Baseball is truly a great game. On a nightly basis, we see many things of interest. To say that there are surprises would be an understatement. There’s never a shortage of excitement and things to note, so let’s take a look at some items that caught my attention.
What Did Boston Do?
Talk about generating some shock. Did anyone see that coming? We know that the relationship between the Boston Red Sox and Rafael Devers was teetering, but it wasn’t negatively impacting his performance on the field as of late.
Devers went deep in his last game with Boston on Sunday to end his career there on a high note. Now, he takes a .272 batting average with 15 home runs and 58 RBI west to San Francisco. Previously a third baseman, Devers was relegated, at first by the signing of Alex Bregman and then per his own accord, to DH. Until the trade was announced, it seemed as if the drama had passed. Instead, it only made it that much more shocking to see the trade announced. The fact that the deal was headlined by Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs, and Jordan Hicks makes things even worse.
Matt Chapman should be back in the lineup within a few weeks. That means Devers will likely spend the majority of his time, once again at DH. It will be interesting to see if his thought process about first base changes. Regardless, the Giants got themselves a dynamic offensive threat. For Boston, it truly was addition by subtraction. It will now be interesting to see if this is the first trade they make and what direction they take their roster in for the rest of the season.
He’s Back
What was an embarrassment of riches for the Los Angeles Dodgers instead turned into a shortfall. To say that the Dodgers had injuries to their starting pitchers would be an understatement. They are just two games in front of the Giants for first place, and San Francisco has now added Devers to their lineup.
In response to that, even if it is coincidental, Shohei Ohtani is making his pitching return on Monday. The Dodgers were taking things slow with Ohtani, and it was for good reason. Now, they have accelerated his return to big league action. Instead of a live BP session of about 55 pitches, Ohtani will now do it on a big league mound.
He’s already on the roster, and the need for his bat makes a true rehab assignment impossible. The Dodgers are going to take things slow with Ohtani on the mound. However, his return certainly will generate some buzz and intrigue.
Here We Are Again
I feel at least once a season, Jo Adell piques everyone’s interest. Considering his tools, talent, and upside it shouldn’t be surprising. However, the performance and production is never consistent enough to truly hold serve.
After hitting .190 in April and .239 in May, Adell has kicked things up so far in June. Through his first 12 games of the month, Adell his hitting .300. Strikeouts are always going to be an issue for Adell and historically, that has been what’s held him back. After finishing May with five home runs and 10 RBI, he’s up to six home runs and 10 RBI through 12 games in June.
He’s still just 26 years old, so maybe at one point, Adell will find consistency. His strikeouts are down to 25%, so that does help. Aside from the recent success, his career high .230 sets a reasonable explanation for where we are. If you want to be positive about Adell, look at his .241 ISO and 13.7% barrel rate.
Can Vaughn Turn it Around
At one point, the future was so bright for Andrew Vaughn in Chicago. We know the direction that the White Sox are going in, and unfortunately, it was in parallel with Vaughn. Last week, Chicago moved on from the former third overall pick.
While Vaughn never truly lived up to expectations, how much on the blame should go to the player as opposed to the lack of supporting cast? Over the past three years, Vaughn averaged 19 home runs and 75 RBI while hitting between .246 and .271. It wasn’t great, but it was serviceable and left open the potential for more within a better lineup.
So far in 2025 though, Vaughn really struggled. He’s hitting .189 with just five home runs and 19 RBI before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. The thought process is that the change of scenery will help. However, things can only go up from a .217 BABIP considering he has a .258 xBA. With a 13.3% barrel rate and 48.3% hard hit rate, I’m looking at a potential rebound for Vaughn.
Civale Gets His Wish
When you look up the definition of an innings eater, you’ll likely find Aaron Civale’s picture. He’s built a career around being a reliable rotation option who will keep his team in the game and provide solid innings. With a career ERA of 4.06, the back of his baseball card backs that up.
He’s yet to pitch out of the bullpen in his career, so a negative reaction was at least expected as the Milwaukee Brewers shifted him from the rotation last week. As Civale enters the free agent market again this winter, it wasn’t exactly the best move for his future. The problem though, is that with a 4.67 ERA through six starts and only 7.67 strikeouts per nine innings, Civale doesn’t exactly stand out from the pack.
On cue, he reacted poorly to the move. The good news for him is that he gets his wish to remain in the rotation. The problem though, is that he’ll now be starting games for the Chicago White Sox. While the individual results might be there, the supporting cast and environment will not be.
The Dodgers Will Have to Make Due
While it appears that there’s nothing structurally wrong with Roki Sasaki’s shoulder, things still aren’t right. Prior to this season, there was some concern about his health, but the talent is simply overwhelming. Sasaki got off to a middling debut with a 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 34.1 innings, over eight starts, before heading to the Injured List.
He has been throwing on the side, but has been subsequently shut down. It doesn’t appear to be an issue of pain, but instead, Sasaki is having issues taking things to the next level while increasing his intensity. The time frame on his return is now pushed past the All-Star break, and likely won’t come until late August at the earliest.
Los Angeles doesn’t have to, and won’t, push Sasaki, but his absence is troubling.
Judge Struggles
Wait, really? Is that a thing? To say that Aaron Judge has us spoiled would be an understatement. So far this season, there’s Judge, and everyone else.
All Judge is doing is hitting .378 with 26 home runs and 60 RBI. It seems like something good happens every time he comes to the plate. This past weekend in Boston though, Judge momentarily hit a speed bump. In his defense, the entire Yankees’ lineup had issues, but Judge had just one hit in 12 at bats while striking out nine times. The one hit was a monster home run, but this was a reminder that Judge is in fact, human.
Dobbins Dazzles
The changes over the winter were notable. Hunter Dobbins increased his velocity, he’s sitting at an average fastball velocity of 95.9 miles per hour, and also added a splitter. He’s thrown it 86 times season, but hitters are batting just .105 against it.
In each of Dobbins two starts against the Yankees, there has been a plethora of extra drama surrounding his comments and an interesting backstory. To Dobbins’ credit, he has shut that down each time out allowing a combined three runs in 11 innings.
Overall, Dobbins has a 3.74 ERA, with a 3.86 xERA, while walking less than two batters per nine innings. After a solid minor league career, Dobbins, at least initially, has been a solid major league starter.
