Latest news with #Fenway
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rookie mistake, rough splits may limit Dominguez as Stanton returns
Rookie mistake, rough splits may limit Dominguez as Stanton returns originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With Giancarlo Stanton officially activated, the Yankees' lineup just got a little more crowded. And rookie Jasson Dominguez is the one most likely to feel the squeeze. Advertisement According to USA Today Network's Pete Caldera, Aaron Boone is considering Dominguez for the leadoff spot—but only against right-handers. The numbers make it an easy call. Dominguez is holding his own from the left side, batting .269 with a .353 OBP. But from the right side? He's hitting .172 with a .472 OPS. That's not a platoon split. That's a 'don't ask him to do that' situation. With Stanton back in the DH slot, at-bats get tighter. On days when Dominguez does start, especially against righties, it likely means Trent Grisham is on the bench and Cody Bellinger shifts to center. Dominguez isn't out of the picture, but the matchups just became his calendar. Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer tags out Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez in the seventh inning at Fenway on June 14, 2025.© Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images And speaking of questionable timing, Dominguez didn't do himself any favors over the weekend. Advertisement On Saturday in Boston, he made a rookie mistake that was both costly and avoidable. With two outs and runners on, he wandered off second base, thinking Grisham had struck out. He hadn't. Dominguez was picked off to end the inning. It was the kind of mistake that makes a manager rewatch spring training footage and sigh deeply. Boone's not giving up on him. But this is where development meets accountability. Dominguez is still part of the plan,but now, it's a conditional plan. Hit righties. Play clean. Don't give games away. The Yankees don't need him to be perfect. They just need him to be present—and productive—when his number's called. The tools are there. The leash? A little shorter this week. Advertisement Related: Yankees Fans on Emotional Ride After Sweep, Trade and then Huge Giancarlo Stanton News Related: Pressure to Bench Yankees Rookie Builds After Fenway Blunder This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Playing nine innings on the Red Sox' shocking trade of star slugger Rafael Devers
Over the last two weeks, the Red Sox have become anticipated in that look-forward-to-the-game-all-day kind of way that they haven't been since … I don't know, October 2021? This stretch of excellent play — how about that Brayan Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 2. And now they go and trade their best hitter during their best stretch of the season, after a weekend in which Fenway was as lively as it has been all season. Frustration with Advertisement But cynically — or perhaps reasonably considering how the Red Sox have operated since 2019 — I suspect noting his unwillingness to do what is best for the team is a way to validate management's real intention: getting out of a contract they never wanted to give in the first place, but reluctantly did so only because of the backlash of the awful Mookie Betts trade. Related : Advertisement 3. The giveaway on the Red Sox' true motivation is that the Giants are taking on the entire remaining salary — approximately $250 million — due Devers through 2033. There had to be a path where the Red Sox could have eaten, oh, $50 million or so of the deal and received someone who would actually help the team right now in the trade. Instead, they happily accepted a reliever (Jordan Hicks) with a 6.47 ERA and a toe injury, a 23-year-old lefthander (Kyle Harrison) who profiles to be an Andrew Heaney type, and two Single A kids, outfielder James Tibbs and reliever Jose Bello. They traded their best hitter and got nothing back for a team that just recently proved worthy of investment. It's transparent, and it's shameful. 4. Yes, Advertisement 5. With Related : 6. So let's see: There's newcomers Hicks and Harrison, and lottery tickets Tibbs and Bello. There's Connor Wong, still. And there's 2023 comp pick Kristian Campbell, a talented but unorthodox prospect who is going through some difficulties as he attempts to adjust to pitchers' adjustments. I just cannot believe this is all the Red Sox have to show for Rafael Devers, Mookie Betts, and Xander Bogaerts. The magical 2018 season feels so long ago. 7. For all of the nonsense and the ugly ending, I sure am going to miss watching that guy hit. It's telling in all the right ways that Devers was an even better hitter in the postseason (.955 OPS, eight home runs in 89 at-bats) than in the regular season. And he's having what may end up being his best season. After the 0-for-19 start, he hit .292 with a .960 OPS and 15 homers in 253 at-bats. 8. Without him, the kids — Advertisement 9. In terms of pure shock value, this deal was closest to the Nomar Garciaparra trade at the 2004 deadline, even though Devers was never in the ballpark of Nomaahhh's peak popularity. (He was better than Jeter, you know.) I'd love to know what Theo Epstein, the architect of that bold move, thinks of this one. Chad Finn can be reached at
