Baseball Wiretap

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski has been scratched from his scheduled start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday because of arm fatigue and will also miss the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy announced the decision Saturday after the NL Central leaders were swept by the Pirates in a doubleheader.

"He didn't recover well from his last start, and his throwing program was clunky today, so we're just going to give him some extra rest," Murphy said.

The Tampa Bay Rays selected shortstop Grady Emerson with the second overall pick in Saturday's MLB Draft. Emerson, out of Fort Worth Christian School in North Richland Hills, Texas, becomes the first high school player taken this year.

Emerson had been projected as the top overall prospect for most of the draft cycle before eventual No. 1 pick Roch Cholowsky surged late in the process. Emerson instead joins an organization known for its strong player development track record.

The left-handed hitter closed his prep career with a .532/.648/1.013 line, adding seven home runs, 50 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. He became just the second high schooler in 48 years to earn a Golden Spikes Award nomination, joining Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., whom Emerson has trained with and considers a mentor.

Emerson is widely viewed as the best pure hitter in this year's class, combining an advanced approach with elite contact skills. He became the first player to appear on multiple USA Baseball U-15 and U-18 national teams.

Keith Law of The Athletic offered a comparison for Emerson's offensive profile.

"(T)he descriptions I hear from scouts and execs make it sound like they're hoping he's the next Kevin McGonigle," wrote Law. "And maybe he is: Emerson does hit, making contact at a reasonably high clip last summer at showcases (13.3 percent strikeout rate, 23.3 percent whiff rate), while showing fringe-average power now that projects to above-average at his peak."

Defensively, evaluators believe Emerson can play shortstop, citing soft hands, a plus arm and strong instincts to go with above-average speed. He finished as runner-up in last year's high school home run derby at Truist Park during MLB All-Star weekend.

Emerson grew up a Texas Rangers fan and modeled his game after former second baseman Ian Kinsler.

The Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky first overall Saturday in the MLB amateur draft. The 6-foot-2 right-handed hitter posted a 1.088 OPS with 21 home runs and 60 RBIs during his junior season and was a Golden Spikes Award finalist.

Cholowsky becomes the second UCLA product taken with the No. 1 pick, joining pitcher Gerrit Cole, who went first overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz praised Cholowsky's leadership in a statement.

"A leader on the field as well as in the clubhouse," said Getz. "He has more than lived up to very high expectations, and we cannot wait to get him into our organization, get started and see him continue his growth and success."

The Tampa Bay Rays followed with the second pick, selecting shortstop Grady Emerson out of Fort Worth Christian High School in Texas. The Minnesota Twins took Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey third overall.

Saturday marked the White Sox's first time holding the top pick since selecting Harold Baines in 1977. Chicago earned the No. 1 selection after losing 102 games last season and winning the draft lottery.

The organization views Cholowsky as a future star who can help lead the franchise toward its first World Series title since 2005.

The Chicago White Sox acquired the No. 34 draft pick and a minor-league pitcher from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, sending infielder Jacob Gonzalez and left-handed pitcher Brandon Eisert in return. The move comes hours before the White Sox select first overall in Saturday's amateur draft.

Pittsburgh sent a competitive-balance pick to Chicago, the only type of draft selection permitted to change hands under current rules. The White Sox also received Triple-A left-handed reliever Jaden Woods in the deal.

Chicago optioned Gonzalez to Triple-A Charlotte earlier Friday after activating All-Star Munetaka Murakami off the injured list. Eisert carries a 2-1 record with a 5.93 ERA and 32 strikeouts across 27 1/3 innings this season. Woods has posted 51 strikeouts and a 4.84 ERA in 35 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.

MLB ranked Gonzalez as Chicago's No. 22 prospect before the trade. He debuted in the majors May 31 after Murakami went on the injured list with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, and mostly played first base at the major-league level despite spending most of his minor-league career at shortstop.

Murakami returned to Chicago's lineup Friday, going 1-for-5 with four strikeouts in a 14-1 win over the Athletics. Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, who signed a nine-year, $140 million extension in April, is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks with a left ring finger injury.

