Mets left-handed relieverBrooks Raleytook his first small step toward making a return to the big leagues.

Raley made his first rehab appearance on Tuesday night for A-ball St. Luice, pitching a scoreless first inning, allowing one hit, but getting two swinging strikeouts on offspeed pitches down in the zone. Facing two left-handed batters and two righties, he threw 12 pitches (10 strikes).

The lefty threw seven sliders, four changeups, and one sinker and got four called strikes and two whiffs.

This was Raley’s first time on the mound in a game in 424 days, which is a quick turnaround considering Tommy John surgery can be a 12-18 month rehabilitation. The lefty underwent the procedure, which also included an internal brace, last May after appearing in eight games with the Mets in 2024, allowing just two hits and three walks over 7.0 innings with nine strikeouts.

Acquired in a December 2022 trade with Tampa Bay, the lefty had a stellar first year in Queens, pitching to a 2.80 ERA and 1.262 WHIP in 54.2 innings over 66 appearances out of the bullpen. He allowed 19 runs (17 earned) on 44 hits with 61 strikeouts to 25 walks.

Raley, who turns 37 in two weeks, re-signed with the Mets this April on a one-year deal with a team option for 2026.

Due to the length of Raley’s time out of action, president of baseball operations David Stearns said last week the rehab assignment could last the full 30 days or close to it.

Brooks Raley struck out two as he threw a scoreless first inning in his rehab assignment for Single-A St. Lucie tonight pic.twitter.com/vEehTOJAbA

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 17, 2025

Rafael Devers is officially a San Francisco Giant. And he doesn’t care where on the field he plays.

The Giants introduced their new star slugger on Tuesday, two days after acquiring Devers in a trade from the Boston Red Sox. The deal took place after a public falling out in Boston in which the Red Sox removed Devers from his longtime position at third base and put him at designated hitter. 

Devers isn’t projected to play at third in San Francisco, either. That job belongs to five-time Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman. But Devers isn’t worried about it. And he’ll be the designated hitter for his Giants debut against the Guardians on Tuesday.

Here’s what he had to say on the subject at his introductory news conference.

“I’m here to give my 100 percent,” Devers said through his interpreter. “I don’t put any buts. They’re the men in charge.

“I am here to play wherever they want me to play.”

Third-base fallout in Boston

Had Devers provided the same answer to the same question in Boston, he might still be a member of the Red Sox. Instead, he’s taking a new approach with his new team that acquired him to compete in a loaded NL West.

Before joining the Giants, Devers played his entire eight-plus season MLB career with the Red Sox. He’s a four-time All-Star who very well could earn his fifth selection this season. He was the last remaining player on the roster from Boston’s 2018 World Series championship team. 

But the relationship between Devers and the Red Sox grew strained this winter after Boston acquired third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency. That signing presented the Red Sox with an obvious baseball decision.

Bregman is a Gold Glove third baseman. Devers, by multiple advanced metrics, is one of the worst third basemen in the sport. The obvious move was to place Bregman at third and move Devers — an All-Star slugger — to designated hitter.

But Devers made clear in no uncertain terms during spring training that he had zero desire to cede third base to Bregman.

“Third base is my position,” Devers said in February, per MLB.com. “It’s what I’ve played. I don’t know what their plans are. I know we had a conversation. I made it clear, kind of what my desires were, and whatever happens from here, I don’t know.”

Devers then responded “no” when asked if he was open to playing designated hitter.

Ultimately, Red Sox manager Alex Cora made the proper baseball decision, and Bregman took over at third. Devers, the veteran leader of the clubhouse, was moved to designated hitter against his wishes. 

Devers might not have been happy with the move. But he continued to perform, with a .272/.401/.504 slash line with 15 home runs and 58 RBI through 73 games. Then came Sunday’s stunning news. A Red Sox team in the midst of a five-game winning streak and in the thick of the AL playoff race dealt Devers to the Giants.

Why did the Red Sox trade Devers?

