The Opener

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Martin exits due to shoulder issue:

Rangers right-hander Chris Martin departed yesterday’s game against the Astros after throwing just one pitch. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News) that Martin’s exit was due to “shoulder discomfort.” Bochy indicated that Martin’s shoulder will be examined before the club makes any decisions about next steps, but it would hardly be a shock to see the nearly 39-year-old hurler be placed on the shelf. That would be a tough outcome for the Rangers, as Martin has been fantastic in a late-inning role this year with a 1.83 ERA and 1.87 FIP across 22 appearances.

2. Series Preview: Royals @ Giants

The Royals are headed to San Francisco for a three-game set that pits the current holder of the final Wild Card spot in each league against one another. The Royals have a one-game lead over the Rangers and Astros for the last spot in the AL, while the Giants have a two-game lead on the Cardinals over in the NL.

Southpaw Kris Bubic has a sterling 1.66 ERA through nine starts, and at 6:45pm local time in San Francisco he’ll be taking on fellow lefty Robbie Ray (3.04 ERA) in an attempt hand the Giants their first loss of the season with the veteran Ray on the bump. Tuesday, Royals righty Michael Lorenzen (3.76 ERA in nine starts) will square off against Hayden Birdsong (2.31 ERA in 11 relief outings) as he moves from the bullpen to the rotation. The series will close out on Wednesday with San Francisco ace Logan Webb (2.42 ERA in ten starts) taking on a to-be-announced Royals starter. Kansas City placed both Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo on the injured list over the weekend.

3. How will the Phillies handle the loss of Alvarado?

The Phillies were dealt a nasty surprise yesterday when closer Jose Alvarado was suspended for 80-games after testing positive for exogenous testosterone. The lefty has been crucial in the bullpen for Philadelphia, delivering a 2.70 ERA and 1.84 FIP in 20 appearances while picking up seven saves. Fellow lefty Matt Strahm (2.89 ERA, 1.91 FIP in 21 outings) has been nearly as effective, but the Phillies’ relief corps owns a lackluster 4.57 ERA as a collective unit. That’s a bottom-ten figure in baseball, thanks largely to early struggles from Jordan Romano (7.27 ERA) and Carlos Hernandez (6.35 ERA). Romano, however, has rattled off eight consecutive scoreless frames with an 11-to-1 K/BB ratio. Hernandez hasn’t been as sharp but still has a more palatable 4.50 mark with improved strikeout and walk rates over his past 10 frames.

Getting Romano back to the pre-injury form he showed in Toronto would be a boon, especially since trade season is unlikely to begin in earnest for another month at least. In the meantime, could the Phillies look to make a more minor addition, as their division rivals in New York did when they added southpaw Jose Castillo in a trade the Diamondbacks last week?

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world this weekend:

1. Twins await updates on Buxton, Correa while eyeing 12th straight win:

The Twins lost two stars in worrying fashion yesterday when center fielder Byron Buxton and shortstop Carlos Correa collided in the outfield and hit the ground. Correa exited immediately, and Buxton departed the game an inning later. Both were placed into MLB’s protocol to be evaluated for concussion-like symptoms, the Twins announced. Bench coach Jayce Tingler told reporters that more information would be available today (link via The Athletic’s Dan Hayes).

Minnesota has won 11 consecutive games and pushed right back into the playoff conversation after a slow start. Buxton has been everything they could ask for in 2025, slashing .261/.312/.522 with 10 homers, an 8-for-8 showing in stolen bases, and excellent defense in center field. Correa’s offensive numbers are below-average, but he’s heated up over the past couple weeks (.328/.343/.406 his past 17 games). Harrison Bader and Brooks Lee appear likeliest to cover center field and shortstop during any potential absences, although Bader exited Wednesday’s doubleheader with groin tightness and was out of yesterday’s lineup. Willi Castro can handle either position, as can former top prospect Austin Martin, who’s raking in Triple-A after opening the year on the injured list. Neither Castro nor Martin is an ideal long-term fit at either position from a defensive standpoint, but they give the Twins some short-term cover.

