American League

Astros

• Yainer Diaz is getting some reps at first base.

Since Abreu’s departure, Singleton is hitting .301/.374/.411 in 83 plate appearances. Whether the Astros believe this is sustainable may dictate their deadline approach at first base. That the team hasn’t ruled out catcher Yainer Diaz as a possibility at first base is intriguing, too.

Diaz took groundballs at first base during the team’s last homestand before the All-Star break, though that itself isn’t newsworthy. Backup catcher Victor Caratini’s imminent return from a hip flexor strain could free Espada to experiment with Diaz at first base, perhaps putting him in a platoon with Singleton on days he does not catch.

Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Angels

• Reid Detmers is trying to attack hitters differently and using a different slider grip.

They’re specifically working on Detmers throwing his fastball lower in the zone as a way to make his changeup up in the zone, as well as his other pitches, more deceptive and effective. Detmers said big leaguers were “sitting on fastballs up” and that needs to change.

He added that he’s reverted to his old slider grip. He’d switched to a conventional slider grip before the season but didn’t think it was as effective. The Angels don’t want to call him up until he’s comfortable with all the work he’s done.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Here is a must-read article from The Athletic on the difference between AAA and the majors. Here is an example of how Jackson Holliday may be performing fine in AAA but the reason he was exposed in the majors has not been addressed so he hasn’t been promoted.

Back in Triple A, Holliday now has an .895 OPS, but the Orioles are not rushing him back to Baltimore. Teams, perhaps more than ever, are having to dig into underlying numbers and trying to determine what is real and what is not.

“There’s so many more details that get exposed in the big leagues that we try to look at a little deeper when we’re looking at Triple-A players,” Hinch said. “It’s not easy, because we don’t want to create the notion that statistics don’t matter or (how) you perform doesn’t matter, because it does. But it’s not always the end-all, be-all.”

American League

Angels

• Carlos Estévez made some changes to be more consistent with his release point.

Estévez, however, has fixed the problem. On Wednesday, he was named the American League reliever of the month for June. At one point, he retired 26 consecutive batters over more than a month. The 31-year-old has been elite, allowing just two baserunners in June. And just in time for the trade deadline.

He’s credited the improvement to a mechanical fix that makes his fastball and slider have more consistent release points. He’s also had a more consistent feel of his off-speed pitches, and doesn’t feel the need to rely as heavily on his fastball.

Here are some examples (picked because of the number of pitches thrown)

April 29th

June 25th

Some differences can be seen. Maybe.

Astros

• The manager plans on using his high-leverage relievers to close out games when winning by four or more runs. Additionally, the team warms up several relievers at once which might cause the bullpen to wear down.

Generally, high-leverage relievers are reserved for leads of three or fewer runs, though forward-thinking franchises and managers are flexible. Houston’s circumstances have forced Espada to be that and more.

“It’s just more trying to make sure we secure that win. We do have some guys in the back end of our bullpen — even our middle relievers — that I feel comfortable giving the ball to at any moment of the game,” Espada said Wednesday.

“For me, it’s not philosophical, it’s just we’re in a position that we need to try to get to .500. We have guys that are rested, so we’re trying to just secure those wins.”

…

Scott awoke Sunday as one of just 16 relievers who has already thrown 40 innings this year. He added two more during Houston’s extra-inning win against the Mets, lowering his ERA to 1.49. Factor in how many times Scott has warmed up without entering a game and he’s among the most taxed relievers on the team. Espada is far more prone to double-barreling relievers in his bullpen than Dusty Baker, adding another wrinkle to this quandary.

Warming up two pitchers at once means the club is prepared for any in-game scenario, but how much it affects the arm that isn’t summoned is a legitimate question. Balance is needed. Montero’s pitching more like someone making $11.5 million would help, too.

Blue Jays

• The manager wants George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Justin Turner at the top of the lineup.

Schneider has expressed the goal of having the top of Toronto’s order return to Springer, Bo Bichette, Guerrero and Justin Turner, who was placed on the paternity list Wednesday. During the offensive struggles, the Blue Jays manager has reimagined the lineup many times, but he has previously spoken about how, in an ideal world, he would close his eyes and fill out the first four in his batting order.

