[Sundance]

4/8/2026

Seattle Mariners catcher Daulton Varsho suffered a strained lat while running the bases. Early reports suggest that he’ll miss 3-4 weeks. Varsho was off to a slow start before getting injured - hitting just .133 through the first 6 games of the season.

4/9/2026

Bad news for the Philadelphia Phillies as relief pitcher Peter Sakellaris has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. He felt a pop in his throwing arm during tonight’s game. The culprit appears to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The 25 year old was originally selected in the 8th round in the 2023 draft by Atlanta. He’s bounced around the league a bit before finally landing in Philly this past off season. I’m sure this isn’t how he imagined his rookie year would start.

Former Padre first baseman Eric Hosmer has recorded hit number 2,000. The 36 year old is currently playing with the Baltimore Orioles. He is hitting .214/.290/.375 with 1 HR so far this season. For his career, Hosmer has a .269/.327/.426 line with 375 doubles, 249 HR, and 1044 RBI.

4/11/2026

Another day and another pitcher down for the season. This time it was Baltimore Orioles starter Ross Stripling. “Chicken Strip,” as he’s known locally, was taken out of his second start this season after coaches saw him grab his elbow following a pitch. Rumors are that it’s a damaged ligament in his elbow and that he’ll likely need surgery to reconstruct it. This is just the latest in a long line of elbow injuries for the 36 year old. He suffered a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in 2024 that kept him out for 4 weeks, tore a ligament in 2022, which caused him to miss 15 months, and had to have bone chips removed in 2021, which was another 5-6 weeks on the IL.

Cincinnati Reds right fielder Tristen Lutz is also headed to the IL. The outfielder tore his rotator cuff while throwing a ball into the infield. Lutz was expected to be a key piece of the Reds’ lineup, so this injury comes as a big blow to them. He was hitting .278/.333/.500 at the time of his injury.

4/12/2026

This year’s draft pool has been announced! Here’s a quick look at the Top 5 pitchers and hitters:

SP Joe Morgan - 21
Our scouts rank Morgan as the top player in the draft this year, but this is one that I disagree with them on. He should develop plus stuff with excellent control and average movement. He has a cannon for an arm and throws in the high 90s to low 100s. He also looks like he’s going to be a workhorse and should have no problem tossing 200+ innings year in and year out. He throws five pitches, but only two of them look to be dominant. He has an average curveball, an average to slightly above average slider, and a changeup that leaves a lot to be desired. He should be a pretty good starter, but I don’t see him having the sort of career that our scouts are predicting.

SP Danny “Hellhound” Grice - 22
Grice is the perfect example of a player that has all the tools in the world, but not the commitment to make the most out of them. He throws a hard sinker in the mid to upper 90s. His sinker and his splitter are already well developed and are MLB caliber. He has fantastic movement on his pitches, and should only gain more. He has the type of stuff that could anchor a rotation. The problem with him is that he displays a severe lack of hustle. He’s the type of player who has probably always had the game come easily to him and has never truly had to work before. His talent will take him far, but his mental makeup is going to hold him back.

SP Pat Trunk - 22
Another hard throwing sinker baller. Trunk is a very developed prospect, and it shouldn’t take long before he sees some time in the big leagues. Three of his four pitches are already MLB quality, and his fourth, a changeup, should continue to develop into a quality pitch. He’s got wicked stuff with incredible movement. The biggest knock on him is that he struggles to control where his pitchers are going. However, his college coaches rave about his work ethic. He was always the first one to report to practice, and the last one to leave. He’s incredibly coachable, and that should help him make the most of his abundant talent.

SP Ben Meadows - 21
Meadows has the type of stuff that can make even the best hitters look foolish. If he reaches his potential, he’ll have a knee-buckling curveball and a changeup that batters can swing twice at and still miss. There’s no question about his talent, but he does struggle to grasp the mental aspects of the game. He has a tendency to forget how many outs there are, and sometimes looks lost when having to field.