Despite his dissatisfaction, Devers reportedly did not demand a trade. It added up to a stunning decision by the Red Sox that prompted questions Monday for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and CEO Sam Kennedy.

“We worked at it, we had a different vision for him going forward than he had,” Kennedy told reporters during the news conference. “We couldn’t get there, what we felt we needed from him that would be in the best interest of the ball club.

Breslow floated the idea that trading Devers for pitchers Jordan Hicks (4.23 career ERA) and Kyle Harrison (4.48 career ERA) and some minor leaguers would make the Red Sox better this season.

“I do think there’s a real chance that at the end of the season, we’re looking back, and we’ve won more games than we otherwise would have,” he said.

As for whether Devers requested a trade, Breslow said this:

“There were times during the course of conversations with Raffy’s camp where they had indicated that perhaps a fresh start would be best for both sides,” Breslow said. “And we were committed to trying to work through this.”

Whatever the reason, the Red Sox are moving into a new era focused on rookie slugger Roman Anthony and other top prospects. With Devers in San Francisco, the Red Sox are off the hook for the remaining eight-plus years of his 10-year, $313.5 million contract. 

Rafael Devers is officially a San Francisco Giant. And he doesn’t care where on the field he plays.

The Giants introduced their new star slugger on Tuesday, two days after acquiring Devers in a trade from the Boston Red Sox. The deal took place after a public falling out in Boston in which the Red Sox removed Devers from his longtime position at third base and put him at designated hitter. 

Devers isn’t projected to play at third in San Francisco, either. That job belongs to five-time Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman. But Devers isn’t worried about it. And he’ll be the designated hitter for his Giants debut against the Guardians on Tuesday.

Here’s what he had to say on the subject at his introductory news conference.

“I’m here to give my 100 percent,” Devers said through his interpreter. “I don’t put any buts. They’re the men in charge.

“I am here to play wherever they want me to play.”

Third-base fallout in Boston

Had Devers provided the same answer to the same question in Boston, he might still be a member of the Red Sox. Instead, he’s taking a new approach with his new team that acquired him to compete in a loaded NL West.

Before joining the Giants, Devers played his entire eight-plus season MLB career with the Red Sox. He’s a four-time All-Star who very well could earn his fifth selection this season. He was the last remaining player on the roster from Boston’s 2018 World Series championship team. 

But the relationship between Devers and the Red Sox grew strained this winter after Boston acquired third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency. That signing presented the Red Sox with an obvious baseball decision.

Bregman is a Gold Glove third baseman. Devers, by multiple advanced metrics, is one of the worst third basemen in the sport. The obvious move was to place Bregman at third and move Devers — an All-Star slugger — to designated hitter.

But Devers made clear in no uncertain terms during spring training that he had zero desire to cede third base to Bregman.

“Third base is my position,” Devers said in February, per MLB.com. “It’s what I’ve played. I don’t know what their plans are. I know we had a conversation. I made it clear, kind of what my desires were, and whatever happens from here, I don’t know.”

Devers then responded “no” when asked if he was open to playing designated hitter.

Ultimately, Red Sox manager Alex Cora made the proper baseball decision, and Bregman took over at third. Devers, the veteran leader of the clubhouse, was moved to designated hitter against his wishes. 

Devers might not have been happy with the move. But he continued to perform, with a .272/.401/.504 slash line with 15 home runs and 58 RBI through 73 games. Then came Sunday’s stunning news. A Red Sox team in the midst of a five-game winning streak and in the thick of the AL playoff race dealt Devers to the Giants.

Why did the Red Sox trade Devers?

Despite his dissatisfaction, Devers reportedly did not demand a trade. It added up to a stunning decision by the Red Sox that prompted questions Monday for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and CEO Sam Kennedy.

“We worked at it, we had a different vision for him going forward than he had,” Kennedy told reporters during the news conference. “We couldn’t get there, what we felt we needed from him that would be in the best interest of the ball club.