The No. 34 pick carries a slot value of $2,897,400, pushing Chicago's bonus pool past $20 million to $20,489,500. The White Sox have not revealed their plans for the No. 1 overall selection, with UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson viewed as the top candidates.

Saturday marks Chicago's first time holding the draft's top pick since 1977, when the franchise selected Hall of Famer Harold Baines.

JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to an eight-year, $112.5 million contract extension. The deal secures one of the largest guarantees in franchise history for the National League Rookie of the Year favorite.

Wetherholt, the Cardinals' first-round pick in 2024, quickly advanced through the farm system and earned an Opening Day roster spot this season. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter ranks eighth among all position players in FanGraphs wins above replacement, splitting time mainly at second base while also playing shortstop.

Wetherholt and the Cardinals discussed an extension during spring training but could not finalize terms at the time. Fellow rookie shortstops Kevin McGonigle, Konnor Griffin, Colt Emerson and Cooper Pratt all signed extensions in the interim, establishing a framework Wetherholt later followed.

Unlike those four players, Wetherholt attended college, giving his contract a different structure. The deal contains no club options, runs from 2027 through 2034, and includes performance bonuses that could push its total value to $132 million. It buys out three years of free agency, with Wetherholt reaching the open market just after turning 32.

The extension marks another step in St. Louis' willingness to increase spending after several seasons of payroll reduction. Wetherholt is batting .267 with a .362 on-base percentage and .411 slugging percentage this season, pairing strong defense at second base with elite baserunning.

The contract's length and value closely mirror the seven-year, $100 million deal Albert Pujols signed with the Cardinals in 2004. Wetherholt slipped to St. Louis at seventh overall in the 2024 draft after Cleveland considered him with the No. 1 pick, then signed for $6.9 million following three seasons at West Virginia.

Wetherholt becomes the first player under contract for the Cardinals in 2027. Before this extension, the team's only committed 2027 payroll was $13 million owed to Boston to cover the contracts of Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras.

Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled pitching start Friday because of continued irritation in his left knee, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced roughly six hours before first pitch. Ohtani will still serve as designated hitter for the weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ohtani will not join his teammates at the All-Star Game following the series. The Dodgers said in a statement that he will instead undergo interventions on his knee to prepare for the second half of the season.

A source told ESPN that Ohtani is expected to have the knee drained and likely receive an injection. He will not undergo surgery, according to the source.

Ohtani first left a June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates early because of irritation in the same knee, which underwent surgery in September 2019 to address a congenital condition called bipartite patella. He has managed the issue since taking the following day off.

Ohtani, who turned 32 five days ago, had also dealt with a blister on his pitching hand and tightness in his right bicep earlier this season. Both issues have since subsided.

Ohtani is slashing .290/.405/.534 with 20 home runs and six stolen bases. He has gone 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA across 14 starts on the mound.

The Dodgers will use a bullpen game Friday in Ohtani's absence.

Bryce Harper will compete in the Home Run Derby for the first time in eight years, this time representing the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Harper announced the decision Thursday via social media, captioning his post, "Derby at home? Sure why not?"

Harper previously won the event in 2018 while playing for the Washington Nationals, launching 45 home runs at Nationals Park. He topped future teammate Kyle Schwarber in that final.

Harper made this year's All-Star Game as a legend selection. He becomes the sixth player to join the Derby field, alongside Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals.

Harper and Caminero are the only two competitors with prior Derby experience. Harper remains the lone past champion in the group, with two spots still open in the eight-player field.

Only four players in Derby history have won at their home ballpark. Harper is aiming to become the first to accomplish that feat twice, and the first to do it with two different franchises.

A win would also place Harper among an exclusive group of multiple-time Derby champions that includes Prince Fielder, Yoenis Cespedes, Pete Alonso and Ken Griffey Jr.

The Home Run Derby takes place Monday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Aaron Judge will have his injured rib re-examined during the All-Star break, with the New York Yankees hoping the results show progress in his recovery. General manager Brian Cashman addressed the outfielder's status Thursday.

