Author: Passion MLB

Roman Anthony is quite a player for the Red Sox. There’s a reason he signed a contract worth at least $130 million two months into his Major League career.

Tonight, he faces the Yankees in the Bronx for the first time. Everyone’s looking forward to seeing what he’ll be able to offer baseball fans in the heart of the rivalry.

But if we ask his manager, Alex Cora, we shouldn’t be surprised to see the youngster find success quickly in the New York jungle.

After all, speaking of his maturity and batting discipline, Cora mentioned that his young man couldn’t be compared to Barry Bonds, but he could be compared to a guy like Juan Soto.

The Red Sox’s Roman Anthony has passed every test so far. His next challenge: Yankee Stadium. https://t.co/Cm4sDjPZiY pic.twitter.com/5amezgGCq9

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 21, 2025

This isn’t the first time the young man’s maturity has made headlines. Club veterans say he looks like a 30-year-old in a guy’s early 20s.

And now it’s his batting discipline that’s the talk of the town.

While many youngsters want to swing at everything, Anthony has never been afraid of taking base on balls. That was the case in practice, when he was fighting for a place in the Majors, and it still is.

The guy’s consistent. And that’s what it takes.

Speaking of tonight’s game, Giancarlo Stanton will play defensively, but won’t be in action in the outfield tomorrow. We still don’t know when Aaron Judge will resume his defensive role.

It’s still the talk of the town.

Judge will DH tonight, with Stanton in RF. Boone said Stanton will not play the outfield tomorrow. https://t.co/SBYlOyyj94

– Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) August 21, 2025

• Season over for Austin Riley.

Austin Riley Undergoes Season-Ending Core Surgery https://t.co/uO4NVrhGgR pic.twitter.com/gUuSuq0bVZ

– MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 21, 2025

• Paul Blackburn with the Yankees.

The Yankees announced that they have signed Paul Blackburn to a major league contract.

Blackburn was released by the Mets earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/nue8XICZBm

– Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 21, 2025

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Giancarlo Stanton has had a tougher time of it in New York in recent years. The slugger, who has often been bothered by injuries, has been struggling in the regular season for several years now.

His last three seasons have been particularly difficult… although at least he’s always solid in the playoffs.

All this meant that expectations for Stanton this season were fairly limited. At 35, he’s definitely not getting any younger… and seeing him miss several months due to injuries to both elbows was really cause for concern.

Out of nowhere, Stanton is hitting like he did in his prime.

In 46 games this season, he has 15 home runs and a 1.031 ERA. That’s exceptional.

A 35-year-old half-broken Giancarlo Stanton who can barely run is still an elite hitter. pic.twitter.com/tmXd8cNFTD

– Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) August 21, 2025

By way of comparison, his MPP in 2025 is higher than the one he posted in 2017 (1.007), when he was still at the top of his game physically and hit 59 long balls in 159 matches.

And in 2017, it was 8.5% of his at-bats that ended in a home run; this year, it’s 9%.

Obviously, doing that over a period of a few weeks isn’t the equivalent of doing it over a full season. But right now, seeing Stanton hit the ball like that is really, really impressive. He’s been seen as a liability for a few years (and no, he hasn’t suddenly become a bargain), but this Stanton adds a new dimension to the Yankees’ forward line.

Right now, Stanton is more of a catalyst than Aaron Judge. And that’s saying a lot, considering Judge is having yet another historic season.

Of course, the fact that Judge can’t play defense right now makes it harder for Aaron Boone to put Stanton and Judge in his line-up. But right now, Stanton is so on fire that the club needs to find a way to get him up to bat as often as possible.

Not to the point of overpowering Judge either, but…

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With just five weeks to go in Major League Baseball’s 2025 campaign, some of the standings races are tightening up more than ever.

So, without further ado, here’s the latest version of Passion MLB’s State of the Force. You’ll find last week’s rankings in brackets.

