MLB

Aaron Judge still believes in Juan Soto's ability to put up big numbers this season even if the New York Mets star is missing his former teammate hitting behind him in the lineup.

Soto discussed the difference between being on the Mets this year compared to the New York Yankees last year and told Mike Puma of the New York Post, "I had the best hitter in baseball batting behind me. I was getting attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks and things like that. I was pitched differently last year."

Judge was asked about those comments Tuesday and had nothing but good things to say about Soto.

"He's got probably one of the best hitters in the game right now with what (Pete) Alonso is doing," Judge said, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. "It's been fun to watch. He's hitting close to .400, driving the ball all over the field and driving guys in. 

"They're gonna be just fine. I've watched (Soto) in the league for so many years and getting a chance to see him up close—he can look at what I did last April for an example. He just needs to keep being himself. He's going to be just fine."

Judge got off to a slow start last season with just six home runs through April but still finished the year with 58 long balls on his way to the American League MVP.

Soto is slashing .250/.400/.429 with two home runs and six RBI through 16 games this season. The numbers are solid but unspectacular, which stands in stark contrast to his usual standing as someone with five Silver Sluggers, a batting title and four All-Star Game nods on his resume.

There is something to be said about the protection Judge offered, and Kirschner cited Statcast to note Soto was correct in his assessment.

He has seen a career-low 43.2 percent of pitches in the strike zone compared to 46.4 in 2024. What's more, he is last in the league in percent of pitches in the heart of the zone when batting with a runner on base:

Soto has done nothing but put up excellent numbers throughout his career and will surely adjust to his new surroundings on the Mets as the season progresses. It is also a testament to just how high his standards are that there is discussion about something of a slump to start the year even though he is responsible for 0.8 wins above replacement through just 16 games, per Baseball Reference.

Most importantly, his Mets are 11-5 and in first place in the National League East.

As long as the winning continues, New York will likely be fine with Soto needing some time to adjust and start putting up his typical numbers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are changing their hats in honor of Jackie Robinson Day.

As Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic shared, the National League West team will wear Brooklyn Dodgers hats for Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. Robinson played 10 seasons for the Brooklyn Dodgers as a franchise and MLB icon who broke the sport's color barrier.

In 2004, MLB established April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day because that was the day he debuted for the Dodgers and broke the league's color barrier in 1947.

Players and managers around the league honor the Hall of Famer by wearing his No. 42 on their jerseys on April 15 every year. There will also be a "42" patch on hats with players wearing shirts that say "Breaking Barriers" during batting practice.

Teams will also play a Robinson tribute video before games.

The Dodgers and Rockies were joined by Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as they gathered around Robinson's statue in advance of Tuesday's game, per Beth Harris of the Associated Press.

Robinson's grandchildren, Sonya Pankey Robinson and Ayo Robinson were also present.

"He was so progressive in so many ways,” Pankey Robinson said of her grandfather. "When I think about him fondly, I just think about all of his contributions to society and to us as a family. I feel a real responsibility to uphold his values and I take that job very seriously."

While Robinson is a legend across the sports world, he will always be closely associated with the Dodgers seeing how he played for the franchise before it moved to Los Angeles. He is best known for breaking the color barrier, but he was also a star player between the lines.

His resume included a World Series title, National League MVP, NL Rookie of the Year, batting title and seven All-Star Game selections. He slashed .311/.409/.474 with 137 home runs, 734 RBI and 197 stolen bases during his time with the Dodgers.

Robinson remains one of the most important people in sports history, and his presence is felt across Major League Baseball to this day. The Dodgers are turning back the clock in a number of ways to honor him, including using their hats as a tribute to his legacy.

The Cleveland Guardians and Baltimore Orioles both face ideal hitting matchups on Tuesday. 

Guardians starter Logan Allen allowed four earned runs in his first road start and can be vulnerable against right-handed bats, of which there are many in Baltimore’s lineup.

Charlie Morton has been hit well by three opponents in his first three Orioles starts. That trend could continue against a Cleveland offense that is less prone to strikeouts than others. 

A pair of offensive outbursts against Allen and Morton could continue an early trend at Camden Yards, where four of five games have had at least nine runs. 

Over 9 (-102)

The pitching matchup sets up for a potentially thrilling game at Camden Yards. 

Charlie Morton’s 8.78 ERA stands out more than Logan Allen’s 3.50, but both hurlers are susceptible to giving up crooked numbers. 

Allen let up four earned runs in his first road start of the season in San Diego. He also had a 5.20 ERA away from home in 2024. 

Allen’s splits against right-handed batters are concerning as well. Righties hit .306 with 18 home runs against him in 2024. 

Baltimore’s lineup is loaded with home-run hitting righties. Jordan Westburg is leading off, Adley Rutschman bats second and Tyler O’Neill is third. Gary Sanchez is getting the start at catcher, too, and can provide power from the middle of the order. 

