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Stats

Kyle Schwarber falls just short in Home Run Derby

Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Player Stats

Kyle Schwarber finished as the runner-up in the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Schwarber’s defining characteristic is an uncanny ability to thrive under pressure, somehow always finding his swing and locking in on the biggest stages in baseball. The 33-year-old entered as the overwhelming favorite in his home ballpark and managed to overcome a frosty start to narrowly advance to the semifinals before outlasting former teammate Willson Contreras to reach the final round. He homered on seven of his first 10 swings in the finals and finished with a whopping 11 on 15 swings. It took a herculean effort from Cardinals emerging star Jordan Walker, who homered on each of his final six swings to pull off an incredible comeback.

- George Bissell

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Report: Brewers acquire McCullers in depth move

Eric Samulski reacts to Lance McCullers reportedly being traded from the Houston Astros to the Milwaukee Brewers, exploring if the veteran starting pitcher is fantasy viable with his new team.

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Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

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Kyle Schwarber will participate in the 2026 Home Run Derby.

He’s the second Phillies player to join the field in the last two days, as he and Bryce Harper are joining Willson Contreras, Jac Caglianone, Junior Caminero, and Ben Rice. There’s room for one more player. Schwarber led the league in homers last year (56) and currently is leading MLB again this year with 32 while hitting .254/.369/.571. The 33-year-old star will undoubtedly be one the favorites to win the derby.
Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Kyle Schwarber went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk on Wednesday against the Reds.

The ball was flying in Cincinnati tonight. Schwarber’s ninth inning home run was the seventh of this game and his league-leading 32nd of the season. It’s been a banner first half for the slugger with 58 RBI, a .254 batting average, and .945 OPS to go along with those 32 dingers.
Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Kyle Schwarber hit his 31st homer of the season in a win over the Reds on Tuesday.

Schwarber also added a single in the contest. The two-run shot off Andrew Abbott also gives the 33-year-old slugger 57 RBI in what has been another outstanding first half of baseball for Schwarber. The Phillies have played 91 games, so he’s just-above a 55-homer pace for the 2026 campaign. It’s entirely realistic he could reach that number.
Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Kyle Schwarber was ejected from Monday’s showdown against the Royals for arguing a checked-swing call.

Schwarber earned the automatic ejection from Monday’s frustrating one-sided affair following a sixth-inning strikeout. He finished 0-for-3 with three punchouts and also drew a walk. The 33-year-old slugger leads the majors with 30 first-half round-trippers and is one of five Phillies headed to next week’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Kyle Schwaber’s 30th homer was a go-ahead two-run blast in the seventh as the Phillies bested the Mets 5-4 on Sunday.

Schwarber also had a single in five at-bats and was responsible for three of the game’s four hardest balls in play. The homer came off Kodai Senga and accounted for the only runs the Phillies scored off him in his five-inning relief appearance. Schwarber is now five homers ahead of anyone else in the majors. It was his 370th career homer, moving him past Ralph Kiner and Todd Helton and into a tie with Gil Hodges for 87th place on the all-time list.
Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Kyle Schwarber (back) returned to the Phillies’ starting lineup for Thursday night’s tilt against the Nationals.

Schwarber missed each of the team’s previous two games due to tightness in his back, though he did draw a walk as a pinch-hitter on Wednesday. The 33-year-old slugger returns to a terrific .252/.367/.594 slash line to go with a league-leading 29 homers and 52 RBI through 338 plate appearances on the season.
Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Kyle Schwarber (back) walked as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning on Wednesday against the Nationals.

Schwarber, who was held out of the lineup for the second straight game with back tightness, came off the bench to face Nationals reliever Orlando Ribalta with two outs in the ninth inning with the Phillies trailing by a run. He managed to foul off a couple pitches and eventually worked a 10-pitch walk before being lifted for a pinch-runner. It wound up being the turning point in the game for Philadelphia as Derek Hill followed with a go-ahead homer off lefty Richard Lovelady, lifting the Phillies to another comeback victory.
Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Kyle Schwarber (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday’s showdown against the Nationals.

Schwarber receives additional time off to rest after his back locked up on him just prior to first pitch on Tuesday at Nationals Park. It sounds like the Phillies are merely proceeding with an abundance of caution given the nature of most back issues since interim manager Don Mattingly downplayed concern after the contest. The 33-year-old slugger is day-to-day heading into Thursday’s series finale. It’ll be Bryce Harper getting a turn at DH in his absence.
Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Kyle Schwarber is day-to-day with lower back tightness.

Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly told reporters Schwarber’s back locked up on him roughly 10 minutes before first pitch and they didn’t want to take any chances. It doesn’t sound like a significant concern, but he’ll be reevaluated prior to Wednesday’s contest just to be safe.
Kyle Schwarber

PHI Designated Hitter #12

Kyle Schwarber was a late scratch from the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Nationals with lower back tightness.

