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.
Casas is Done for the Season
It did not look good for Triston Casas this weekend. The cart came out to the field in an unfortunate incident, as he’ll now be out for the season with a knee injury. Without a clear replacement, for now, on the roster, Romy Gonzalez has been manning first base for the Red Sox. While Gonzales is a solid utility player, he shouldn’t be the long-term solution for the rest of 2025.
With six home runs in 216 plate appearances, Gonzalez isn’t exactly a power threat. While he’s hitting .327 through 16 games this season, he also has a .421 BABIP and .262 xBA. Best served as a utility player, it will be interesting to see how long Gonzalez is a regular starter. He does have a career 9.7% barrel rate and a 48.8% hard hit rate, along with some speed, but Boston will be looking elsewhere.
All eyes will be on whether or not Rafael Devers goes back to the field or if a high-profile promotion is coming. Regardless of the injury, it’s just a matter of when Roman Anthony arrives in Boston. Expecting him to play to first base might be asking too much as he adjusts to hitting major league pitching, but we can make the argument that the offensive part of Anthony’s game is ready to go. Through 29 games, he’s hitting .305 with five home runs, 17 RBI, 22 runs scored, and three stolen bases.
Starting Off Strong in Tampa Bay
Everyone knows that Chandler Simpson is fast. However, from a baseball perspective, there’s more to it than just being fast. You have to be able to reach first base, and then subsequently steal second. After stealing 94 bases in 2023, Simpson really captured everyone’s attention with 104 stolen bases last year.
As he’s moved to the upper levels of the minor leagues, Simpson’s walk rate has slowed down, but the good news is that he’s also able to keep the strikeouts at a minimum. And in his first 14 big league games, that has continued as he’s striking out just 12.1% of the time. What we are really after, though, is Simpson’s .296 batting average, nine runs scored, and most importantly, his six stolen bases. As long as you don’t expect much power (.019 ISO), you are good considering Simpson has just one professional home run since 2022.
Simpson has also impressed in the field while adding an exciting element to Tampa Bay’s lineup.
Jake the Rake Has a Big Day
Much has been made, rightfully so, about the issues in Houston’s outfield, even with Jose Altuve shifting to left field, that has continued. However, if Jake Meyers builds on his performance from Saturday, that narrative could change.
Meyers already provides a speed element and great defense in center field, but Houston does need to get production out of his bat. His big day on Saturday did help, as Meyers is now hitting .303 on the season with two home runs, 13 RBI, and 12 runs scored. After stealing a career high 11 bases last year, it has been a pleasant surprise to see Meyers up to seven already this year. But before we go too crazy, seven of those RBIs and both home runs came on Saturday.
Mayo Arrives in Baltimore
The Baltimore Orioles got the first part of the equation right by promoting Coby Mayo. But now, they need to play one of their top prospects. Overall, it hasn’t been a great season for the Orioles, and that has been felt on both sides of the ball. Adding a powerful bat like May would only serve to help their cause.
After struggling last season, Mayo hit just .098 in 17 big league games; that adjustment period should be complete. At this point, he’s done all he can do at the minor league level, six home runs and 22 RBI thus far in Triple-A, but Mayo needs regular playing time with the Orioles. He’s hitless in his first six at-bats this year, but it’s troubling that the right-handed hitting Mayo was on the bench against a left-handed starter on Sunday. There will be strikeouts, but there also will be power. Give him a chance.
The Big Dumper Shows off His Power
Let’s be honest, I really just wanted an excuse to use Cal Raleigh’s nickname. All jokes aside, the catcher is having another strong season in the middle of Seattle’s lineup.
After hitting 30 and 34 home runs in the past two seasons, with 100 RBI last year, Raleigh is on pace to set new career highs. So far in 2025, he has 12 home runs and 23 RBI. For good measure, Raleigh has also stolen four bases. He’s always going to strike out about 25% of the time, but at .246, his batting average has seen a slight bump this year. In fairness, though, he also walks at a double-digit rate, so Raleigh does a good job of finding his way on base.
Between his .341 ISO and 22.7% barrel rate, Raleigh is one of the better power threats in the game.
McCullers Makes His Return
2022. The last time we saw Lance McCullers in a big league uniform, before Sunday, was 2022. Previously, the right-hander was part of two World Series teams and was a large part of the Houston Astros present and future plans. They committed to him financially, and McCullers was slated to anchor the top half of their rotation. But injuries ultimately said otherwise. There were many starts and stops to his rehab, but in 2025, all appears to be good.
McCullers made his long-awaited return to the mound against the Chicago White Sox, and the results were solid. The Astros were, understandably, cautious with his workload. He did make it through 3.2 innings without allowing a run, but McCullers also scattered three hits and three walks while striking out four. This should be the beginning for McCullers as he becomes a dependable option for the Astros.
The Dodgers Needed a Reinforcement
When it comes to depth, the Los Angeles Dodgers seemingly had a ton of it in the starting rotation. Well, until they didn’t. The Dodgers were left with three healthy starting pitchers earlier this week until Tony Gonsolin returned from Tommy John surgery.
The right-hander made his return with a quality start against the Miami Marlins. It was a great sign that Gonsolin made it through six innings of work. He allowed three runs while picking up the victory. While he did scatter six hits and allow a home run, Gonsolin also didn’t walk a batter. Seeing his control intact was a good sign while striking out nine batters. Just one of 15 batted balls was barreled, and only five were considered hard hit. In the upcoming week, Gonsolin takes the mound twice, including another start against Miami.
Pivetta is Rolling
I had some, apparently foolish, concerns about Nick Pivetta entering this season after he signed late this winter with the San Diego Padres. Clearly, it doesn’t matter as Pivetta has a 5-1 record through his first six starts of the season. It comes with a 1.78 ERA (2.28 FIP) as the right-hander is striking out about 10 batters per nine innings.
While there has been some benefit due to Pivetta’s .226 BABIP against, he’s also limiting the walks and keeping the ball in the park. He’s not a groundball pitcher, so there’s a little more concern in play, and Pivetta’s 3.05 xERA reflects that. Regardless though, he’s proven to be a dependable member of San Diego’s rotation.