Taylor Made in San Diego
Samad Taylor (SDP): 3-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Even though the Padres are 36-33 after Saturday’s win, they are a team desperately searching for offensive answers.
As of Saturday, they rank 30th in batting average, OBP, OPS, and runs scored. Their top four hitters in the batting order, Fernando Tatis Jr. Jr., Jackson Merrill, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts, all have OPS marks under .700. San Diego is looking for anyone to provide a spark to this lineup, especially if they want to hold onto their playoff hopes.
Samad Taylor may be the spark they need.
The 27-year-old utility had only 38 games on his MLB resume prior to 2026, with 31 of those games coming with the Kansas City Royals in 2023. Taylor was called up on June 3rd to replace Nick Castellanos on the Padres roster, as Castellanos was designated for assignment after only hitting .191 with a .560 OPS in 115 plate appearances.
Since getting promoted from Triple-A El Paso, Taylor has been on fire at the plate. In 28 plate appearances, he is hitting .375 with a .986 OPS. On Saturday against Baltimore, he had three hits, three RBI, and collected his first home run of the season. Taylor also has two stolen bases this year on two attempts.
The former Cleveland Guardians draft pick doesn’t hit the ball all that hard or generate a ton of exit velocity. His average exit velocity on batted balls is 86 MPH, and he only has a 33.3% hard-hit rate, which is 3.8% below the MLB average. However, Taylor has launched the ball well so far with the Padres, as evidenced by a 41.7% LA Sweet-Spot%. He also doesn’t chase either, sporting a 22.2% Chase% and 13% BB%.
There isn’t a strong sample of long-term MLB success for Taylor, as he hit just .200 with a .546 OPS in 69 plate appearances for the Royals in 2023. That said, his first career MLB hit was a walk-off, and he has the speed and plate discipline to be a productive staple in the middle to bottom of the batting order.
Considering the Padres’ offensive woes, they have nothing to lose by giving Taylor an opportunity for more regular at-bats.
Let’s see how the other hitters did on Saturday
Max Muncy (LAD): 3-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB.
The Dodgers took care of the White Sox 7-1 on Saturday, and Muncy was a big reason why. He had three hits, launched two home runs, collected four RBI, and walked two times, a trademark skill of his. Muncy is in the midst of a nice campaign. His .272 average would be a career-high if the season ended today. He has 16 home runs, which is three away from last year’s mark and already more than what he hit in 2024. For those who took a chance on Muncy in drafts, the decision is paying off.
Jackson Chourio (MIL): 4-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
Chourio is starting to look like his old self again. On Saturday, he had four hits, four RBI, scored two runs, and launched two home runs, his 7th and 8th of the season. His batting average is up to .318, and his OPS is up to .920. A hand injury suffered in the World Baseball Classic has limited him to 161 plate appearances this season. However, he’s catching up and could be an NL MVP dark horse if he keeps this up.
Ivan Herrera (STL): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Herrera doesn’t get a lot of fanfare outside of St. Louis, but he keeps producing. In the Cardinals’ 9-6 win over the Twins, Herrera had two hits, both home runs. He also collected three RBIs, scored two runs, and had a walk. For the year, he’s hitting .270 with an .837 OPS and has nine home runs and three stolen bases. That’s pretty good for a guy with catcher eligibility in most leagues.
J.T. Realmuto (PHI): 3-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB, SB.
It’s been a lousy season for Realmuto. He’s hitting .210 with a .606 OPS in 177 plate appearances. Like Kansas City’s Salvador Perez, age seems to be catching up to Realmuto this season. On Saturday, however, Phillies fans and baseball fans were reminded of what Realmuto used to do more regularly. He had three hits, collected four RBI, hit his fourth home run of the year, and stole his third base. Ah, those were the days for J.T.
Eli White (ATL): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
Only one Atlanta hitter had multiple hits against the Mets on Saturday. It wasn’t Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, or Matt Olson. Rather, it was White, who had three hits, which included two doubles and his third home run of the year. Atlanta obviously has bigger bats in the lineup than White, but the 31-year-old outfielder is proving to be an effective piece, as evidenced by his .730 OPS.
Pete Alonso (BAL): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
It was a brutal April for Alonso, as he hit .175 with a .632 OPS and three home runs in his first full month with the Orioles. However, he hit .277 with an .840 OPS and seven home runs in May, and he is hitting .326 with a 1.081 OPS and five home runs in June. His latest came on Saturday, as well as three hits and two RBI. So far, Alonso is looking to be worth the deal he signed with Baltimore this offseason.
Zack Gelof (ATH): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB.
Is Gelof back? After hitting .267 with an .841 OPS and 14 home runs in 2023, he hit .211 with a .632 OPS and 17 home runs in 2024 and .174 with a .502 OPS and two home runs in 2025 (he only played in 30 MLB games that season, compared to 138 in 2024). Thus, many people forgot about Gelof, especially with other bigger bats on the Athletics roster like Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers. However, don’t sleep on Gelof, who’s hitting .271 with a .791 OPS and nine home runs.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.
The Cubs won comfortably in San Francisco, beating the Giants 6-1. Crow-Armstrong set the tone for the Cubs lineup, collecting three hits, an RBI, scoring two runs, and launching his 12th home run of the year. Crow-Armstrong has his share of detractors because of his personality, but he’s hitting .263 with an .803 OPS this year and has 15 stolen bases. He’s a fantasy stud, plain and simple.
José Altuve (HOU): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.
The sun may be beginning to set on Altuve’s once illustrious career. He’s only hitting .238 with a .705 OPS, and he’s struggled with an oblique strain that put him on the IL back in May. However, Altuve had a vintage moment on Saturday, hitting a two-run home run in the 8th inning off Matt Strahm that tied the game mere minutes before a rain delay hit. Altuve may not be a 25+ HR threat anymore (he now has six this year), but perhaps this clutch moment can get him back on track.
