Trade deadline looms over contenders
The August 3 MLB trade deadline is now one week away, and front offices across both leagues are weighing injury concerns against short-term roster needs as contenders jockey for postseason position. The Boston Red Sox's torrid run has pushed them toward the fringes of contention despite a 55-50 record, while the Chicago Cubs reshuffled their roster on Monday by parting ways with a veteran starter. With the Yankees and Dodgers absorbing key injuries, deadline strategy has become the dominant subplot of the week.
Yankees absorb Bellinger injury blow
The New York Yankees placed outfielder Cody Bellinger on the 10-day injured list on Sunday with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, with further tests in New York on Monday revealing he will be sidelined for four to six weeks. Bellinger, 31, was hurt running the bases during a 3-1 win at Philadelphia on Saturday when he felt tightness rounding first on a double. Manager Aaron Boone said before Monday's series opener at the Chicago White Sox that the team's trade deadline approach was unchanged despite the loss. "We've had some tough injuries to some really important people," Boone said.
The injury compounds a depleted Yankees lineup already missing reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, out since May 31 with a fractured rib, and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, sidelined since April 24 with a strained right calf. Max Schuemann started in left field Monday, with Spencer Jones recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to play center and Jasson Dominguez in right. The Yankees entered Monday trailing AL East-leading Tampa Bay by three games. Boone said left-hander Carlos Rodón and right-hander Clarke Schmidt are both expected to throw again this week, with Rodón coming back from elbow inflammation and Schmidt working his way back from Tommy John surgery a year ago. Bellinger re-signed with the Yankees last winter for $162.5 million over five years and was the All-Star Game MVP on July 14 in Philadelphia.
Dodgers weigh rotation depth with Ohtani shut down
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday that Shohei Ohtani's continued absence from the mound would not alter the team's approach to the August 3 deadline. Ohtani suffered a knee injury in mid-June, worked a spotty schedule as a starter, and was shut down as a pitcher after the All-Star break. He joins Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the sidelines, with both veteran starters working back from long-term injured list stints. The Dodgers canceled a Saturday bullpen session for Ohtani after he did not recover well from a Wednesday session, and Snell made his second rehab start in Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday while Glasnow threw against live batters for the first time on Friday.
Roberts framed the deadline calculus around expected returns, saying the club anticipates Ohtani, catcher Will Smith, closer Edwin Díaz, and Kiké Hernández all back before the postseason. "I don't think that our approach to the deadline is changed given these last three weeks with Shohei," Roberts said. Ohtani has also struggled at the plate since the break, going 7-for-38 with a 22% strikeout rate and no home runs in nine games. Without Ohtani on the mound, the Dodgers have used a six-man rotation led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Emmet Sheehan, Eric Lauer, Justin Wrobleski, and Roki Sasaki, going 6-3 since the break.
Red Sox extend surge with Rafaela grand slam
The Boston Red Sox extended their remarkable run with a 4-2 victory over the Athletics in West Sacramento on Monday, winning for the 18th time in 20 games and improving to 55-50. Ceddanne Rafaela delivered his first major league grand slam in the sixth inning, a ball he initially thought was a flyout but that carried over the left-field wall, aided by the hitter-friendly dimensions of Sutter Health Park, the Triple-A facility serving as the Athletics' temporary home while their Las Vegas ballpark is under construction. The Red Sox have now won 26 of their last 33 games as the deadline approaches.
The rally came after Athletics rookie Jack Perkins held Boston hitless through five innings. Connor Wong doubled to lead off the sixth, Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu drew walks to load the bases, and Rafaela launched the 98-mph swing at a 40-degree launch angle over the wall. Payton Tolle (6-6) allowed two solo home runs over 5⅓ innings to earn the win, and Aroldis Chapman stranded the would-be tying run in a sketchy ninth that included Anthony Seigler's fielding error. The victory was marred by the early exit of newcomer Curtis Mead, who was hit on the left wrist by a 95-mph fastball from Perkins in the fourth and left the game in the fifth after struggling to grip a bat, an injury the Sox described as looking like a possible bullet dodged.
Cubs rally past Cardinals after Taillon designated
The Chicago Cubs opened their series against the rival St. Louis Cardinals with a 7-3 win at Busch Stadium on Monday, hours after designating veteran starter Jameson Taillon for assignment. The move was the latest in a turbulent season for a Chicago club still in the National League playoff picture, though manager Craig Counsell was measured about the team's standing: "The best thing about a Major League season is you can't fake your record, man, over 162 games. It's too many games. And so, I feel like the teams that get to October, they've earned it." Left-hander David Peterson delivered a solid start, generating nine outs via grounders with three strikeouts and two walks.
Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner each had four-hit games. Bregman, who has never hit for the cycle in his career, fell a triple short on Monday while snapping out of an 0-for-12 slump with a first-inning double. Hoerner's night included a two-run homer in the ninth off Dobbins that ended a 321-at-bat drought dating to April 21 and lifted him to a .432 clip over his past 10 games after batting .139 earlier this month. The Cardinals' lone breakthrough against Peterson was a second-inning solo homer to left field.
Looking ahead
The August 3 trade deadline is now one week away, with the Red Sox, Cubs, Yankees, and Dodgers among the teams whose deadline posture is being shaped by recent play and health questions. The Yankees continue their four-game series at the Chicago White Sox, while the Red Sox play the second of three games in West Sacramento. The Dodgers' deadline approach will hinge in part on Ohtani's bullpen progression and the rehab timelines of Snell and Glasnow.
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