The Twins will look to push their winning streak to 12 tonight in Milwaukee when they send righty Joe Ryan (2.74 ERA) to the mound against Brewers rookie Chad Patrick (3.19 ERA). Minnesota sends Pablo Lopez (2.77 ERA) to the mound Saturday against a TBD Brewers starter. Sunday, Minnesota will reportedly call up top prospect Zebby Matthews (1.93 ERA in Triple-A) to take on Milwaukee’s top starter, Freddy Peralta (2.66 ERA).

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Series Preview: Astros @ Rangers

The Astros are headed four hours north to face their intrastate rivals in a four-game series. The first of those games is scheduled for 7:05pm local time this evening and will feature a pair of the league’s best starters: 36-year-old veteran Jacob deGrom, who sports a 2.72 ERA and a 32.6% strikeout rate in eight starts, will be on the bump for the Rangers. The Astros will counter with 26-year-old righty Hunter Brown. Brown has been dominant dating back to last May and has continued his breakout performance into 2025, with a sterling 1.48 ERA and a 32.0% strikeout rate through his first eight starts.

Later in the series, the Astros will send Lance McCullers Jr. to the mound for his third outing since 2022 opposite Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi, who has a 1.78 ERA through nine starts. Righty Ronel Blanco (4.04 ERA) will toe the rubber for Game 3 opposite righty Tyler Mahle (1.47 ERA). The ’Stros haven’t announced who will take on Rangers youngster Jack Leiter (4.34 ERA) in the series finale. Notably, if the Rangers win even one of these games, Bruce Bochy will earn the 2,195th win of his career, pushing him ahead of Sparky Anderson into sole possession of the sixth-most managerial wins in baseball history.

2. Twins go for 11 in a row:

The Twins swept their doubleheader against the Orioles yesterday, which officially took their recent winning streak to ten games — the longest in MLB this season. Minnesota remains in fourth place in the crowded AL Central division at the moment, but their 23-20 record is actually enough to put them in the driver’s seat for the third AL Wild Card spot (one game ahead of the previously mentioned Astros).

If the Twins want to sweep Baltimore and extend their winning streak to 11 games, they’ll need to go through 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano. The storied NPB ace is in the midst of his first season in the majors, and so far he’s excelled with a 2.72 ERA in eight starts despite some shaky peripherals (most notably the fourth-lowest strikeout rate in MLB, at 14.2%). Will the Twins and righty Chris Paddack — who has a 4.76 ERA on the season but a terrific 2.51 mark over his past six turns — be able to overcome him?

3. Rushing time in L.A.:

The Dodgers announced yesterday that they were calling up top catching prospect Dalton Rushing, and it seems likely he’ll make his big league debut tonight against the A’s and righty Osvaldo Bido, with first pitch set for 7:10pm local time in Los Angeles. The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya wrote last night that Rushing is expected to be behind the plate for a bullpen game today. Righty Matt Sauer is in line to open tonight’s game, which would’ve been started by Roki Sasaki were it not for a recent IL placement due to a shoulder impingement.

Rushing, 24, was the 40th overall pick back in 2022 and forced the Dodgers’ hand on a call to the big leagues with a terrific .308/.424/.514 batting line (145 wRC+), five homers, and a huge 15.9% walk rate in 132 plate appearances in Triple-A this year. That came on the heels of similarly excellent production in Triple-A late last season. Overall, he’s a .289/.409/.512 hitter in 68 games and 301 plate appearances at the top minor league level. Virtually every set of prospect rankings around the game has Rushing in the top 40 of the game, with MLB.com lauding him as baseball’s No. 15 prospect. FanGraphs pegged him eighth in the sport heading into the season.

On the heels of a longtime veteran’s retirement this morning, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Streaks in St. Louis, Minnesota on the line in doubleheaders:

Around half of doubleheaders result in splits, and that means both the Twins and Cardinals will be looking to defy the odds this afternoon after yesterday’s postponements in Baltimore and Philadelphia forced the two scorching hot clubs to carry their eight- and nine-game win streaks respectively into today. Now each club will need to sweep their doubleheader in order for those streaks to remain alive today. St. Louis’s win streak is already the longest of the 2025 season for any club, though if the Cards were to lose Game 1 and the Twins were to sweep the Orioles today, that title would change hands.

Fans in Baltimore with tickets to today’s game will be treated to a single-admission doubleheader beginning 12:05pm local time, with the second game scheduled to begin approximately 30 minutes after the first one ends per MLB.com. Meanwhile, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com notes that the Phillies are going with a split doubleheader for today’s games, and that tickets for last night’s postponed game will be valid for the evening game scheduled to start at 6:15pm local time.

