Tennessee Professional Athletes

Drew Gilbert is making San Francisco believers out of anyone paying attention. The Tennessee alum turned in the week's most eye-catching stretch among Vols in the majors, capping a torrid run with a Friday homer and two RBIs in the Giants' 6-1 dismantling of the Diamondbacks. That performance followed a three-RBI effort against the Reds on Wednesday and a two-hit, two-run game Tuesday — five games, a barrage of production, and a batting average that ticked up to .243. Gilbert has been one of San Francisco's more reliable offensive contributors this month, and this week was his argument in neon.

Teammate Blade Tidwell had a rougher go of it. The Tennessee-pedigreed righty took the Saturday start against Arizona and surrendered six earned runs across five innings, a line that pushed his ERA to 4.54. The Giants' rotation has had its share of ups and downs, and Tidwell's outing was firmly in the latter column.

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Crochet's Injury Reshapes Boston's October Math

The most consequential Tennessee story of the week had nothing to do with a box score. Garrett Crochet's IL stint with the Red Sox triggered a contract stipulation that shifts some of the leverage in his long-term future away from the left-hander, according to reporting from Yahoo Sports. The clause, activated by the duration of his injury absence, has financial and control implications that could define Boston's offseason calculus.

The injury itself, however, may have an unexpected silver lining. Multiple outlets noted that with Crochet unavailable as a starter, the Red Sox have been forced to stabilize their rotation around Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez, and Payton Tolle — a group that has performed well enough to keep Boston in legitimate playoff contention. The emerging theory: if Crochet returns healthy in late September or October, he slots into a bullpen role as a high-leverage weapon rather than a rotation slot he'd need to re-acclimate to. For a team with postseason aspirations, that's a luxury, not a consolation prize.

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Halvorsen Gets His Shot in LA

Seth Halvorsen's week started with a phone call every Triple-A pitcher dreams about. The Dodgers recalled the Tennessee product from Oklahoma City after Roki Sasaki landed on the 15-day IL with a blister on his right middle finger. Halvorsen stepped in and worked a clean inning Saturday against the Tigers, holding his ERA at 4.29. The opportunity is circumstantial — Sasaki's return will almost certainly push Halvorsen back — but for a pitcher fighting to stick on a 40-man roster in Los Angeles, every appearance matters.

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Around the Vols

Jordan Beck had a quietly solid week for the Rockies, collecting hits in three separate games — including a two-hit performance Tuesday against the Nationals — while working his batting average back toward .203. Colorado hasn't given him much to celebrate in the standings, but Beck has been a consistent presence in the lineup.

Christian Moore's week with the Angels was a mixed bag: a home run and RBI Wednesday against the Guardians offered a flash of the upside that made him a prospect worth tracking, but inconsistency at the plate remains the story — his average has hovered in the .160s for stretches. Ben Joyce struck out three in a clean inning Wednesday before a rougher Saturday outing cost him three runs in two-thirds of an inning.

For Tennessee's MLB pipeline, it was a week that captured the full spectrum: a star turn from Gilbert, roster volatility around Crochet and Halvorsen, and a reminder that breaking through — and staying — is the hardest part of the game.

Tennessee's presence in San Francisco is impossible to ignore. Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell — both products of Rocky Top — have quietly become two of the more reliable contributors in the Giants' lineup and rotation, and the week of August 9–15 gave Vol fans plenty to cheer about.

Gilbert Is Heating Up at the Plate

The Giants' center fielder put together the kind of week that moves a name up the lineup card. Gilbert went 1-for-1 at the plate with a homer, two RBIs, and a walk in Tuesday's tied affair against the Astros, then followed that up Sunday with a 2-hit, 1-RBI performance against Detroit. He saved his best for Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored against Colorado — his most complete game of the stretch. Over the five-game window, Gilbert logged six hits, four RBIs, a pair of home runs, and three runs scored, bumping his average from .235 early in the week to .243 by Saturday. That's a player finding his footing at the big-league level.

Tidwell Turns in a Quality Start

While Gilbert was doing damage with the bat, Blade Tidwell was handling business on the mound. The right-hander took the ball Tuesday night against Houston and delivered 5.2 innings, allowing just one earned run while punching out six Astros — a quality start by any measure. His ERA sits at a tidy 2.78, a number that looks even better considering the Astros entered that series in first place in their division. Tidwell's command and ability to generate swings-and-misses give the Giants a legitimate piece in a rotation that always seems to be one arm short.