Breslow floated the idea that trading Devers for pitchers Jordan Hicks (4.23 career ERA) and Kyle Harrison (4.48 career ERA) and some minor leaguers would make the Red Sox better this season.

“I do think there’s a real chance that at the end of the season, we’re looking back, and we’ve won more games than we otherwise would have,” he said.

As for whether Devers requested a trade, Breslow said this:

“There were times during the course of conversations with Raffy’s camp where they had indicated that perhaps a fresh start would be best for both sides,” Breslow said. “And we were committed to trying to work through this.”

Whatever the reason, the Red Sox are moving into a new era focused on rookie slugger Roman Anthony and other top prospects. With Devers in San Francisco, the Red Sox are off the hook for the remaining eight-plus years of his 10-year, $313.5 million contract. 

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided injury updates to a trio of players ahead of Tuesday night’s series opener against the Braves in Atlanta.

Sean Manaea off to Syracuse

With the Mets needing a starter for Friday after losing Tylor Megill to the IL, his replacement won’t be a starter off the IL. Manaea, who made three appearances with Brooklyn, is heading to Triple-A Syracuse to continue his rehab.

He will make his first start with Syracuse on Friday.

In his three starts with the Cyclones, Manaea surrendered eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits with three walks, three hit batsmen, and eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

Frankie Montas to man another rehab start

The veteran right-hander will make his next start on Wednesday at Triple-A as his long ramp-up to his Mets debut continues.

“We’re gonna wait til he gets through that one to see how he recovers from it,” Mendoza said.

Now, Montas’ role when he gets to the big leagues is still a bit up in the air. He has struggled so far, allowing four runs in 4.1 innings over two outings with Brooklyn and 16 runs (including seven home runs) in 9.1 innings over three starts with Syracuse, and there was the possibility he could be sent to the bullpen. But even with the injuries to Megill and Kodai Senga, that remains an open question.

“Yeah, we still gotta wait,” the manager said. “I’m not gonna get ahead of myself. Let’s see how he goes [Wednesday]. Hopefully, he throws the ball well and, not only that, he feels well. And then we have a decision.”

Mendoza said that they are hopeful he “gets some good results” and bounces back and is “part of the rotation.”

“That would be the ideal scenario,” he said.

The manager said that part of Montas’ issue during his rehab start has been execution, “getting behind hitters” and “not moving well mechanically on the mound as he’s going through the delivery.”

“I watched his last bullpen at Citi Field, and he felt really good. So [pitching coach Jeremy Hefner] continues to work with him,” Mendoza said. “[Hefner] liked what he saw mechanically from him, even though the results weren’t there the last time he pitched.”

Brett Baty resumes baseball activities

The plan for Baty — who is not on the IL and considered day-to-day — was for him to take ground balls and get some hitting in on the field, Mendoza believed, but the third baseman is “feeling a little bit better.”

Baty tweaked his groin in Sunday’s series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citi Field. The month of June so far has not been Baty’s best friend, as he has just six hits in 44 at-bats (.136) with a .477 OPS, thanks to two of those hits being homers.

Mark Vientos starts rehab

Vientos will be the DH for Syracuse on Tuesday night. The plan is for him to have Wednesday off and then “play on the field” after that as he begins his progression back to full fitness, Mendoza said.

For the 25-year-old to be ready to return, the skipper said it depends on his ability to play “back-to-back” full games, but they are looking for him to get some at-bats and “get some reps at third base.” The indication was that, when he is healthy, he will return to the majors.

Vientos, who went down with the injury two weeks ago during the series at the Dodgers, has been slumping, as well. He had just six hits in his last 36 at-bats (.167) and a .549 OPS in the 12 games before hitting the IL.

The start of the three-game series between the Mets and Braves on Tuesday night has been delayed due to rain.

A new start time of 8:10 p.m. was later announced, barring a further change in the Georgia weather.

Originally scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. first pitch in Atlanta, the tarp went onto the field around 6:10 p.m. as rain began to fall, and it was a heavy rain at times.

