Sam Antonacci takes a seat Tuesday vs. Orioles

McDougal has now made three appearances out of the bullpen at Triple-A since returning from right forearm tightness, pitching one inning in each of them. In his first six outings of the year, McDougal had been operating as a starter, but the 23-year-old, who was put on the injured list back on April 29th, seems to be operating as a reliever for the remainder of the 2026 season. It remains to be seen if that is simply to keep his arm healthy or to expedite his path to the big leagues, but we would expect McDougal to go back to starting games in the 2027 season.

The 22-year-old is now hitting .290/.369/.549 with 21 home runs, 56 RBI, and six steals in 84 games at Triple-A. He also has a solid 75/40 K/BB ratio. He’s played both corner outfield spots regularly this season, but it seems unlikely that he gets a chance in Cincinnati this year unless the team decides to move on from slumping JJ Bleday.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that he believed Cruz would be back soon after the All-Star break, so the fact that he’s swinging a bat now would make sense with that timeline. He will need to progress to facing live pitching and then begin rehab games next week or the week after. It’s looking like the Pirates will get their star back before the end of the month.

McCullers also walked three and struck out four while throwing 43 of his 77 pitches for strikes. HIs cutter averaged 88.4 mph and he only threw three total four-seam fastballs. He posted a 25 percent whiff rate and just 56 percent strike rate, so it wasn’t a pristine effort. However, his pitch count is built up enough that he could be an option for the Astros rotation after the All-Star break.

Feltner probably won’t mind, since he’ll now be facing the Giants, rather than the Dodgers. It’ll be Hughes’ first major league start after he debuted with three scoreless innings for a save in 15-3 game last Friday.

As goes Loftin, so go the Royals. This makes seven times this season that the Royals have scored 10 runs with him in the starting lineup, and he’s 17-for-33 with three homers and 14 RBI in those games. He’s hit .177 with one homer and 15 RBI in his remaining 49 appearances.

Lugo made his own trouble in the first, when he committed the first of the Royals’ three errors on a three-run infield debacle. After that, though, it was mostly just him getting hit hard. A.J. Ewing hit a two-run homer in the second, and Juan Soto delivered a three-run blast in the fourth. It’s the third time this year that Lugo has given up at least seven runs. He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of 18 turns, but the blowups have left him with a 4.56 ERA. He’ll face the Orioles on Sunday.

Senga left with the Mets up 9-4, which put him in line for a rather undeserved victory, but then the Royals scored 12 runs off Austin Warren and Matt Seelinger between the fifth and seventh innings. That might have made Senga look better in comparison, but four walks while generating just six whiffs isn’t a good combination. He’ll be available to pitch Sunday against the Red Sox, but it remains to see what kind of form that will take. The Mets would probably go with a bullpen game if they get length from Freddy Peralta on Saturday.

Thomas pulverized the ball tonight, with his three hits all leaving the bat at 106-108 mph. His last double would have been a homer in 12 ballparks. This gives Thomas five doubles and a homer in his last five games, a span that’s raised his OPS from .653 to .720. Despite his usual struggles against right-handers, the Royals have been mostly forced to treat him as a regular with Kyle Isbel and Vinnie Pasquantino out, and he hasn’t fared too badly. However, with just four steals in seven tries, his fantasy upside isn’t what it used to be.

What more can a guy do? It’s his first four-hit, four-run scored or three-RBI game as a major leaguer, and it was enough to take his OPS from .742 to .790. Ewing will probably do a lot of sitting against lefties after Luis Robert Jr. returns, but he deserves to stay in the lineup against righties, and the Mets outfield defense would be pretty formidable with him playing alongside Robert and Carson Benge on days that Juan Soto serves as a DH.