Elsewhere in the Vol Network

Beyond Oracle Park, the Tennessee alumni footprint across the league had its own storylines this week.

Seth Halvorsen continued his yo-yo existence with the Dodgers. Acquired from Colorado before the trade deadline, the hard-throwing righty — who routinely hits 100 mph — appeared in Los Angeles' bullpen on Wednesday against Kansas City, tossing a scoreless inning before being optioned back down when the Dodgers called up Landon Knack. Walks remain the knock on Halvorsen, but the stuff is not in question.

In Anaheim, Ben Joyce appeared in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Thursday — one inning each — as the Angels dropped a 4-2 decision to Texas on Thursday. Joyce's usage stayed light, but he remains active in the pen.

Jordan Beck had a quiet week for Colorado. The left fielder picked up one hit in the Rockies' Wednesday loss to Arizona after drawing a walk the night before. His average sits at .200, a mark that reflects the larger struggles of a Colorado club going nowhere fast.

Garrett Crochet headlines the Tennessee alumni on the East Coast, though the Red Sox ace has been on the shelf. Boston, which has ripped off a remarkable 27-3 run through July, is now awaiting Crochet's return — reportedly in a new role — as the club tries to hold its position in a chaotic AL race.

Two Vols, one ballpark, one compelling stretch of baseball. Gilbert and Tidwell are making the case that Knoxville sends arms and bats to the Show ready to contribute.

Garrett Crochet: Return Watch in Boston

The biggest Tennessee story in baseball right now isn't happening on a field — it's happening in a training room and front office in Boston.

Red Sox lefthander Garrett Crochet remains sidelined, but the conversation around his potential return has picked up steam. According to Boston.com, one scenario gaining traction is a bullpen role, a path that wouldn't be unfamiliar to Crochet — he pitched in relief for multiple seasons with the White Sox before being acquired by Boston. Manager Chad Tracy has kept his comments measured, saying only, "We just have to take it one step at a time and see how he feels as he goes along."

Whether Crochet slides back into a rotation slot or debuts as a high-leverage arm out of the 'pen, the Red Sox are clearly keeping a door open. For a Boston team still in contention and navigating a roster in flux — Andruw Monasterio has emerged as a short-term solution at shortstop while posting an OPS above .900 over 13 games — getting any version of Crochet back would be meaningful. The timeline remains fluid heading into the final weeks of August.

Chase Dollander: Patience in the Recovery

Fellow Vol Chase Dollander is in a different kind of waiting game. The Rockies righty provided updates this week on his recovery from internal brace surgery, per Yahoo Sports, signaling he's progressing but isn't rushing a return. Given Colorado's place in the standings, there's no reason to push it — the more important calculation is keeping a young arm healthy for the long haul. Dollander was one of the more coveted pitching prospects in the system before the injury, and Rockies fans will want him back at full strength, not a day sooner.

Blade Tidwell: Quiet Competence in San Francisco

While the injury updates dominated the Tennessee headlines, Blade Tidwell offered a reminder that there's a Vol already contributing at the big-league level. On Wednesday against the Rangers, the Giants righty delivered a five-inning start, allowed two earned runs, struck out three, and held his ERA at a tidy 3.18 — a solid ledger for any mid-rotation arm. San Francisco took a 4-5 loss in that game, but Tidwell's line was not the problem.

Around the Rest of the Vol Diaspora

Drew Gilbert has been quietly productive in San Francisco's outfield. The former Vol center fielder went 2-for-the-day in Sunday's game against the Padres and has been a consistent presence in the lineup, batting .241 by week's end. His Saturday performance added a run scored and a walk as the Giants knocked off the Tigers 5-2.

Jordan Beck logged hits in multiple appearances for the Rockies this week, including a Saturday game against St. Louis, though Colorado dropped that one 2-3. Beck is hitting .198 on the season, working to establish himself at the big-league level.

Ben Joyce, the Angels' hard-throwing reliever, worked a clean inning of relief on both Wednesday against Baltimore and Friday against Miami, racking up a strikeout in each outing.

It was a week that captured Tennessee baseball at all its current registers — a star waiting to return, a prospect recovering carefully, and a handful of Vols grinding through the dog days of August.