Judge has not played since May 31 and landed on the injured list June 5 with a stress fracture in his right rib. The diagnosis followed a CT scan, an MRI and a consultation with a specialist.

"I don't think we want to put him at risk of coming back while still injured," said Cashman. "He should be asymptomatic before we turn him loose.

"If he's asymptomatic and not feeling anything and [medical images] are showing healing, then it's probably appropriate to get him going again. But we don't want to, because the schedule is what it is, put him in a position where we're putting him in jeopardy where it somehow gets worse."

Cashman said the injury has limited Judge's ability to train his upper body, since he cannot place stress on his rib cage. New imaging will offer a clearer picture of where he stands in his rehab process.

The Yankees have gone 15-19 without Judge in the lineup, including a 12-4 win over the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday.

Cashman also provided an update on Giancarlo Stanton, who has been sidelined since April 24 with a right calf injury. Stanton suffered a new strain to the same calf, setting back his timeline, though he has resumed running.

The Chicago White Sox remain undecided among three players for the No. 1 overall pick in Saturday's MLB draft, according to vice president of amateur scouting Mike Shirley.

UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson are the finalists under consideration, Shirley said Wednesday.

"It's still a bit of an open book, but I think we all know who the candidates are here, and we're working extremely hard," said Shirley. "The Cholowsky/Emerson conversation, the Vahn Lackey conversation, these are real. They are happening. They're happening up to the minute."

Shirley outlined strengths for each prospect. Emerson has significantly closed the gap on Cholowsky during his senior year of high school, while Cholowsky maintained his standing during his junior college season, batting .320 with 21 home runs. Lackey, meanwhile, profiles as a potential elite defensive catcher.

"It's not about what they are today," said Shirley. "It's about what they're going to be two to three years from now when they show up here at the major league level."

Shirley echoed general manager Chris Getz's approach to the selection process, emphasizing that talent alone will determine the pick.

"It's not about the major league team. It's not about the money," said Shirley. "It's about who is the best player."

The team is also disregarding potential future changes to the league's draft rules, including a proposal that could eliminate high school players from future drafts.

Shirley acknowledged growing concerns around NIL money influencing player decisions, noting some prospects are forgoing the draft entirely to remain in college.

"I think Roch Cholowsky turned down a substantial amount of money to leave UCLA last year," said Shirley. "If you don't think the players are being offered a lot of money to leave, it's real."

Chicago enters Saturday's draft in first place, a dramatic turnaround following three consecutive 100-loss seasons, including an MLB-record 121 losses in 2024.

Dylan Cease carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants before Heliot Ramos broke it up with a line-drive single to center field.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider allowed Cease to push past his typical pitch limits in pursuit of the milestone. Cease threw a career-high 118 pitches, striking out 11 to extend his American League-leading strikeout total to 148.

"Dylan came in after the sixth inning and said, 'I've got 120,'" said Schneider. "I said, 'OK.' And then after the seventh, he said, 'I've got 130.'"

Cease received a standing ovation from the San Francisco crowd after exiting the game. Tyler Rogers closed out the final three outs as Toronto won 10-0.

Schneider explained his decision to let Cease continue pursuing the no-hitter despite the elevated pitch count.

"I'm a fan of baseball," said Schneider. "I think if a guy has a chance to throw a no-hitter, I think you let him do it and I think you make adjustments after that."

Cease previously threw a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres in July 2024. He said Wednesday's outing felt even sharper than that performance.

"I was really commanding the ball well, mixing the ball well," said Cease. "I'm just happy it wasn't Luis Arraez that broke it up again."

Arraez, now with San Francisco, previously ended a Cease no-hit bid in 2022 while playing for Minnesota. He batted directly after Ramos in Wednesday's lineup.

Toronto's defense preserved the bid with two standout plays, including a diving stop by second baseman Ernie Clement and a running catch by center fielder Daulton Varsho at the wall.

Ramos praised Cease's performance following the game.

"I think he's Cy Young-caliber," said Ramos.