Of those four, only Bichette continues to slump, though he hit a double in Wednesday’s loss and Schneider has been persistent that he believes the shortstop will turn things around soon. Whether it’s soon enough is another matter. For now, Spencer Horwitz, who has hit .288/.420/.470 in 22 games since he came up on June 7, has occupied the No. 2 spot.

With his desire, I expect anyone else (e.g. Horwitz) currently hitting in the top four to be moved down once one of the four has a hot few games.

Rangers

• Josh Smith could see some time in the outfield. Also, Josh Jung will be the DH once he returns.

Bruce Bochy has said that Smith could get some outfield reps when Jung gets back, and he’s shown himself to be a versatile defender at multiple positions. It’s also likely that Jung will be eased back into it and will receive a lot of DH time, while Smith remains at third base, at least to start.

Royals

• Michael Massey will keep missing time while dealing with a chronic back issue.

Twice this year, Massey has been on the injured list with a lower-back injury, a chronic issue that he’s dealt with before and will likely have to manage. On June 24, he returned to the Royals’ active roster with a caveat: He would only serve as the designated hitter in games until he’s ready to play second base. The reason is because Massey’s point of injury was when he bends forward and backward, not when he’s rotating his back side to side.
…
“Now, what does it look like coming back?” head athletic trainer Kyle Turner said. “We’re not going to send him out there every single day. It might be go play a day, take a day off to DH. Some of that will be determined by matchup stuff, where he fits and what it does with the other part of the lineup. That’s the complexity of doing it here, whereas in Triple-A or Double-A, we set a schedule and the player just follows that plan.”

Yankees

• The Yankees don’t see any obvious issues with Luis Gil.

“I don’t think it’s a fatigue issue,” Boone said. “I think it’s a little-out-of-sorts issue and having a harder time correcting on the fly.”

The manager added, “He’s having a hard time self-correcting when he gets out of whack, and then the mechanics start to go a little bit. I thought overall the (pitch) profiles were better tonight. But still work to do.”

It’s time to throw the bulls**t flag. Over Gil’s last three starts, he has a 14.90 ERA (8.21 xFIP), 5.6 K/9, and 8.4 BB/9. I’m no rocket scientist but Gil can’t find the strike zone. Here is a graph of his Zone%, K%, and BB%.

His struggles to find the strike zone started before this three-start stretch but now the results match the underlying stats.

The lack of control might be from him dropping his release point.

The only times his four-seamer has averaged under 5.75 ft has been the last four games. His slider and change release points are also down.

On top of that, he’s been struggling to maintain his velocity throughout a start. While he did a better job of maintaining his velocity in his last start, his velocities were tanking in the start before that.

His slider is losing almost 4 mph.

With his velocity dropping, his pitch results degrade quickly.

He’s at his best when his fastball is at 96 mph or higher and his slider is at least 87 mph.

Putting it all together. He can’t throw strikes. His release point is dropping. He can’t maintain his velocity over a start. Threw fewer than 30 IP combined over the past two seasons.

He’s likely fatigued and I would not be surprised if he doesn’t throw until after the All-Star break to give him a refresher.

National League

Cardinals

• The team is considering going with a centerfield platoon once Tommy Edman returns from the IL.

Nootbaar’s versatility allows for both defensive formations, and we’ll likely see a combination. Where it gets more complicated is when Edman returns. Siani is too valuable of a center fielder to sit every day, but Edman is also a strong option. The Cardinals are mulling a center-field platoon as an option, though it would be a platoon of the position and not of the players. What does that mean? Essentially, Siani can start in center against right-handed starting pitchers and Edman in left, and Edman would still be in the starting lineup on days Siani starts.

Dodgers

• The team is considering keeping Miguel Rojas at shortstop once Mookie Betts returns from the IL while Betts plays second base.

“I would, I would,” manager Dave Roberts replied when asked by Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times whether he’d consider keeping Rojas his everyday shortstop when Betts returns. “I don’t think anyone can debate the level of shortstop play from Miguel Rojas. Some of it is contingent on the timeline for Mookie’s return and where Miggy is physically and how things are going. But to your question, would I consider it? Absolutely.”

…

Keeping Rojas at shortstop and sliding Betts back over to second base in place of Gavin Lux could deepen the team’s lineup and improve the defense. The Athletic report notes that adding an everyday outfielder would allow the Dodgers to use Betts at second base and go with a platoon of Andy Pages and Jason Heyward in the outfield alongside the new acquisition and Teoscar Hernandez.

