The Opener: Ewing, Bolte, Imai

Yesterday’s Opener highlighted Baltimore’s struggles against left-handed starters. Through six innings on Monday, it was more of the same. Ryan Weathers carried a no-hitter into the seventh. Two baserunners spelled the end of Weathers’ night, and reliever Brent Headrick immediately gave up a three-run homer to Coby Mayo. Baltimore held on for its first win against a lefty this year. 1. Ewing gets the call The Mets are expected to call up outfield prospect A.J. Ewing for a series against the Tigers. The 21-year-old was only recently bumped up to Triple-A. He’ll head to the big leagues after just a dozen games with Syracuse. MLB Pipeline ranks Ewing behind only right-hander Jonah Tong in the Mets’ system. The 2023 fourth-round pick has mashed at every minor league stop. Ewing put up a 147 wRC+ across three levels in 2025. He racked up 70 steals in 124 games. The lefty-swinging Ewing will look to revive an offense that ranks dead last in OPS and wOBA against right-handed pitching. New York is tied for last in scoring with the Giants. 2. Bolte joining A’s The Athletics are also calling up an outfield prospect. Henry Bolte is expected to join the club against the Cardinals on Tuesday. The 22-year-old has destroyed Triple-A pitching this season, hitting .348 with 12 home runs in 37 games. A second-rounder in 2022, Bolte has steadily worked his way up the Athletics’ system. He’s consistently posted strong offensive numbers, including on the base paths. Bolte has stolen 40+ bases in back-to-back seasons. Strikeouts have been the main drawback, though he’s shown improvement there. Bolte punched out at a massive 34.7% clip in 2024. He trimmed it to 28.9% in 2025, and it’s down to 22% this year. 3. Imai back in the big leagues Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai is expected to get the ball on Tuesday against the Mariners. He missed just over a month with what the team described as arm fatigue. The NPB import has made three MLB starts, bookending a scoreless appearance against the A’s with two disastrous outings. One of the blowups came against this Seattle lineup. Imai didn’t escape the first inning, walking four and hitting a batter. He has 11 walks in 8 2/3 innings. Imai has a ghastly 54.1% strike rate through three starts, more than 9% below league average. The righty returns to the lineup during a crucial four-game set against an AL West foe. Houston has lost all five games against Seattle this year. Photo courtesy of Rhona Wise, Imagn Images