Morton conceded at least four earned runs in all three of his starts for the Orioles. He let up two home runs in his lone home start, which is a good sign for Jose Ramirez and Co.

The matchups are too juicy to ignore on both sides, so it would be surprising if the Guardians and Orioles struggle to combine for nine runs. 

Charlie Morton Under 5.5 Strikeouts (+110)

Charlie Morton’s season strikeout total looks impressive, but it is inflated by a 10-punchout showing against the Boston Red Sox, who lead the majors in strikeouts entering Tuesday. 

Morton had three and four strikeouts in his other two appearances for the Orioles. 

Cleveland ranks 22nd in team strikeouts and Cole Ragans is the only starter to have more than six strikeouts against the Guardians in the last week.

Morton’s high walk rate doesn’t help either. He issued seven bases on balls in the last two starts, including five over five innings in his last outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The majority of Cleveland’s high-strikeout batters reside in the back half of the order, but they could be less susceptible to strikeouts for a few reasons.

Carlos Santana has a great history against Morton, Gabriel Arias had a pair of multi-hit games against the Royals and Kyle Manzardo has been Cleveland’s most patient hitter in the early season. They are three of the five Guardians hitters with 10+ strikeouts. 

Carlos Santana Over 0.5 Hits (-135)

Santana has the best batter-versus-pitcher history in Tuesday’s game.

The veteran first baseman owns a .364 batting average in 11 career at-bats against Morton. He has two home runs and three RBIs versus Morton as well.

Santana recorded a hit in four of his last six games and he should receive more pitches to hit from his spot directly behind Jose Ramirez in the Guardians order. 

He’s been better on the road as well in the young season with a .265 batting average and three multi-hit games away from Progressive Field.

Click into the DraftKings display below for more on this game and the rest of tonight's schedule.

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto told Mike Puma of the New York Post that he was "pitched differently last year," when he was with the New York Yankees and had two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge hitting behind him.

“It’s definitely different,” Soto said. “I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me. I was getting more attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks and things like that. I was pitched differently last year.”

Last offseason, Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, ending his Yankees tenure after just one year. He amassed 41 home runs, 109 RBI and an MLB-high 128 runs in 2024 to go along with a .288 batting average (.989 OPS) and a third-place finish in the AL MVP race.

Soto is off to a slower start this year, but the season is just 16 games old. Thus far, the 26-year-old has two homers and six RBI alongside a .250 batting average and .829 OPS.

Soto may not have Judge hitting behind him now, but he does have Pete Alonso, the 30-year-old first baseman who is off to a tremendous start in 2025. Alonso has four homers, 19 RBI and a .345 batting average (National League-leading 1.136 OPS). He's carrying an offense that's hitting just .214 with a .667 OPS.

To Soto's point, he hasn't seen a lot to hit at times, walking in 14 of his 70 plate appearances (20 percent overall).

But Soto is also capable of far better. He sports a .951 career OPS and .284 batting average with a 162-game average of 35 home runs and 102 RBI.

Perhaps Monday evening will get him back in the groove. After amassing just one hit in his previous four games, Soto smacked a two-run homer in a 5-1 road victory over the Minnesota Twins. It was his first home run since the second game of the season on March 28.

Regardless of Soto's early-season results, the Mets are 11-5 good enough for first in the NL East. They'll look to continue their good season on Tuesday with the second of a three-game road series against Minnesota.

Nolan Arenado could have suited up for a new team this season, but the St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman vetoed a potential trade to the Houston Astros.

Ahead of the Cardinals' series against the Astros this week, Arenado opened up about the trade, saying Houston's approach to the offseason made him "uncomfortable" after the team traded Kyle Tucker.

“I think a lot of fans think I just said ‘no’ because I think they’re bad, which is obviously false and not true,” Arenado said, per The Athletic's Chandler Rome. “For me to get my family to leave St. Louis at that point in the offseason, with how everything transpired with the trades and all that, it made me a little uncomfortable.”

Arenado said his decision to veto that Astros trade also had to do with the timing of things. Houston wanted an answer quickly, but Arenado wanted to see how things played out before he OK'd the move.

“I respect the Astros because they can’t just wait for me to make my decision,” Arenado said. “They have to move on and they have to make their team better, which they did. They got (Christian) Walker and they did some other things. I can see how it was taken as ‘no,’ but they know I didn’t say ‘no.’ It was more of, ‘I need to see how this all plays out first.’”

Arenado will be 34 later this week and likely preferred to be traded to a team that can win now rather than a rebuilding squad like the Cardinals. Ultimately, he felt packing it up and moving to Houston wouldn't have been the best decision at this point in his career.

