NL Central

Christian Yelich's season may not be over after all.

Speaking with reporters Thursday before his annual charity event to benefit veterans and the Milwaukee community, the Brewers star outfielder said that there is "no surgery planned" on his back injury and that "we'll kind of just see how it goes."

Yelich added:

I've dealt with back stuff for a while and been able to kind of manage it and get through it and find a way to be out there. We're going to come up with a great plan, we've got some steps to try to rehab this thing along way and really get back out there as soon as possible. Who knows when that's going to be, how quick that can be? I'm hoping as quick as possible.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic initially reported Thursday that Yelich is choosing to rest and rehab his back injury instead of undergoing surgery, which would have ended his 2024 campaign.

However, Rosenthal noted "offseason surgery is a strong possibility."

The updates come after the Brewers announced Wednesday they placed Yelich on the 10-day injured list because of "low back inflammation." They activated catcher Gary Sánchez off the injured list in a corresponding move.

Rosenthal reported Wednesday the veteran was "facing the prospect of season-ending surgery to correct a lower back condition that has plagued him for years."

Yelich told reporters, "Everybody plays through stuff, but sometimes, you just can't. That's kind of where we're at at this point. Your body won't cooperate with you. For me, aside from when I broke my knee, this has been the one thing that I've had to deal with. It's frustrating. I've dealt with it a lot during my career."

The 32-year-old has been excellent for Milwaukee this season with a .315/.406/.504 slash line, 11 home runs, 42 RBI and 21 stolen bases. He was named to the third All-Star Game of his career and leads the league in batting average.

It has also been quite the bounce-back effort for the 2018 National League MVP who hadn't made an All-Star Game since the 2019 campaign.

However, he was just 1-for-19 in his previous six games before going on the injured list and was clearly bothered by the back pain. He left Tuesday's victory over the Chicago Cubs in the sixth inning.

In a perfect world for Milwaukee, some rest and rehab will have Yelich ready to return for the stretch run and playoffs. The team is six games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central and appears well on its way to the postseason.

While losing Yelich is quite the blow it will have to overcome, there is enough of a cushion in the division that the playoffs should still be the expectation.

The trade value of Cincinnati Reds' infielder Jonathan India is reportedly "increasing," according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, due to his "performance and the needs of suitors like the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners."

On the season, India is hitting .271 with eight homers, 40 RBI, 50 runs, nine stolen bases and a .789 OPS.

As Morosi noted, India would help address the Yankees' need for a reliable leadoff hitter. The Reds' infielder is hitting .265 with a .376 on-base percentage in the role, with three homers and 15 RBI.

With the Reds now just 49-53—leaving them fourth in the NL Central, 10 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers, and four games back for the final NL Wild Card berth—they could potentially be sellers ahead of the trade deadline.

There is mixed reporting in that regard, however.

ESPN's Jorge Castillo reported on Wednesday that the Yankees "also have interest in [India], but the Reds aren't expected to make him available unless they drop in the National League Wild Card race over the next week, according to league sources."

India would undoubtedly be an upgrade over Gleyber Torres at second base, who has a .671 OPS this season and has already posted 12 errors.

Seattle, meanwhile, is 53-51 on the season and just one game back of the Houston Astros in the AL West, so adding pieces ahead of the trade deadline to make a playoff push would make sense.

The team's current starter at second base, Jorge Polanco, has been uninspiring at the plate this season, hitting .200 with six homers, 19 RBI and a .583 OPS in 67 games. India would certainly be an upgrade for the Mariners if he's made available.

The struggling New York Yankees, losers of 21 of their last 31 following a season sweep at the hands of the across-city Mets, are interested in trading for Jonathan India from the Cincinnati Reds according to ESPN's Jorge Castillo.

That is, if the Reds fall out of playoff contention as that is the only way the team is willing to deal India, per the report.

Say the Reds do, and India becomes available, such a deal will not be the lifeblood reignites what has been one of the league's worst teams over the last month and a half.

