Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today's games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. The latest polling of MLB.com experts showed two very clear favorites for the 2025 Rookie of the Year Awards: A's shortstop Jacob Wilson in the AL and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin in the NL. Wilson, who got 33 of 35 first-place votes, is off to an incredible start. His .360 average and 98 hits trail only Aaron Judge among all big leagurs. He also leads AL rookies in runs (39), RBIs (38) and OPS (.903) while playing a premium defensive position. If he keeps this up, it'll be a rookie campaign for the ages. Over in the NL, Baldwin picked up 24 first-place votes after hitting .285/.333/.467 with seven homers. But don't etch their names onto the trophies just yet. For one thing, veteran Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy is back from the IL, and playing time will likely be an issue moving forward for Baldwin. And there are plenty of elite prospects who could make a late run this year, too. Dodgers utilityman Hyeseong Kim (.969 OPS) was second in the NL in the latest polling, and with more consistent playing time he could become the favorite. Brewers flamethrower and recent callup Jacob Misiorowski and No. 1 pitching prospect Bubba Chandler, who has yet to make his big league debut with the Pirates, could also jump into the NL mix. Over in the AL, top prospect Roman Anthony debuted just nine days ago, while fellow Red Sox prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell also have the potential to become threats. Jac Caglianone, who made his debut on June 3 after going deep six times in just 12 games at Triple-A Omaha, could also climb into the picture. And there is plenty of precedent for late callups winning top rookie honors, the most famous of which was Hall of Famer Willie McCovey in 1959. After terrorizing Triple-A pitching, "Stretch" debuted on July 30, going 4-for-4 with two triples against fellow Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. He didn't slow down much from there, batting .354/.429/.656 with 13 homers and a 3.1 WAR in just 52 games on his way to being the unanimous winner of the NL Rookie of the Year Award. While McCovey's 219 plate appearances are the fewest in history for a ROY winner, there have been others who also won the award despite being late to The Show. Among them: Ryan Howard – who recently detailed how he used to get mistaken for Jimmy Rollins' bodyguard – won it in 2005 after hitting 22 homers with a .924 OPS and 3.1 WAR in 88 games. In 1978, first-overall Draft pick Bob Horner skipped the Minors completely and went on to slug 23 longballs and drive in 63 runs over 89 games with the Braves. And more recently, Astros masher Yordan Alvarez went deep 27 times with 78 RBIs, a 1.067 OPS and 3.7 WAR in 87 games with Houston in 2019. -- Ed Eagle |
Were you excited to watch Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound on Monday night against the Padres? You weren't alone. Ohtani's one-inning start was a main reason why that game between NL West rivals was the most-watched game in the history of MLB.TV, which debuted in 2002. And sure, it wasn't perfect. Ohtani labored a little bit, throwing 28 pitches in the first inning. He gave up a couple of hits, one run and didn't record a strikeout. But that line is not indicative of what Ohtani really showed us. As MLB.com's David Adler analyzed on Tuesday, the 2025 version of Ohtani the pitcher might be the best one yet. His fastball velocity sat at 99 mph while his sinker and sweeper looked especially nasty. Not bad for his first pitching appearance in nearly 22 months. Just because Ohtani is back on the mound doesn't mean we should expect to see him handled like a normal starter. He's still rehabbing from 2023 right elbow surgery and 2024 left shoulder surgery; he's just doing it at the big league level. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts discussed how they will manage the superstar's workload moving forward. But whenever Ohtani does toe the rubber, he deserves your attention every time. -- Brian Murphy |
The Mets and Braves' archrivalry took a backseat to some brotherly love for a moment last night. It was the first 2025 meeting of the two NL East teams, meaning it was the first time the Acuña brothers, Ronald and Luisangel, faced off in a Major League game. They almost didn't get to take the field together, but Luisangel entered as a pinch-runner in the ninth and stayed in for defense at second base in the 10th. The brothers were able to share a heartwarming hug after Ronald walked and advanced to second in the bottom of the frame, moments before the Braves walked off. D-backs slugger Josh Naylor exhibited some cross-team brotherly love of a different kind north of the border last night when he surprised members of both teams by going out to the warning track in center field to check on the Blue Jays' Myles Straw, who was down in pain after he crashed into the wall in pursuit of Naylor's double. Naylor and Straw were teammates on the Guardians for four years, with Naylor saying, "He's like a brother to me, so I just want to make sure he was all right." Naylor offered an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder to Straw, who had to exit the game with a right ankle sprain. The touching gesture didn't surprise anyone who knows Naylor: "I think he's a guy who enjoys and cares about the guys he plays with," Zac Gallen said. "It's just the kind of guy that he is." -- Andy Werle |
Rafael Devers has apparently changed his position on changing positions. The newest San Francisco Giant was all smiles during his introductory press conference Tuesday, and there was one question just begging for an answer: What position will you play? "I'm going to play wherever they put me," Devers said via an interpreter. Although Devers was penciled into his customary DH role for his Giants debut later that night, he was seen pregame fielding ground balls at first base. It's a stark change of heart from just five weeks ago, when Devers was adamant that he would not move to first for the Red Sox. So, Boston moved the former face of its franchise across the country, where the Giants are more than happy to put Devers into the middle of their lineup. We could see Devers make his first pro appearance at first base in the near future. But he was acquired for his bat, first and foremost, and he made an immediate impact, recording two hits and an RBI in his first game in orange and black. As long as Devers keeps that up, there will be a lot to smile about by McCovey Cove. -- Brian Murphy |
- Pirates @ Tigers (6:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): Tarik Skubal finally walked a batter (two, actually) in his last start, ending a ridiculous 26 1/3-inning streak without a free pass. If Skubal can maintain his 12.3 K/BB rate on the season, it would set a Major League record currently held by -- you guessed it! -- Phil Hughes (11.6).
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- Mets @ Braves (7:15 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): Game 161 of last year notwithstanding, nothing seems to go right for the Mets in Atlanta. After blowing a three-run lead in the eighth last night, they've now lost four straight for the first time this season, and tonight they draw reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale, who owns a 1.41 ERA since April 25.
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- Padres @ Dodgers (10:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV, MLB Network): After hitting two homers last night, Andy Pages owns a .942 OPS over his last 50 games, good for fifth highest in the NL over that span. On most teams, he'd be the headliner, but two of the players above him on that list happen to be his teammates: Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith. The Padres need to find a way to handle all of them to get back into what's been a heated series.
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Can you guess today's mystery player using clues like age, league, division, position and place of birth? You'll have nine tries to get it right. Good luck! Play here >> |
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