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Rafael Devers may actually hit more home runs on the Giants than he did on the Red Sox
Rafael Devers may actually hit more home runs on the Giants than he did on the Red Sox When the San Francisco Giants traded for Rafael Devers, they were able to add a three-time MLB All-Star and a former World Series Champion. Devers has hit at least 25 home runs in each of his last four seasons and has already hit 15 home runs this season. He does not lack for power, though on his new team in the National League, he could potentially hit even more balls out of the park. He already ranks in the 97th percentile for hard-hit percentage and 96th percentile for average exit velocity, per Baseball Savant. But advanced metrics say that we should (surprisingly) expect more dingers in San Francisco even though it is a notoriously difficult place to hit. Last year, in fact, it was the most challenging place to hit a home run in the MLB. More: Rafael Devers trade and Liverpool move has Sox fans screaming 'conspiracy!' Devers has hit 15 home runs this season, which makes him one of the leaders in the American League. However, per Baseball Savant, he would have 13 home runs if he played all of his games at Boston's Fenway Park. Meanwhile, if he had played all of his games at San Francisco's Oracle Park, that number is 17 home runs. Further, 11 of his 18 doubles this season would have resulted in home runs at Oracle. Last year, Devers would have hit 25 home runs if he played all of his games at Fenway. If his games were at Oracle instead, it would have increased to 28 home runs. Devers hit a career-high 39 home runs in 2021, and that would have hit 42 if all of the games were in San Francisco. For what it is worth, over the past three years, Statcast's Park Factors suggests that Fenway is actually the second-easiest place to hit while Oracle is the second-hardest stadium. San Francisco has a pitcher-friendly stadium. But because Devers' power goes the other way, he is likely to hit a lot of balls into McCovey Cove on his new team.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox roster moves: Rookie righty (2.29 ERA in AAA) called up for first MLB stint, reliever DFA'd
BOSTON — The Red Sox have spent much of the last few weeks shuffling their pitching staff with a constant parade of roster moves. That continued Monday before the team's series opener against the Rays at Fenway. Boston selected the contract of right-hander Brian Van Belle, who will be active for his first big league stint, and designated Robert Stock for assignment. Van Belle will wear No. 77. Advertisement (UPDATE: After initially announcing the Van Belle/Stock news, the Red Sox also confirmed the big news that top prospect Roman Anthony is being promoted for his MLB debut with Wilyer Abreu going to the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. Boston designated outfielder/first baseman Ryan Noda for assignment to clear a 40-man spot. You can read about Anthony's promotion here.) Van Belle, 28, joined the organization as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Miami in 2020, when the draft was shortened to five rounds. He has never been considered a top organizational prospect but pitched his way into the conversation with a strong showing at Triple-A Worcester. In 12 games (8 starts) for Worcester this season, he has gone 5-1 while recording a 2.29 ERA and striking out 41 batters in 51 innings. The right-hander has earned the win in each of his last five games (four starts), posting a 1.55 ERA (5 ER/29.0 IP) and 0.86 WHIP in that span. 'Happy for him. Very happy for him. A great story,' said manager Alex Cora, a fellow Miami alum. 'He signed after the weird draft. I followed his career and for him to get here is amazing. He had some good outings down there. One thing he can do is pitch.' Advertisement Van Belle will likely be used as the long man out of the bullpen with Cooper Criswell back in Triple-A after being optioned. Van Belle takes the place of Stock, a 35-year-old journeyman who has made two appearances in the big leagues this season and allowed two earned runs while walking three batters Sunday in New York. 'We'll use him the right way,' Cora said. 'Obviously, yesterday wasn't perfect in that aspect. We needed an arm and he's here with us.' Stock has a 3.09 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 12 games (nine starts) for Worcester this season. Boston will have a week to waive, trade or release him. In April, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Worcester after being designated in a similar fashion. More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Some Things I Think I Think: As roster crunch approaches, Kristian Campbell likely odd man out
