As the 2025 season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Quero to make MLB debut:
The White Sox are poised to promote top catching prospect Edgar Quero to the majors for his big league debut. A corresponding 40-man roster move will be necessary to bring Quero up from the minors, so the club will have to either designate a player for assignment or transfer one of their players to the 60-day injured list, though they have no obvious candidates for the latter.
Quero, 22, is a consensus top-100 prospect who’s gotten off to a hot start at Triple-A, with a .333/.444/.412 slash line in 63 plate appearances. That solid bat is the main attraction when it comes to Quero, as he’s regarded as a below-average defender behind the plate and a lackluster baserunner. Even so, the switch-hitter’s knack for contact, impressive plate discipline, and power potential make him an intriguing prospect even if Kyle Teel is the more well-regarded of Chicago’s two touted catching prospects. (Teel, conversely, is out to a rough start in Charlotte, slashing .196/.328/.393 with a 31.3% strikeout rate.) Quero’s first game will come against the Athletics in Chicago, and is scheduled for 1:10pm local time.
2. Hancock returning to majors:
Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock has one MLB start under his belt this year, and it could hardly have gone worse. When he faced the Tigers on March 31, Hancock was shelled for seven hits (including a home run) and a walk in an outing that saw him record just two outs. He ultimately surrendered six runs and walked away with an ugly 81.00 ERA and 27.01 FIP before being optioned to the minors. With George Kirby still on the injured list and Seattle in need of a fifth starter, Hancock gets an opportunity for redemption today against the Reds in Cincinnati. The former No. 6 overall pick has been as a serviceable depth starter for the Mariners in the past, with a career 4.71 ERA in 15 starts entering this season. He also has a solid Triple-A track record — a 3.46 ERA in 19 starts/104 innings pitched. Will he be able to turn things around this afternoon?
3. Tensions high in Nationals, Pirates finale:
It’s been a rough series between the Pirates and Nationals. On Tuesday, a fastball got away from right-hander Mitch Keller and struck shortstop Paul DeJong in the face, breaking his nose and sending him to the injured list. That was followed by a wild outing from Nationals reliever Jorge Lopez, who hit Bryan Reynolds before another pitch got away from him and ran up-and-in on veteran Andrew McCutchen, who was forced to dive to the ground to avoid being plunked. That incited a benches-clearing incident that ultimately ended with Lopez being ejected (video link).
As noted by Jessica Camerato of MLB.com, Lopez apologized for the situation after the game and McCutchen’s own postgame comments suggested that he does not believe the pitch from Lopez was intentional. Still, benches-clearing incidents typically leave both teams on high-alert for potential issues for the remainder of the series. It also remains to be seen whether Lopez will be further disciplined by the league beyond his ejection.
Victory is the best revenge, and that went to the Bucs.
Especially when the umpires lost control of the situation. Lopez should’ve been immediately ejected when McCutchen nearly got beaned.
‘Beaned’ is rosy — he nearly got his head taken off had he not ducked, not unlike where/how DeJong got hit. No way it’s intentional as Lopez has never and will never be that accurate. If it was, and he could harness that rage, that man could be Hulk-Maddux.
Last season and in the same game, Reynolds hit a 3 run homer and 2 batters later, Cutch hit a solo homer off of Lopez.
Maybe he didn’t forget
If Hancock throws another blunder today and screws our bullpen up then that gets to DFA territory
They’re not DFAing Hancock. And anyway, what screws the bullpen is when starting pitchers are pulled five innings after throwing 78 pitches. Was Miller hurt last night? It wasn’t that cold in Cincy, I have no idea why he didn’t start the sixth. Also… teams have eight relievers. How is that so often we hear of bullpens “being taxed”?
@ sad Uhhh why DFA him? Is Seattle’s 40 man roster that locked in? He’s pitched in parts of 3 seasons, so he should still be optioned.
Teams don’t DFA first round picks after two bad starts, especially when there’s a track record like his.
The lack of bullpen depth isn’t his fault. That’s on Jerry.
He hasn’t been good at all since he got drafted
He gave them 4 quality starts last year and only had 2 bad starts (and a third, short outing that was from a pair of costly defensive errors).
His first start this year was obviously less than ideal, but what he did yesterday was perfectly fine: he kept them in the game and they won.
Exactly! So many SEA fans across social media inc people on here skewered Hancock after his 0.2ip disaster vs DET.