2. Potential pitchers duels in Philly:

Aside from the intrigue surrounding the Cardinals’ current streak, both games in today’s doubleheader between the Phillies and the Cardinals feature potentially exciting pitching matchups. This afternoon’s game will feature right-hander Erick Fedde (3.86 ERA) coming off a dominant complete game shutout against his former team in Washington, where he struck out 8 Nationals and walked none while scattering six hits. The Phillies will counter with southpaw Jesus Luzardo (2.11 ERA), who has been among the best pitchers in baseball in the early going after an injury-marred season in Miami last year.

This evening’s matchup is equally exciting and will showcase two veteran workhorses: Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola. Gray, 35, had a 3.50 ERA through eight starts this year and is not far removed from a dominant 2023 season with the Twins where he finished second in AL Cy Young award voting after throwing 184 innings, one of just 25 starters to throw at least 180 frames that year. He’ll face off against the 31-year-old Nola, who has thrown at least 180 innings in each of the past six 162-game seasons. Nola is having a down year for the Phillies with just a 4.89 ERA through eight starts, though he’s begun to turn things around of late with a 2.50 ERA in his last three outings.

3. Acuna on the way:

Atlanta has been without its best player since Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a torn ACL last season, but the 27-year-old is on his way to a return. After appearing in his first rehab game of the year last night, which saw him go 1-for-3 with a home run while playing right field for the club’s complex league team, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtrabase relays that Acuna is set to depart the organization’s complex in Florida and head back to Georgia today before joining the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett to continue his rehab. The move from complex ball to Triple-A is a notable one that leaves just one step between Acuna and the majors, though the superstar remains at least a week or two away from a return to action in the big leagues.

As the 2025 regular season continues, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on today:

1. Cubs 40-man roster move incoming:

Reports surfaced last night indicating that the Cubs are poised to call up top catching prospect Moises Ballesteros today. Ballesteros is unlikely to catch much in this first taste of big league action, as he appears poised to serve as the club’s DH for the time being while Seiya Suzuki covers for the injured Ian Happ in left field. The 21-year-old Ballesteros has been among the best hitters at Triple-A this year despite his young age, crushing the ball at a .368/.420/.522 clip across 150 plate appearances. Ballesteros is not yet on the Cubs’ 40-man roster, and with no obvious 60-day IL candidates it appears that they’ll need to designate a player for assignment today. Ballesteros’s first game in the majors, assuming he makes his debut today, will come against Valente Bellozo (3.50 ERA in four starts) and the Marlins at 6:40pm local time in Chicago.

2. Cardinals go for ten in a row:

The Cardinals took an eight-game winning streak into Philadelphia yesterday and emerged with a 3-2 victory over the Phillies to extend that streak to nine games. It’s the longest winning streak of the season so far and has thrust them into the thick of the race for the NL Central crown. They’re currently one game behind the Cubs, but to stay hot on the North Siders’ heels and extend the streak to ten straight wins they’ll need to take down Phillies southpaw Jesus Luzardo, who has posted a 2.11 ERA in eight starts during his first season with the club. The Cardinals, meanwhile, will counter with veteran righty Sonny Gray and his 3.50 ERA across eight starts. Tonight’s game in Philadelphia begins at 6:45pm local time.

3. Twins go for nine in a row:

Minnesota is looking to extend its own impressive win streak, which currently sits at eight games. The Twins took the final two games of their recent series in Boston before sweeping a struggling Orioles club and a strong Giants team in their visits to Target Field. Next up is a rematch with the Orioles — this time in Baltimore. The Twins will send 24-year-old righty Simeon Woods Richardson (4.01 ERA in 33 2/3 innings) to the mound against former Twins prospect Cade Povich (5.55 ERA in 35 2/3 innings) in the series opener, which is scheduled for 6:35pm local time. Minnesota tagged Povich for five runs in six innings when the two squared off last week. The Orioles scored two runs off Woods Richardson in a shorter, 4 2/3-inning start.