• Miguel Rojas is dealing with some lower body issues.

So as Rojas hobbled from the training room and past his manager’s office, Roberts stopped the veteran and told him he’d have Sunday off rather than start for the sixth time in seven days and 10th time in 12 games since Betts broke his hand. Rojas agreed.

“I need to recharge my batteries because I’m a player that plays all out, every single day and I feel like I empty the tank,” Rojas said. “I need to refuel.”

Rojas’ production wasn’t the reason the Dodgers bypassed him as their everyday shortstop to open this season. As much as flipping Betts and Gavin Lux in the middle infield boosted their lineup on paper, it also allowed the Dodgers to keep Rojas’ legs under him. The toll of time has taxed him. He missed time with a hamstring strain last April. At different points, Roberts has noted Rojas has been dealing with lower-body ailments — the latest being some lower leg soreness earlier this month that led to another tweak in footwear and pregame and postgame treatment.

Mets

• Jose Quintana has been making a few adjustments.

Lately, Quintana (4.57 ERA/4.89 FIP) has performed better after making a couple of adjustments. The ability to do so is a hallmark of his career since he does not throw hard. Over his past three starts, Quintana sought more swing-and-miss and has a 1.65 ERA in 16 1/3 innings with 21 strikeouts, though he lasted just four innings in his last start. He said he has leaned more on his secondary pitches, like his curveball, and has challenged batters inside more frequently.

The biggest adjustment is increasing his curveball usage from 25% to 34%.

• Tylor Megill will remain a starter in AAA.

Speculatively, the Mets could use a couple of starters as relievers, but sometimes teams are reluctant to do that because it takes time to build someone back up. Mendoza said Megill, for instance, would continue to make starts in Triple A.

Padres

• Jackson Merrill doesn’t plan on selling out for home runs but use the entire field.

Which brings us to the approach that helps him bash baseballs. Merrill is looking to drive pitches to all fields, not wanting to sell out and thus “close off one side.” He wants to, in baseball parlance, hit the ball where it’s pitched. Letting the ball travel is also part of his approach; Merrill views going the opposite way as his “gateway to success with two strikes.” While he understands he needs to improve his 4.5% walk rate and 36.0% chase rate, his 16.5% strikeout rate is comfortably better than league average. More often than not, Merrill gets his bat on the ball.

Making better swing decisions is a current focus for him, and not just when the bright lights come on. He works on his plate discipline during his pregame process.

• Xander Bogaerts will be using a new swing to project his shoulder.

Either way, Bogaerts appears to be on or ahead of schedule. He progressed last week to taking on-field batting practice, a significant test amid his recovery. To protect his shoulder, Bogaerts has been using a two-hand finish on each swing. He expects to continue doing so upon his return.

“It feels good. And obviously it’s a little different; my swing has a different feel,” Bogaerts said last week. “But for the most part, even in practice, I normally swing with two hands. So I’m used to that in practice.”

Pirates

• Luis L. Ortiz has been working on improving his four-seamer.

When Ortiz was a rookie in 2022, his four-seamer was getting 13.3 inches of horizontal movement. That might sound good, but four-seamers generally do better up in the zone when they have the illusion of rise. Cutting movement kills that illusion, so vertical movement is definitely better than horizontal in this case. This year, his four-seamer is down to 10.6 inches of run, while he’s getting more vertical movement (17.7 inches) compared to last year (16.3).

“It’s been hard work making sure that four-seamer has the spin I want it to have, that movement I want,” Ortiz said, via interpreter and coach Stephen Morales. “It’s been work I’ve been doing the last couple years, and I think it’s in a good spot right now.”

American League

Mariners

• Ryan Bliss is taking some outfield reps.

To further boost his functionality, Bliss also began taking pregame outfield reps on Monday at Tropicana Field, where the bright rooftop lights within the concrete-laden venue warrant extra prep.

No, the Mariners don’t see him working into a platoon, as his arm strength is probably the weakest among Seattle’s position players. But if there’s a chance to bring him off the bench, especially in a close game, they’re creating the possibility for left field to be a spot he can slide into.

Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Angels

• Ben Joyce added a splinker.