They said “He’s garbage, he’s a failed draft pick, he’s not even a ML SP, His stuff can’t get ML hitters out.”
I said “what happened after his last clunker in MIL 2024? I said he gave the M’s a 3.72 ERA for the rest of the year over his next 9 Starts. Including 3 consecutive Quality Starts immediately following that MIL clunker.”
How did young E Hancock follow up his disastrous DET start? He gave up 2R on a HR to RF that barely scraped the wall in the #1 hitters park for HR’s in all of MLB. Frankly I thought he looked like the best SEA Pitcher (not named Andres Muñoz.) He never looked flustered, had good command, zero BB’s, his FB was at 96 mph and frankly I thought Dan Wilson pulled Hancock way too early after throwing just 73 pitches. When you consider that the M’s BP has logged the most ip in all of MLB, I’d have kept Hancock in. Yet another dubious in game mgmt decision by Dan Wilson
I’m not a fan of Hancock, and I think the M’s might be showcasing him to make a trade, but he looked good today, albeit against an admittedly-weak Reds offense.
But I’m at a complete loss why Wilson has such a quick hook. It’s not like Miller and Hancock are all that young (Miller’s 26, Hancock’s 25) and need babying. Not that all that coddling is keeping guys any healthier. Has anyone correlated low pitch counts/longer days between starts with fewer injuries? I’d be very curious to see what such an examination would reveal.
They’re not showcasing him. They’re legitimately short a starter right now and they’re thin on SP depth.
Good for Quero. Hope he and Meidroth can usher in a refreshing new era of WSox hitters with plate discipline (and who actually embrace/like putting in the work to play baseball better outside of the paycheck). Even if a backup C at best in terms of defense, lot of DH work is fine.
Winning baseball games doesn’t seem to be their thing…
Maybe the Pirates should become goons and just beat up other teams like the 70’s Flyers.
The Federal Street Bullies.
The Flyers did win back to back Stanley Cups
And absolutely nothing since. Ugh. Talking Flyers trash in a baseball chat stings when you’re a Pirates fan. Carry on.
Maybe the Penguins should try it too
I like the idea of baseball goons in Pittsburgh.
I just like the idea that they showed a pulse. I’ve never seen a team so ok with losing
@cws. Yeah quero the only knock is his defense behind the plate, maybe he can play 1st base/dh/emergency catcher. Haven’t followed up on him since he left the angels, but he’s still young enough to figure it out. Not sure if he got better because he was 20.
Hopefully this may jump start hitting!! Really need a couple good contact hitters from somewhere!
They had all off season to sign a couple affordable bats. They did nothing. Unless you count trading for a guy who needed wrist surgery and signing two guys who are a step outside of retirement
Dice 66 & George Bailey I cant tell which club you are talking about. Are the Pirates and Mariners ownership running the same shtick while being BFE.
From your comments it sounds like the same offseason plan was dished out by both clubs, which is pathetic.
Ownership did come out to say “Payroll will increase this offseason” but that only meant it will increase because arbitration players will get the mandated raise approved by ownership and the players ass.
Don’t know how it is out there but as long as the M’s marketing department keeps the bobble heads bobbing, flying hot dogs flying and bugs as food in the stadium, ownership will profit nicely every year so they can continue with the bare bones roster.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the more was spend on the R&D to get the hot dogs to fly straight then on the big league roster!
Well, misery loves company. Similar stories here, to be sure, right down to bobble heads
But you haven’t lived until you’ve witnessed the pierogi races here
It’s hard for me to see a worse owner in any sport than Bob Nutting. While I’m sure he’s a wonderful man, as an owner he’s a carpetbagging miser
He’s made news in the past week for two notable scumbag events: replacing a large commemorative Clemente display in PNC Park
with advertising and ripping out hundreds of personalized bricks which were purchased by fans and dumping them in a local slag yard
And let it sink in for a moment: You have the talk of ALL of baseball, Paul Skenes. You have an all star pitcher in Keller and a rising young pitcher in Jones
You have an anemic offense and just need to add a couple bats. Affordable bats
And instead, you do nothing?
Instead, you make it known both Keller and Jones may be available?????
As a fan, how do you support this team and its scumbag owner?
I stumbled down the link click rabbit hole to read about the bricks being ripped up at PNC and found at the local recycle center last week.
Sounds like a back door mafia deal from the 1920s to me.