Despite rattling off eight straight wins, the Twins have only picked up 2.5 games in the division race. The Tigers, Guardians and Royals have all been playing well recently, leaving Rocco Baldelli’s club 5.5 games out of the division lead. Minnesota has, however, wiped out a 5.5-game deficit in the Wild Card chase with this streak. The Twins are currently tied with the A’s and Red Sox for the final Wild Card spot in the American League.

It’s already a newsworthy morning, with one of MLB’s top prospects reportedly headed to the majors. Here are three more things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Seager to be re-evaluated:

Late last month, the Rangers lost star shortstop Corey Seager to the injured list due to a strained right hamstring. The club’s star came back after just a minimum stint on the shelf. Unfortunately, it appears he didn’t come back at full strength. He served as the club’s DH on the day of his activation from the IL and since then has played just four games in eight days. Evidently, Seager is still feeling the effects of his hamstring injury, and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that Seager will be “re-evaluated” today after missing yesterday’s game due to his hamstring tightening up while playing Saturday. Josh Smith has been filling in as the club’s shortstop on days Seager is unable to play and figures to continue doing so if Seager required another stint on the injured list.

2. Snell visiting with team doctors:

Blake Snell has made just two starts in his first season as a Dodger so far due to persistent soreness in his left shoulder. The southpaw was expected to return to action late April but instead wound up getting shut down from throwing entirely. In the nearly three weeks since, he has yet to resume throwing. Today, Snell is expected to meet with team doctors to determine next steps regarding his injury amid continued soreness in his shoulder.

The Dodgers have struggled to patch together their rotation without Snell (as well as Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and others). Despite their impressive pitching depth, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dustin May have been the only consistent performers on the staff. Roki Sasaki is the only other Dodgers pitcher with even 20 innings as a starter, and though his future outlook remains bright, he’s struggled early on in his initial jump to Major League Baseball. Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin and Landon Knack round out a patchwork rotation at the moment.

3. Surging Cardinals go for 2025’s longest win streak:

The Cardinals opened the offseason by talking about a need to step back and focus on player development. An offseason of inactivity followed. Reliever Phil Maton was the team’s only free-agent addition, and the Cards spent most of the winter trying unsuccessfully to trade future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado. The 2025 season was billed as a year of transition, creating opportunities for young players and scaling back the payroll.

All of that may end up playing out, but if the front office was eyeing a rebuild/retool, the players on the field seem to have other ideas. The Cardinals have rattled off eight straight victories, boosting their record to 22-19 and tying them with the Twins for the longest active streak in the majors right now. Minnesota is off today, but the Cardinals and Phillies square off this evening in Philadelphia at 6:45pm local time. The Cards will send red-hot lefty Matthew Liberatore (1.88 ERA, 27-to-6 K/BB ratio in 28 2/3 innings over his past five starts) to the mound against another impressive southpaw, Cristopher Sanchez, who’s been nearly just as good in that same span (2.39 ERA, 28-to-11 K/BB in 26 1/3 frames over his past five turns).

The current eight-game win streaks in St. Louis and Minnesota tie those two teams with the Dodgers for the longest streak of the 2025 campaign. If the Cards can rattle off a ninth straight victory tonight, they’ll improbably stake a claim to the top winning streak of 2025 in a season where they didn’t even appear fully intent on contending.

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world this weekend:

1. Horton to debut:

The Cubs are calling up top pitching prospect Cade Horton this weekend. The 23-year-old was the club’s first-round pick in the 2022 draft and was a consensus top-30 prospect in the sport ahead of the 2024 campaign. He slid down prospect rankings a bit after an injury-marred season last year, but through six starts in 2025 he’s bounced back to peak performance levels. Horton has posted a sparkling 1.24 ERA in 29 innings of work across six starts at Triple-A, and he’s done so while striking out an impressive 30.6% of opponents. Now, he’ll get his first big league opportunity against the Mets and right-hander Tylor Megill (2.50 ERA in seven starts) on Saturday.

2. Quintana to reach milestone:

The Brewers are in Tampa this weekend for a series against the Rays, and tonight’s game will pit veteran southpaw Jose Quintana (2.83 ERA in five starts) against Rays righty Zack Littell (4.61 ERA in seven starts). Quintana, 36, is set to reach a major milestone during today’s start. With 1,998 1/3 innings pitched in his career, the southpaw will reach 2,000 career innings during the second frame of today’s game. The outing will make him just the sixth active player to reach that milestone after Chris Sale joined Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Charlie Morton during his last start with Atlanta. Quintana will be the 450th player in MLB history to reach that mark.

