Ramirez and Witt injury news shook the AL playoff picture, the Phillies staged two improbable comebacks in consecutive nights, and Kyle Schwarber kept building his case for the Home Run Derby crown. Here is everything that mattered from June 20 through June 27, 2026.
Week Snapshot
| Story | Why It Mattered |
|---|---|
| Phillies won back-to-back games from their final strike | Philadelphia became one of the few teams since 2000 to pull that off on consecutive nights |
| Kyle Schwarber reached 29 homers | The Phillies slugger stayed on top of the MLB home run race |
| Jose Ramirez injury timeline became clearer | Cleveland faces weeks without its franchise third baseman |
| Bobby Witt Jr. remained day-to-day | Kansas City has to protect its best player in a tight AL Central race |
| Junior Caminero hit three homers | Tampa Bay got one of the week's loudest individual performances |
| Mets fired Carlos Mendoza | Andy Green takes over a last-place club with the league's highest payroll |
The Phillies Refuse to Die
The story of the week did not come from a stat line or a trade. It came from back-to-back nights at Citizens Bank Park where the Philadelphia Phillies simply refused to lose.
On Tuesday and again on Wednesday, the Phillies won games after being down to their final strike. Not once - twice, in consecutive nights. According to Elias, Philadelphia became just the third team since 2000 to win back-to-back games after being one strike away from defeat in each.
That is a level of clutch that goes beyond momentum. It speaks to a lineup that does not give at-bats away and a culture that stays in games when other teams would fold. With Schwarber mashing and Bryce Harper anchoring the middle of the order, this is not a team you want to have down 2-0 in the ninth. The Phillies are dangerous down to the last pitch, and this week proved it twice over.
Schwarber at 29 and Pulling Away
Kyle Schwarber hit his 29th home run of the season this week, extending his MLB lead and continuing one of the more quietly historic power seasons in recent memory. Yordan Alvarez and Byron Buxton sit in the chase group, but Schwarber's pace has him in genuine 60-home run conversation. Last week he and Bryce Harper put on one of the most absurd individual performances in the same game that baseball has ever seen, a reminder that this Phillies lineup is operating at a different level right now.
The Home Run Derby is July 13 in Philadelphia, at Citizens Bank Park. Schwarber's home ballpark. If he keeps this up between now and then, the Derby setup could not be more perfect.
Also worth watching: Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery of the Chicago White Sox both reached 20 home runs this week. That is two players on a team that lost 102 games last year both clearing the 20-HR mark before July. The White Sox rebuild is real, and those two are a huge reason why.
Jose Ramirez Injury Timeline Comes Into Focus
This is the injury that could reshape the AL playoff picture.
Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez fractured his left hamate bone earlier in June, and the timeline around his recovery became the story this week. The seven-time All-Star is expected to miss several weeks, with the Guardians needing to survive a meaningful stretch without the centerpiece of their lineup.
Ramirez has been one of the best players in the American League for years. His absence leaves a massive hole in Cleveland's lineup at a time when the AL Central race is tight. The Guardians will need contributions across the board until he returns, and even then, hamate injuries carry a well-documented adjustment period for hitters when they come back.
Bobby Witt Jr. Is Day-to-Day
The Royals are also dealing with a significant injury. Bobby Witt Jr. suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee while making a diving play against the Cardinals on June 18 and has missed multiple games since. Grade 1 is the lowest-severity MCL sprain, but Witt has been day-to-day and the Royals are understandably being cautious with their franchise player.
Kansas City is in a competitive AL Central race and cannot afford extended time without Witt in the lineup. The good news is that Grade 1 sprains rarely require surgery and typically heal within a few weeks. The bad news is that every game he misses matters in June.
Junior Caminero's Historic Night
One of the wildest individual performances of the week came from Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero, who hit three home runs in a game where the Rays also took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning. Per Elias, that combination - a player hitting three home runs in a game that includes a no-hit bid into the ninth - had never happened before in MLB history.
The Rays lost the no-hitter in the ninth, which means Caminero's three-homer game took place during what would have been a record-setting moment for the opposition. Only in baseball.
The Mets Move On Without Mendoza
The Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday after a 34-47 start, with the highest payroll in baseball delivering last-place results in the NL East. Andy Green takes over as interim for the rest of the season. We broke this down in full here - the short version: it was the right move, but the roster problems do not disappear with a new face in the dugout, and Steve Cohen's "fans deserve better" quote says more about the organization than it does about one manager.
Around the Leagues
Elly De La Cruz returns: Cincinnati's electric shortstop was reinstated from the IL after missing 19 games with a hamstring strain. The Reds needed him back badly and should get a boost from his return.
All-Star rosters coming: With the Home Run Derby set for July 13 and the All-Star Game scheduled for July 14 in Philadelphia, voting is wrapping up and roster selections are approaching. Schwarber, Harper, Murakami, James Wood, and Yordan Alvarez are among the names who have made strong cases.
Yordan Derby note: Alvarez is still one of the biggest power stories in baseball, but he has said the Home Run Derby is not in his plans right now. Schwarber at Citizens Bank Park remains the cleanest Derby headline.
The Bigger Picture
The final full week of June closes with two AL stars working through injury situations, the Phillies proving they are the most dangerous late-inning team in the NL, and the home run race still centered around Schwarber. The first half of the season has one more week to run before the All-Star break resets everything.
The second half will be a different race entirely.
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