By Scott Barancik, Editor
Call it a family affair. Zack Gelof (Athletics) homered three days in a row, Jake Gelof (Dodgers/AA) went deep three times himself, and the brothers have now homered on the same day four times in the past month. Elsewhere, Joc Pederson (Rangers) reached a power milestone, Max Fried continued putting up elite numbers despite a strange win-loss record, and four Jewish teammates made their presence felt in Memphis.
Let’s play ball!
Top Stories
DH Joc Pederson (Rangers) hit his 25th home run of the season in a 6-3, 10-inning loss to the Rays on September 5, his first 25-HR campaign since 2019. Despite having just 50 RBIs, Pederson is one of only 28 major leaguers with 25 or more HRs this season
3B Zack Gelof (Athletics) homered in three consecutive games, the last coming September 4 in a 7-6 victory over the Mariners in which he also hit a go-ahead triple. As JBN reader Ethel H. points out, it was a milestone-filled game: the four‑year pro matched career highs with his 17th homer, second triple, and 61st run in just 319 at-bats; the prior highs were set in 2024, when Gelof had 497 ABs. Through September 7, Gelof’s strikeout rate is a career-low 24.9%
Other MLB News
LHP Max Fried (Yankees) allowed one earned run over 5.2 innings in a 3-2, extra-inning loss to the Padres on September 4, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out four. The 6-foot-4 veteran is one of only four MLB pitchers this season to record a sub-2.75 ERA and sub-1.0 WHIP in 90-plus innings. The other three have tallied at least 12 wins—albeit in more starts—while Fried has just four
3B Alex Bregman (Cubs) hit a game-tying homer and a go-ahead single against the first-place Brewers on September 2, finishing 2-for-4 with four RBIs, but Milwaukee retook the lead and won the game
Minor-League Bulletin
Five minor-league pitchers—RHP Eric Reyzelman (Yankees/AAA), RHP Jake Bird (Nationals/AAA), LHP Jared Shuster (Cardinals/AAA), RHP Ben Simon (Mets/AAA), and RHP Josh Mallitz (Padres/AA)—took the mound on September 1 and opened the month in dominant fashion. Together, they tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, one walk, and one hit batter while striking out 11. Four of the five teams won
Zack Gelof (Athletics) and brother Jake Gelof (Dodgers/AA) have homered on the same day 11 times in their pro careers. Remarkably, four occurred in the past month: September 3, September 2, August 16, and August 12
3B Jake Gelof (Dodgers/AA) opened September on a tear. Through September 7, he is hitting .364 (8-for-22) with three HRs (No. 30, No. 31, and No. 32), two doubles, 12 RBIs—second-most among all minor-league hitters—two strikeouts, and an .864 slugging percentage. For the season, Gelof leads the Texas League with 32 HRs and is third with 94 RBIs
The Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals/AAA) have four Jewish players, and the quartet has started September strong. Three of the four played pivotal roles in a 7-2 win over the Rays affiliate on September 1: LF Zach Levenson went 2-for-4 with a solo HR that gave Memphis a 1-0 lead, 2B Noah Mendlinger went 3-for-4 with a home run and stolen base, and LHP Jared Shuster struck out three and yielded just one baserunner (a hit batter) over two innings. Three days later, all four teammates contributed to a 12-6 win over the same club. Levenson went 4-for-5 with a double, a two-run go-ahead single in the 5th, a two-run home run in the 7th, and five RBIs. Mendlinger went 2-for-4 with an RBI double that scored Levenson. DH Andy Yerzy went 2-for-4 with a two-run single that scored Mendlinger. Shuster yielded two earned runs in a three-inning start
RHP Jake Bird (Nationals/AAA) pitched a scoreless inning of relief in a September 5 win over the Mets affiliate. It marked Bird’s ninth straight scoreless appearance, a streak that began in five MLB games and continued through four Triple-A outings. In 12 minor-league games split between the Nationals and Yankees organizations this season, the 30-year-old is 0-0 with a 0.69 ERA, 16 strikeouts and three walks across 13 innings, and a 0.54 WHIP
