First pitch: Everything you need to know from the week in MLB

Welcome to theScore's roundup of everything you need to know from around MLB. Here we'll touch on the notable storylines, biggest trends, most shocking plays, and some other cool things from the week. Let's dive in!

What everyone's talking about 👇

Red Sox trade Devers to Giants in stunner: Craig Breslow and his front office shipped Boston's best hitter to the Bay Area in a blockbuster Sunday. Devers was the focal point of multiple dramas in Boston this year: The team asked him to switch from third base to designated hitter in the wake of Alex Bregman's signing, and after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury, Devers refused to change positions a second time. Read more ...

Nationals manager raises eyebrows: Dave Martinez turned heads when he said the team's issues at the plate were about the players not performing and "never on coaches." He tried to walk back his comments a day later. Read more ...

Roman Anthony: MLB's top prospect got the call from the Red Sox last Monday, joining fellow youngsters Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell on the roster. The 21-year-old committed an ugly error in the outfield and went 0-for-4 with a walk and RBI in his debut, then doubled in two runs for his first big-league hit in his second game.

Who's hot? 🔥

Evan Carter: The Rangers outfielder blasted three home runs with a wRC+ approaching 400 and a strikeout rate under 5% over his last 22 plate appearances.

Jameson Taillon: The right-hander won his last two starts, posting a 2.03 ERA with 0.6 fWAR over that span. Taillon leads the Cubs in wins, innings pitched, and WHIP this season.

Elly De La Cruz: The electric Reds shortstop has come out swinging in June. He homered in four straight games and hit .429 over the past week with a 283 wRC+.

Who's not? 🥶

Lars Nootbaar: The Cardinals outfielder had a brutal stretch with the bat, going hitless in 24 plate appearances with a 54.3% strikeout rate. His wRC+ was minus-94 and he amassed minus-0.5 fWAR over six games.

Carlos Rodón: The Yankees left-hander took a pair of losses to the Red Sox, compiling a 7.20 ERA and 1.8 HR/9 in 10 innings. The rough stretch raised Rodón's season-long ERA from 2.49 to 3.01.

Bobby Witt Jr.: The Royals have been scuffling offensively and tumbling down the AL Central standings. Witt hit .130 with a .428 OPS over 24 plate appearances.

Player who deserves more attention 🔎

Jeff McNeil: The Mets recently moved McNeil up to fifth in the lineup. The versatile McNeil has responded with four homers and 10 RBIs over 26 at-bats. He's rostered in 21% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues.

You love to see it 😍

Pope Leo XIV showed support for his hometown Chicago White Sox, sporting the team's hat during the weekly general audience in St Peter's Square at the Vatican.

Pittsburgh Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen posed for a photo with Roberto Clemente Jr. and Roberto Clemente III, son and grandson of Roberto Clemente, after passing the Hall of Famer for third on the franchise's home run list.

Bruce the bat dog earned a promotion from the minors and made his debut for the Nationals ahead of a game against the Marlins. A for effort, Bruce!

We can't believe this happened 🤯

Athletics center fielder Denzel Clarke made headlines last week when he ran a country mile and crashed into a fence to make a grab. The 25-year-old outdid himself Monday with one of the best catches in baseball history.

Aaron Judge struck out six straight times against Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet, but he got his revenge by clobbering a 100-mph offering from Boston's ace 443 feet to tie Saturday's game in the ninth inning. Although the Yankees wound up losing and their captain went 1-for-12 in the series, this moment was still very cool.

Atlanta Braves right-hander Grant Holmes struck out a career-high 15 hitters Sunday in a losing effort. More embarrassing for the Braves than letting down their starter, they lost 10-1 to the bottom-feeding Colorado Rockies thanks to an atrocious performance from their bullpen.

Sound smart among your friends 🧠

Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk isn't just one of the best defensive catchers in baseball; he's one of the best defensive players at any position. Kirk is tied with Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong in Baseball Savant's Fielding Run Value with 11 to lead the league this season.

They said what? 🗣️

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was upset with himself after issuing two walks in seven shutout innings vs. the Orioles: "During my next bullpen, I'll go work on my command."

Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins addressed his father Lance's false claims about Lance's baseball career: "At the end of the day, I don't go and fact-check my dad."

Mets outfielder Juan Soto shed some light on an interaction he had with MacKenzie Gore after Soto hit a home run: "We were saying hi to each other, that's it."

What to watch this week 📺

Devers faces Red Sox as a Giant: Devers won't have to wait long to play his former team after Boston traded him to San Francisco. The Red Sox visit this weekend for a three-game set, which is sure to come with some fireworks.

Ohtani finally pitches for Dodgers: Los Angeles and San Diego square off for the second time in as many weeks after the Dodgers took two out of three games at Petco Park. Shohei Ohtani will return to the mound for the first time in nearly two years during the series opener of what's always a competitive and intense series between these two NL West powers.

NL East showdown: Back in April, the Mets got the better of the Phillies in a three-game sweep. New York's created some separation in the standings, making this weekend home series for the Phillies even more important.