Left-hander David Peterson (2.49 ERA, 1.192 WHIP in 79.2 innings) and right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (3.11 ERA, 1.004 WHIP in 89.2 innings) are still expected to start the series opener.

Peterson is coming off his best start of the year, and arguably the best start of his career, when he pitched a six-hit shutout of the Washington Nationals with six strikeouts. In his last six starts, covering 41.1 innings, the lefty has pitched to a 1.96 ERA with 35 strikeouts to 12 walks.

Not to be outdone, Schwellenbach is another especially tough customer. Atlanta’s starter is also coming off a complete game pitched last Wednesday, when he allowed two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts against the Milwaukee Braves.

And Schwellenbach has been particularly tough on the Mets, allowing just nine hits in 73 at-bats (.123 average and .341 OPS) with 20 strikeouts and one walk over three games. Manager Carlos Mendoza called him a “pretty elite arm.”

“He’s one of the best starters in the league at such a young age,” he said. “We saw him a lot last year, the velo and the pitch package, the way he uses all of his pitches. Not only is [he] up to like 98, 99 [mph], but the cutter, the slider, the changeup, the split.”

The game marks the first of six on the road for the Mets, who will travel to Philadelphia for a three-game set with the Phillies next Friday through Sunday, before returning to Queens and playing Atlanta four more times.

With the Braves sitting at 31-39 and 13.0 games behind the division-leading Mets (45-27), the seven games over the next fortnight are big.

In the midst of a season-worst four-game losing streak and jarring 20-inning scoreless streak, the Yankees are shaking things up with a new hitter atop their lineup.

Jasson Dominguez will bat in the leadoff spot on Tuesday night against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, and it’s the first time the rookie outfielder has been penciled in higher than fifth in the order all season.

Before the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the decision to elevate Dominguez was made with his “obsession with balance” in mind, but the lineup tweak could provide a jolt to a dormant offense that’s been shut out in two straight games. Boone also noted days off for Paul Goldschmidt and Ben Rice when explaining Dominguez’s new task.

“I felt like this was the best way to go. Hopefully he controls the zone like he does and does his thing at the top today,” Boone said of Dominguez. “He’s just really good with the strike zone. He kind of always has been. When he’s been at his best this season, that’s what he’s done. Hopefully he sets the tone for us at the top.”

Dominguez was by no means an obvious candidate to assume leadoff duties with a few impact players resting on the bench. The switch-hitting youngster hasn’t connected on many pitches of late, as he’s slashed a measly .204/.259/.245 with no home runs and just three RBI across his last 15 games (49 at-bats). He’s also struggled mightily against lefties this season, and his league-average 102 wRC+ ranks 10th on the team.

But the former top prospect has the speed and pop to effectively serve as a table setter, and he’ll be able to hit from his more-dominant left side with veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks slated to start for the Angels.

While the leadoff assignment comes with added pressure and responsibility, this isn’t Dominguez’s first time in the role. He batted first in the second-to-last game of the 2024 season, finishing 1-for-4 with a walk and strikeout against the Pirates.

The Yankees obviously want more production from Dominguez, who’s batting .236 overall and trying to meet lofty expectations set by scouts and fans years ago when he was still a teenager. But it’s easy to forget Dominguez has played in only 53 career Triple-A games, plus he’s been learning a new outfield position.

“He’s done a nice job. He’s shown you in these couple months, or cemented for us, ‘Man, this guy’s going to be a really good player,'” Boone said. “His at-bat quality is there. He’s still coming around from the right side, but I feel like that’s improving. That’s an experience thing, he’ll get better and better with time… You see his talent pretty much every night that he’s out there…”

The Yankees’ new-ish lineup will also feature Giancarlo Stanton for a second straight night, as he’s slated to bat fourth as their designated hitter. The veteran slugger returned from the injured list and made his season debut in Monday’s extra-innings loss, going 2-for-4 with a double.