Strickland, who has thrown sinkers in previous years, learned this grip from Angels pitching strategist Bill Hezel. It’s more like a one-seam sinker as opposed to the conventional two-seamer, and as a result, Strickland’s sinker is averaging about seven more inches of vertical break this season compared with 2022 (he did not appear in the Majors in ’23).

….
Joyce has not shied away from using his splinker in game action. He estimated that he threw it on 10 of his 27 pitches on Friday. He went heavy on it again as the opener on Sunday, throwing it for around 20 of his 42 pitches.

…

Although Joyce’s fastball averages a tick under 101 mph, it’s been hittable. So has his upper-80s slider. The splinker comes in at a third speed — the mid-to-high 90s — and moves differently due to its lower spin rate. And because the release point for all three is similar, it’s more difficult to identify which pitch is leaving Joyce’s hand.

This pitch is a one-of-one. While Johan Duran’s splinker is the closest comp, Joyce throws slower and with more spin. Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Angels

• Mike Trout is not “running, hitting or throwing”.

Rendon is ahead of Trout in the rehab process. Trout has yet to progress to light baseball activities after he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on May 3. Trout has utilized the Alter-G treadmill but hasn’t tested out running, hitting or throwing like Rendon has. Still, Washington said Trout remains on schedule and hasn’t suffered any setbacks.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Driveline has adjusted its Stuff model with a major change boosting up sinkers.

Again, this can likely be tied back to the fact that the purpose of these two pitches is different. 4-seams are generally better at generating whiffs, while sinkers are better at generating ground balls. With whiffs being harder to get as batters have adjusted to higher velocity around the league, the sinker profile becomes more valuable than 4-seam at lower velocities.

• Eno Sarris discusses the pitch mix changes for five starters including Tylor Megill.

The single most predictive stat for a pitcher’s success is fastball velocity. Then you go through all the other things that matter like extension (how close to the plate the pitcher releases the ball), vertical movement (or ride), release point height, spin and the rest. But if you make the fastball go brrr, you can mitigate a lot of flaws on the rest of the list. In Megill’s past couple starts, the fastball was going brrr again.

Whenever Eno says “brrr” on a podcast, all I can think of is this classic from Maddox.

American League

Angels

• Nolan Schanuel has been playing with a thumb injury for a couple of weeks.

Schanuel recently said he injured his thumb while hitting in the batting cages in Houston during the Angels’ three-game series from May 20-22. He has been in a slump recently, going 2-for-23 over six games before missing the series in Seattle. He said he tried to play through the injury but it wouldn’t get better and it was affecting his swing. An MRI revealed there was no structural damage.

• Kevin Pillar will remain in a part-time role so he doesn’t get “stale”.

Despite his otherworldly start offensively, the Angels have utilized Pillar in more of a platoon role, starting him mostly against left-handers. Pillar hasn’t been an everyday player in nearly three years, and they don’t want to overplay him despite his hot bat. They also are mindful of the development of Adell and Moniak, who both need consistent at-bats this year.

“We need to try to get Moniak going,” Washington said. “Pillar knows he’s not going to be on the field every day. But I’m not going to let him get to the point where he’s stale, to the point where he loses what he had. But there will be times where he has a good night and he’s not playing the next day.”

Stale? What is he? Bread?

Astros

• José Abreu plays better with an off day.

Until Sunday, Espada had been coy about Abreu’s playing time and how he plans to proceed at first base. Upon his return, Abreu said he spent his career as an everyday player and had put himself in a position to do it again. Abreu has started five of Houston’s seven games since his return.

All three of Abreu’s hits, including his solo home run on Saturday, arrived in games that immediately followed an off day. During Abreu’s resurgence last October, team officials and coaches cited the plethora of postseason off days as one factor for Abreu’s increased production.

I examined this quote in more detail in a previous article.

• Without being prompted, the GM mentioned A.J. Blubaugh and Jake Bloss as rotation options.

Lauer and Henley would likely be the first calls if Houston needs another starter in the immediate future, but Brown also bragged about both AJ Blubaugh and Jake Bloss. Bloss has made just six starts above High A. Blubaugh has made just 10 appearances and tossed 45 innings at Triple A.

Blue Jays

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will get more starts at third base.

