Memphis Professional Athletes

Two Memphis Alumni Battling Injuries in MLB's Final Weeks

September is supposed to be when rosters expand and contenders make their push. For a pair of Memphis Tigers in the majors, it's become a month defined by setbacks.

Jonathan Bowlan's Groin Tightens at the Worst Time

The Phillies' bullpen has been tested all season, and Jonathan Bowlan has been one of its workhorses — but the Memphis product may be running out of runway. During Philadelphia's 3-0 win over the Mets on Thursday, September 17, Bowlan lasted just two-thirds of an inning before exiting with right groin tightness. Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly, citing trainer Paul Buchheit's assessment, kept his postgame comments characteristically measured: "We re-evaluate tomorrow, see where he's at."

The timing is rough. Just two days earlier, Bowlan had absorbed a rough outing against the Nationals — surrendering the go-ahead home run to Daylen Lile in the seventh inning of a 6-3 loss — and spoke openly about the performance afterward. He enters this week with a 3.36 ERA, solid enough numbers for a middle reliever on a team sitting at 85-68, but the groin issue clouds his availability just as Philadelphia needs every arm healthy for a potential postseason run.

Hunter Goodman's Historic Season Hits a Snag

Down in Colorado, the story is equal parts impressive and frustrating. Hunter Goodman, who had quietly been putting together one of the most compelling offensive campaigns in Rockies catcher history, left the Colorado-Padres game on September 15 with an apparent injury suffered on a sliding triple. The Rockies, already enduring a difficult September, described the development as the latest setback in what's become a demoralizing stretch.

The injury is especially stinging given the context. Goodman's 23 road home runs this season rank second in Rockies single-season history — a remarkable figure for a catcher, and even more remarkable given that Colorado's road numbers are typically suppressed relative to Coors Field's hitter-friendly environment. Rockies fans had been tracking whether Goodman could climb further up the franchise record books before the season's end. He's also part of a trio — alongside TJ Rumfield and Jake McCarthy — that gave Colorado three qualified hitters above an .800 OPS, a feat the franchise hadn't accomplished since 2019.

Goodman did manage to suit up Saturday, going 1-for-4 against Seattle with a batting average sitting at .244. Whether he can stay on the field through season's end remains the question.

The Memphis Takeaway

Sam Moll, the third Memphis alumnus active in MLB this year, has largely stayed out of the headlines pitching out of Cincinnati's bullpen. The spotlight this week belongs to Bowlan and Goodman — two Tigers whose September stories have taken an unfortunate turn. For Bowlan, it's about staying healthy enough to contribute to a Phillies team with October ambitions. For Goodman, it's about preserving what's been a genuinely historic individual season in Denver, injury and all.

Memphis Tigers in MLB: Week of Sept. 6–12

Two Memphis alumni made news in very different ways this week — one chasing a milestone, the other navigating an abrupt roster exit.

Hunter Goodman Is Making History Look Possible

The Colorado Rockies are having a rough 2026. Their catcher is not.

Hunter Goodman, the two-time All-Star backstop out of Memphis, is in the thick of a genuine 40-home run chase — a feat no Rockie has achieved since Nolan Arenado in 2019. Sports Illustrated called him one of the best power bats in the game, and the numbers this week backed it up.

Goodman went deep on Tuesday against the Yankees and again Saturday against the Tigers, finishing the Sept. 6–12 stretch with two home runs, seven RBI, and four runs scored across his logged stat lines. His average dipped slightly from .249 to .242 over the week, but the power is undeniable. A Yahoo Sports/Rockies Reacts survey framed the milestone question directly: can he get there?

The week wasn't without noise off the field. Goodman got briefly entangled in a quirky Cardinals "Hat Gate" controversy — a dispute over whether a Rockies player tipped off an opponent about a pitcher tipping pitches via a crooked cap. Goodman publicly denied involvement, and the Cardinals backed the rookie in question. The whole episode fizzled, but it added a tabloid-lite sideshow to a stretch that Colorado probably wanted focused on baseball.

On the field, a miscommunication on a botched throw during the Yankees series went viral — Goodman was late reacting to a relay from the outfield and a run scored — but that kind of moment tends to define bad teams in September, not individual careers. The bigger picture for Goodman remains the home run chase, and the final weeks of the season will tell whether he can close it out.

Sam Moll Exits Cincinnati

The other Memphis story this week was considerably more unsettled.

Left-handed reliever Sam Moll was designated for assignment by the Reds, with his roster spot going to returning righty Graham Ashcraft off the 60-day IL. Moll went unclaimed on waivers and elected free agency, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post via MLB Trade Rumors — ending what had been a run in Cincinnati dating back to a 2023 trade from Oakland.

Whether Moll rejected an outright minor-league assignment or simply cleared waivers without a taker isn't yet confirmed, but either way, he's now a free agent looking for a new home with roughly three weeks left in the regular season. Landing a mid-September bullpen role won't be easy, though his left-handed profile gives him a specific market.

Also Noted: Jonathan Bowlan

Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan made appearances Wednesday against Houston and Friday against Atlanta, logging a strikeout in each outing across 1.0 inning stints. He allowed one earned run in both appearances, finishing the week with an ERA of 3.27 as Philadelphia pushes through the final month of its season.

