New pitch has Cease in the Cy Young conversation
Dylan Cease throws a changeup nowadays and, technically, that's not anything new. The Blue Jays right-hander threw 37 changeups with the Padres last season. But that offering was more of a "Bugs Bunny" pitch, a term first coined by Ethan Katz, Cease's former pitching coach with the White Sox. Last
Breaking down the closest All-Star races in Phase 1 balloting
Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters.
Cade Smith's fastball isn't as good this year -- but his splitter is elite
This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins' Guardians Beat newsletter, with MLB.com's Jared Greenspan filling in for this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Every MLB team’s most recent cycle
The cycle is a feat that proves baseball doesn't discriminate. Any type of hitter can accomplish it. We've seen little guys muscle up for home runs, lumbering catchers leg out triples, power hitters reach on singles that don't get out of the infield. There's no secret formula to a cycle,
Texas slugger joins elite company with cycle in oddest of ways in Men's College World Series
Texas needed a win against Alabama on Monday afternoon to stay alive at the Men’s College World Series. Turns out, the Longhorns did more than win -- they made some history, too. Sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez hit for the cycle in a 14-2 Texas victory. He became the third player
Red-hot Ohtani leads Dodgers into clash with Rays (ESPN, 10 ET)
Remember when Shohei Ohtani could not shake off a season-opening slump? That’s certainly not the case anymore. Ohtani is swinging a red-hot bat, and the four-time MVP will look to keep rolling as the Dodgers and Rays begin a three-game series from Dodger Stadium on Monday night. First pitch is
Twins No. 1 prospect Jenkins homers in return to game action
In his first game action in nearly six weeks, Walker Jenkins picked up right where he left off. The Twins' No. 1 prospect -- and No. 11 overall, per MLB Pipeline -- rapped out four hits in the first game of his rehab assignment for Single-A Fort Myers in a
Breslow: Crochet 'making good progress' on lat strain
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow refuted a report that star left-hander Garrett Crochet’s lat injury is worse than initially thought. “As far as I know there is nothing new and Garrett is making good progress on the lat strain,” Breslow told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. On Wednesday, Pete Abraham
Monstrous home run from Grant headlines Day 2 AUSL action
On the heels of a thrilling Opening Day, the second season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League continues to deliver marquee moments. The second day of the season included an iconic first home run and a highly-anticipated showdown in the circle. Here’s a recap of the top moments from Day
Back-to-back HRs -- including a slam! -- highlight thrilling AUSL Opening Day
The second season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) kicked off with an entertaining tripleheader on Tuesday. And for some, it was even historic. Here's a look at the top moments from each game.
Watch the 10 most extreme whiffs on record
Have you ever watched a hitter swing and miss and think, "Wow, he wasn't close to that one." Well, thanks to Statcast's new miss distance data, we have a way to quantify that. The new leaderboard just launched on Baseball Savant has a number of metrics that help us characterize
The unique way this righty uses his sinker -- and why it works for him
Before Gavin Williams could walk through his various pitch grips, he needed to find a baseball. "I can show you better than I can tell you," the Guardians right-hander said before a day game at Yankee Stadium last week. Lately, Williams has done a whole lot of showing: Each start
10 players who could receive their first All-Star Game start
Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters, here. And click here for a position-by-position look at this year's ballot.
Striker Pence, flamethrowing nephew of Hunter, reclassifies to '27 Draft class
Striker Pence, ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in the 2028 high school class, announced on Thursday that he is reclassifying to be eligible for the 2027 MLB Draft. Pence is the nephew of 14-year big leaguer and 4-time MLB All-Star Hunter Pence. The 17-year-old Pence is
How this White Sox pitcher evolved into an ace
Davis Martin is not afraid to make a change. Or two. Or three.
How Brown's new two-seamer is fueling a breakout season
This story was excerpted from the Cubs Beat newsletter. This edition was written by Jared Greenspan. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
How Jonah Tong has shuffled the deck in big league return
Jonah Tong is back in the Majors. At least for now, he's sticking around. "We're going to need him," Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said of Tong following Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Reds. "We'll continue to get creative." Tong -- the organization's No. 2 prospect and No. 36 overall, per
Think he knew? PCA demands challenge after wild dive -- and he's right
It’s safe to say that Pete Crow-Armstrong was pretty sure he was, well, safe on this bang-bang play at the plate. The Cubs center fielder dashed home from third base when Alex Bregman squibbed a ground ball to first base in the ninth inning of Thursday’s 7-2 Cubs victory over
Two new faces surge to the top of latest Cy Young poll
Throughout much of last season -- and even earlier this season -- a pair of familiar hurlers sat atop our Cy Young poll. Paul Skenes in the National League. Tarik Skubal in the American League. Well, that's not the case anymore. Skubal is sidelined after undergoing surgery to remove loose
Guerrero out of lineup again Tuesday with elbow contusion after HBP
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is out of the Blue Jays’ lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins, missing his second straight game after suffering a right elbow contusion when he was hit by a pitch on Sunday. Guerrero was struck on the right elbow by a 92.1 mph sinker from Pirates
Marte, Willson Contreras mash their way to weekly honors
D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte and Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras each took home Player of the Week honors in their respective leagues on Tuesday. An All-MLB First Team member in each of the last two seasons, Marte began the 2026 campaign marred in a deep slump, posting a
Ranger Suarez in a groove and the numbers back it up
Earlier this month, standing beside his locker inside the visitor's clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, Rangers infielder Jake Burger did not hesitate when prompted to name the toughest pitcher he's faced during his MLB career. "Ranger Suarez," Burger told MLB.com. "He's got the three-fastball mix and locates really well. He's one
Painter makes longest start of career, but offense's troubles continue
PHILADELPHIA -- For the second time in three days, the Phillies wasted a gem from their starting pitcher. Rookie right-hander Andrew Painter turned in the longest outing of his young MLB career on Sunday afternoon, allowing just two runs across 6 1/3 innings. When the 23-year-old walked off the mound
Higher velocity but fewer fastballs part of pitching evolution
Earlier this week, Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla referred to Mason Miller as the best pitcher in baseball. That may incite debate, but Miller certainly belongs in the conversation -- his early-season dominance (including a 0.79 ERA and a 51.7% strikeout rate) already has us wondering about his potential Cy
Couple shows up to wrong game, then catches HR ball from same player on back-to-back days
Sometimes, it pays to be wrong. It certainly did for the Johnsons. On Tuesday, the couple showed up at Chase Field thinking they had purchased tickets to that night’s game between the D-backs and Giants. But when they tried to scan their tickets at the gate, they did not work.