“It’s really going to be a lot of fun today to see Vladdy playing third base, but that’s been something we’ve been working on collectively. He’ll get some starts there,” GM Ross Atkins said Sunday on MLB Network Radio. “He’s got an incredible ability and feel for the game of baseball. I think his arm and his hands will allow him to play some third base for us. That’s another way to deploy a lineup that maybe creates a little more offense.”

…

Manager John Schneider said Guerrero could start at third “a couple days out of a week and a half,” but he reiterated that this isn’t a position change. So many factors outside of Guerrero’s own plan need to line up for it to be a third-base day — particularly a good matchup for Turner and Vogelbach — but it looks like the Blue Jays are now comfortable with Guerrero’s side of the bargain.

Guardians

• Daniel Schneemann worked on raising his launch angle.

Schneemann decided to focus on lifting the ball more this winter, which has resulted in a noticeable change in power and pop. His 10 homers in Triple-A were the second most by any of Cleveland’s Minor League players, so it was no surprise when he finally got his chance to play in the big leagues on Sunday.

Here are his launch angles from the past two seasons.

Year (Level): LA
2023 (AAA): 8.0
2024 (AAA): 14.7
2024 (MLB): 15.8

Mariners

• Victor Robles will only be used against lefties.

Robles was not in Tuesday’s starting lineup, but is expected to be installed as soon as Thursday’s series finale against lefty JP Sears — or if any favorable matchups surface before then, as manager Scott Servais indicated.

“He told me to just be ready, especially when we’re facing a lefty,” said Robles, who will be in the mix with righty-hitting outfielders Mitch Haniger and Dylan Moore, the latter of whom is seeing more time at second base while Jorge Polanco is sidelined.

Over his career, Robles has a .727 OPS vs LHP and .642 OPS vs RHP.

Rangers

• Wyatt Langford only faced fastballs during the offseason and struggled with pitchers who threw him other pitch types. Additionally, he has struggled as the DH.

“There was a lot going on, a lot more than I like [with my swing],” Langford said. “I’d say the biggest thing is kind of getting back into playing. Guys start throwing different pitches at you. In the offseason, you’re used to just hitting one pitch, and it’s a fastball, really, so getting back on time, fixing the timing of everything and seeing pitching, I think that definitely played a part in it throwing off my timing a little bit. So I’m just getting back to that.”

With Evan Carter, Leody Taveras and Adolis García mainly holding down the three outfield spots, Langford has been the Rangers’ designated hitter in 20 games compared to 15 appearances in left field, entering Sunday. The 22-year-old acknowledged that DH-ing almost every day has been an adjustment for him, especially at this level.

He has struggled against slower pitches with curves, changeups, and splitters having between a 14% and 19% SwStr%.

The DH quote is malarky with him posting a .656 OPS as the DH and .502 OPS when in the field.

Red Sox

• Ceddanne Rafaela has been reworking his swing.

On Tuesday in Baltimore, Rafaela tried something different to spark his offense. For the past month in the batting cage, Rafaela had been practicing a new stance in which he brought his hands down a bit, angling his bat upward, rather than holding his hands above his head and his bat flat, almost parallel to the ground. The new stance was designed to allow him to get into his swing quicker and catch up to fastballs. The process of getting a feel for the new stance, locking in cues and timing was gradual, but Tuesday, hitting coach Pete Fatse suggested to Rafaela he was at a point to try the adjustments in batting practice.

Tigers

• Mark Canha is playing through a hip issue.

However, Canha’s status is also a question mark after he was scratched from Friday’s lineup due to soreness in his left hip.

“It’s been bothering me for a week or so,” Canha told reporters, including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “It was getting worse and worse and today was the pinnacle. It got to a point where I had to shut it down.”

Twins

• Jose Miranda will play all over the field with Royce Lewis back.

Though he’ll lose playing time at third base to Lewis, who is a superior defender, Miranda is healthy again and one of the team’s top performers hitting with runners in scoring position. The Twins can rotate Miranda between both infield corners and designated hitter to keep him in the lineup.

“We’re going to move him around and find ways to get him in the lineup most days,” Baldelli said.

• The team’s high-leverage pitchers will only throw one inning at a time. The rest of the arms are expected to throw multiple innings.

During those previous MLB stints in 2024, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli had been firm in asserting that any relief pitchers not in his leverage group would have to throw multiple innings — even Alcala, who was coming off nearly two full seasons lost to elbow and forearm issues — and Minnesota used the right-hander accordingly in lower-leverage situations.