Hunter Goodman, C — Colorado Rockies

Hunter Goodman is putting together the kind of season that gets front offices talking — and right now, the New York Yankees are listening.

The Memphis product is batting .250 through the week ending Sept. 5, quietly building a case as one of the more intriguing catching options on the market. According to The Sporting News, a Goodman trade to the Bronx remains a live possibility as MLB's offseason approaches, with the Yankees eyeing the Rockies backstop as a potential upgrade behind the plate.

On the field, Goodman was steady this week. He went 1-for-3 with a run scored against the Orioles on Sept. 1, added another hit in the series the following day, and drove in a run while drawing a walk in a 6-7 loss to the Cardinals on Sept. 5. None of these were flashy box-score nights, but consistency at .250 for a catcher on a rebuilding Colorado squad — against real competition — is exactly what keeps trade whispers alive. The Yankees, perennially in need of dependable catching depth, have reason to keep watching.

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Jonathan Bowlan, P — Philadelphia Phillies

While Goodman commands the offseason narrative, Jonathan Bowlan is doing his part to keep Memphis's MLB footprint relevant in a pennant-race context. The right-hander worked out of the Phillies bullpen three times this week, logging a combined 3.1 innings with five strikeouts.

His best showing came Sept. 2 in a 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks, when he threw 1.1 scoreless innings and fanned two — dropping his ERA as low as 2.82 at one point in the week. He gave up a run in each of his other two appearances (vs. the Angels on Aug. 30 and the Braves on Sept. 5), but his ERA settled at a solid 3.06 heading into the final stretch of the regular season. For a Philadelphia team pushing for postseason positioning, Bowlan is proving to be a reliable late-inning piece.

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Sam Moll, P — Cincinnati Reds

Sam Moll had a rougher outing in the week's lone appearance. The lefty specialist surrendered two earned runs across a single inning against the Brewers on Sept. 4, bumping his ERA to 4.79. He did punch out two batters, so the stuff was there — the results just didn't follow. Moll has been a serviceable arm for Cincinnati, but this week was a step in the wrong direction as the Reds close out a disappointing season.

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The bottom line: Memphis alumni are scattered across playoff contenders, rebuild projects, and trade speculation alike. Goodman's name in Yankees conversations is the story that lingers longest — a catcher batting .250 on a last-place team drawing interest from one of baseball's biggest markets is the kind of subplot that defines offseason maneuvering. Watch for that one to develop.

Hunter Goodman Is Carrying Colorado

It's been a long time since a Rockies hitter gave fans a reason to watch, but Hunter Goodman is making a compelling case. The Memphis alum had a career-defining week, going deep twice and driving in runs against Washington — part of a broader stretch that has him firmly in the conversation as the face of a franchise in the middle of a long rebuild.

The highlight came Tuesday against the Nationals, when Goodman homered and scored as Colorado took the series. He followed that with another long ball Wednesday, going 2-for-whatever with two RBI and two runs scored. Friday against Atlanta he kept the bat hot with a 3-hit game, adding another RBI to his growing ledger. By Saturday he was drawing walks and crossing the plate again, ending the week with his average sitting at .254 — respectable for any catcher, genuinely impressive given the lineup around him.

The Yahoo Sports "Rockpile" column made it official on August 27, naming Goodman the face of the Rockies franchise. That's a significant designation for a club that's cycling through a rebuild, and it signals that front office and media alike are treating Goodman as the cornerstone to build around, not just a solid contributor. For Memphis fans, a catcher becoming the most important player on an MLB roster is not a headline that arrives every August.

Bowlan Closes the Door in Philly

While Goodman drew the marquee attention, fellow Memphis alum Jonathan Bowlan had a quietly excellent week in Philadelphia. The Phillies right-hander picked up his second save of the season on Saturday against the Angels, striking out two in a clean inning of work as Philly held on for a 5-3 win. Edmundo Sosa's ninth-inning grand slam set the table, but it was Bowlan who slammed the door.

His ERA sits at 2.77, which is elite territory for a reliever. With the Phillies pushing for postseason position, Bowlan is carving out real late-inning leverage. A Memphis product playing a meaningful role on a playoff contender is exactly the kind of alumni story that resonates — and his numbers suggest it's no fluke.

Moll Grinding Through Stretch Run

Sam Moll has been a steady presence out of the Reds bullpen, logging appearances in four games this week — Tuesday and Wednesday against the Giants, then Friday and Saturday against the Cubs. He's mostly worked in low-leverage situations, posting 1.0 innings or fewer in three of those outings. His ERA ticked up slightly over the week to 4.55, reflecting a rough earned run allowed on Friday, but he bounced back cleanly on Saturday with a strikeout inning. Moll isn't headlining anything, but for a Reds team managing its bullpen through a long summer, reliability counts.

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Three Memphis alumni, three different MLB chapters — Goodman ascending into franchise-player territory in Denver, Bowlan locking down late-inning moments in a pennant race, and Moll grinding through September's approach in Cincinnati. Not a bad week to be a Tiger.