George (5’11, 172) is an undersized receiver whose pro day results showed less-than-desirable speed (4.60 40-yard dash) for a player of his size. He held a starting role over each of the last two seasons, totaling 111 receptions for 1,630 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 14.7 YPR. He played primarily on the outside as a starter (88.8 percent snaps out wide, per PFF), but his size and lack of top-end speed are unlikely to play well on the outside at the next level. George drew several careless penalties throughout his career and was nearly dismissed from Miami after the 2023 season. He’ll likely get a chance to earn a role as a returner (20 career punt returns) wherever he lands, but there’s a lot that will need to break right for George if he hopes to earn a roster spot in the future.

Pomeranz, who hasn’t allowed a run in seven relief appearances since making his Chicago debut back on April 25, got the call to protect a three-run lead with Porter Hodge likely unavailable after throwing 29 pitches in a pair of appearances over the weekend. It certainly appears the Cubs are going to try to stay away from Ryan Pressly in save situations for the time being. The 36-year-old veteran southpaw struck out Kyle Stowers and got Eric Wagaman to fly out to center field before Connor Norby delivered a two-out single. He froze Derek Hill on a 94.4 mph fastball to extinguish any hopes of a comeback and preserve the victory.

Rea took a shutout into the seventh inning before giving up a two-run homer to Derek Hill, which accounted for all of the damage against him in this one. He finished with four strikeouts and only handed out two free passes. It was a much-needed bounce-back effort after allowing five runs his last time out against the Giants. He’ll square off against the White Sox on Sunday in his next outing.

Verdugo’s grounder up the middle scored Eli White from second. Verdugo also doubled earlier in the game. He entered the night in a 1-for-24 slump, and he needs to turn it on now that Ronald Acuña Jr.'s rehab assignment is about to start.

Holmes left with a two-run lead that failed to hold up, but it was still a necessary strong performance from him with Spencer Strider due back soon. The Braves have to be somewhat tempted to send Holmes back to the pen when that happens; he deserves to be in the rotation over Bryce Elder, but he might be able to make more of a difference late in games. He’s 2-3 with a 4.14 ERA at the moment, and he’ll take on the Braves in Fenway next time out.