1 – Milwaukee Brewers (1)
2 – Los Angeles Dodgers (3)
3 – Toronto Blue Jays (5)
4 – Detroit Tigers (6)
5 – Philadelphia Phillies (2)
6 – Chicago Cubs (4)
7 – Seattle Mariners (10)
8 – San Diego Padres (7)

If the past is any indication, they won’t last long in the playoffs. https://t.co/nnOVDQcvzf

– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) August 19, 2025

9 – Houston Astros (8)
10 – New York Yankees (12)
11 – Boston Red Sox (9)
12 – New York Mets (11)
13 – Cincinnati Reds (14)
14 – Cleveland Guardians (13)
15 – Kansas City Royals (16)
16 – Texas Rangers (15)
17 – Tampa Bay Rays (19)
18 – St. Louis Cardinals (17)
19 – Arizona Diamondbacks (21)
20 – San Francisco Giants (18)
21 – Los Angeles Angels (22)
22 – Miami Marlins (20)

Is the end of the American and Nationals in sight? https://t.co/urlW31vxhq

– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) August 19, 2025

23 – Atlanta Braves (26)
24 – Baltimore Orioles (23)
25 – Sacramento Athletics (25)
26 – Minnesota Twins (24)
27 – Pittsburgh Pirates (27)
28 – Washington Nationals (28)
29 – Chicago White Sox (29)
30 – Colorado Rockies (30)

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Bad news in Boston.

The Red Sox chose to assign Abraham Toro today. The club needed to make room for David Hamilton, and it was the Québécois player who got the nod.

The Red Sox have designated Abraham Toro for assignment, according to a source. David Hamilton has been recalled.

– Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) August 21, 2025

Like last year in Oakland, Toro started the season well, but a slump in the second half of the season resulted in the infielder being DFAed.

We suspected that the acquisition of Nate Lowe meant that Toro was no longer as vital a first baseman. Now, just a few weeks before the playoffs, Toro has been released.

We’ll see if a team picks him up.

But it’s important to remember that the Québécois was exactly the player Boston needed in the first half of the season. He stepped up and produced when Triston Casas went down fighting.

I don’t think anyone in the Red Sox dressing room underestimates that. He was important this year.

He was pulling the club up, and without him, the Red Sox aren’t as highly ranked right now. But the club felt it was time to move on after months of Toro searching for himself at bat.

We’ll see if he lands on his feet again.

This means that at the moment, there are only two Québécois in the Majors. Otto Lopez is doing very well in Miami and Édouard Julien has his chance again in Minnesota following the club’s fire sale.

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These days, Kyle Tucker is in the news for all the wrong reasons.

The Cubs’ Kyle Tucker, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the current season, hasn’t been playing great baseball for nearly two months. In fact, he was recently booed by fans at Wrigley Field for his lack of effort on a play at first base, and his manager gave him a few days’ break.

But where is all this coming from?

Speculation about his state of health was rife. And now the Cubs have confirmed that, in June, a fracture in the player’s hand prevented the outfielder from performing at the height of his talent.

Kyle Tucker is sitting out his third game as he works his way out of a slump. We now have a diagnosis, per a source, for his finger/hand injury suffered back in June. Story here: https://t.co/NVkJxALIPe

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 21, 2025

Jesse Rogers (ESPN) addressed the subject in a text.

Even if the fracture is small, it can still affect the player’s swing. He did well in June, but since then it’s been difficult for him when he comes to the plate.

Has he upset his swing by trying to protect his hand? His bosses think it’s possible.

But the player has never used it as an excuse. It’s been almost three months since he fractured his hand and he hasn’t mentioned it. Nor has he missed many games.

He had the option of going on the injured list in June, but he declined, preferring to help his team on the pitch as long as he was able to do so. It wouldn’t make sense to do so now that his fracture has healed.

Does it still hurt anywhere else on his body? Will he be healthy in the playoff race, when his Cubs will need help to stay among the Nationals’ top six teams? That remains to be seen.

