Alabama Professional Athletes

Connor Prielipp didn't just bail out a taxed Twins bullpen Friday night — he gave Minnesota one of its best pitching performances of the season, and reminded Alabama fans exactly why they followed the left-hander's professional development so closely.

Pitching with the Twins' relief corps running on fumes after four straight days of heavy use, the Alabama alumnus stepped up and delivered a season-high seven shutout innings against the Angels, surrendering just two hits while striking out eight in a 3-0 Minnesota victory. It was the kind of complete, dominant outing that renders a bullpen's condition irrelevant — Prielipp simply didn't need them.

The context made the start even more significant. Prielipp entered the game as a rookie facing an Angels lineup that had just walked off the Twins in extra innings the previous night. The storyline pointed toward Angels momentum. Prielipp rewrote it entirely, holding Los Angeles scoreless through seven and stranding a bases-loaded threat in the process. His ERA sits at 4.94 on the season, and a performance like this one — his sharpest of the year — suggests the ceiling is still revealing itself.

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De La Cruz Making History in Cincinnati

While Prielipp dominated in the American League, Alabama's most electric position player was busy in the National League. Elly De La Cruz continued a scorching stretch with the Reds, blasting a two-run homer off Evan Phillips in a 6-2 win over the Dodgers — a shot that carried out of Great American Ball Park entirely. The blast added another chapter to a run so statistically rare that Heavy Sports noted De La Cruz had done something last accomplished by Lou Gehrig. FanGraphs also highlighted measurable Statcast improvements that have made De La Cruz a more complete hitter, not just a raw-tools marvel.

The Reds have been eliminated from postseason contention, but De La Cruz's individual surge has given Cincinnati fans something worth watching through the final weeks.

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Pinckney Optioned as Nationals Shuffle Roster

Not every Alabama alum closed the week on a high note. Outfielder Andrew Pinckney was optioned to Triple-A Rochester as the Nationals reinstated right-hander Josiah Gray from the 60-day injured list. Pinckney had contributed during his time on the active roster — going 1-for-3 with a run scored against the Phillies earlier in the week and carrying a .280 average — but Washington's pitching needs won out in the roster math.

Dylan Smith also saw brief action for the Giants in a pair of midweek games against St. Louis, posting mixed results in a combined 1.2 innings across both outings.

The week, though, belongs to Prielipp. For an Alabama pitching pipeline that has quietly produced big-league arms, Friday night in Anaheim was a marquee moment — a rookie stepping into an impossible situation and making it look easy.

The Cruz Missile Is Locked In

There are hot streaks, and then there is whatever Elly De La Cruz is doing right now.

The Reds shortstop is in the middle of one of the most captivating individual runs in Cincinnati Reds history — and arguably in all of MLB — during the week of September 6–12. He is setting franchise records, appearing on exclusive lists alongside all-time greats, making history that has literally never happened before in professional baseball, and drawing serious free-agency noise. At this point, the Reds' season is the Elly De La Cruz show.

History on Top of History

The week opened with De La Cruz going 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs, a run scored, and two walks in Cincinnati's Sunday finale against the Milwaukee Brewers — a 12-8 win that gave the Reds their first home series victory over Milwaukee since 2022. It was the kind of game that would define most players' weeks. For De La Cruz, it was just the warm-up act.

He has since joined an exclusive Reds franchise list that includes only Joey Votto and Johnny Bench — two of the most decorated players in Cincinnati history. His ongoing home run streak has set a new Reds record outright. And at Dodger Stadium against the Dodgers, he homered in a way that had simply never been done before in MLB history — a feat heavy enough that multiple outlets confirmed it stands alone in the record books.

But the moment that stopped the entire sport: when Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández appeared to have an inside-the-park home run in the bag, De La Cruz — playing shortstop — uncorked a throw Statcast measured at 105.3 mph, robbing Hernández of the milestone and leaving baseball collectively slack-jawed. To put that in context, that throw is among the hardest ever recorded by the system, from a shortstop, on a play that required instantaneous recognition and execution.

