Meets LHP Zac Thornton (24) wrote a brilliant chapter in New York’s troubled times. A fifth-round pick in 2023, he has a 1.91 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in four outings spanning 23.1 innings. He also posted a 1.98 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in 72.2 innings at High-A and Double-A last season, so that kind of dominance isn’t entirely new to Thornton, who likely doesn’t have many innings left in the bullpen considering he’s already 86 and 72.2 is his highest single-season strikeout number. The Mets may have spent some money to fill out their rotation in 2027, but Thornton is already sneaking into that picture.
Chicago Cubs recalled IF James Triantos (23) to sit on the bench next to SS Pedro Ramirez. They reportedly think it’s beneficial for kids to know where the lockers and lunch are at the big league level. You can’t really argue with that, but wouldn’t that be possible through some kind of stance? Weekend job shadow? I don’t know, but I do know that you shouldn’t rush out and add James Triantos to all your fancy leagues. In 88 games for Triple-A, he slashed .306/.344/.440 with seven home runs, 18 stolen bases and an 11.6% strikeout rate. If he’s traded for some playing time, he’s interesting even in shallow leagues.
Blue Jays 3B Sean Keys (23) was returned to the minors after a few weeks with Toronto. I suspect the club was considering Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s IL. when Keys was sent back, but Vlad struggled at the back and was rested at halftime. It looks like we will see the keys soon.
We can say Guards SS Angel Genao (22, AAA) has a breakout season if he wasn’t a top 100 hitter in 2025, which turned out to be a down year for a short-hitting shortstop, Cleveland’s favorite type of player. Genao has been hot this summer, hitting .392/.496/.588 with a 17.3 to 6.3 percent walk-to-strikeout average over his last 28 games, collecting four homers and four steals in that same span. Brian Rocchio cemented his place with a strong season, however 2B Travis Bazzana he was among the worst defenders in the top league. Maybe they’ll get him off the lawn at some point.
Red Sox 2B Kristian Campbell (24, AAA) is having his first fun in a while, slashing .319/.484/.489 with more walks (21.9%) than strikeouts (18.8%) over his last 16 games. He is signed through 2032 for $60 million with team options for each of the next two seasons of $19 million and $21 million, respectively. That’s a lot of money for the average person like me, but a contract costs less to a team than just looking. His luxury tax salary is up to $7.5 million per season regardless of the options, and the actual money owed over the next few years is $3.25 in 2027, $4.25 in 2028, and $6.25 in 2029, so he wouldn’t rule out adding a penny-pinch. Not that I think he’s really going where. It only makes sense to keep him off your phone until after the deadline if you can’t guess at the roster spot.
The name of the week goes to Orioles SS Brandon Butterworth (23, AA), who has been center field, second base, third base and shortstop all in the past month. He missed nearly six weeks on the injured list this season or could be in Triple-A right now. In his last 28 games, he is hitting .333/.447/.608 with six home runs and ten stolen bases. If I were running the show in Baltimore, I’d like to see if Mr. Can Butterworth put together an infield mix for the stretch run.
I CUT ME, MICK!
I just fell Yankees by Spencer Jones in the CBS AL Only Analyst League. Here is a link to my auction reaction to the auction from that league. I’m in 2nd place now behind only our brave leader, Gray Punchable-Face Albright. That’s his official name, bee tee dubs. I have no anger in writing that. Don’t put it in the newspaper that I’m tired of sitting in second place all season.
I include Guardians of Robert Arias (19, A) here because I demoted him a few leagues this week, but that’s because I’m taking a heavy-handed approach to managing my minor league rosters, and Arias will miss the rest of the season as he recovers from ankle surgery. Maybe someone will take him. He’s still making smart use of a roster spot, I think, but I’m taking the chance that he just sits in free agency until the last few runs of the year.
Thanks for reading!