3. AL Central going streaking:

The AL Central sent three teams to the postseason last year (Cleveland, Detroit, and Kansas City), and the beginning of the 2025 season has already raised the possibility of a repeat. Not only have the Tigers emerged as the top club in the American League with a 25-13 start that ties them with the Dodgers for baseball’s best record, but the division once again has three teams in playoff position.

That’s been spurred on by a series of win streaks all around the AL Central. Detroit has won four straight, and the second-place Guardians have won two in a row (and seven of their past ten). Even more impressive are the ongoing streaks in Kansas City (six games) and Minnesota (five games). These hot stretches have allowed the Royals to grab the second-most wins in the AL behind Detroit, while Minnesota has managed to mostly dig itself out of a dreadful start to the season with an 18-20 record that puts them just two games back of a Wild Card spot.

Will any of these clubs be able to keep the good times rolling this weekend? All four are at home. The Tigers host a struggling Rangers club that just shook up its coaching staff. The Royals host a Red Sox series embroiled in drama regarding Rafael Devers’ position. The Twins and Guardians will each take on one of the NL’s top teams, hosting the Giants and Phillies, respectively.

As the 2025 MLB season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Greene to undergo MRI:

Reds right-hander Hunter Greene departed yesterday’s win over Atlanta after just three scoreless frames due to a groin issue. According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Greene is set to undergo an MRI this morning before Reds brass decide how to proceed. Although both team officials and Greene himself expressed some optimism about the right-hander’s condition, a trip to the injured list is always at least on the table when a player heads for imaging of this nature.

The 25-year-old Greene has dominated to the tune of a 2.36 ERA and 3.07 FIP in eight starts this year, and losing him for any period would be a hit to the team’s standing in a tightly contested NL Central. If Greene were to require time on the shelf, Chase Petty seems like the best fill-in option on the 40-man roster. Veteran southpaw Wade Miley could be an option eventually, but he’s yet to resume his rehab assignment after pausing due groin injury two weeks ago.

2. Doubleheader in Colorado:

Tuesday’s postponed game between the Rockies and Tigers will be made up today alongside the teams’ previously scheduled game at Coors Field. Game 1 will begin at 1:10pm local time, with Game 2 following 30 minutes after the end of Game 2. Only tickets for the regularly scheduled game for today will be valid for today’s doubleheader, as noted by Manny Randhawa of MLB.com, and fans will not be required to exit the ballpark between the two games. Game 1 is set to be started by Detroit righty Casey Mize, who has a sparkling 2.70 ERA through six starts this year, and Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland, who has a 5.70 ERA through seven starts in his ninth year with the club. The Tigers haven’t announced a starter for Game 2, but Colorado will turn to southpaw Tanner Gordon in what will be his season debut and just his ninth MLB appearance. The 27-year-old Gordon has a 4.82 ERA and 22-to-6 K/BB ratio in 28 innings in Triple-A this year.

3. Series Preview: Dodgers @ Diamondbacks

A rumble between two of the NL West’s top teams is set to begin in Arizona today when the Dodgers and ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto (0.90 ERA in seven starts) take the field against the Diamondbacks and young righty Brandon Pfaadt (3.79 ERA in seven starts). The Dodgers sit atop the NL West with a 25-12 record after winning each of their last four series, while the Diamondbacks have lost six straight series and are struggling to keep their heads above water with a 19-18 record. That’s dropped Arizona six games back of the Dodgers for the NL West lead. They’re 3.5 games back of both the Padres and Giants, who are in a second-place tie.

A big series against the top dogs in the division could be just what Arizona needs to get back into the thick of the division race alongside San Diego and San Francisco. The D-backs will square off against Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki (3.86 ERA in seven starts), Dustin May (4.36 ERA in six starts), and a yet-to-be-announced starter Sunday. They’ll counter that group with Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez (5.92 ERA in seven starts), Corbin Burnes (3.58 ERA in six starts) and Zac Gallen (4.37 ERA in eight starts), respectively.

