Tuesday, June 02
Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.
The 2026 Draft is a little over a month away, and we’ve got questions.
Who will go No. 1 overall? Who should go No. 1 overall? Which top Draft prospect is the biggest wild card? And a lot more.
So we asked the experts. MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo surveyed the baseball scouting industry — from scouting directors to assistant general managers to national crosscheckers — for their takes on the upcoming MLB Draft, which kicks off on July 11.
Here’s a sample of their responses to three of the biggest questions:
Who will the White Sox take at No. 1?
This one had an overwhelming majority answer: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, who is MLB Pipeline’s No. 1-ranked Draft prospect. Fifteen of the 21 Draft experts surveyed predicted that the White Sox will take Cholowsky with the first overall pick of the 2026 Draft.
One scouting executive said of Cholowsky: “Roch has separated himself as a near ready Major League shortstop. He bet on himself going to college, and it paid off. I’d be shocked if by the end of 2027, he’s not in a big league uniform.”
Another scouting director said: “He is the best player … don’t overthink it.”
Who’s the actual best Draft prospect?
This is a different question than who will actually go No. 1 overall. Now, it turns out the Draft experts’ consensus was the same (Cholowsky), but one other player also got a bunch of votes. That was Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, who MLB Pipeline has ranked as the No. 3 Draft prospect. A 20-year-old catcher with an all-around skill set offers a lot of upside for a team.
One scouting director said of Lackey: “He’s the best player with an impact ceiling who stays in the middle of the field. Athlete, tools, durable body, performer with plus makeup.”
Who is the biggest wild card in this year’s Draft class?
The polarizing player who got the most votes here (nine) was Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, who is MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 Draft prospect. A year ago, Lebron was the frontrunner to be the top overall pick in this Draft, but he was leapfrogged by Cholowsky. But if you’ve been watching Lebron in the NCAA tournament, you can see that the tools are there.
Also receiving votes were Florida high school shortstop Jacob Lombard (No. 4) and Coastal Carolina right-hander Cameron Flukey (No. 11).
See the rest of the Draft survey results here >>
MLB COMMEMORATES LOU GEHRIG DAY
Today is Lou Gehrig Day, when the baseball world honors Gehrig’s legacy by uniting around the fight to find a cure for ALS, honoring those lost to the disease that took Gehrig’s life and supporting their families.
This is the sixth annual Lou Gehrig Day. For today’s games, all players, managers and coaches will wear custom “4” decals — designed to honor Gehrig’s retired number — alongside commemorative red “4-ALS” Franklin wristbands. Here’s more on how MLB teams are observing Lou Gehrig Day at the ballpark.
There is also a special charitable auction underway at MLB.com/LouGehrigDayAuctionto benefit The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General. The auction features commemorative one-of-a-kind autographed Lou Gehrig Day bats — one for each MLB team — with each player selected by MLB.comresearcher extraordinaire Sarah Langs, who is battling ALS.
Gehrig passed away from ALS on this day in 1941, a little over two years after he played his final game. MLB.com’s Sweeney Murti reflects on how the Iron Horse battled ALS late in his career — and how Gehrig’s incredible month of August in 1938, in the throes of the disease, just might have been the Yankees legend’s greatest feat.
GAMES OF THE NIGHT
Here are three games to watch tonight. For info on how to watch every game, go to MLB.com/Watch.
Guardians at Yankees (7:05 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
Lou Gehrig Day at Yankee Stadium is, of course, even more special. And we have a showdown of two contending teams, as Cam Schlittler leads the Bronx Bombers — who are tied with the Rays for the most wins in the American League — into their matchup against the AL Central-leading Guardians.
Blue Jays at Braves (7:15 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
The Braves boast MLB’s best record entering their first series of June against the reigning AL pennant winners. And their superstar, Ronald Acuña Jr., is on a tear — Acuña is on a four-game home run streak, with five blasts total in his last four games.
Mets at Mariners (9:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
The Mariners are the hottest team in the league right now. They’re on a seven-game winning streak after a walk-off win over the Mets yesterday, they’re back over .500 at 32-29, and they’ve seized first place in the AL West. Logan Gilbert is on the mound tonight coming off back-to-back scoreless starts.
CHAMPS HAVE FIXED THEIR BIGGEST FLAWS
As if the Dodgers weren’t good enough already … Now the reigning World Series champs look like they’ve fixed their two biggest flaws.
Through 60 games in 2026, the Dodgers are off to an even better start than they were in either of their last two championship seasons:
- 2026: 38-22 (.633), +126 run differential
- 2025: 36-24 (.600), +79 run differential
- 2024: 37-23 (.617), +82 run differential
Thomas Harrigan explains why here.
Last season, L.A.’s biggest weaknesses were its defense and bullpen. This season, the team has turned both of those areas into strengths.
The Dodgers have been one of the best defensive teams in baseball so far in 2026 — largely due to Max Muncy’s turnaround at third base, plus incremental improvements in the corner outfield with Kyle Tucker’s addition.
And they’ve also had one of baseball’s best bullpens — even without closer Edwin Díaz, who’s recovering from elbow surgery. The Dodgers have Tanner Scott’s resurgence and the emergence of Will Klein, Edgardo Henriquez and Kyle Hurt to thank for that.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
We’ve got a milestone for one Cy Young winner and exciting progress for another in today’s news and notes from around the Majors.
• Congrats to Jacob deGrom, who notched the 100th win of his career last night. Now, you might be thinking the same thing as us: “Wait … Jacob deGrom didn’t have 100 wins yet?”Weird but true. But the two-time Cy Young winner and one of the most dominant pitchers of his era finally checked off that milestone. He’s the 16th active pitcher to reach 100 career wins.
• Speaking of Cy Young winners: Tarik Skubal might be ready for his first Minor League rehab start after throwing a four-inning simulated game yesterday. The Tigers ace is looking more like himself with each session he throws as he comes back from the “Skubal Scope” procedure to remove a loose body from his left elbow. He looks like he’s just about ready to start pitching in real games.
• There’s a lot of pressure to perform with one of the greatest hitters of all time in the crowd … we’re talking about Pablo Sanchez of Backyard Baseball computer game fame, of course. But the Brewers were up to the task. With a giant Pablo Sanchez mascot looming in the stands in Milwaukee yesterday, the Brew Crew’s biggest bats — Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang — all erupted in a 16-2 blowout win over the Giants.
CITY CONNECT AIR MAX 1’S JUST DROPPED
This year’s City Connect 2.0 jerseys are sick. Now just wait ’til you see the shoes.
For the second straight year, Nike has created a collection of City Connect sneakers — one for each uniform that debuted this season.
The 2026 City Connect sneakers are modeled on the Air Max 1, one of Nike’s most iconic shoes. The Air Max 1 has inspired countless descendants, but thanks to its historical significance and timeless look, its appeal has spanned the generations. So take it from our resident MLB.com sneakerhead, Bryan Horowitz: The City Connect AM1’s are perfect for fans of their respective teams, but they’re also sharp enough for anyone to just wear them as a standalone shoe.
Four of the shoes have dropped so far: the Braves, Brewers, Pirates and Reds versions. Check them all out here >>
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RJ Hamster 