The team's pitching, once believed to be one of its strong suits, has given up 45 runs to the Tampa Bay Rays and the aforementioned Mets since the All-Star break.

Gerrit Cole continued to struggle Wednesday, going 5.2 innings and giving up six earned runs on eight hits. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner is hardly the only problem with the Yankees' rotation and bullpen. Nestor Cortes (3.99 ERA) and Carlos Rodon (4.42) have struggled against opposing bats, too.

Add to that the fact that the team has given up the fifth-most home runs in the majors this season with 123, per MLB.com, and you have a snapshot of one half of the team's issues.

Offensively, the team is carried by their two superstars: Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, who carry .311 and .307 averages, respectively. Only Anthony Volpe is hitting over .250 otherwise and that is just barely (.251).

India would be an improvement in that regard, with his slash line of .271/.374/.415, eight home runs, and 40 RBI. His defense has improved over a year ago and he would be an instant upgrade over Gleyber Torres at that position, too.

Rolling up to the deadline and dealing for India, though, would hardly be the only noise the Yankees could make and think that everything would be right with the world. He is not an explosive bat like Soto or Judge and his defense, while better than a season ago, is more efficient than it is excellent.

The Yankees need another bat that can spark the offense when Judge or Soto is having an off night. They could use pitching depth, with the addition of another starter or a bullpen arm or two that can help retain leads.

The team has been helped in its AL East standing by an Orioles team that has been more streaky than anything this last two or three weeks, especially on the heels of two straight losses to a bad Marlins team. They are not out of it and have done just enough to stay in playoff contention.

If things do not turn around though, it will be a long second-half of the season for a team in the media capital of the United States, with plenty of headlines and talking heads questioning what is next for a team that was expected to contend for a World Series, not just luckily sneak into the postseason amid sub-par pitching and lackluster bats.

As the July 30 trade deadline quickly approaches, the Chicago Cubs won't be making moves to turn their 2024 season around.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters on Monday that "unless things change dramatically" over the next week, the team will be looking to make moves to build for the 2025 season and beyond rather than improve for the second half of the 2024 campaign.

The Cubs rank fourth in the NL Central with a 48-53 record entering Monday's series opener against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago lost two out of three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks this past weekend in its first series after the All-Star break and sits 3.5 games out of the final wild-card spot in the National League.

The 2024 season began with some promise for the Cubs, as they opened with a 17-9 record. Unfortunately, a tough stretch between late May and early June caused Chicago's record to drop below .500, and the team has yet to recover.

The Athletic's Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported that the Cubs "remain in listening mode" ahead of the 2024 trade deadline and named starting pitcher Justin Steele and second baseman Nico Hoerner as players who would draw trade interest. However, it was noted that Chicago's asking price for those players would be very high, limiting the possibility of either of them getting traded.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale also recently reported that the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are interested in pursuing Chicago veteran pitcher Jameson Taillon.

With all signs pointing to the Cubs missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year, the team's best course could be to ship away its top players and add assets that would be beneficial in the long run.

The Chicago Cubs "remain in listening mode" ahead of the MLB trade deadline, according to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon.

"Though the asking price would surely be astronomical, those conversations could theoretically include offers for standout left-hander Justin Steele," per the report.

The Athletic also cautioned "there is little reason to think that he is going anywhere" in part because of what the Cubs would likely ask back in return.

The situation appears to be the same with second baseman Nico Hoerner. Mooney, Rosenthal and Sammon reported a trade for Chicago "would have to involve receiving legitimate contributors who can be plugged into next year's team."

"The Cubs don't feel any internal pressure to make moves just to duck beneath this year's $237 million luxury-tax threshold," per The Athletic. "The potential options are generally limited by players who are either injured, underperforming or working with no-trade clauses. The organization also isn't interested in adding extra A-ball prospects to the farm system."

