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ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports there are “multiple people in the league who believe the new regime is not so high on Travis Etienne.”
Fowler also noted Tank Bigsby’s fumbling issue but didn’t directly relate that to the feelings of the new brain trust in Jacksonville. The Jags clearly felt they were lacking at running back this offseason and addressed that opening via the draft with Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen in the seventh. The pair of additions complicate an already-messy backfield by committee. Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is a long-shot to be brought back in 2026. The Jags could opt to move on early by trading him, clearing $6.1 million in cap space in the process. If the team does trade Etienne, Tuten would likely be the team’s top back in the long run, making him a high-upside bet in early fantasy drafts.
Wilmer Flores went 3-for-4 and knocked in his 33rd run of the season in the Giants’ 3-1 defeat of the Cubs on Wednesday.
The early home barrage is long over, but Flores is still fourth in the league in RBI, even as his .737 OPS puts him 200-500 points behind the three guys above him (Pete Alonso, Teoscar Hernández and Aaron Judge). After 37 games this season, he’s almost halfway to his career high of 71 RBI, which he achieved in 151 games in 2022.
Robbie Ray pitched six innings of one-run ball Wednesday to beat the Cubs and move to 5-0.
He fanned five and walked two. Ray’s strikeout, walk and exit velocity numbers this season are all worse than his career marks, yet here he is 5-0 with a 2.84 ERA. He’s definitely a sell-high candidate, but it is entirely possible his peripherals will improve and that he’ll remain a fine starter going forward. Pitching in San Francisco definitely helps with the home run ball, which is one big thing working in his favor. He’s set to face the Diamondbacks next time out.
Ryan Walker rebounded from Tuesday’s poor showing to pitch a scoreless ninth with a two-run lead Wednesday versus the Cubs.
Walker didn’t blow a save last night, but he might as well have in giving up two runs in the ninth (Erik Miller replaced him and got the blown save for allowing one of Walker’s runners to score). Despite that, the Giants went with their typical arrangement today, and Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers and Walker turned in scoreless seventh, eighth and ninth innings respectively. Walker’s perfect frame came without a strikeout. His K rate currently stands at 25%, well down from last year’s mark of 32%.
Ben Brown fanned nine but took his third loss after allowing three runs in five innings Wednesday against the Giants.
Brown issued two walks. Those led off the first and fourth innings, and the Giants went to score all three of their runs in those innings. Brown wasn’t hit hard, and the nine strikeouts were great. He just put himself into bad spots with those walks, and now he’ll take a 3-3 record and a 4.95 ERA into his next start, a favorable home matchup against the Marlins. He’ll be a streaming option in that one.
Gustavo Campero (ankle) is not in the lineup for Wednesday’s contest against the Blue Jays.
It’ll be veteran slugger Jorge Soler making a rare appearance in right field on Wednesday night after Campero was lifted from Tuesday’s contest with left ankle irritation. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern at the moment. He’s presumably available off the bench, if needed, in an emergency situation.