De La Cruz also went viral for a softer moment — pausing during a game against the Brewers to carefully carry an injured bird off the field. He was rewarded with a home run shortly after. The universe, apparently, is paying attention too.

The Boras Factor

None of this is happening in a vacuum. De La Cruz's agent, Scott Boras, has made his position clear: the shortstop's future beyond Cincinnati is very much an open question. The Reds are not a big-market club, and Boras has sent unmistakable signals that De La Cruz — still young, historically productive, and now making never-before-seen baseball history — will command a market befitting his talent when the time comes. Despite Dodgers fans' fantasies, Cincinnati has shown no interest in trading him. But the free-agency clock is ticking loudly in the background of every highlight.

The Rest of the Roll Call

Beyond De La Cruz, a pair of Alabama arms drew notice. Connor Prielipp (Twins) logged back-to-back starts, tossing 4.0 innings with five strikeouts on Labor Day before a 5.1-inning outing on September 12 — carrying a 5.24 ERA into the final stretch of the season. Dylan Smith (Giants) made two appearances, including a solid 1.2-inning stint against the Cardinals on September 8, and sits at a 3.15 ERA. Andrew Pinckney (Nationals) contributed an RBI in a Friday loss to the Angels and is batting .273 on the year.

But make no mistake: this week belonged entirely to De La Cruz. Alabama produced a lot of big leaguers. Right now, one of them might be the most electric player in the sport.

JJ Bleday Makes Reds History

Alabama's fingerprints were all over Cincinnati's 11-5 dismantling of the Arizona Diamondbacks this week, and JJ Bleday's name is now etched into franchise lore.

The Reds outfielder hit for the cycle — joining just seven other players in Cincinnati history to accomplish the feat — and became the fourth MLB player to do so in 2026. The performance was the headliner of a lopsided win that was never really in doubt, with Bleday's multi-hit, multi-extra-base day providing the offensive backbone of the blowout.

Adding to the Alabama flavor: fellow Crimson Tide alum Elly De La Cruz turned in a four-hit game of his own, including a home run, falling just a triple short of his own cycle. That distinction belongs to De La Cruz already — he hit for the cycle for the Reds back in 2023, and now his teammate has matched him. Two Alabama alumni, two cycles in franchise history. Tuscaloosa should send Cincinnati a thank-you note.

Jim Jarvis Gets the Call — Down to Triple-A

The week wasn't all fireworks for Alabama's MLB contingent. Braves shortstop Jim Jarvis was optioned to the minors, with Atlanta making room for Mauricio Dubón to step in as the primary shortstop. Jarvis had logged roughly 120 plate appearances at the big-league level this season, but sub-replacement-level production made the decision straightforward for the organization.

The demotion stings, but it's not necessarily a death knell for Jarvis's big-league future — the Braves recalled outfielder Brewer Hicklen in the corresponding move, a transactional shuffle that signals roster flexibility more than a hard verdict on Jarvis's ceiling. Still, earning his way back will require a reset in the minors, and time is not unlimited in a crowded Atlanta infield picture.

Around the Horn

Elsewhere in the brief, Giants right-hander Dylan Smith had a tough stretch against Cincinnati, allowing two earned runs across a pair of appearances totaling just 1.1 innings — though his ERA of 3.45 suggests the season as a whole has been more stable than those outings indicate.

Connor Prielipp made a start for the Twins on August 27, going 5.1 innings with five strikeouts and three earned runs (ERA: 5.55) in a 4-7 loss to the Athletics. It was a mixed bag — durability is there, but the ERA tells a story of a pitcher still working to find consistency at the major-league level.

Andrew Pinckney is hitting .235 for the Nationals, a number that reflects the difficult adjustment curve for young outfielders breaking into the bigs.

The week's ledger for Alabama alumni in MLB: one moment for the highlight reel, one roster casualty, and a handful of contributors grinding through the dog days of August.