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The MLB weekend slate brings some exciting regional rivalries, including the first Subway Series of the season. While the Yankees hop on the 7 Train to face the Mets, the Cubs take the Red Line down to visit their Windy City counterparts, the White Sox. Meanwhile, the Dodgers will endure some freeway traffic to take on the Angels.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable MLB teams in action this weekend:
1. Yankees lead AL in HR, RBI and OPS. Cam Schlitter feels like a Cy Young candidate. What is their weakness?
(Photo by Michael Zagaris/Getty Images)
Can: This looks like the team to beat in the American League, but the bullpen and bottom of the lineup have some weak spots, and now there’s suddenly a lot more pressure on Gerrit Cole to get back to looking like himself after Max Fried left his start with elbow soreness. Opponents are hitting .260 against David Bednar, Fernando Cruz is missing a ton of at-bats but also walking too many hitters — a primary reason for his 1.44 WHIP — and Camilo Doval, Jake Bird and Paul Blackburn all have ERAs well over 4.00. They should be able to grab another piece of leverage at the trade deadline.
The other issue is what happens when a pitcher gets past the Ben Rice-Aaron Judge-Cody Bellinger portion of the lineup. While every team would like more offensive depth, the Yankees’ Nos. 6-9 hitters rank 25th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage and 19th in OPS. Those numbers are too low for a team with championship aspirations. They need to find a way to get Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells in action.
2. What is one fix the Mets can make to at least climb the NL East standings?
(Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
Thosar: The Mets finally looked to be able to make a run that fans will get behind after sweeping the Tigers at a rebuilt Citi Field this week. Much of that energy came from the surprise promotion of top prospect AJ Ewing, who hasn’t experienced a loss since coming up to the big leagues. The 21-year-old outfielder is off to a fast start, hitting .333 with four hits, three RBI, three runs scored, one stolen base and four strikeouts in three red-hot games. His confidence while grinding the bat has been contagious. The front office making the desperate but necessary decision to promote Ewing was the first real fix this club needed to try to climb back into the NL East standings.
Any talk of the Mets looking like a playoff contender begins with their underperforming offense. Some of their poor results are self-inflicted, like expecting center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and infielder Jorge Polanco remain healthy. But others are downright baffling, such as third baseman Bo Bichette forgetting how to hit and the young core of Brett Bay, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez unable to find consistency in what is now their fifth season in the big leagues. Bichette went from boasting a 129 OPS+ last year to recording a 62 OPS+ in over 40 games this year. If Bichette can get back on track, Francisco Lindor can return from his calf injury soon, and the young Mets can do their part, the Mets can try to climb out of their hole.
3. Speaking of the NL East, the Braves feel like they could run away with the division. What has been behind Atlanta’s hot start?
(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Thosar: The Braves have the best pitching staff in the National League, which is a resounding success as the rotation looked out of commission before the season even began. First it was Spencer Schwellenbach who went down with an injury. Then it was Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz and finally Spencer Strider. The Braves are running away with the division despite all this, posting the second-best rotation ERA (3.04) and third-best bullpen ERA (3.10) in MLB. In addition to the continued excellence of future walk-in Hall of Famer Chris Sale, no one expected right-hander Bryce Elder to be this great. The Braves starter owns a 1.81 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, surpassing his 3.09 FIP and suggesting he’s run into good fortune. In reality, the pitching staff didn’t even need to be that dominant given how dangerous the offense has been.
First baseman Matt Olson leads the lineup’s dominance with an NL-leading 184 OPS+ and 2.4 fWAR. The 32-year-old’s 14 home runs are tied for fourth most in the majors. Right behind him is catcher Drake Baldwin, who is following up his 2025 NL Rookie of the Year award with an outstanding sophomore season. Baldwin’s 37 runs scored led MLB, and his 155 OPS+ trails only A’s Shea Langeliers’ 173 OPS+ among all major league catchers. Those two bats in particular have helped Atlanta have the best offense in baseball. The Braves lead MLB in average (.271), slugging (.252), OPS (.786), runs scored (237) and RBI (232). Their combination of high contact and elite strength is menacing, and it all looks durable for this battle-tested team.
4. The White Sox hang tough in the AL Central. Should the southerners think about the postseason?
(Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Can: The fact that we’re even talking about this a year after they won 60 games and two years after the worst season in modern baseball history is an incredible achievement in itself. The surprising signing of Munetaka Murakami have made a real splash — they’re 22-21 heading into their three-game series against their Northside neighbors and currently hold the second wild-card spot in the uninspiring American League — and their success to this point goes beyond the powerful and polarizing NPB sensation. Miguel Vargas’ offensive breakout is finally upon us, Colson Montgomery now has 32 homers in 113 career games and Davis Martin has a 1.62 ERA through eight starts. They’ve also gotten to this point without standout catcher Kyle Teel, who should be back soon.
If they find a way to sneak into the playoffs, it will be an incredible success. But they’re not going to mortgage their future to make it happen, and this isn’t a team built to make a deep run in 2026. This year is still about developing their exciting young talent, and I can’t imagine the White Sox will sacrifice them for “win-now” moves. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, they do with Murakami though. If they are unable or unwilling to extend him, they should at least listen to offers from competitors while his value is so high.
5. Blake Snell’s return gives the Dodgers a boost, but do they face some tough decisions?
(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times
Can: They will, and in fact they already started making roster decisions earlier this week when Mookie Betts was activated and they selected Alex Freeland. On the pitching side, an even tougher call looms with Tyler Glasnow set to return, even with their six-man rotation. Most likely, one of Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan or Roki Sasaki will have to move to the bullpen, be optioned to Triple-A or be placed on the injured list.
Based on performance thus far, the most obvious decision would be to send Sasaki either to the minors or back to the bullpen, but the Dodgers don’t sound inclined to do that either. They have been adamant that they believe the best thing for his development is to have him continue to start in the majors. He’s pitched better lately, but it’s hard to say he’s more deserving of a rotation spot than Wrobleski, who had a 0.56 ERA through his first five starts, or Sheehan, who has a 3.38 ERA over his last five starts. Still, it seems most likely that the odd man out will be either Wrobleski, who proved last October that his stuff can play a relief role, or Sheehan, who has had trouble maintaining his speed through starts. They will “kick the can down the road” on that decision, as they like to say, for as long as possible.
