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MLB’s weekend schedule brings some intriguing regional rivalries, including the first Subway Series of the season. While the Yankees board the 7 Train to face the Mets, the Cubs take the Red Line to visit their Windy City counterparts, the White Sox. Meanwhile, the Dodgers will have to endure some freeway traffic to face the Angels.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable MLB teams in action this weekend:
1. The Yankees lead the American League in home runs, runs batted in and OPS. Cam Schlitter feels like a Cy Young candidate. What is your weakness?
(Photo by Michael Zagaris/Getty Images)
Kavner: This appears to be the team to beat in the American League, but the bullpen and bottom of the lineup have some weaknesses, and now there’s suddenly a lot more pressure on Gerrit Cole to come back looking like himself after Max Fried left his start with elbow soreness. Opponents are hitting .260 against David Bednar, Fernando Cruz is missing too many bats but also walks too many batters (a major reason for his 1.44 WHIP), and Camilo Doval, Jake Bird and Paul Blackburn all have ERAs well above 4.00. They should be able to get another leverage arm at the trade deadline.
The other problem is what happens when a pitcher outplays the Ben Rice, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger portion of the lineup. While every team would like more offensive depth, the Yankees’ No. 6-9 hitters rank 25th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage and 19th in OPS. Those numbers are too low for a team with championship aspirations. They need to find a way to get Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells going.
2. What solution can the Mets do to at least move up the NL East standings?
(Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
Thosar: The Mets finally seemed capable of making a run that fans would root for after sweeping the Tigers at a revitalized Citi Field this week. Much of that energy came from the surprising rise of top prospect AJ Ewing, who hasn’t experienced a loss since arriving in the big leagues. The 21-year-old outfielder is enjoying a fast start, batting .333 with four walks, three RBIs, three runs scored, one stolen base and four strikeouts in three red-hot games. His confidence while taking his at-bats has been contagious. That the board made the desperate but necessary decision to promote Ewing was the first real solution this club needed to try to climb back up the NL East standings.
Any and all talk about the Mets looking like a playoff contender starts with their underperforming offense. Some of their poor results are self-inflicted, like hoping center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and infielder Jorge Polanco stay healthy. But others are downright baffling, like third baseman Bo Bichette who forgot how to hit, and the young core of Brett Bay, Mark Vientos and Francisco Álvarez, unable to find consistency in what is now their fifth season in the major leagues. Bichette went from having a 129 OPS+ last year to posting a 62 OPS+ in over 40 games this year. If Bichette can get back on track, Francisco Lindor can return soon from his calf injury and the young Mets can do their part, the Mets can try to climb out of their hole.
3. Speaking of the NL East, the Braves feel like they could win the division. What has been behind Atlanta’s good start?
(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Thosar: The Braves have the best pitching staff in the National League, which is a supreme success given that the rotation seemed out of order before the season even began. First it was Spencer Schwellenbach who got injured. Then it was Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz and, finally, Spencer Strider. The Braves are taking the division despite all that, with the second-best rotation ERA (3.04) and third-best bullpen ERA (3.10) in the MLB. Beyond the continued excellence of future Hall of Famer Chris Sale, no one expected right-hander Bryce Elder to be so fantastic. The Braves starter owns a 1.81 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, surpassing his 3.09 FIP and suggesting he’s had some good luck. In reality, the pitching staff didn’t even need to be that dominant given how dangerous the offense has been.
First baseman Matt Olson is leading the lineup’s rise with a 184 OPS+ and NL-leading 2.4 fWAR. The 32-year-old’s 14 home runs are tied for fourth in the majors. Right behind him is catcher Drake Baldwin, who follows up his 2025 National League Rookie of the Year award with a standout sophomore season. Baldwin’s 37 runs led the MLB, and his 155 OPS+ trails only the A’s Shea Langeliers’ 173 OPS+ among all major league catchers. Those two bats in particular have helped Atlanta possess the best offense in baseball. The Braves lead the MLB in average (.271), slugging (.252), OPS (.786), runs scored (237) and runs batted in (232). Their combination of high contact and elite power is menacing, and it all looks sustainable for this battle-tested team.
4. The White Sox remain firm in the American League Central Division. Should South Side players be thinking about the postseason?
(Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Kavner: The fact that we’re talking about this a year after they won 60 games and two years after the worst season in the history of modern baseball is an incredible accomplishment in itself. He surprise signing of Munetaka Murakami has provided a real jolt—they’re 22-21 entering their three-game series against their Northside neighbors and would currently hold the second wild card spot in the boring American League—and their success to this point goes beyond the powerful, polarizing feel of the NPB. Miguel Vargas’ offensive breakout is finally here, Colson Montgomery now has 32 home runs in 113 career games and Davis Martin has a 1.62 ERA in eight starts. They have also reached this point without standout receiver Kyle Teel, who should return soon.
If they find a way to sneak into the playoffs, it will be an incredible success. But they’re not going to mortgage their future to make that happen, and this is not a team built to make a deep run in 2026. This year is still about development for their intriguing young talents, and I can’t imagine the White Sox sacrificing them for “win now” moves. However, it will be interesting to see what they do with Murakami, if anything. If they can’t or won’t extend it, they should at least listen to offers from contenders while its value is that high.
5. Blake Snell’s return gives the Dodgers a boost, but do they face tough decisions?
(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times
Kavner: They will, and really those roster decisions already began earlier this week when Mookie Betts was activated and they went with Alex Freeland. On the pitching side, an even tougher decision looms when Tyler Glasnow is set to return, even with his six-man rotation. Most likely, one of Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan or Roki Sasaki will have to go to the bullpen, be moved to Triple-A or be placed on the injured list.
Based on performance so far, the most obvious decision would be to send Sasaki to the minors or return to the bullpen, but the Dodgers don’t seem willing to do either. They have insisted that they believe that the best thing for his development is for him to continue being a starter in the majors. He’s been performing better lately, but it’s hard to argue that he’s more deserving of a rotation spot than Wrobleski, who had a 0.56 ERA in his first five starts, or Sheehan, who has a 3.38 ERA in his last five starts. Still, it seems more likely that the odd man out will be Wrobleski, who showed last October that his stuff can play a relief role, or Sheehan, who has struggled to maintain his velocity during starts. They will “kick the can down the road” on that decision, as they like to say, for as long as possible.