Schwarber, who leads the majors with 29 round-trippers across 75 games this season, was a late scratch just prior to first pitch at Nationals Park. It’ll be Edmundo Sosa taking over at DH in his place. The power-hitting 33-year-old is presumably day-to-day, but it’s worth noting that back issues can be complex matters. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

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Pavin Smith

AZ Designated Hitter #26
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Diamondbacks sent 1B Pavin Smith outright to Triple-A Reno.

No one thought it was worth taking on the rest of Smith’s $2.25 million salary in the hopes that he’d bounce back. The 30-year-old had hit just .141/.236/.192 in 89 plate appearances since returning from elbow surgery. He was pretty good in limited action the previous two years, batting .262/.357/.475 in 446 plate appearances between 2024 and ’25. The Diamondbacks don’t have much ahead of him at first base, so if he rebounds, he might get another chance. That said, Tyler Locklear is probably ahead of him in line for a look.
- Matthew Pouliot

Transaction

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Keegan Akin

BAL Relief Pitcher #45
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Keegan Akin underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, the Orioles announced.

A really tough break for Akin, who will be a free agent for the first time at season’s end. He might be back down the stretch next year if his rehab goes well. The 31-year-old had a 5.68 ERA in 25 1/3 innings this season. He has a lifetime 4.55 ERA in 393 1/3 innings, all for the Orioles.
- Matthew Pouliot

Injury

Source: Jake Rill

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Rob Zastryzny

MIL Relief Pitcher #58
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Brewers transferred LHP Rob Zastryzny to the 60-day injured list with a left trapezius strain.

This rules out Zastryzny through July 30. He still hasn’t pitched in a major league game this season; he missed the first two months with a shoulder strain, was activated May 31 and then was put back on the IL on June 3 without having made an appearance.
- Matthew Pouliot

Transaction

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Eric Cerantola

SF Relief Pitcher
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Giants sent RHP Eric Cerantola outright to Triple-A Sacramento.

Cerantola was claimed off waivers from the Royals on July 6 and had since made two appearances in Triple-A. This is his first outright, so he’ll remain with Sacramento.
- Matthew Pouliot

Transaction

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Tommy Troy

AZ Outfield #91
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Diamondbacks placed OF Tommy Troy on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 12, with a sprained right AC joint.

Troy, who was hurt crashing into the wall in Saturday’s game, will exit the outfield mix for at least the first week back from the All-Star break, resulting in probably an additional start or two for Loudres Gurriel Jr. and Max Kepler.
- Matthew Pouliot

Transaction

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Jadyn Fielder

HOU Outfield
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Astros acquired OF Jadyn Fielder from the Brewers for RHP Lance McCullers and LHP Colton Gordon.

McCullers is making $17 million this year in the final year of a five-year deal, so this was mostly a salary dump to free up money for other trades. Fielder, who is the son of Prince Fielder, is hitting .233/.415/.398 in 45 games at Single-A with three home runs, 34 runs, 23 RBI, and 10 steals. He also doesn’t seem to have a real defensive position, so he’s a long shot to push for MLB at-bats in the future.
- Eric Samulski

Transaction

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Colton Gordon

MIL Starting Pitcher #61
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Brewers acquired LHP Colton Gordon and RHP Lance McCullers Jr. from Astros for OF prospect Jadyn Fielder.

Gordon has only thrown 9 1/3 innings for the Astros this season, but he’s posted a 3.69 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 55/14 K/BB ratio in 70 2/3 innings in Triple-A. Gordon, much like Shane Drohan and Chad Patrick, has experience both as a starter and a reliever, so he will provide some organizational depth and potential bulk innings for the Brewers down the stretch.
- Eric Samulski

Transaction

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Lance McCullers Jr.

MIL Starting Pitcher #43
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Brewers acquired RHP Lance McCullers Jr. and LHP Colton Gordon from the Astros for minor league OF Jadyn Fielder.

This move was reported a few hours ago and is now official. McCullers was up to 77 pitches in his last rehab start, so there’s a chance that he could join the Milwaukee rotation shortly.
- Eric Samulski

Transaction

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Jared Jones

PIT Starting Pitcher #17
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The Pirates will start Jared Jones, Braxton Ashcraft, and Paul Skenes in the series against Cleveland this weekend.

That means the team will push Mitch Keller to next week. It makes sense to use Jones, who is clearly on a pitch count, in the first start after the break because it means the bullpen will be fresh.
- Eric Samulski

Source: Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Skenes

Braxton Ashcraft
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Zack Wheeler

PHI Starting Pitcher #45
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Phillies will start Aaron Nola, Jesus Luzardo, and Alan Rangel against the Mets this weekend.

Nola will start on Thursday, there will then be a day off to accommodate the World Cup Final, and then Luzardo and Rangel will throw on Saturday and Sunday. The Phillies could have chosen to use Zack Wheeler on normal rest this weekend, but the veteran will likely get a two-start week against the Dodgers and Yankees instead.
- Eric Samulski

Source: Todd Zolecki
Aaron Nola

Alan Rangel

Jesús Luzardo
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