By Scott Barancik, Editor
One veteran made history last week, while another turned back the clock. Alex Bregman (Cubs) became only the seventh MLB player ever to record two three-homer games in one month, while Robert Stock (Mets) delivered 5.1 scoreless innings for his first big-league win since 2019. Add three homers from Jake Gelof (Dodgers/AA), two from Joc Pederson (Rangers), and a pair of Jewish twins atop New York’s Class of 2027 rankings, and it was a week packed with power and promise.
Now play ball!
Top Stories
3B Alex Bregman (Cubs) blasted three home runs in a 17-3 win over the Brewers on August 31, the second such game that month. The performance capped a blockbuster August in which the 32-year-old batted .296/.364/.661 with 12 homers and an MLB-high 30 RBIs. Bregman, who had never hit three home runs in a game prior to August, became only the seventh player in MLB history to record two three-homer games in a single month—and the first since Adam Duvall in September 2020—according to ESPN Research. (Thanks to reader Ethel H. for the ESPN stat.) He finished August with four multi-homer games. Before August, he had just 11 homers and 47 RBIs since signing a five-year, $175 million contract with Chicago in the offseason, production that drew occasional boos from Chicago fans. By contrast, the Chicago Sun-Times wrote on August 21 that “Bregman is now causing deliriously happy pandemonium” and has solidified his reputation as a behind-the-scenes asset to teammates. The 2024 Gold Glove winner also keeps producing difficult plays in the field, such as making a diving stop and throwing out Jose Trevino from a seated position on August 29 (9/1/2026)
RHP Robert Stock (Mets) dominated the first-place Rays in a 3-2 win on August 31, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings while allowing five hits and no walks, striking out four, and averaging only 14 pitches per inning. The outing earned Stock his first MLB win since 2019. His emergence as a major-league starter is improbable: the 36-year-old did not pitch in the majors from 2022 through 2024, and 54 of his 57 MLB appearances before 2026 came in relief (9/1/2026)
MLB News
LHP Max Fried (Yankees) returned from a two-week injured-list stint to face the rival Red Sox on August 29, logging 3.2 innings in a 9-2 win. Fried allowed one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out four (9/1/2026)
3B Zack Gelof (Athletics) lined an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning on August 28, cutting Baltimore’s lead to one, but the Orioles held on for a 4-3 victory. Gelof finished 2-for-4 with his 10th stolen base. On August 30, he backhanded a grounder and threw out Blaze Alexander at first (9/1/2026)
DH Joc Pederson (Rangers) homered twice last week: a two-run, game-tying shot in a 10-4 loss to the White Sox on August 26, and a solo homer in a 7-4 win over the Brewers on August 30. His 24 homers, one every 14.6 at-bats, lead Texas; he also leads the club with 47 walks, a .481 slugging percentage, and an .810 OPS. His next homer would give him his first 25-homer season since 2019, and No. 26 would match the second-highest total of his 13-year MLB career (9/1/2026)
One note we missed last week about DH Joc Pederson (Rangers): he was ejected from the Texas dugout after arguing with the home-plate umpire over an aborted ABS challenge (9/1/2026)
Inserting C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) to pinch-run for DH Kyle Schwarber paid off in a 4-2 win over the Angels on August 29. After Schwarber’s go-ahead double in the 10th inning, Stubbs replaced him and scored on a Trea Turner single that dribbled through the right side of the infield. Schwarber ranks eighth-slowest among 39 MLB designated hitters (9/1/2026)
RHP Jake Bird (Nationals) pitched a scoreless inning in a 3-1 loss to the Rockies on August 25, allowing no hits and one walk while striking out one. Although the outing marked Bird’s fifth straight scoreless appearance, Washington optioned him to Triple-A Rochester the following day (9/1/2026)
Off the field, reader Zack R. recently flagged a Wall Street Journal article on former major leaguer Sam Fuld. The article traces Fuld’s unusual move within the Phillies organization from general manager to president of business operations—a role that “oversees just about every other department,” including ticket sales, sponsorships, and marketing—rather than president of baseball operations (9/1/2026)
Baseball America’s 2026 Best Tools report named CF/SS Cole Carrigg (Rockies) the Pacific Coast League’s Best Baserunner, Best Outfield Arm, and Most Exciting Player. Carrigg, who played for Team Israel in the 2026 World Baseball Classic but does not identify exclusively as Jewish, opened the season with Triple-A Albuquerque before reaching the majors with Colorado (9/1/2026)