By the end of the week, the Red Sox will have a big decision to make. Wilyer Abreu will be activated from the IL, likely in time for the start of the series in San Francisco Friday and that means someone will have to come off the active roster to make room. Advertisement The betting here is the odd man out will be Kristian Campbell. The Red Sox could simply swap out outfielders and return Roman Anthony to Worcester. But the Red Sox would like to see more of Anthony, even if he's unlikely to play every day. Campbell, meanwhile, could use a re-set. He's looked lost at the plate for more than a month, and more recently, his play at second has been impacted. His range at the position has him rated in the lowest one percentile. It doesn't mean Campbell is a bust or that the Red Sox necessarily erred in signing him to a long-term contract. He had one very good month and six weeks that have been pretty bad. It's hardly rare for rookies to see their performance fluctuate. Advertisement Mike Trout got sent back to Triple A for additional development time in his first season with the Angels. The same can be said of Alex Rodriguez. There's no shame in it. Campbell can use the time to work on his swing, get more comfortable at second base and, in general, clear his head. It's clear that Campbell is pressing and could use some time out of the harsh glare of Fenway. In the meantime, the Sox could add Ceddanne Rafaela into the infield mix, create additional playing time for Anthony and find opportunities for Marcelo Mayer — all while Campbell finds himself and returns a better player. *It was encouraging to hear new Bruins coach Marco Sturm talk about the importance of playing with pace in his introductory press conference. Advertisement Too often in recent years, the Bruins roster often looked like it was skating in quicksand. The game is faster than it's ever been, and its past time for the B's to recognize that. Of course, it would help if the front office delivered their new coach with some players with speed. *You had to feel a little sorry for Hunter Dobbins, who was put in a tough spot by his father's embellishments. Dobbins took his father's word when it came the latter's baseball career, only to learn — publicly and the hard way — that the history, as he knew it, was false. Credit to Dobbins for answering questions in the manner in which he did. It couldn't have been easy. Advertisement *TreVeyon Henderson may be a lot of fun to watch this fall, whether it's as a change-of-pace back or a third-down option. His kind of speed can be put to good use. *What a Stanley Cup Final to which we're being treated. Seven games seemed inevitable from the beginning, but now, even that seems inadequate. *There's nothing more tedious than NFL holdouts during OTAs. *The upcoming nine-game West Coast road trip could make or break things for the Red Sox. By the time the Sox return, it will be nearly July, just weeks from the trade deadline. If the Sox don't demonstrate that they're capable of contending over the second half, the wheels will be set in motion for a deadline sell-off. Advertisement Anything less than a 5-4 mark means trouble. And that won't be easy, with series against two teams hovering around the .500 mark (Mariners, Angels) and another (Giants) hot on the heels of the Dodgers in the NL West. *Wonder if Tom Brady still wants to vouch for Antonio Brown's good character? *It's mid-June, and after 68 plate appearances, Connor Wong does not have an RBI. As Ralph Wiggum would say on The Simpsons: 'That's unpossible.' *Of all the many things that Stefon Diggs was evasive about during OTAs, I'd be most concerned about him dodging whether he had passed his physical. In the end, that's about all that matters. Advertisement *Figure that four Red Sox players are in the running for the AL All-Star roster: Garrett Crochet, Rafael Devers, Aroldis Chapman and Carlos Narvaez. *Despite the fact that they've got lots of room under the salary cap, forget any notion of the Bruins signing Mitch Marner. For a team in no position to contend the next couple of years, Marner, talented as he is, would be a colossal waste of money. *When it comes to deals, even small ones, the Red Sox have gotten the better of the Yankees a lot over the last few years. Start with Garrett Whitlock as a Rule 5 acquisition. Then added Richard Fitts and Greg Weissert as part of the return in the Alex Verdugo trade. And more recently, last December, the Sox obtained Narvaez for a minor league pitching prospect. Advertisement That's three major league pitching options and a starting catcher, each acquired from their rivals since December of 2020. Not a bad haul, considering how little the Red Sox gave up and the fact that for decades, the two clubs essentially avoided one another like the plague when it came to making deals. *What a brutal week of loss in the world of music. Sly Stone and Brian Wilson — both highly creative, endlessly innovative and yes, often troubled — passed. Stone was responsible for the growth of funk artists in the 1970s and remains hugely influential today, his work sampled by hip-hop artists. And it goes without saying: no Sly, no Prince. Wilson, meanwhile, was a groundbreaking songwriter, singer, producer and arranger whose output in the 1960s rivaled that of the Beatles. Referring to him a musical genius is not in any way a matter of hyperbole. Advertisement RIP to both. *Happy Father's Day to all the dads. Consider yourself lucky if yours is still around. More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
