Loyola Marymount Professional Athletes

LMU Alumni Report | MLB | Sept. 6–12, 2026

Nick Sogard has been one of the quiet engines behind Boston's late-season push — and this week offered another reminder of exactly what the Red Sox stand to lose if they send him down.

Sogard's Contribution, and the Squeeze Ahead

The Loyola Marymount product went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Boston's 5-1 win over Kansas City on Saturday, bumping his average to .267 on the season. It was a microcosm of what Sogard has provided all year: situational production from a guy who wasn't supposed to be here this long.

But the calendar is working against him. With Willson Contreras' return from injury now imminent, the Red Sox face a genuine roster crunch. According to Heavy Sports, Sogard is among the platoon contributors at risk of demotion as Boston reconfigures for a playoff push. The group that fueled the team's mid-season turnaround — Sogard, Anthony Siegler, Mickey Gasper, and others — now finds itself competing for a shrinking share of big-league roster spots.

Sogard also made news off the field this week, with the Red Sox announcing personal news involving the infielder before their series finale against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. He went 1-for-that-game, hitting .266 at the time, and has since edged back up to .267 after Saturday's performance.

The tension is real: Sogard has earned his spot by being useful precisely when Boston needed him most. Losing him to Triple-A in September, when rosters are expanded and the stakes are highest, would be a notable organizational call.

Around the LMU Roster

Nick Frasso had a rough week for a Colorado Rockies squad already deep in a lost season. The right-hander appeared twice — giving up three earned runs in 0.2 innings against St. Louis on Sunday before allowing two more in 0.1 innings against Detroit on Friday. His ERA climbed from 3.46 to 6.43 over the stretch. Frasso has flashed strikeout upside this year, but command has remained the obstacle.

Trevor Megill put in work for Milwaukee's bullpen in back-to-back appearances against the Cubs. He struck out one across 1.0 inning on Monday but surrendered an earned run. A return outing Tuesday went shorter — 0.1 innings, two earned runs — pushing his ERA from 2.28 to 2.59. Still, a sub-3.00 ERA for a Brewers club navigating a competitive NL Central race is nothing to dismiss.

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The big storyline remains Sogard and what Boston decides to do with him. He's hit well enough to make the decision genuinely uncomfortable — which, for a player with his roster profile, is the best possible position to be in heading into the final weeks of a pennant race.

It was a landmark week for Loyola Marymount alumni in MLB — one Lion earned the sport's top monthly pitching honor, while another found himself at the center of one of the season's most combustible moments.

Megill's Moment

Trevor Megill has been one of the most reliable relievers in the National League all season, and August made it official. The Brewers closer was named NL Reliever of the Month following a dominant run that cemented what is arguably the best campaign of his six-year career. It marks the first time Megill has claimed the award, a milestone that underscores how far he's come as Milwaukee's high-leverage option at the back of the bullpen.

The recognition didn't slow him down heading into September. Megill struck out two Cubs hitters in a clean inning of work on September 2, then punched out all three batters he faced against the Reds on September 4 — lowering his ERA to 2.15 in the process. For a closer operating at that level of efficiency, the monthly award looks less like a ceiling and more like a confirmation.

Sogard: Homer, Hits, and a Benches-Clearing Scene

Nick Sogard had a week that packed in more drama than most players see in a month. The Red Sox third baseman was swinging the bat well throughout the stretch — collecting hits in four of six games, including a homer and two RBI in Boston's win over the Orioles on September 3, and going 2-for-4 with a run scored the following day — but it was Friday night's brawl that stole the headlines.

In the eighth inning of Boston's September 4 matchup against Baltimore, Orioles right fielder Blaze Alexander had words with Sogard that escalated into a benches-clearing confrontation. Alexander maintained afterward that his slide into second base was clean; Sogard, caught in the middle of it, was among those who weighed in on the incident publicly. No serious injuries were reported, but the intensity of the exchange reflected the stakes of a late-season divisional series.

Sogard responded the right way. On Saturday, September 5, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk as Boston edged Baltimore 6-5 — a game that also featured home runs from Roman Anthony and Adley Rutschman. Sitting at .267 on the season, Sogard has been a steadying presence in the Boston lineup through a stretch-run schedule that isn't getting any easier.

The Rest of the Lions

Nick Frasso made brief appearances out of Colorado's bullpen during the week, tossing 1.2 innings across two outings while working his ERA down to 3.75. The other LMU alumni on active rosters — Cory Abbott, Merrick Baldo, Diego Barrera, and David Fletcher — did not appear in the source coverage for this period.

Two Lions, two very different kinds of headlines — but both unmistakably in the thick of it as the 2026 pennant race enters its final month.

