MLB Player News

Up 6-1 in the eighth inning, we weren’t really expecting to have a save chance to write about for the Reds today. But Graham Ashcraft went Graham Splat, loading the bases with walks and allowing an RBI single without recording an out before Brock Burke walked in two more in relief of him. Having already used Pierce Johnson and Tony Santillan, the Reds turned to Antone, who allowed a triple to Kyle Manzardo but got three other batters out between that. Does this mean the Reds have a new closer? No, it means this game was weird. But Antone has good stuff and certainly could factor into what has become a full-blown committee in Emilio Pagán’s absence.

Bericoto has been on the injured list since July 10th with an oblique strain. With Heliot Ramos now playing for the Yankees, there is a good chance that Bericoto could see regular playing time when he returns from the injured list. He’s slashing .293/.305/.552 in 59 plate appearances with the Giants while hitting four home runs. He doesn’t walk much at all, but he has a 46.5% hard-hit rate and a 91.5 percent zone contact rate, so he will do damage on pitches in the zone. He just needs to chase a bit less.

The Rockies acquired Norby on Monday and kept him in Triple-A, where he was in the Marlins organization. The 26-year-old hit .205/.313/.325 with four home runs and six steals in 233 plate appearances for the Marlins this season. There is currently no room at the inn in Colorado for Norby, but he started at second base in this one, which is an indication that that’s where the Rockies may view his best path to the majors. Right now, that job is being held by Willi Castro, who is also under contract for next season.

Miller struck out three, didn’t walk anybody, and threw 60 percent of his pitches for strikes. He sat 96.9 mph on his four-seam fastball, which is down from where he usually sits but still pretty solid. He got plenty of swings and misses on his curve, but he really struggled to command his changeup and slider. Still, it’s nice to see Miller back on the mound after dealing with shoulder soreness all season

Holobetz may have only struck out two batters, but he threw 79 percent of his pitches for strikes and had a 15 percent swinging strike rate. He got into plenty of two-strike counts, but had most of his swings and misses earlier in the count. His cutter was his main bat-missing piece in this game, but he also commanded his curveball well. The 24-year-old has allowed one run in 9 2/3 innings in his first two Triple-A starts and has a 3.96 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 101/25 K/BB ratio in 88 2/3 innings overall this season.

Arias has gone 13-for-39 (.333) with three home runs, ten RBI, and an 8/4 K/BB ratio in his first nine Triple-A games. That has come with a 90.7 mph average exit velocity and a 48% hard-hit rate. With Trevor Story (sports hernia) close to a return and this Red Sox offense humming, we don’t think it’s a lock that Arias gets meaningful at-bats in Boston this season.

Lodolo also walked two and struck out four while throwing 57 percent of his pitches for strikes. He posted a 12 percent swinging strike rate and sat 93.3 mph on his sinker, so his velocity looks good. The command of his changeup was an issue in this one, with just a 53 percent strike rate, and it’s still unclear which pitch(es) are causing the most issues with his blisters. Lodolo threw 65 pitches in his one, so he should make one more rehab start before returning.

Culpepper has battled some injuries earlier in the summer, but he’s hitting .375 in four games in August and has gone 11-for-40 (.275) in 10 games since returning from a glute injury. There remains a good chance we see Culpepper in Minnesota by the end of August when his rookie eligibility for 2027 would remain in tact.

Palencia threw just 50 percent of his pitches for strikes but sat 98.7 mph on his four-seam fastball. The velocity is there, but the command is a little rusty. That’s not totally unexpected with a pitcher coming off a lengthy absence. He’ll need to make a few more appearances in Triple-A.

Cabrera also didn’t walk anybody and threw 75 percent of his pitches for strikes. He sat 97.4 on his four-seam fastball and consistently overpowered Triple-A hitters. We should note that the strike rate on his four-seamer was just 64 percent in this one, and he threw only five sinkers, so fastball command is still a potential bugaboo. Considering he threw just 55 pitches overall in this one, we’d expect him to make one more rehab start before rejoining the Cubs rotation.

The left-hander walked one and didn’t strike anybody out while throwing 55 percent of his pitches for strikes. Tiedemann is off the injured list now and was sitting 96.7 mph on his four-seam fastball. There’s a chance that he could get some relief innings for the Blue Jays to end this season.