But in Alcala’s last two outings, the Twins have used him for one-inning stints to protect leads — and, notably, he’s been pulled after only one inning each time.
…
“He’s working his way into the leverage mix,” Baldelli said. “That’s it. What he was throwing [Thursday] was — and I think the outing before, too — that was not what we had seen from him previously.”
…

“Three weeks ago, his fastball was 92, 93, 94,” Baldelli said. “And then he was throwing 99 [Thursday], touching 100. If we want the guy to throw 99, we probably shouldn’t be throwing him 45 pitches an outing expecting him to come in when we need him to.”

White Sox

• Players on the team like to “pick Pham’s brain”.

Young White Sox players often pick Pham’s brain, which he appreciates and understands, as he is considered a consummate professional for his preparation and focus.

“Guys are still learning what it takes to be a big leaguer, how to be a better big leaguer,” Pham told me during the White Sox previous homestand. “Guys are asking me a ton of questions, which, I look back at when I was in their shoes — I was asking Matt Holliday a ton of questions.

The four most popular discussion points are:

1. Dollar-for-dollar, what are the best strip clubs.
2. How to fight an assailant who is wielding a knife.
3. The in-and-outs of high-stakes fantasy football leagues.
4. Best gyms to get into fighting shape.

Yankees

• The team thinks Anthony Rizzo’s struggles are timing-related.

Both Boone and Rowson believe Rizzo’s struggles at the plate are timing-related. Rowson said Rizzo’s inconsistent timing has led to him being unable to square the ball up. Poor timing is what led to Aaron Judge’s struggles in April. That’s why the Yankees think Rizzo can still turn around his numbers.

“When your timing’s not right, you would expect some of those things to not be right in line with your norms,” Rowson said of Rizzo’s numbers. “That means you’re not getting the ball right where you want to or you’re a little early or you may be a little late, and all of a sudden that’s gonna affect how you hit the ball, how the ball comes off the bat. All those things will be results of your timing being a little inconsistent.”

• The team is expecting Clarke Schmidt back in August.

Boone said Schmidt will be shut down from throwing for four to six weeks. Rehab will follow as the Yankees build him back up. Realistically, the earliest Schmidt could return is August.

National League

Braves

• The team believes Jarred Kelenic’s swing is almost right.

“As far as the evolution of [Kelenic’s] swing since he’s had our uniform on, it’s really heading in the right direction,” Seitzer said. “I like where it’s going. I feel like with his strengths and vulnerabilities, it’s putting him in the best position to where he’s able to barrel balls more often. And to leave off-speed, leave chase pitches alone more often, which I’ve already seen since he went to this stance in Chicago. I wasn’t there, but I watched the first freakin’ game and I was like, ‘On my gosh, what’s he doing, that looks awesome!’”

…
“Way better,” Seitzer said. “For me, all the tinkering and adjustments are heading in the right direction. He’s a little taller, a little narrower with his stance, hands are a little lower. He wanted to get the tension out of his shoulders to stay looser, to where he could stay on the ball more. And it looks so much better.”

Kelenic said with the adjustments he’s made, he’s in a better position to let the ball travel deeper and still drive it up the middle or the other way.

Cardinals

• Andre Pallante added a two-seamer.

The difference now, as opposed to earlier in the season when the 25-year-old reliever had a 6.30 ERA in nine relief appearances, was a two-seam fastball that consistently ran in on the hands of righties and kept them from leaning out over the plate looking for his curveball and four-seamer.

Cubs

• The two biggest knocks on Shota Imanaga from scouts were his low-90s fastball and being short.

Ultimately, for some teams, the lack of louder tools made Imanaga feel like more of a risk.

“The availability of pitch data from the Pacific Rim has theoretically made these valuations more sound, but there’s still a leap to take when you can’t hang your hat on high-end velocity,” Zaidi said. “I imagine there are scouts around the game that did see him as a high-end starter in the big leagues, but I suspect that the teams that were highest on him put the greatest stock in their pitch-model valuations.”

But as Cubs manager Craig Counsell likes to say, hitters don’t like anything that they’re not used to seeing, and Imanaga compensates for velocity with a four-seam fastball that drops far less than expected. The effect is often described as “rise.” The rise on Imanaga’s four-seamer is 2.9 inches better than average, per Statcast, so hitters find themselves under the pitch more often than not. That deception has turned Imanaga’s fastball into one of baseball’s best pitches.

