once Miller was out of the game, though, Colorado’s bats woke back up. Right fielder Tyler Freeman, who had entered the game in the eighth as a pinch-hitter, singled in Willi Castro to put the Rockies ahead for the second time in the game.

The Padres would once again answer in the same inning, however, as they did in the third, and yet again on a sac fly, this time from the bat of third baseman Manny Machado. That’s all San Diego could muster, though, as shortstop Xander Bogaerts grounded out with two runners in scoring position, forcing the game to the 11th… where the Rockies once again scored. Third baseman Kyle Karros began the inning at second base, and catcher Brett Sullivan immediately doubled him home.

The Rockies sent lefty Brennan Bernardino to the mound in the bottom of the 11th, with Bogaerts starting out at second. First baseman Gavin Sheets singled him to third, but then DH Nick Castellanos lined out and pinch-hitter Ramon Laureano struck out, leaving the Padres with the game-tying run at third and their final out. Catcher Luis Campusano, who entered the game earlier after starting backstop Freddy Fermin was lifted for a pinch-hitter, would hit a double to drive in Bogaerts and tie the game in San Diego’s final chance.

Second baseman Jake Cronenworth would pop out to end the threat, giving the Rockies another shot — for the first time since the ninth, though, San Diego kept Colorado’s hitters in check, leaving the game tied in the bottom of the 12th. There, the Rockies replaced Bernardino with Valento Bellozo, and leadoff batter Tatis bunted Cronenworth to third. Then, Bellozo intentionally walked center fielder Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado to face Bogaerts, who isn’t the hitter he used to be but, even more importantly, isn’t Merrill nor Machado, either. The result? A walk-off grand slam, the ultimate form of the revenge dinger following an intentional walk.

Now, it’s tough to blame the Rockies for this, since they were attempting to both create a force at any base in a situation where the winning run was already at third, and two of the Padres’ best hitters were coming to the plate with one out. Bogaerts isn’t a pushover, but he’s not an up-and-coming star nor a future Hall of Famer who still hits like that’s the case. He can still get a hold of one, though, and he sure did here to win the game.

The Rockies were denied a chance at getting over .500 for the first time since the 2022 season, while the Padres pushed over that mark after a tough first week with a 1-4 start. It’s early for both teams, of course, but: what a game.

Nailed it

This isn’t a bunt, no, but spiritually? It is nothing but a bunt. And it’s a beautiful (not) bunt at that. Royals’ star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. hit the pin on the green with this one.

The Royals might not have won against the White Sox — Kansas City fell to Chicago, 2-0 — but Witt, at least, managed to involve himself in a couple of notable plays. This one with his bat, and then another with his glove.

What a play!

And oh, what a play with his glove it was. Check this grounder right up the middle from White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami, and the hop it takes right before it gets to Witt. He handles it no problem — his quick adjustment here would be a highlight on its own — but the play doesn’t end there.

Witt takes the ball himself to second from the deep infield, then manages to get a throw to first on the run, where first baseman Vinny Pasquantino makes quite the pick himself to get the double play. Whew.

Scoring from first is exhausting

Murakami gets the double-highlight treatment, too, as, for the first run of the game — which also ended up being the winning one in the end — he ran all the way from first to third on this double off the bat of shortstop Colson Montgomery.

What’s impressive here is that Murakami didn’t really get going until he rounded second, since at first he was hanging back to see if it was even safe to advance. Once he got going, though, he didn’t stop, and slid headfirst into home well ahead of any possible play.

Things were a little tougher on the first-to-home front for Diamondbacks’ center fielder Alek Thomas, when right fielder Jorge Barrosa hit what would end up being a triple in the seventh inning against the Mets and reliever Luke Weaker.

There are two outs, so Thomas is off at the crack of the bat, but he is digging to make this run happen. The steps don’t look like they are coming easy nor fast, but Thomas keeps at it, and beats the throw home by a mile despite not looking like he’s flying around the bases.

Mets needed more McLean, less everyone else

This will work well enough as a segue. But first, a flashback! Mets’ starter Nolan McLean was dealing against Arizona, with the righty rolling for six innings, maintaining New York’s 1-0 lead with seven strikeouts against a pair of walks and just two hits. 