• Rehabilitation: Roki Sasaki still has some things to work on.

Roki Sasaki worked through another rehab start in AAA as his fastball velocity improved to a 96.0 MPH average

He continues to struggle with fastball whiffs, only generating 1 on the day pic.twitter.com/SkGYdIfiV7

– Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) August 21, 2025

• 14 home runs in two games for the Yankees.

The Yankees have tied an MLB record with 14 home runs in a two game stretch pic.twitter.com/n6q9bwgS1l

– Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 21, 2025

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Once again last night, Shohei Ohtani continued his return to form on the mound of a Major League stadium.

In fact, at this point, it’s safe to assume that his rehabilitation would be complete and he’d be in the majors even if he wasn’t a hitter. But you and I understand each other.

All this to say… it didn’t go well.

The pitcher may have faced the Rockies, but let’s just say we’ve already seen better than nine sure hits, five earned runs and three strikeouts in four short innings pitched.

Shohei Ohtani’s final line:

4 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 65 P

Season ERA: 4.61 pic.twitter.com/wjLfSuyXO1

– Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 21, 2025

His earned-run average is now 4.61.

It was his first time pitching in Colorado, but it wasn’t necessarily the air pressure that got the better of him. The contact was just regular from the Denver hitters.

And that was his undoing… as well as his first loss as a Dodgers pitcher.

It should also be noted that the Japanese pitcher received a ball directly on the leg. It happened fast, it looked like it hurt, and he stayed in the game as a pitcher – before leaving later in the game as a hitter. But that doesn’t explain his setbacks, you know.

Shohei Ohtani took a come backer off the leg and had to limp it off but stayed in the game pic.twitter.com/TvouRzHyHk

– Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 21, 2025

Obviously, the Dodgers still have the luxury of patience with Ohtani. However, the goal remains to get him ready for the playoffs, and he’ll have to stick to good performances in September to reassure his club.

I believe he will. Provided he’s healthy, of course.

• Enjoy your listening.

@passion_mlb podcast with @SebasBerrouard and Pascal Harvey

Divisional realignment, Blue Jays rotation and Kyle Tucker issues are on the menu https://t.co/Qzo8Lq5Iof

– Charles-Alexis Brisebois (@Charles__Alexis) August 21, 2025

• The DBacks change coaches at third base.

Dbacks manager Torey Lovullo has now removed Shaun Larkin from his third base coaching role for the remainder of the season, per @BNightengale https://t.co/UzJryvcIOx

– Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 20, 2025

• Wow.

FERNANDO TATIS JR. AT THE WALL!

ARE YOU KIDDING! pic.twitter.com/mW45mMYax2

– MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2025

• A first player with 40 stolen bases.

José Caballero is the first player to 40 steals!

(MLB x @loanDepot) https://t.co/86F4hOUEM3 pic.twitter.com/H3QIDi8Xuc

– MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2025

• Luisangel Acuna is injured.

Luisangel Acuña exited tonight’s game with Triple-A after a collision at first base https://t.co/1Ctvz0cHVK pic.twitter.com/7eofIxD427

– SNY (@SNYtv) August 21, 2025

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In this 76th episode of the Passion MLB podcast, Pascal Harvey, Charles-Alexis Brisebois and Sébastien Berrouard look back on the past week of activity in Major League Baseball and Commissioner Rob Manfred’s statement regarding expansion and a possible realignment of divisions.

Enjoy!

We remind you that people who want to listen to us live can do so every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Facebook, on X and on YouTube. We record live to answer everyone’s questions.

However, those who want to listen to us in a more traditional podcast format can also do so by visiting all the good podcast platforms at any time.

This content was created with the help of AI.

Mookie Betts has long been recognized for his defensive excellence in right field. The Dodgers’ star player, who also played the #9 position while in Boston, was among the elite when he played right field.

