Chase DeLauter triples twice in win over Rockies

Gil had been rehabbing from shoulder inflammation but was activated off the IL a week ago and kept in the minors. With Max Fried (elbow) and Ryan Weathers (forearm) now banged up, there’s a chance the Yankees will work to stretch Gil out in Triple-A. He threw 30 pitches in this one, firing 22 of them for strikes and not walking any batters. At worst, he could provide the Yankees with length out of their bullpen soon if they wanted it.

Anthony began his rehab assignment last week with Double-A Portland, and there was a thought that he would quickly rejoin the Red Sox, but it seems that won’t be the case. The Red Sox will be in Miami at the beginning of the week, but will come back to New York on Friday to play the Yankees. Anthony will be in Worcester at the time, playing against the Yankees Triple-A club, so he could easily meet the team in New York if they think he’s ready.

López allowed three hits and one walk while striking out three and throwing 70 percent of his 50 total pitches for strikes. He did struggle to command his curve, and the velocity on it was down quite a bit, but he located his four-seamer well. His velocity on the fastball was down a bit, but he also threw 78 percent four-seamers in this one, so it doesn’t seem like the veteran was really attacking the lineup like he would in an MLB game. It remains to be seen how many more starts the Braves want him to make in the minors.

Jax struck out two and walked two while throwing 42 pitches in the outing. He threw 60 percent of his pitches for strikes and posted a 17 percent swinging strike rate and 31 percent CSW. His sinker has 95.1 mph, and his four-seamer was 95.4 mph, so there didn’t seem to be much concern with his velocity. He did struggle to command his changeup and sweeper, so the Rays may opt to give him one more rehab start and try to get him closer to 60 pitches before activating him.

The 21-year-old has been absurd in August, hitting .379/.447/.1.015 with 14 home runs, 21 runs scored, 26 RBI, one steal, and an 11/8 K/BB ratio. This is after he hit just .203/.299/.419 in July. Velazquez has also been playing a lot more left field to make it easier to slide him into the MLB lineup. That extra time to learn a new position could also be why he has remained in the minors despite swinging a hot bat. Still, there’s a very good chance he could follow a similar path to the big leagues as teammate Chase Delauter, who actually made his MLB debut during last year’s postseason.

The Twins’ top prospect has been absolutely on fire in August, hitting .415/.493/.800 with seven home runs, 12 RBI, six steals, and a 12/10 K/BB ratio. He has 11 home runs, 16 steals, and a .931 OPS on the season and certainly looks ready for an MLB audition.

A year ago, Isaac was recovering from life-saving brain surgery. Now he’s one step away from the major leagues. The 22-year-old hit .255/.400/.510 in 99 games at Double-A this year with 24 home runs, 77 runs scored, 71 RBI, and 18 steals. That came with a 119/80 K/BB ratio, but also a 16.8 percent swinging strike rate that will need to be addressed as he moves to the higher levels of the minors.

The 19-year-old is now hitting .324/.397/.575 in 72 games at Double-A with 17 home runs, 51 RBI, six steals, and a 65/30 K/BB ratio. There’s a very strong chance he begins 2027 in Triple-A and could be up with the Cardinals by next summer. He is soaring up prospect rankings right now.

This feels a bit unprecedented since the Astros are currently tied for first place in the AL West. They certainly haven’t played up to their standards, but they still stand a good chance of making the playoffs. Brown had been the Astros general manager since 2023, but his contract was set to expire at the end of this season, so it seems that the team had already decided to go in another direction and wanted to start on that path now. According to McTaggart, Brown’s responsibilities will be transitioned to assistant GMs Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff, as well as to senior advisor Jeff Bagwell. Astros owner Jim Crane will oversee baseball operations through the transition period.

Eldridge should be back in time for the start of a series against the D-backs on Thursday. Shay Whitcomb or Nate Furman could be called up to help fill in until then.