Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson debuted on Sunday night against the Padres. A recurrence of Brendan Donovan‘s groin injury opened up a job for the 20-year-old. He’s expected to have a clear path to everyday playing time moving forward. “This period will give him some runway,” GM Justin Hollander said (h/t Daniel Kramer of MLB.com). “This is not a 15-at-bat or a 20-at-bat tryout to see if he’s capable of taking the job and running it with it for the rest of the year.”

1. White Sox take Crosstown Classic series

With a wild walk-off win on Sunday, the White Sox took two of three games against the Cubs over the weekend. Tristan Peters broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning with a three-run blast, his first career home run. Michael Conforto matched it with a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning. After holding the Cubs to a run in the 10th inning, Edgar Quero went deep to win it. The most recent victory pushed the club two games over .500 for the first time since 2022 (h/t Bob Nightengale of USA Today). The White Sox are suddenly two games out of first place in the AL Central.

2. NL West showdown in San Diego

The Padres cruised past Emerson’s Mariners last night, sweeping the Vedder Series and moving within a half game of the division-leading Dodgers. The in-state rivals will begin a three-game set on Monday night. Los Angeles recently shook off a four-game losing streak, recovering to secure a split in a series against the Giants before sweeping the Angels over the weekend. The aces will be on the mound for both squads, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto facing off against Michael King.

3. Pearson nearing Astros debut

The Astros inked Nate Pearson to a big-league deal this offseason with the intention of stretching him out as a rotation option. The former Blue Jays top prospect went down with elbow soreness in the spring and opened the year on the injured list. Houston has now nixed the plan to make Pearson a starter. The hard-throwing righty has worked in short stints during his rehab at Triple-A. Pearson is expected to join the team for a series in Minnesota beginning on Monday, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. He’ll look to boost a bullpen that ranks dead last in ERA.

Photo courtesy of David Banks, Imagn Images