This year, however, Betts finds himself at shortstop. He agreed to make the change to accommodate the team… and he’s doing a fine job in his new position.

But the man who replaces him in right, Teoscar Hernandez, is struggling. Hernandez has never been a great defensive player, of course, but it’s particularly difficult for him this year.

As a result, there’s growing talk of moving Betts back to the right. In the last few days, in fact, a meeting between Betts, Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman after a game has been the talk of the town.

The meeting took place after a game in which Hernandez made a mistake that sank his team… and of course it got people talking, even though everyone in Los Angeles is trying to play down the situation.

Mookie Betts and Andrew Friedman each independently echoed what Dave Roberts said about last night's "meeting" – literally, an open-door affair. It didn't have anything to do with right field.

Roberts was asked about the notion of Betts in RF anyway: https://t.co/5RLuIi3EnY

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 20, 2025

Jim Bowden is one of the many skeptics. A former GM in the MLB, Bowden is adamant that the idea of sending Betts back to the right was definitely raised during that meeting.

And that’s regardless of what the Dodgers may say, in his opinion.

The meeting between Andrew Friedman, Mookie Betts, and Dave Roberts surely had to do with Betts going back to right field, says @JimBowdenGM.

"They can say whatever they want to say, and believe me, I was at GM for 16.5 years. I did the same thing." pic.twitter.com/t8n2LdKPut

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 20, 2025

But in reality, it all makes sense. The Dodgers may have several injured infielders, but the former Blue Jays’ defense is a real problem right now. Sending Betts to right field would be a monstrous improvement.

Because right now, it’s one of the biggest problems for the defending champions.

And inevitably, all this raises the question of whether Hernandez’s future really lies with the Dodgers. The club’s designated hitter position will belong to Shohei Ohtani for the next decade, so one has to wonder if the Dodgers will consider trading the man who will have two more years on his contract at the end of this season.

And if they do, there’s one team north of the border that might be interested in Hernandez…

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12 months without Felix Bautista

He underwent shoulder surgery.

https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/1958229943201956188

Alek Manoah does better

The pitcher worked 4.2 innings in Buffalo.

https://twitter.com/PatWGR/status/1958235251391738013

Marcelo Mayer keeps his spirits up

He underwent surgery.

https://twitter.com/NESN/status/1958233345759846766

Bubba Chandler in the Majors

Finally, the Pirates’ best prospect is up.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1958196392976949273

Springer Dinger

In his team’s 2-1 loss, he hit his 61st home run to start a game, including his 22nd for the Blue Jays.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1958210618978185539

Gunnar Henderson happy for Roman Anthony

The fact that he got paid doesn’t go unnoticed.

https://twitter.com/SmittyOnMLB/status/1958122934767071363

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On the heels of Shane Bieber’s return to health, we wondered what the Blue Jays were going to do about the starting rotation. Remember, Bieber will be pitching as a starter on Friday in Florida.

And now we have our answer: John Schneider has confirmed that Eric Lauer will be available in the bullpen over the weekend. So, for the time being, he’s lost his spot in his team’s bullpen.

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1958184456121962753

But the important words here are “for the time being”.

Because in reality, nothing is set in stone. It’s quite possible that he’ll be leaving soon, but simply later than originally planned. Nothing is off the table for the man who is doing an excellent job this season.

The main interested party, who nobody saw in the rotation at the start of the season and who NOBODY saw as successful in Toronto in 2025, is taking the news in stride.

He expects to be back in the rotation soon. And he’s glad he didn’t have to make a decision, since it wasn’t easy for the Blue Jays to decide.

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1958209923403141482

It’s also worth noting that the club has several vacations these days. Riding with six starters wasn’t ideal… but maybe it could be when the club’s schedule changes.

It’s also worth noting that injuries may change the situation in the near future. But right now, the club is clearly betting on its big horses.

https://twitter.com/FAN590/status/1958197529243177052

This content was created with the help of AI.