Steele is just 2-4 through 15 starts but sports a 3.07 ERA and a 3.18 FIP. The southpaw is on pace to have his third straight season with a sub-4.00 ERA, and he should surpass 170 innings pitched for the second successive year.

Adding to Steele's value, he's not eligible to hit the open market until 2028.

It's a similar story with Hoerner, who boasts a positive level of on-field consistency with multiple years of team control. He's in the first year of his three-year, $35 million extension, which represents solid value for what he's providing at the plate and in the middle of the infield.

Hoerner has a .258/.338/.352 slash line through 92 games, and the reigning Gold Glove winner remains a plus defender. He ranks in the 92nd percentile in Baseball Savant's outs above average metric.

At 48-53, the Cubs are fourth in the National League Central and sit 3.5 games back of the final wild-card spot. FanGraphs gives them an 8.4 percent chance of reaching the postseason.

Chicago is in a position to be a seller at the deadline but won't want to tear the roster down to the studs. Both Steele and Hoerner figure to be important contributors in 2025, so it's little surprise the front office is driving a hard bargain in any hypothetical trades.

Having made a dramatic turnaround after a rough start to the season, the St. Louis Cardinals are shaping up to be buyers at the July 30 trade deadline.

Per MLB.com's John Denton, the Cardinals will "likely target" starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi of the Texas Rangers and Zach Eflin of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Eovaldi is an interesting trade candidate because it would mean the reigning World Series champions are selling. They are only five games behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, but their 46-51 record entering Saturday is the fifth-worst in the American League.

The Rangers are getting reinforcements in their rotation that could make it viable to potentially trade someone from that group. Max Scherzer has made five starts since returning from a back injury on June 23.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Jacob deGrom "felt great" after a bullpen session on Friday as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Eovaldi does have a $20 million vesting option for next season that kicks in if he pitches a total of 300 innings between 2023 and 2024. He's currently at 243 innings with 65 games remaining in the regular season.

Eflin is owed $18 million in 2025, the final season of his three-year, $40 million contract signed in December 2022. The Rays are always open to trading anyone, especially a player whose salary is about to increase by $7 million next year.

Both players would be huge upgrades for a Cardinals rotation that is largely being held together by Sonny Gray. Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson have been effective, but may not be pitchers you want to rely on in a potential playoff series.

Eovaldi has a career-low 3.36 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 99 innings so far this season. Eflin owns a 4.18 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 104.1 innings across 18 starts for the Rays.

The Cardinals are 32-21 in their last 53 games after an 18-25 start, but they still have the third-worst run differential in the NL (minus-38). They are currently the No. 2 NL wild card team and trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 4.5 games in the NL Central.

The Cincinnati Reds signed pitcher Chase Burns to a contract with a $9.25 million signing bonus, breaking the record set last year by Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.

Jim Callis of MLB.com reported terms of the deal, which was officially signed Thursday.

Burns sets a @MLBDraft record with a $9.25 million bonus. Best stuff in the draft, slider may be the best pitch in the draft. Surpasses the $9.2 million Paul Skenes got from @Pirates last year. https://t.co/xTg6nYT5qa

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 18, 2024

Burns was the No. 2 pick in the 2024 MLB draft. The Wake Forest product was the ACC Pitcher of the Year, posting a 10-1 record with a 2.70 ERA and 0.92 WHIP while striking out a jaw-dropping 191 batters in 100 innings.

Most expected the Reds to focus on position players with the second pick, but they came away impressed with Burns' high-90s fastball and knee-buckling slider.

"He's the best college pitcher I've seen," Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter said. "And that's no knock on Paul Skenes, who obviously shut us out for eight innings last year [in the College World Series] and was awesome, or Matt Harvey from North Carolina. ... Chase Burns is the best I've seen."

Burns' biggest challenge at the next level will be figuring out how to curtail the long ball. He gave up 1.3 homers per nine innings during his college career, and Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark is renowned for its hitter friendliness.

The Cleveland Guardians selected Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana with the top overall pick. With his slot value at well over $10 million, it's likely Burns' record will short lived.