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Morton gets another chance in the rotation:

The Orioles moved right-hander Charlie Morton to the bullpen last week after he struggled badly in the first month of the season. The 41-year-old has still walked (six) more batters than he’s struck out (five) and allowed a 6.43 ERA in seven innings of work as a reliever, however. It’s hardly an impressive performance, but the Orioles are nonetheless turning to Morton in the rotation once again today as he’s slated to start against the Twins and righty Simeon Woods Richardson (4.03 ERA in six appearances) at 6:40pm local time in Minnesota. With right-hander Zach Eflin seemingly poised to return to the Orioles’ rotation in the near future, it’s possible today’s start could be Morton’s final opportunity to make a good impression in a rotation role for some time.

2. Bregman searching for No. 200:

Over the weekend, a hitter who has the option to re-enter free agency this offseason slugged the 200th homer of his career when Cody Bellinger sent a pitch from Rays righty Taj Bradley into the seats. The milestone achievement was a rare bright spot in the 2025 season for Bellinger, who has struggled to a .205/.281/.389 slash line in his first 33 games in a Yankees uniform. With Bellinger now having reached career homer No. 200, another hitter in the AL East with an opt-out opportunity this winter sits on the cusp of that same milestone: Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman hit his 199th homer late last week amid what’s been a brilliant first campaign with Boston that’s seen him hit .315/.393/.580. Will he get his milestone homer against Tyler Mahle (1.19 ERA in seven starts) and the Rangers this evening?

3. Top prospects face off in Colorado:

A pair of rookie hurlers and recent first-round picks are scheduled to face off tonight when the Tigers and Jackson Jobe face Chase Dollander and the Rockies at Coors Field in a game scheduled for 6:40pm local time. Jobe, 22, was selected third overall by Detroit in 2021 and made his big league debut with two scoreless relief appearances last year. This season, he’s in the Tigers’ rotation with mixed results to this point. Jobe’s 3.38 ERA is impressive, but it’s belied by a subpar 17.6% strikeout rate against an elevated 13.7% walk rate which have contributed to a lackluster 4.96 FIP.

Dollander, the No. 9 overall pick in 2023, has faced struggles of his own in his first taste of big league action. He’s fresh off a nice start against the Braves (one run, two hits, three walks, four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings) and will look to build some momentum on the back of that performance. While Dollander is striking out a solid 22.3% of opponents with a much more manageable 8.9% walk rate, he’s also surrendered a whopping eight home runs in just 25 innings this year. Six of those homers were surrendered on the road, so his trouble with the long ball can’t even be attributed to the difficulties of pitching at Coors.

Both Jobe and Dollander were top-10 picks, and both entered the season ranked among Baseball America’s top-10 prospects in the entire sport. That type of showdown is obviously quite rare, making tonight’s performance a fun one to watch — especially for fans who like to keep a close eye on the game’s next wave of young talent.

As the 2025 season continues, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on throughout the day today:

1. Merrill to return:

The Padres have been without star center fielder Jackson Merrill for the past month, but as noted by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the 2024 Rookie of the Year runner-up traveled to meet the team in New York yesterday and is expected to be in the lineup today against righty Clarke Schmidt. Merrill was white hot in the season’s first ten games, slashing .378/.415/.676 in 41 plate appearances. The 23-11 Padres have been relying on bench pieces Brandon Lockridge and Tyler Wade in center field during Merrill’s absence. The latter has hit quite well, whereas the former has struggled considerably. A corresponding 26-man roster move will be necessary to bring Merrill back into the fold.

2. Hernandez to undergo MRI:

Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernandez departed yesterday’s win over the Marlins due to what the club termed “tightness” in his left hamstring. Hernandez will undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of the issue, as noted by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. It won’t be known whether Hernandez will require a trip to the injured list until after the results come back, but Ardaya did note that manager Dave Roberts called the injury “a little concerning.” Hernandez enjoyed a banner year with the Dodgers last season and has improved on those numbers in 2025, hitting .305/.323/.586 with nine doubles and nine homers in 32 games. If he does require a trip to the injured list, James Outman and Esteury Ruiz are candidates to join the outfield mix alongside Michael Conforto and Andy Pages.

3. MLBTR chat today:

All of the league’s teams have now played at least 20% of their schedule, but there’s still plenty of baseball left to go and nearly three months remaining until the trade deadline on July 31. Whether you’re looking ahead to the deadline or still trying to sort between the contenders and pretenders, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered in a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.