SS Henry Godbout (Red Sox/AA) has scorched opposing pitching in September. Through September 6, Godbout is batting .455 (10-for-22) with a minor-leagues best four HRs (tied), a double, six RBIs, and a 1.045 slugging percentage. The highlight: a 3-for-4 game on September 3 in which he hit a double and two HRs, including a go-ahead solo shot in the top of the 9th that led to a 5-4 win over the Orioles affiliate. Since his promotion to Double-A on August 11, the second-round draft pick has hit .286 with eight HRs, two doubles, four stolen bases, and a .956 OPS in just 77 at-bats
RHP Jacob Steinmetz (Diamondbacks/High-A) worked 5.2 strong innings on September 5, allowing one earned run on just two hits and two walks while striking out nine, but the Giants affiliate scored twice in the 9th inning to earn a 5-4 victory. In five appearances since his August promotion, the Orthodox hurler has gone 0-0 with a 0.43 ERA, allowing just one earned run over 21 combined innings on 11 hits and 14 walks, with 28 strikeouts, a .149 opponent batting average, and a 1.19 WHIP
RHP Levi Sterling (Pirates/High-A) celebrated his 20th birthday on September 2 with a five-inning start, giving up two earned runs on two hits and a walk while striking out nine en route to a 4-2 victory over the Astros affiliate. Sterling’s 130 strikeouts across three leagues are tied for No. 25 among all minor-league pitchers
1B Rowdy Tellez (Braves/AAA) crushed a pinch-hit grand slam to power a 5-2 comeback win over the White Sox affiliate on September 6. Tellez ranks second on the Gwinnett Stripers with 16 HRs, 63 RBIs, and a .472 slugging percentage
LHP Ryan Prager (Guardians/Single-A) is 4-3 with a 3.90 ERA, .225 opponent batting average, and 1.39 WHIP since his promotion to Single-A early in the season. His average of 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings is tied for seventh in the Carolina League
3B Colby Halter (Athletics/AAA) went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, an RBI single, and his 11th stolen base in a 14-12 win over the Padres affiliate on September 2
RHP RJ Gordon (Mets/AA) earned the win in a 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays affiliate on September 5. The second-year pro—an undrafted free agent signed by New York in 2024—allowed one earned run over six innings, scattering three hits and two walks while fanning five
RHP Josh Mallitz (Padres/AA), who took the win in a September 4 victory, is the only minor-league pitcher this season with at least five wins, no losses, five-plus holds, and six-plus saves
RHP Noah Millikan (Nationals/Single-A), an undrafted free agent who signed with Washington in May, earned his seventh win on September 2. Millikan held the Brewers affiliate to two earned runs over five innings, allowing four hits and a walk, throwing a wild pitch, and striking out five
RHP Alex Kranzler (Red Sox/Single-A), a 17th-round pick in the 2026 draft, was profiled last week by the Jewish Journal of Greater Boston. The article highlights interesting tidbits about Kranzler and two initiatives involving Jewish college athletes. While at Vanderbilt, Kranzler joined Tribe NIL, an organization that helps Jewish college athletes build their brands and pursue name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities. He was also a finalist in a national Manischewitz competition whose two winning athletes appear on a matzo box)
Indy Leagues
Former minor-league 1B Lyle Miller-Green, who signed with the Down East Bird Dawgs of the Frontier League in August, went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and drew three walks in an 8-7, come-from-behind win over the Evansville Otters on September 2
High School
RHP Ethan Reyzelman, younger brother of RHP Eric Reyzelman (Yankees/AAA) and a member of California’s High School Class of 2027, announced his commitment to Manhattan College (D-I) on September 1
Latest Transactions
- Blue Jays activate LF RJ Schreck (AAA) from 60-day injured list (9/8/2026)
- Phillies activate C Jordan Dissin (AAA) from development list (9/1/2026)
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