Nick Sogard had a week Boston won't soon forget.

The Loyola Marymount product was the Red Sox' most clutch performer across a pivotal stretch, delivering back-to-back late-game gems against San Francisco before keeping the heat on through the weekend. Sogard crushed a solo home run and finished with two hits and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants — then topped himself the very next time Boston needed a hero.

In what became an instant highlight, Sogard lined an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth to cap a three-run frame and lift the Red Sox to a 3-2 walk-off victory, their second straight over San Francisco. For a third baseman sitting in a supporting role on a big-league roster, those are the moments that rewrite a player's narrative.

The production didn't stop there. Sogard drove in a run against the Marlins on Monday, and by Saturday against the Yankees he homered again — finishing that game with two hits, a run batted in, and a run scored, pushing his season average to .264. Over the full week, he was a steady presence in the lineup when Boston needed contributors beyond its headliners.

The buzz around Sogard has grown loud enough to draw some sharp editorial comparisons. One Red Sox beat writer noted that the way "depth guys like Sogard are raking this season in the Majors" makes injured veterans like Trevor Story and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa far less urgent a priority — a pointed endorsement of what the LMU alum has built over the course of 2026.

The Rest of the LMU Bullpen Corps

Two other Lions were active on the mound this week, though with quieter ledgers.

Trevor Megill (Brewers) continued to be one of the steadier relievers in Milwaukee's bullpen. The right-hander worked a clean inning Saturday against the Rangers and carries a sharp 2.24 ERA on the season — a mark that reflects consistent execution across his appearances, including 1.1 innings and a strikeout in Tuesday's outing against the Mets.

Nick Frasso (Rockies) had a rougher stretch, appearing in three games and finishing with a 4.35 ERA after the week closed out. He struck out a batter in each outing but allowed a run in his Sunday appearance against the Guardians and his ERA climbed as high as 5.63 mid-week. Colorado's bullpen situation remains a work in progress, and Frasso's numbers reflect the challenge of pitching in a thin-air environment with a rebuilding club.

For LMU, the story of the week belongs squarely to Sogard — a player who is making a strong case that his role in Boston should be anything but an afterthought.

Nick Sogard is making sure the Boston Red Sox don't have a reason to look elsewhere.

The Loyola Marymount product turned in the most productive week of his young MLB career from Aug. 16–22, going from a .240 average to .277 while cementing himself as a legitimate piece of Boston's injury-depleted infield. With the Red Sox's depth chart battered by injuries, Sogard hasn't just filled a roster spot — he's filled it well.

The signature moment came Wednesday, Aug. 19, against the Diamondbacks. Sogard went 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI, a walk, and — the milestone — his first major-league home run. The solo shot landed in a 7-6 Boston loss, a tough-luck outcome in a game where the Red Sox's bullpen couldn't hold a late tie, but Sogard's blast was a genuine statement. First career home runs don't come with asterisks.

The power was just one chapter of a five-game tear. Sogard went 2-for-X with an RBI and a run on Monday against Arizona, followed it up with another two-hit, two-run performance Tuesday, then delivered the homer Wednesday. He carried the momentum into the Giants series, going 1-for-2 with two runs and a walk Friday before posting another two-hit, two-walk, one-RBI effort on Saturday. Over the week, he crossed home plate multiple times in four separate games — not the profile of a placeholder.

Sporting News noted that Sogard and infield mate Andruw Monasterio have been the quiet story of Boston's season, proving the value of organizational depth when the names above them on the depth chart go down. A Yahoo Sports preview of Friday's Giants game noted that both players needed to keep performing to hold their spots once Boston's injured regulars return — a real competitive pressure that Sogard is answering with his bat.

The Rest of the LMU Corps

Sogard was the clear headliner, but two other Lions made appearances on MLB mounds this week.

Trevor Megill continued his quietly effective season for the Brewers, tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout in both Thursday's game against the Mariners and Friday's contest against the Braves. His ERA sits at 2.34 — a number that doesn't scream headlines but absolutely earns roster security in a bullpen role. The LMU righty has been a steadying presence out of Milwaukee's 'pen all season.

Nick Frasso had a more mixed week for Colorado. The righty gave up runs in a 4-6 Rockies loss to the Dodgers on Thursday (2.0 IP, 2 K, ERA at 4.50) before striking out two in just one inning against the Giants on Sunday. Pitching for a rebuilding Rockies club has its challenges, but Frasso continues to log innings and add to his big-league résumé.

For a mid-major program in Los Angeles that doesn't always land on national recruiting radars, LMU has three active arms and an infielder posting legitimate MLB numbers in the same week. Sogard's first home run will be the memory, but the body of work across the whole group is worth tracking.