McLean entered the seventh at 85 pitches, so he had been fairly efficient to that point, but he gave that all away against the first few Diamondbacks batters here. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo walked to lead off the frame (six pitches), and while McLean then struck out DH Adrian Del Castillo (four), rookie third baseman Jose Fernandez would single Perdomo into scoring position (five). At 100 pitches and with two runners on, McLean was lifted for Luke Weaver. Things immediately went south, as pinch-hitter Gabriel Moreno doubled in Perdomo, and then Alek Thomas reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Fernandez when the tag at the plate didn’t connect.

Moreno then scored on a sac fly to put Arizona up 3-1, and the triple that drove in Thomas happened next, giving the Diamondbacks a four-run inning. Arizona would tack on another three runs in the eighth, with Moreno doubling in the seventh and final run of the day.

McLean was charged with two runs, but that’s also on Weaver for not doing his job and getting two outs without giving up his inherited runners — he allowed those and two more besides to score. Luis Garcia didn’t do much better in the eighth, and the game was just out of reach for New York. Of course, the lineup scored just one run, too, so it’s not all on the relievers — McLean was the only one who seemed to get the job done on Thursday for New York.

The Tigers are reeling

It’s probably not great when a team is 13 games into a season but has already managed to lose five in a row. That’s the situation the Tigers find themselves in after being swept by the Twins, with Detroit now just 4-9 on the season after sitting at .500 on Saturday following an 11-6 win over the Cardinals.

The Tigers nearly won this one, too, or at least had a great chance of it. The game was tied 1-1 in the eighth after Detroit finally scored in the prior inning with a sac fly from DH Gleyber Torres, but the Twins answered back with two in the very next frame. 

Shortstop Brooks Lee — who entered into the game as a defensive substitution in the top of the eighth after a pinch-hitter replaced starting shortstop Tristan Gray — ended up singling in two runs off of the Tigers’ new pitcher for the inning, Will Vest. Detroit didn’t have any more runs to score, and Minnesota swept.

Bad news for Detroit, sure, but the Twins have won four in a row and are in second in the AL Central. Well, okay, that is also bad news for Detroit.

An A’s-Yanks pitchers duel

Just one run scored when the Athletics and Yankees faced off on Thursday. And it didn’t score until the seventh inning. Lefty Jeffrey Springs got the start for the A’s and went seven scoreless with six strikeouts against a pair of walks while giving up just one hit – huge news for a team that needs its rotation to improve – and Yankees’ southpaw Ryan Weathers was nearly as good. He got through eight innings with seven strikeouts and no walks, but gave up far more hits: seven in total.

While Weathers mostly scattered those hits and avoided giving up any runs, two in a row doomed him and the Yankees in the seventh. Designated hitter Max Muncy led off the inning with a triple to right on a sinker he hit right out of the bottom of the zone, and then left fielder Tyler Soderstrom immediately followed up with a single to right to score him.

Weathers sat the A’s down the rest of the inning, and then came back out for the eighth for a 1-2-3 frame. New York’s offense couldn’t make it happen against the Athletics’ bullpen, either — Justin Sterner and Hogan Harris combined for two hitless innings of relief — and the Yankees would lose the series finale, 1-0, for their second loss in a row: their first back-to-back defeats of 2026.

That baseball is dead

It could be worse, though. The Yankees could be this baseball, never to thrive again. But no, they get to try again on Friday, against the Rays.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

NEW YORK – The Mets’ best hitter isn’t at his locker at Citi Field. He’s not in the batting cages. He’s not on the field, in his usual blue sweatshirt with his hoodie pulled up, in the still-freezing April temperatures in Queens. 

Juan Soto is nowhere to be found because his directive is, simply, to rest.

Soto strained his right calf while running the bases during the Mets’ series against the Giants at Oracle Park last weekend. He went on the injured list on April 4. The team expects the outfielder to miss anywhere from 2–3 weeks, at best. 

No one around the Mets is happy about this, but they also understand that life, the schedule, and the games must go on. New York has to find a way to win without their superstar slugger, who was off to a terrific .355/.412/.516 start at the plate before he hit the shelf.

