The Yankees officially selected Ali Sánchez‘s contract yesterday. Had the game not been rained out, Sánchez would have been the first right-handed hitting catcher to start for the Yankees since Jose Trevino in the 2024 World Series. Today’s lineup isn’t public yet, but Sánchez could still start, as the Red Sox are starting a lefty in Ranger Suarez to counter the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler.
1. Ashcraft surrenders a first-inning run, finally
Braxton Ashcraft has started all 13 of his games for the Pirates this year, and he typically starts off strong. Yesterday, he allowed a first-inning run for the first time in his career (h/t to Jason Mackey of MLB.com for the stat), as the Braves took an early 2-0 lead on a sac fly and an Austin Riley double. It was a tough night overall for Ashcraft, who allowed six earned runs on nine hits in five innings as the Pirates lost to the Braves 6-3. Ashcraft is having a great season regardless. The righty has a 3.28 ERA through 79 2/3 innings and a 2.1 fWAR that ties for seventh among qualified starters.
2. Tigers v. Naylor
A potentially dangerous moment in the Mariners’ 4-0 win over the Tigers yesterday came in the fifth inning. Tigers starter Keider Montero threw a 96 MPH fastball up and in to the Mariners’ Josh Naylor, striking Naylor on the right shoulder. Naylor appeared in good spirits, laughing off the HBP and remaining in the game. For his part, Naylor thinks the pitch was intentional, telling Tim Booth of the Seattle Times and others, “I knew it was on purpose.” He had previously scored from first base, with Naylor’s sliding mitt getting thrown up toward Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler on the play at home.
3. From first overall to first base
After a brief demotion to the minor leagues, Royce Lewis was recalled yesterday and started at second base for the Twins. Notably, Lewis slid over to play first base in the ninth inning, marking his first major league appearance at the cold corner. Lewis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, has mostly played third base since arriving in the Majors in 2022. He’ll now look to add positional flexibility to increase his value amidst struggles at the plate. Lewis has a 52 wRC+ in 123 plate appearances while striking out over 30% of the time. Brooks Lee, now the starting third baseman per FanGraphs’ RosterResource, has a 96 wRC+ in 242 plate appearances.
Photo courtesy of Matt Krohn, Imagn Images