MLB released the schedule for the 2025 season on Thursday, and it is headlined by Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's homecoming.

Ohtani and the Dodgers will open the 2025 campaign on March 18-19 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan against the Chicago Cubs.

This is awesome 🎥

(via @Cubs)pic.twitter.com/3uCv6O3Pax

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) July 18, 2024

Below is a look at more key dates:

• March 18-19: Tokyo Series featuring Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs
• March 27: Opening Day
• May 16-18: Rivalry Weekend
• July 15: 2025 MLB All-Star Game
• September 28: Regular season concludes

Thursday's news comes after USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported earlier this year that the Dodgers and Cubs were "privately informed they have been selected to open the 2025 season in Tokyo." This will be the sixth time in MLB history that a season opener takes place in Tokyo and marks the 25th anniversary of the first MLB games ever to be played in Japan, which featured the Cubs taking on the New York Mets at the Tokyo Dome on March 29-30, 2000.

The Dodgers will be playing in Japan for the first time but are no strangers to international games. Los Angeles opened the 2024 season against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea, and also played in Sydney, Australia, in 2014 and Monterrey, Mexico, in 2018. This will be the third international series for the Cubs following their trip to Tokyo in 2000 and London in 2023.

In addition to Ohtani playing in his home country, the series between the Dodgers and Cubs will be homecomings for Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as well as Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga and outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

The 2025 MLB season is sure to bring some excitement, but the second half of the 2024 campaign is about to get underway. The Dodgers will host the Boston Red Sox on Friday, and the Cubs will be in action against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Paul Skenes is just 22 years old and in the middle of his rookie season, so he can be forgiven if starting in the All-Star Game fired him up almost too much.

"I don't think I blacked out, but I was pretty close," the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher told reporters Tuesday following his start in the American League's 5-3 victory.

While his National League side came up short, Skenes did his job.

He worked a scoreless first inning that included a highly anticipated showdown against New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Juan Soto worked a walk with two outs and nobody on base, which allowed the American League's cleanup hitter a chance to face Skenes.

Paul Skenes gets Aaron Judge to groundout to complete a scoreless first inning 👏

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/kBXVIE0FS6

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) July 17, 2024

And Skenes delivered.

He induced a ground out on the first pitch against the six-time All-Star and 2022 American League MVP, which was the highlight of his first showing in the Midsummer Classic.

Considering the fireballer has a 1.90 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 89 strikeouts in 66.1 innings through the first 11 starts of his career, he will surely have plenty more chances in future All-Star Games down the line.

Dallas Keuchel's time with the Milwaukee Brewers has come to an end.

The Brewers designated Keuchel for assignment on Sunday, ending his tenure with the franchise after just four starts. He compiled a 5.40 ERA with the team.

Milwaukee was his fourth franchise since the 2022 season, and he has not appeared in more than 15 games during a season since 2021.

Milwaukee is due to get pitchers Robert Gasser and Joe Ross back from the injured list following the All-Star Break. Brewers general manager Matt Arnold confirmed that this contributed to the decision to DFA Keuchel.

"Obviously, Dallas is a great pedigree and what he did, he kept us in a lot of games," Brewers general manager Matt Arnold told reporters on Saturday. "He did a really good job for us. ... I think it comes down to the number of players we have coming back."

The 36-year-old only pitched past the fourth inning once during his time with the Brewers, and notably gave up eight hits and three runs in three innings during his final start on Saturday.

Keuchel's recent struggles are a far cry from his excellent play earlier in his career. He won the 2015 AL Cy Young award and was named to two All-Star teams during his seven-season tenure with the Houston Astros.

The Brewers acquired him after a midseason trade with the Seattle Mariners. He had shown potential in the Mariners system, earning a 3.93 ERA in 13 starts for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He could opt to accept a demotion within the Brewers organization, but he could also elect free agency and be available to sign with a different franchise.

The Brewers are currently 54-42 and lead the NL Central.