“He’s irreplaceable,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor told me at his locker on Wednesday. “He’s a top-three player in the league. He’s that good. As a team, we’ve always said that it’s about sticking together at a time like this. Gather around him and be all together in this, and support him and play for each other. I hope this is a very short, very short IL for him.”

So far, at least, the Mets have managed to stay afloat without Soto. Entering Thursday, they’re 4-1 since he landed on the IL. The schedule has been kind to them in this stretch, with the Mets winning the series against the Giants while going for another series win against the Diamondbacks on Thursday. They host a three-game set against the Athletics on Friday to wrap up the soft part of their April itinerary.

But things will get challenging on Monday, when the Dodgers welcome the Mets in Los Angeles for their first matchup since June 2025, when they split the series at Chavez Ravine. The Mets will continue asking for their younger stars to step in Soto’s absence. 

“As a group we know we have a lot of depth in here,” Mets second baseman Marcus Semien told me in the Citi Field clubhouse on Wednesday. “It’s an opportunity for guys to play a little bit more. The main thing is we all have his back. And we’ll just let him know, we’ll all hold it down until he comes back. It’s a little hiccup for him. But at the end of the day, we’ve been playing some good baseball.” 

It’s been uncanny to see part-time players and bench bats take charge without Soto. 

On Tuesday, infielder Ronny Mauricio was promoted from the minor leagues to the majors to replace Soto on the 26-man roster. Hours later, his first big-league hit of the year was a three-run walk-off home run in extra innings against Arizona. Earlier in that same game, outfielder Jared Young delivered a key sacrifice fly to tie the game in the eighth inning. Infielder Mark Vientos was a huge factor in the series finale against the Giants on Sunday, which was Soto’s first missed game, going 3-for-5 with an RBI two runs scored. 

It’s unclear if those role players performing has helped Soto ease any pressure of wanting to return to the lineup as fast as possible. As previously mentioned, the outfielder has vanished from the usual pregame preparation and day-to-day activities. But the Mets broadcasting the weeks-long timeline for Soto’s return on the very same day he went on the IL is an indication that the team is not messing around with his recovery.

As much as Soto may be itching to hit again, the silver lining is the timing of his injury on the baseball calendar. Right now, the Mets can afford to play it safe.

“You definitely want to be patient with injuries like that,” Semien said. “You’ve seen guys have nagging things and they try to come back too quick, and it ends up being a bigger deal. That’s going to be hard, because he’s a guy who’s played in 160-plus games in most seasons.”

J.D. Martinez Gets Comfortable Upstairs

J.D. Martinez received a text when news dropped last week that the retired slugger joined the Mets as a special assistant to baseball operations. The message was from his former 2024 Mets teammate, Jose Iglesias, with a screenshot of the news and three letters: “OMG.”

Those three letters are the name of a popular song by Iglesias, who moonlights as a singer-songwriter named Candelita. The 2024 Mets rallied behind the song and went all the way to the National League Championship Series that season, with Martinez and Iglesias revered at the time as the team’s two vital clubhouse leaders. After his lone season with the Mets, Martinez sat out the 2025 season before rejoining the organization as a member of the front office this month. On Wednesday, Martinez started settling into his new role upstairs.

“It’s interesting,” Martinez said of the front-office side of baseball, speaking in the Mets dugout on Wednesday. “Yesterday, they took me up there and it’s like an army up there. It’s kind of wild. I was like, ‘Wait. These are all the people that give us information and help us out?!’ And they were like, ‘Yeah. This is behind-the-scenes.’ I’ve never seen anything like this.

“I was a little intimidated by it, because they’re a lot smarter than us. But then I come down here and everything feels normal again. So it’s something that I definitely want to continue to learn from. I think it would be good for me to be in those meetings.”

Martinez has stayed in contact with the Mets, including president of baseball operations David Stearns, since that 2024 season. He envisions his role to involve mainly mentorship and strategy, while relaying to the front office what the players’ perspective can be throughout the season, acting as a liaison between the two sides. Martinez in ‘24 was known to go out of his way to help players out. Now, he’ll have the time in the world to do just that.

“This could be fun,” Martinez said of his thought process when deciding to join the organization. “I like what they’re doing here. I like the team they built here. I had a great experience here with the front office, with ownership, with the clubhouse, everything. It was just a really fun place to come. So I said, why not? Let’s do it.”

Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports