California Professional Athletes

Andrew Vaughn's October is back on. The former Cal first baseman was activated from the Milwaukee Brewers' 10-day injured list on Friday after missing time since September 22 due to illness, positioning him squarely on the Division Series roster as the NL's No. 1 seed prepares to face the San Diego Padres.

The Brewers have not formally announced their 26-man NLDS roster, but Vaughn's activation makes his inclusion essentially a formality. The bigger question is his role. Vaughn has operated primarily in a platoon capacity against left-handed pitching, so whether he draws a start in the NLDS opener will depend on Milwaukee's matchup. Either way, getting the corner infielder back healthy — and described as "full-go" for the postseason — is a significant development for a Brewers club that earned the NL's top seed.

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Also in the Majors

Lucas Erceg is finishing the regular season in a closer's role for Kansas City. The former Cal reliever recorded his 13th save of the year Sunday, striking out one in a clean inning as the Royals edged the Cleveland Guardians 3-2. His ERA sits at 5.59 on the season, but his save total reflects the trust Kansas City's coaching staff has placed in him down the stretch.

Marcus Semien closed out his regular season with a hit Sunday as the Mets fell to Washington 6-4, ending his year at a .215 batting average. The bigger story for the Cal second baseman may be what comes next: Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns declined to commit to Semien as the team's starting second baseman in 2027 when asked directly this week — a notable non-answer that leaves Semien's future in New York uncertain heading into the offseason.

Dylan Beavers wrapped his season with the Red Sox having posted 74 hits, 9 home runs, and 44 RBI while batting .228 in right field. The Cal outfielder showed flashes of power in his developing big-league tenure, with the counting stats providing a reasonable foundation heading into what figures to be a competitive offseason roster evaluation in Boston.

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Vaughn's return headlines a genuinely eventful week for the Cal alumni contingent. A former Golden Bear stepping into October baseball as part of the NL's top seed is the kind of story that doesn't need embellishment — just a healthy first baseman ready for the postseason grind.

Two Cal alumni made sure the final stretch of the 2026 MLB season had a distinctly Berkeley flavor — Marcus Semien homered against his former team in Texas, and Dylan Beavers hit the first grand slam of his career in Baltimore. It was the kind of week that makes Golden Bear alumni sit up a little straighter.

Semien Sticks It to the Rangers

The most emotionally loaded storyline of the week belonged to Marcus Semien, who returned to Globe Life Field in Arlington as a New York Met — the product of an offseason trade that sent Brandon Nimmo to Texas in exchange for the Cal product. The Rangers faithful were not exactly rolling out the welcome mat.

Semien made them pay. In the Mets' 7-2 win on Thursday, the former Rangers second baseman launched a solo home run, adding to a big offensive night that also featured a Brett Baty grand slam and a Juan Soto two-run shot. The boos in the eighth inning, according to Yahoo Sports, were "music to the Mets' ears." Semien went 1-for-1 with a walk in the nightcap of a doubleheader, with his homer coming as the go-ahead blow.

For all the theater of the moment, Semien didn't shy away from genuine sentiment. He made clear he still holds the Rangers — specifically their 2023 World Series championship group — in high regard, calling his time in Texas a fond chapter. The homecoming, in other words, was complicated in the best possible way.

Semien's week-long slash was modest by counting-stat standards — he also went hitless across a Sunday loss to Philadelphia and drew a walk in the series opener Thursday — but the homer in front of a hostile Arlington crowd is the moment that will stick.

Beavers Announces Himself

While Semien was revisiting his past, Dylan Beavers was writing a new page in his. The Orioles outfielder launched his first career grand slam Friday as Baltimore routed the New York Yankees 10-2 — a game in which Pete Alonso also went deep twice for good measure. Beavers finished the contest 1-for-1 with a homer, four RBI, two runs scored, and two walks. It was the kind of box score line that scouts and front offices notice.

Beavers had been quietly productive through the week — he went 1-for-1 with a run scored in Baltimore's 4-2 win over Toronto on Wednesday — but the slam against New York was the exclamation point. He entered the weekend hitting .229 on the season, and the grand slam pushed that number to .229 with some serious late-season momentum.

Elsewhere Among the Bears

Andrew Vaughn's week ended before it really began. The Brewers placed the first baseman on the 10-day injured list due to illness, retroactive to September 22, as Milwaukee made a flurry of roster moves heading into the final days of the season. It's a frustrating finish for Vaughn, who won't have much runway to recover value before the year closes out.

Lucas Erceg turned in two brief relief appearances for Kansas City — one inning each against Cleveland and Chicago — as the Royals manage workloads down the stretch. His ERA sits at 5.70 heading into the final weekend.

For California's MLB alumni, though, this was Semien and Beavers' week. Two Bears, two signature moments, one very good stretch of baseball.

Marcus Semien's Mets Chapter Looks Like It's Closing

The calendar may say mid-September, but for Marcus Semien, the existential questions about his baseball future are arriving early. With the New York Mets officially eliminated from playoff contention and just 10 games left in the regular season, the Cal alumnus finds himself at the center of a roster squeeze that signals his time in New York could be running out.

The clearest warning sign: Jefferson Rojas' promotion to Triple-A, a move that Sports Illustrated reports could directly spell the end of Semien's role with the organization. When a team starts elevating younger infield options in September, the writing tends to appear on the wall in capital letters.

On the field, Semien has kept his bat alive if not exactly hot. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI on Tuesday against Baltimore, then added another hit Wednesday — but the Mets dropped both games as part of a three-game sweep by the Orioles. By Saturday against Philadelphia, he contributed a hit, two runs scored, and two walks in a 10-3 blowout win, nudging his average to .221. There's activity in the box score, but it hasn't translated into meaningful contributions on a team that has already checked out of October.

The Mets also announced personal news surrounding Semien during the week — the details of which didn't alter the broader narrative surrounding his roster standing heading into the offseason.

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Elsewhere in the Cal Alumni Report

Grant Holman had a week to remember — and then immediately tried to forget it. The Cal right-hander was recalled by the Phillies when Jesús Luzardo landed on the 15-day injured list, giving Holman his big-league debut. The outing was rough: Philadelphia dropped a 12-2 decision to Atlanta, with Holman taking the brunt of the damage in his first MLB appearance. His tenure on the active roster was brief — the Phillies optioned him back to Triple-A once Tanner Banks was reinstated from the 60-day IL just days later. Short stay, steep learning curve.

Dylan Beavers continued to hold his own for the Red Sox across a week that included games against the Mets. The Cal outfielder went 2-for-his-appearances on Sunday against Toronto with a pair of hits, a run, and a walk, and put up another solid line Friday against Milwaukee — 1-for-1 with a run and a walk. He's sitting at .237 on the season, a quiet but credible first full year in the majors.

Lucas Erceg returned from a nearly month-long Triple-A stint with the Royals and logged bullpen innings in back-to-back appearances, pitching one inning each against Houston on Wednesday and Pittsburgh on Friday. His ERA sits at 5.96 — not the return-to-form the Royals were hoping for, but he's back in the mix as Kansas City manages the final stretch.

The week underscored a familiar theme for Cal's MLB contingent: veterans navigating uncertain terrain, young arms fighting for footholds, and a baseball autumn arriving faster than any of them would like.