What's next for Arenado remains to be seen. He's under contract with St. Louis through the 2027 season, but with the Cardinals committing to a young roster, they could try to move him soon after failing to do so this offseason.

For now, Arenado will look to continue playing his best baseball and serving as a veteran presence on a young team. Through 15 games this year, Arenado has a pair of home runs and nine RBI with a .316 batting average.

As the Team USA roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic continues to take shape, a veteran slugger lobbied for a spot.

Per Tim Healey of Newsday, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso said he wants to make his second trip to the WBC for Team USA, though he has not yet spoken to manager Mark DeRosa about joining the team again.

Healey noted that Alonso would likely face competition from fellow first basemen Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies and Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves.

In his last appearance in the WBC in 2023, Alonso went 2-for-14 across five games as Team USA went on to lose to Japan in the championship game. He memorably started an eighth-inning rally against Venezuela in the quarterfinals and hit an RBI single against Cuba in the semifinals.

Alonso is off to a scorching start this season, leading the Mets with a .345 batting average while adding four home runs and 19 RBI. His on-base percentage of .464 is 106 points higher than his previous career high.

"It just means he’s seeing the baseball. He’s able to recognize the spin, the pitches that are going to be in the zone, out of the zone," Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "If he’s able to do that, everything else is going to take care of itself. The average is going to be good. It means he’s taking pitches, taking the close pitches. If you pay attention to his at-bats, just the way he is negotiating at-bats right now is, 'Whoa.'"

Alonso will look to continue his hot streak and make a good impression for DeRosa when the Mets take on the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.

April 15 is among the most significant dates in U.S. sports history, as Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in MLB on this date in 1947.

Tuesday marks the 78th anniversary of Robinson playing his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in a 5-3 win over the Boston Braves. Players across MLB will wear No. 42 to commemorate Robinson and his contributions to the sport and society at large.

The Dodgers also paid special tribute to Robinson on Tuesday:

Ahead of Tuesday's slate of games, MLB players Lawrence Butler, Hunter Greene, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Kenley Jansen commented on what Robinson and his legacy means to them.

Meanwhile, New York Mets star Francisco Lindor is paying tribute to Robinson through his equipment:

MLB also unveiled the official Jackie Robinson Cortez sneaker from Nike.

The commemorative sneakers are modeled on the Griffey 2 MCS cleats used by Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.

Griffey told MLB.com's Bryan Horowitz that he, along with the people at Nike, have worked to highlight the various aspects of Robinson's life on and off the diamond.

"Over the last few years, we’ve really sat down and said, let’s pick certain things that have happened. One year it was his military service, the other was the [Brooklyn] colorway. When he played for the UCLA Bruins, we had that colorway. So it is not just one thing that we have. It’s a collection of amazing things that people really associate with Jackie Robinson."

MLB officially retired Robinson's No. 42 jersey across the sport in 1997 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his big league debut. Griffey was given permission to don the number for the Seattle Mariners, flipping from his usual No. 24, for a game against Cleveland on April 15, 1997.

MLB officially designated April 15 to be Jackie Robinson Day across the sport in 2004. Five years later, all uniformed personnel wore the No. 42 during games on that date.

The Dodgers unveiled a bronze Robinson statue outside of Dodger Stadium on April 15, 2017. The sculpture captures his famous steal of home plate in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series against the New York Yankees.

Robinson played 10 seasons with the Dodgers from 1947 to '56. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1962.

Olympic baseball will return to Dodger Stadium in 2028.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' home stadium was officially approved as the baseball venue for the 2028 Summer Olympics on Tuesday, Thuc Nhi Nguyen reported for the Los Angeles Times.

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are set to open on July 14, 2028.

Dodger Stadium was previously used for exhibition games at the 1984 Olympics.

The venue drew in an average of 48,000 fans for those exhibition games, per USA Baseball. The stadium currently has a seating capacity of 56,000.

Dodger Stadium also hosted the championship round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, where tournament MVP Marcus Stroman led Team USA to its first WBC title.

Baseball was an official Olympic sport from 1992 to 2008. It returned for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with six teams competing in a round-robin tournament, followed by double-elimination series and medal games. Japan won gold over the United States, while the Dominican Republic claimed bronze.

After being left off the program again in Paris 2024, the sport is returning to an Olympic program for the seventh time in 2028. The tournament will again feature six teams.

It is not yet clear if MLB players will be participating in the 2028 Olympics. The league blocked players on any 40-man roster from participating in Tokyo. Commissioner Rob Manfred said last summer it was a "possibility" players would be allowed to join the Games.

Olympic organizers have additionally confirmed more than 50 other venues, including others in downtown Los Angeles. Crypto.com Arena, home of the Los Angeles Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, will host events including boxing and artistic gymnastics.

Some Olympic events are also taking place in Anaheim, such as volleyball competitions at the Anaheim Ducks' Honda Center.