Their out seemed to be that a replica could have been bought at the time of purchase.
I know out hear lots of fans are done supporting this team but the team has made it an “event” to go to a ga and stopped buying gme so that families and fair weather fans will still line the pockets of ownership even if the lifelong fans don’t.
I watch the games but dont pay for a subscription. Dont buy hats or gear.
Its depressing because baseball season is when the fun is supposed to start but knowing what could have been puts a real damper on that fun.
Well stated
I admit I’m jaded by modern professional and college athletics The money for owners, the NCAA and the players is outrageous
That’s my disclaimer
I come from a time when most pro athletes lived in the city where they played and often had to work in the off season or after retirement. And a time when a free ride to college was enough
For me, it now comes down to loving the game. The players mean nothing to me. I root for the home team. That’s where it ends. And all I want is a team that hustles and plays with an intensity. Since I live in a “smaller market,” all I want the owner to do is build a team from the ground up that exudes all of that
And to show some allegiance to the city and fan base that built your stadium with tax dollars. Show some civic responsibility to give hard working fans some semblance of a competitive team
But we have none of that here. Players who are largely aloof and ok with losing, an owner whose obsession with profit is sickening
Nutting and his franchise have just about killed the baseball fan base here. Instead, his sales pitch is the ballpark and the circus inside.
Don’t focus on the team so much but hey, how about that pierogi race and t-shirt launch
It’s pathetic
No, that was well stated.
The rich keep getting richer but at least now its not all going to the whoever’s name is on the college pool/library/cafeteria.
I agree a free 4 yr degree is a wonderful leg up in life but it doesn’t come close to the cash haul the pool guy is racking in off whomever is playing whatever sport for 4yrs.
But with all that money some college players are strictly there for the cash not the love of the game or the education.
With some of the numbers reported it’d be hard not to see it as a 4yr “job” and if I like the game great. & if I try I’ll get an education too.
You said it better than I did,
Its the home team that matters to me not the bobble heads, flying dogs, pierogi races or the hydro plane races, which I failed to mention earlier.
Adding to your great points about a “small market” team would be an owner that doesn’t back down.
To tell us out load that once the young core is here/ready that any missing or weak areas will be augmented with free agent(s) to win a championship was only fools gold to think was real.
But because an owner was too worried about other baseball activities not related to the field, the only team to never see, smell, hear or taste a world series will constantly miss a chance to have our own Mr. October.
2022 season was October baseball but the playoffs were missed 8 times by 2 games or less from 2014-2024.
How much does a bat cost to get .5 win in 2016 for a playoff spot?
A bat in 2014, 2018, 2021, 2023 & 2024 for 1 win to get into the fight, what would that bat have cost?
2 wins you ask, what wold that have cost for the 17/20 seasons?
It’s pathetic to think that the vet on the couch that year could have got a spot.
I’d challenge you on the player aspect. If a player shows heart, hustle, and respect for teammates & for the home team city then I can root for both but its not a one comes all comes deal.
Cal Raleigh had me on the fence but his recent extension pushed me over the fence.
Lastly, I see your owner does love you and does love the team. Instead of only making 20K Paul Skenes Rookie of the Year bobble heads, he made, at minimum, 37,713 for all those looking for their brick and didn’t make it to the gate in time before the 1st 20K were gone.
So not only did he make an extra 17K for the fans he loves but he also killed the collectibility by flooding the market more so than before!
What a great owner, wish I could get my bobble head by showing up in the 5th.
Might be time for teams to stop taking chances on Lopez. He seems to consistently do dumb things at exactly the wrong time – from throwing his mitt in the stands with the Mets last year to throwing at Cutch’s head yesterday.
He was fine with the Cubs last season, no off-field stuff and effective on-field. I guess he has a short fuse, though.
Agreed. No one knows if that was intentional or not, but the game was only 2-0 and for Lopez to ignore the game for his own personal beef is unprofessional. Can’t rely on someone like that.
You would think our new White Sox manager could put out a lineup with the first four batters hit over .150 today.
Hancock- One of many 1st round drafted players who haven’t lived up to his expectations so far. Don’t be a choker.
I think there’s risk of rushing Quero, whose defensive liabilities could expose him in the majors, potentially stunting his growth or forcing the White Sox into awkward roster decisions.
“Teel, conversely, is out to a rough start…” Terribly written. “Conversely” has to START the sentence. Don’t interrupt subject and verb for no reason.