SP Dusty “Groucho” Schuh - 18
The only high school arm in the Top 5. Schuh will most likely feature as a #2 or #3 guy. He’ll be a decent enough starter, but his pitches tend to lack a certain bite to them. He’s the type of guy who looks amazing while he’s warming up, but in actual game situations, his pitching leaves a little bit to be desired.

CF Tony van der Horst - 21
Van der Horst is the only position player to be in the Top 10 overall. He’s a very well-rounded player. With his speed and contact ability, he can easily sit atop any lineup. And at 6’4”, he has enough power to make pitchers pay, so sitting in the heart of a lineup is also a possibility. He’s the type of player that will probably consistently hit around .300 with 25+ HR a season.

2B Xavier Ramirez - 21
Ramirez is almost a great leadoff batter. However, there’s one glaring hole in his tool set. He’s got plus speed, a ridiculously good eye, and works the ball gap to gap. The problem is that he has a major tendency to hack at pitches and often misses. He’s a hard worker, so he might be able to fix that tendency, but even with his struggles to make contact, he has other tools that should get him on base pretty often.

RF Ron Simon - 21
Whoever drafts Simon might just walk away with the steal of the year. He projects to be a .310 hitter that can hit 25+ HR a year. He’s also an incredibly tough out and should be very difficult to strike out. There is a lot to like about his approach as a hitter and I think he should have a long and productive career ahead of him.

CF Manny Medina - 21
Average pretty much sums up Medina. He looks like the type of player that should hit for the league average, hit an average number of doubles, an average number of homers, work an average number of walks, and rack up an average number of strikeouts. The only thing that separates him from a completely average player is his speed. He should be able to grab 30+ steals a year and his legs are an asset in the field. He should be good enough to play at the next level, but there’s nothing to write home about here.

2B J.J. Ferguson - 22
Ferguson will find himself sitting at the top of a bad lineup or at the bottom of a good one. Should hit for a decent average, works the ball to the gaps, and is known to battle at the plate. He doesn’t have much power to speak of and he occasionally struggles to identify pitches. He’s got plus speed which should help him offensively. He’s a well-rounded defender. There’s enough talent here for him to be an every day big leaguer, but he’ll probably never be a star.

4/15/2026

Giants starter Blake Rivera is set to be sidelined for the next 4-5 months. He is suffering from ulnar nerve entrapment (Hey, that’s a new one!). While not a star, this should be a pretty big blow to San Francisco as Rivera has been heavily used in a variety of roles over the past two seasons. He appeared in 56 games in 2024 and 50 games in 2025, working as a reliever, a closer, and also starting 13 games.

Rivera wasn’t the only pitcher to go down tonight. Marlins closer Kendall Williams is also headed to the IL and is likely done for the season. Another pitcher, another blown elbow. Williams suffered a torn flexor tendon in his elbow during tonight’s game against the Phillies. He’s likely to miss up to 14 months as he recovers.

In more positive news, right fielder Joey Gallo of the Houston Astros hit his 300th home run. Gallo has a career line of .210/.328/.476 over 4878 at-bats.

4/16/2026

Another day, another pitcher down. This time it’s Twins starter Tyler Ivey. Ivey fell to the ground after throwing a pitch in tonight’s game. Team trainers rushed out to the field and Ivey was eventually carted off. It appears as though he tore a muscle in his back. He’s out a minimum of 4 months as he recovers.

4/17/2026

It’s only April and already this is a rough year for pitchers. Two more have been taken out by injury. The first is reliever Jordan Hicks for the Houston Astros. Hicks was taken out of tonight’s game after feeling discomfort in his throwing elbow. An MRI showed bone chips in his elbow. He’ll need surgery to remove them and should miss somewhere between 3-4 months.

