Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here.

 

There are still some significant questions to sort out before this year’s Trade Deadline on July 31, the biggest one being the same as always around this time of year: Who’s buying and who’s selling?

 

Every team has something to give — you can see our list of the most intriguing trade chips for each club right here — but with many teams still uncertain about their Deadline direction, the landscape remains wide open.

 

Of course, that isn’t stopping clubs from monitoring the market and circling players who might become available. As usual, our own Mark Feinsand is all over it, and he has identified a dozen players whose recent performances have their trade stock on the rise.

 

Feinsand’s list includes a number of players from teams on the Trade Deadline bubble, the D-backs chief among them. After following up their 2023 World Series appearance by narrowly missing the postseason with an 89-73 record last year, the D-backs have gone 32-34 to start off ’25, and they recently lost ace Corbin Burnes to an elbow injury that will require Tommy John surgery.

 

With pending free agents such as third baseman Eugenio Suárez, first baseman Josh Naylor (more on him below) and starting pitchers Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen on their roster, the D-backs could be a driving force at this year’s Deadline if they opt to sell — but GM Mike Hazen is really hoping that’s not the case.

 

Kelly in particular has seen his trade value soar lately. The right-hander has started off June with consecutive scoreless outings and owns a 2.34 ERA over his past 12 starts. The arrow is also pointing up for Suárez, who has hit .265 with 12 dingers, 33 RBIs and an .880 OPS in his past 40 games — a stretch that began with the 19th four-homer performance in MLB history.

 

Be sure to check out Feinsand’s full list here to find out who else has been making themselves more appealing on the trade market as the Deadline approaches.

 

— Thomas Harrigan

• Rays @ Red Sox (7:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): It’s Day 2 of the Roman Anthony era — or empire — and hopefully the rookie has his own gear after he had to borrow some cleats since his equipment was headed to a different state when he got the late callup. It wasn’t a winning debut for MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect, but Red Sox Nation is thrilled to see his name penciled into the lineup for the foreseeable future.

• Yankees @ Royals (7:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV and TBS): Jac Caglianone hasn’t gone deep in his first six big league games, but tonight is his Royals home debut and those fountains beyond the center-field wall at Kauffman Stadium await. But staring him in the face will be Max Fried, who’s putting together a Cy Young-caliber first season with the Yankees.

• Dodgers @ Padres (9:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): In their first meeting since the 2024 NLDS, the Dodgers took Round 1 in extras against the Padres yesterday. San Diego star Jackson Merrill called last night’s game “sick.” What’s in store for the encore? One face-off to watch: Shohei Ohtani mashed his first career postseason homer off Dylan Cease, tonight’s starting pitcher, last October.

By now, you’ve probably seen A’s rookie Denzel Clarke’s absolutely bonkers catch last night to rob the Angels’ Nolan Schanuel of a home run. It was the kind of catch that will be replayed in ballparks for many years to come. The fact that it came on the heels of a similarly ridiculous grab that he made just 10 days ago against the Blue Jays’ Alejandro Kirk is all the more impressive.

 

“I just timed it up,” Clarke said of his latest Spider-Man impersonation. “Found my distance between the wall and just did what the ball told me to do. Just go up there and get it.”

While it might seem that Clarke has come out of nowhere to make the Electric Play of the Week presented by Chevrolet his personal highlight reel, the Athletics’ No. 6 prospect actually has deep family ties to the game.

Growing up in Toronto, Clarke often played both with and against two of his cousins — D-backs first baseman Josh Naylor and Guardians catcher Bo Naylor. Clarke credits the Naylor brothers with introducing him to the game, which he didn’t begin playing until he was 10.

Fittingly, Tuesday was a big night for the whole family. In addition to Clarke’s home run robbery, his cousins had huge games at the plate. Josh continued his strong first season in Arizona by going 3-for-5 with five RBIs against the Mariners, punctuated by a walk-off grand slam in the 11th inning. Meanwhile in Cleveland vs. the Reds, Bo added a pair of hits, including his ninth homer of the season and second in as many days.

In addition to Josh and Bo and their younger brother Myles Naylor (A’s No. 22 prospect), Clarke has even more connections to Canadian sports excellence. His mother, Donna, was a world-class heptathlete who competed at the 1984 Olympics, and his uncle, Kevin Smellie, was a running back for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in the early 1990s.

Something tells me Canada might be a sleeper team to watch in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

— Ed Eagle

Most kids who go to baseball games have favorite players that they’ll watch closely, studying their hero’s every move with the hopes of someday emulating them on the diamond.

Bradley Vinson, 13, takes a much different approach during his many visits to Minor League ballparks throughout his home state of Florida. Vinson not only focuses his attention on the umpires, he becomes one.

Well, sort of. While he’s not an officially recognized game official (yet), he does post up in the stands behind home plate, calling balls and strikes while in full umpire gear — helmet, facemask, armbands and all.

“As soon as he wakes up in the morning, he’s calling balls and strikes,” his dad John said. “All day long, as soon as he comes home from school. He watches YouTube videos and he studies all the umpires.”

Like most baseball fans his age, Bradley has big league dreams — his just don’t include bats and gloves.

“I want to be on a Major League Baseball field, calling balls and strikes in the World Series,” he said.

 

— Ed Eagle

The Yankees have been without Giancarlo Stanton all season as he battles his way back from epicondylitis in both elbows, but that hasn’t stopped the Bombers from leading the Majors in homers (105) and the AL in runs (349). Now the Yankees are close to getting MLB’s active career home run leader back in their lineup, as Stanton is set to start a rehab assignment tonight with Double-A Somerset (6:35 p.m. ET vs. Portland). If you have any doubt about how effective Stanton will be when he returns, remember that his elbow issues date back to the middle of last season, and then remember how he ended the year: with seven homers in the postseason and the ALCS MVP trophy on his mantle.

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