Minor-League Bulletin
LHP Colton Gordon (Brewers/AAA) tossed five shutout innings in a 14-6 win over Miami’s Triple-A affiliate on August 25, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four. The outing marked Gordon’s first win for the Nashville Sounds since Houston traded him to Milwaukee on July 15 (9/1/2026)
RHP Eric Reyzelman (Yankees/AAA) worked a perfect inning with one strikeout in an 8-5 loss to Boston’s Triple-A affiliate on August 25. Four days later, he earned the win in a 9-1 victory over the same team, allowing one hit and one hit batter over 2.2 scoreless innings while walking none and striking out two (9/1/2026)
3B Jake Gelof (Dodgers/AA) homered in three separate games against Oakland’s Double-A affiliate, bringing his season total to 29. His best outing came in a 10-6 extra-inning win on August 29, when he went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, highlighted by a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning. With the score tied 5-5 in the 10th, Midland intentionally walked Gelof; his Tulsa Drillers went on to score five runs. He also continued to showcase his defensive versatility, appearing in 47 games at third base, 45 at second, and 19 at first this season (9/1/2026)
Baseball America’s annual Best Tools report named RHP Charlie Beilenson (Mariners/AAA) the Texas League’s 2026 Best Reliever (9/1/2026)
SS Henry Godbout (Red Sox/AA) drove in runs in four of five games last week, batting .316 (6-for-19) with a home run, a double, four walks, one hit-by-pitch, six RBIs, two stolen bases, a .440 OBP, and a .966 OPS. He extended his hitting streak to seven games (9/1/2026)
RHP Alex Kranzler (Red Sox/Single-A) tossed two scoreless innings in his second pro appearance, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two in a 5-4 loss to Houston’s affiliate on August 29 (9/1/2026)
RHP Noah Millikan (Nationals/Single-A) threw three shutout innings and earned a hold in a 9-0 win over Baltimore’s affiliate, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out four (9/1/2026)
Welcome, Blake Schaaf!
SS Blake Schaaf, a junior transfer at Wake Forest who signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on July 29, is the latest addition to our roster of Jewish ballplayers. In 2025, while playing for Georgetown, Schaaf was a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, which honors the nation’s top shortstop. The 21-year-old broke out in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, finishing second on the Bourne Braves with a .360 batting average, a .451 OBP, a .465 slugging percentage, and 13 stolen bases. Schaaf made his pro debut on August 28, and in his first two games produced one RBI, four walks, and a steal despite going a combined 0-for-5 (9/1/2026)
Indy Leagues
OF Sam Biller (Chicago Dogs) of the independent American Association hit his first two home runs for the club. He went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk in an August 25 loss to Cleburne, then followed up four days later with a 3-for-5 performance, a two-run homer, and three RBIs in another loss to Cleburne (9/1/2026)
College
RHP Dylan Banner, the 2026 America East Pitcher of the Year as a SUNY-Albany senior, has added another honor: the Jewish Sports Heritage Association’s 2027 Jay Fiedler Outstanding Jewish Male College Athlete of the Year. Banner now plays for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers of the independent Atlantic League (9/1/2026)
High School
Jewish twins Derek and Ryan Yormack are the No. 1 and No. 2 prospects, respectively, in New York’s High School Class of 2027, according to Prep Baseball. RHP Derek Yormack, the 2025-26 Gatorade New York Baseball Player of the Year, ranks first. 1B Ryan Yormack, who set his high school’s career hits record as a junior, ranks second. Both have committed to Vanderbilt University (9/1/2026)
SS Ethan Bass, who originally committed to Wake Forest University, is an incoming freshman at the University of South Carolina. Prep Baseball ranks Bass the No. 2 prospect in Illinois’s Class of 2026 and No. 28 on its July 2026 MLB Draft Board (9/1/2026)
Latest Transactions
- Yankees activate LHP Max Fried from 15-day injured list (8/29/2026)
- Cardinals promote OF Zach Levenson to Triple-A (8/28/2026)
- Twins place RHP Brian Zeldin on 7-day injured list (8/28/2026)
- Rochester Red Wings (Nationals/AAA) activate RHP Jake Bird (8/28/2026)
- Yankees promote SS Blake Schaaf to Single-A (8/27/2026)
- Blue Jays send LF RJ Schreck to Single-A on rehab assignment (8/26/2026)
- Nationals option RHP Jake Bird to Triple-A (8/26/2026)
—Da End—