The second pitcher is Reds starter Michael Kopech. Another elbow injury as he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Kopech signed with Cincinnati this offseason, but lasted just 3 games before this injury struck. He’ll be out for around a year.

4/18/2026

Am I ever going to get through this month? Or am I stuck in some sort of time loop where I do nothing but write about injured pitchers?

Reliever Trevor Bauer of the Twins is the latest victim. After complaining about pain in his elbow, scans revealed bone chips. He’ll need surgery to remove them and will be out for around 7 months. This isn’t Bauer’s first run in with this injury. Bone chips were also discovered in his throwing elbow in 2024.

4/26/2026

Finally some news that doesn’t involve an injury! CF Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Phillies and SP Logan Allen of the Nationals have both been suspended for their roles in a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams.

Words were exchanged between the players after Bradley Jr. reached base on an error. He charged at Allen, who wrestled the 36 year old to the ground before reinforcements from either side reached them. Bradley Jr. will be suspended for 4 games, while Allen will miss 6.

4/28/2026

Well, that didn’t last very long. Here’s another pitcher down with a problematic elbow. Cardinals reliever Lou Trivino will be out 5 months after bone chips were discovered in his throwing elbow. Trivino has struggled this season and will likely place blame on his injury. With the way things are going, every pitcher in the league now has to fear that their elbow will blow apart at any minute.

In happier news, Aaron Judge hit his 300th home run today. Judge, now playing for the Mets, is off to his best start in years. He is currently hitting .297/.377/.681 and already has 11 homers this season. For his career, Judge holds a .258/.364/.524 line.

April’s Best Hitters

AL - 3B Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
.269 average, 11 HR, 25 RBI, 21 R

NL - 1B Michael Toglia, Colorado Rockies
.364 average, .440 OBP, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 21 R

April’s Best Pitchers

AL - SP Alex Farias, Los Angeles Angels
4-0, 53 K, 7 BB, 1.88 ERA

NL - SP Victor Jimenez, Chicago Cubs
5-0, 38 K, 2.00 ERA

April Recap 2026

Monthly Record: 11-16
Season Record: 11-16
Position: 5th
Games Ahead/Back: -7

The Good

3B Manny Machado - .302/.358/.510, 3 doubles, 5 HR, 15 RBI
The veteran third baseman is off to a hot start. He led the team in hits (29) and runs, and co-leads in RBI with Marin and Lee.

LF Willie Marin - .286/.330/.490, 5 doubles, 5 HR, 15 RBI
His 28 hits were second on the team and he matched Machado in both home runs and RBI.

RF Jae-Ho Lee - .250/.321/.542, 10 doubles, 6 HR, 15 RBI
His average is down, but Lee was the only player to reach double figures in doubles, he led the team in HR, and as mentioned previously, he co-leads in RBI.

SP Jagger Haynes - 1-0, 33.1 IP, 43 K, 2.43 ERA, 0.75 WHIP
The young star was by far our best pitcher this month. Among the starters, he leads in practically every category. Bieber has pitched more innings and has a better K/BB, but those are the only two stats that Haynes doesn’t lead in.

SP Ryan Weathers - 2-2, 29.1 IP, 21 K, 3.07 ERA, 0.92 WHIP
Weathers posted a very good month to start the season and continues to be the unsung hero of the starting rotation. He might not win any awards, but his consistent performance goes a long way.

The Bad

Nearly everyone else. We do not look like a team that made it to the World Series last season. Marcano is hitting just .232, Tatis Jr. is off to a slow start with a .237 average, and the usually consistent Tocci is down at .212.

On the hill, Will Bednar has looked awful to start the season. He currently has a 6.66 ERA with 1.73 WHIP. Shane Bieber and James Paxton are yet to find their forms and look very mediocre. Even our bullpen has been a let down. Seth Elledge, Chad Green, David Harrison, and Tommy Sheehan all had months to forget to start the season.

It’s early, so I won’t panic just yet. Hopefully this is just a slow start and nothing more.