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.
Is it Time to Move on?
With the impending free agency of Zac Gallen, it seemed like the Arizona Diamondbacks signing of Corbin Burnes was a hedge against the former’s departure. Obviously, nothing is set in stone just yet, but based on the way Gallen is pitching, it’s going to be difficult for him to find the contract he was looking for this off-season. With four months left in the season, that’s still a long way away, but things aren’t looking too good for the right-hander.
Gallen’s rough 2025 campaign continued on Wednesday as he allowed five earned runs (six in total) over five innings of work against the Pittsburgh Pirates. With 4.32 walks per nine innings, control has been a huge problem this season for Gallen and has changed the direction of his season. After previously exceling at throwing first pitch strikes, the last years have been tough for Gallen as he went from 66.4% in 2023 to 58.9% and 59.9%.
The right-hander is still striking out close to a batter per inning, but with 1.35 home runs per nine innings, the ball isn’t staying in the park. When contact is made, opposing hitters 9.9% barrelrate is a career worst for Gallen, along with his 15.6 average launch angle against.
All of the above factors contribute to Gallen’s well-earned 5.54 ERA. For those trying to be optimistic, Gallen’s xERA 4.14 and 4.57 FIP allow for that. He’s clearly a better pitcher than the results, but if he doesn’t improve his control, an improvement likely won’t follow.
Returning from Tommy John Surgery is Hard
Based on what we saw in Spring Training from Sandy Alcantara, it was too easy to be optimistic. The first two months of the season though are a reminder that pitching in the big leagues is difficult and coming back from Tommy John surgery is even harder.
Alcantara’s struggles continued on Wednesday as the right-hander failed to strike out a batter in four innings. It was an ugly start as Alcantara gave up seven hits and four walks. Unfortunately, his seventh loss of the season was more of a continuation of what we have seen to this point.
If we are looking for good news, it’s that Alcantara’s 8.47 ERA isn’t as bad as it seems. The problem, though, is that his 5.32 xERA and 5.36 FIP are still unsightly. At this point, it’s truly difficult to trust Alcantara until he shows that he can turn things around.
Perhaps the only bright spot is that his average fastball velocity is at 97.5 miles per hour, which is close to his career rate, along with his 49.1% ground ball rate. While a career high, Alcantara’s 9.6% barrel rate could be worse, but it’s really his 5.12 walks per nine innings that are dragging things down.
Help is Coming Soon
You can never have enough power. In the case of the Kansas City Royals, that is truly the case, as they are one of the worst teams in the league at hitting home runs. The good news for the Royals, is that help is coming.
At this point, the only question is how quickly Jac Caglianone’s stint in Triple-A will be. After hitting nine home runs in 38 games at Double-A with a .322 average and 43 RBI, the former first-round pick has spent the last nine games in Triple-A. All Caglianone has done is hit five home runs with 10 RBI and .324 batting average.
It’s not going to be a completely seamless adjustment to life in the major leagues, but what more can Caglianone do in the minors? There’s a clear need in Kansas City, and he’s clearly shown the ability to punish the baseball. The fact that he can draw a walk does help, but as with most young hitters, we’ll have to keep an eye on the strikeouts. This also means that Salvador Perez will likely see more time behind the plate.
Colorado Over New York?
Why would anyone pick the Colorado Rockies over the New York Mets and New York Yankees? Something has to be wrong, right? In the case of Orlando Arcia, though, it actually does make sense.
After hitting 17 home runs in each of the last two seasons, it has been a rough go of things for Arcia in 2025. In 15 games, 35 plate appearances, the shortstop is hitting .235 with one RBI and one run scored. Ultimately, Arcia found his way to the bench, and Atlanta went in a different direction with Nick Allen. After the Braves parted ways with Arcia, he was left seeking a new home.
Both the Mets and the Yankees offered Arcia a contract. Each team is one of the best in the league, and they plan to play deep into October. It seems like a great opportunity, however, the contracts offered were of the minor league variety. With organizational depth and entrenched starters at shortstop, the current path to playing time in the big leagues for Arica was extremely congested; at best. So instead, Arcia chose to sign a major league contract with the floundering Rockies.
When it comes to veterans, the Rockies can’t help themselves. However, they were able to give Arcia regular playing time in the big leagues, and that audition could lead to bigger and better things for him once he gets on track. And that makes sense.
Another Injury in Atlanta
Just as the Atlanta Braves get Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna back, there’s now another hole to be filled in their rotation. An elbow injury is never good, and the fact that AJ Smith-Shawver said he heard a “pop” makes it even worse.
It had been an up-and-down year for Smith-Shawver with a 3.86 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, but there’s real upside here. The right-hander was striking out almost a batter per inning, but now the Braves will have to look elsewhere.
In going with the next man up, that would likely be prospect Hurston Waldrep. After a solid 2024 season in which he had a 3.47 ERA, the right-hander is one to keep an eye on. He already made two starts, with poor results, last year for the Braves, as control will be something to keep an eye on for Waldrep. Through 10 starts in Triple-A, Waldrep is walking five batters per nine innings but he’s also striking out over 10 per nine innings. There’s upside here if the Braves choose to go that route over someone like Bryce Elder.
The First to 100
MacKenzie Gore continues to be on a collision course with a trip to the All-Star game in July. After striking out “only” eight batters in six innings of work on Thursday, Gore was the first pitcher to break the century mark. He now sits at 101 strikeouts on the season.
We’ve seen real improvement with Gore’s control as he brought his walks down from 3.52 per nine innings to 2.77. Beyond that, Gore’s success is even more impressive as he works through a .361 BABIP. Even with that, Gore has been able to keep his ERA at 3.16 while his 2.65 FIP points to his upside.
Caminero is Finding His Groove
We know all the cliches about baseball being a marathon. From a statistical perspective, it’s crazy how just a few games can really change things.
After Junior Caminero drove in six runs on Thursday, he’s up to 32 RBI and 11 home runs on the season. The third baseman is hitting .256 with a .217 ISO. This is the first true MLB season for the former top prospect, and even if he’s not jumping off the page, it’s shaping up to be a solid performance for Caminero. He’s entrenched in the middle of the order for Tampa Bay and has a solid 9.7% barrel rate and 49.7% hard hit rate.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember here, is that Caminero is still just 21 years old. Things should only get better from here, but he’s also off to a solid start.
A Change of Scenery for Diaz
Between struggles and some early-season health issues, Alexis Diaz lost his closer’s job in Cincinnati. To be fair, his hold on the job was already tenuous, but then Emilio Pagan really ran with the role.
With 13 saves, 10.44 strikeouts per nine innings, and a 3.96 ERA, Pagan is having a strong season, and it has left Diaz without a role. Even when he was closing games for the Reds, Diaz was still walking almost five batters per nine innings. There’s real strikeout potential as Diaz has a live arm, and he does have 37 and 28 saves in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
For now, Diaz is in Triple-A, but the Dodgers clearly made this move with the intention of bringing the right-hander up to the big leagues. Whether or not he ends up saving games is unclear, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see that happen by the end of the season. Either way, the pressure is off Diaz and he is in a position to succeed.