Among scouts, there was some concern that Imanaga might not be able to consistently locate that pitch at the top of the zone. He wasn’t accustomed to it because the high strike isn’t called as often in Japan. And if not located well, the pitch will be hit hard. Scouts also flagged workload capacity as a possible issue, given Imanaga’s 5-foot-10 frame and a career high of 170 innings.

Giants

• Alex Cobb should be activated in July.

Cobb started taking a nerve medication, gabapentin, and was encouraged last week when he had four consecutive pain-free days and started his throwing progression anew. He hopes to throw off a mound by next week. There’s almost no point in trying to predict a return date at this point, but Cobb is eyeing an activation in July.

• Robbie Ray hopes to return around the All-Star break.

There’s no expediting the schedule from here based on team need. Ray will have to keep checking off boxes in order as he eyes a return shortly after the All-Star break in July. The good news is that optimism abounds that he will be the best version of himself when he joins the Giants rotation.

“I think so,” said Ray, who checked in with Giants teammates at Chase Field on Monday. “I feel really good. The ball is coming out really good. All my stuff, I’ve been super happy with the way things have been going. I’m just looking forward to getting into a game.”

• Spencer Howard is out of options.

Spencer Howard gave up some loud contact Monday but pitched credibly behind an opener after he adjusted and started to throw early-count offspeed pitches to Arizona’s aggressive, fastball-hunting lineup. Giants manager Bob Melvin said Howard pitched well enough to remain in his role. Critically, Howard is also out of minor-league options.

Phillies

• Edmundo Sosa will start getting some outfield reps.

While he’s certainly playing well enough to stick in the lineup, he’s not going to displace Turner when the latter is healthy. Neither Bryson Stott nor Alec Bohm is offering much of an opportunity for Sosa to take over at second or third base. While Sosa has never started an MLB game in the outfield, Thomson suggested over the weekend the Phils could consider playing him in a corner outfield spot once Turner comes back.

“Absolutely [a possibility],” the manager told reporters (link via Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “If he keeps hitting like this, it’s going to be tough to keep him out of the lineup. So, got to find a spot for him someplace.” The Phils subsequently lost Brandon Marsh to the injured list, leading them to call up the hot-hitting David Dahl to man left field. Nick Castellanos is playing everyday in right field. He has been a rare weak point in the Philadelphia lineup, struggling to a .214/.277/.342 line through 256 plate appearances.

• Teams are using lefty specialist openers to minimize the impact of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

In his 20 appearances this season, Koenig has thrown two innings or more seven times and recorded four or five outs four times. Tuesday marked the fourth time he’s worked as an opener, giving Murphy an option against lineups featuring dangerous lefties up top — such as Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, for example.

“It’s a strategy — and it’s a strategy because of some of the necessity,” Murphy said. “You don’t want certain guys to face certain guys three times or whatever it might be. You have to have the right ingredients, and I think we do. This might not be the last time you see it.”

American League

Rangers

• Evan Carter has been playing through his back injury for a while.

He missed time in the Minors with a stress fracture in his back in 2021, so the Rangers have been trying to be cautious with him.

That being said, manager Bruce Bochy said he believes Carter tried to play through this particular back injury without disclosing to the coaching or training staff how much it affected him.

“With Evan, I think he knew, honestly,” Bochy said. “I don’t think he was being totally honest with us. Even the last game, I guess, it was really starting to bother him. It was pretty evident. Now when you look back at some of the at-bats, he just had a hard time getting his swing off.

Rays

• Shane Baz might be in the minors to manipulate his service clock.

Though there’s some logic to keeping him in Durham and monitoring him, it will nonetheless have consequences for Baz. The righty came into this season with two years and 14 days of major league service time. Had he stayed on the active roster or injured list all season, he would have finished this year at 3.014, just enough to automatically qualify for arbitration and to be on track for free agency after 2027. If he ends up spending significant time on optional assignment, he could alter both of those trajectories, though he could still get to arb as a Super Two guy even if he’s shy of the three-year mark.

For now, he’ll continue with whatever plan the Rays have for building him up over the remainder of the season. Perhaps his return to the big leagues will be motivated by an injury to one of his teammates or it could just be based on some sort of workload checklist that Baz has to hit.

Yankees

• For now, there are no plans to limit Luis Gil.

Boone said the Yankees are keeping a close eye on Gil. He didn’t rule out a workload limit at some point but said that currently it’s “full steam ahead.”

Pitching coach Matt Blake said the Yankees will use a variety of data points to track Gil’s readiness. In spring training he said the Yankees used workouts to get a baseline of what Gil looks like when he’s healthy, mentioning range of motion and “power output.” The team also uses slow-motion video to judge how his delivery progresses. The footage captures minute details regarding the shapes and speeds of his pitches, his release points and where he’s landing on the mound. The team also consults with Gil.

National League

Braves

• David Fletcher is stretching out to be a knuckleball pitcher.

Yes, that David Fletcher.

The utility infielder told team officials several weeks ago that he had a knuckleball, and they agreed to let him show what he could do with it in a game. When they saw it was a legit knuckler, they told him they’d use him at least once a week as a pitcher at Gwinnett and see what he could do. Fletcher was thrilled.

After four relief appearances — two good, two not so good — he got a start Wednesday against the Norfolk Tides and pitched five innings of three-hit ball in a 5-2 win, allowing two runs and one walk with six strikeouts, including a strikeout of baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Jackson Holliday.

No one is getting carried away with it just yet, but the Braves plan to see how far Fletcher can go with his knuckleball-based repertoire. It’s such a rare pitch these days, perhaps he could eventually factor in as a pitcher with the Braves.

• The team has made several moves to work Spencer Schwellenbach into the rotation.

[Schwellenbach] was then informed that his next start was actually coming in Atlanta, less than 13 months after making his pro debut last April.

“I was not expecting it,” Schwellenbach said. “I was totally taken off guard and very happy about it.”

But the Braves had been hatching this plan for a while — really ever since learning the severity of Smith-Shawver’s injury last week. They adjusted their bullpen plans the past few days and leaned on Charlie Morton to eat more innings than they typically would have during Monday’s loss in preparation for Schwellenbach’s debut.

• AJ Smith-Shawver was working on his changeup before going on the IL.

Smith-Shawver had two walks and four strikeouts and topped out at 99.3 mph with his fastball. The Braves were especially pleased with Smith-Shawver’s secondary pitches, including his changeup, which accounted for 20 of his 87 pitches. He used the changeup for strike 3 on first-inning punchouts of Mike Tauchman and Cody Bellinger, each swinging.

“I’ve been working on that all year, just trying to throw it more (for) strikes down in the zone, just kind of executing it more often,” Smith-Shawver said.

His 6.10 ERA in eight Triple-A starts didn’t concern Braves officials because they knew he’d been working on his off-speed pitches, rather than just mowing down minor-league hitters with 98-100 mph heaters. “That (changeup) is what I’ve spent the majority of my time down there working on,” he said.

Note: While you might not care one bit about Bryce Miller (Mariners), read the article on his splitter and how it is three different pitches. Guys who can manipulate pitches like he can, might be able to get away with fewer pitches.

American League

Astros

• Joey Loperfido will work on playing first base in the minors.

During spring training, Loperfido himself said the team never hit him groundballs on the back fields. He started just seven Triple-A games at first base before his promotion. He worked with bench coach Omar López to learn the nuances of the position during his time with the major-league team, but the coaching staff never felt comfortable testing it.

Monday, Espada said he envisions “kind of the same” division of playing time for Loperfido during this stint in Triple A, which includes first base “three or four times a week.”

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American League

Astros

• Hunter Brown has added a sinker.

On May 5, Brown reached a last resort. He had not thrown or thought about a sinker since starring at Wayne State University in 2019. Spring training is the time to test out anything, but even then, Brown never brought out his forgotten pitch.

…

In four appearances since introducing his sinker, Brown has lowered his ERA from 9.78 to 7.06. He has allowed nine earned runs across those 20 1/3 innings, stabilizing a season that threatened to spiral. His six innings of two-run ball Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels were the most encouraging example of what Brown can be.

“That’s the Hunter that we all know. He can be that type of pitcher. He’s got the stuff,” manager Joe Espada said. “That sinker was a game-changer — throwing that stuff in on their hands and setting up the four-seamer up, the breaking ball.”

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