Weekend Reflections: MLB reportedly investigating Pérez for beef with Chisholm

Chisholm and Pérez later exchanged words while Pérez was on the top step of the dugout. Chisholm made a crying gesture and waved off Pérez dismissively. Pérez pointed to his head during the exchange. The Yankees interpreted that to mean Pérez was threatening Chisholm with a pitch to the head as retaliation.

“I was just saying, ‘Be smart,’” Pérez told MLB.com after the game. “I like that guy. He’s one of my favorites. And he got mad about it. I don’t know why he got mad about it. So I was like, ‘Take it easy,’ and he started doing some (stuff).”

Pérez didn’t specify what he thought Chisholm should be smart about. Chisholm didn’t do anything wrong. Runners at second base regularly study pitchers to see if they tip which pitches they are going to throw. It’s up to the pitchers to guard against the practice.

I doubt that MLB will find any fault with Pérez. He’s not the type to threaten someone with a pitch to the head. If I’m wrong about that, then I doubt Pérez would do so in such an obvious manner.

That’s why I rolled my eyes at Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s suggestion that MLB should look into Pérez’s behavior. But Boone wasn’t in the wrong, either. The manager was just sticking up for his excitable player in his tattletale way.

Marcell Ozuna belatedly benched

On Saturday, Braves manager Brian Snitker said he would put out the best lineup every day. The next day, he sent out a lineup that is objectively not the best lineup because Marcell Ozuna was in it, with Sean Murphy on the bench. Ozuna was 0-for-4 in the loss to the Yankees, while Murphy delivered a pinch-hit single.

Snitker said he put Ozuna back in the lineup for matchup purposes.

“If he is going to be here, he’s going to play every now and then,” Snitker said.

That’s a fair point. It seems clear, then, that Ozuna shouldn’t be here. The Braves have a slim chance of making the playoffs (2.9% per FanGraphs). The trade deadline is at the end of the month.

Maybe some team will take Ozuna and hope he regains the form that made him one of MLB’s best hitters from 2023 through May of this year. It would be worth it for the Braves to pay some of Ozuna’s prorated salary (about $6 million) to make a deal happen. His departure would clear the way for rookie Drake Baldwin to get regular plate appearances as catcher/DH.

Snitker should have sent Ozuna to the bench a long time ago. His .578 on-base plus slugging percentage from June 1 through Saturday was worse than all but 15 MLB hitters. Two of those players are Braves center fielder Michael Harris II and shortstop Nick Allen, but at least they play good defense. Ozuna has one job that he hasn’t done well for a while now.

Ozuna has the right to veto a trade, but he’ll have incentive to accept one if he’s not playing much. Snitker is going to put him in the lineup occasionally so long as Ozuna is on the roster. Maybe Ozuna will have some big games within the next week and give trade partners the confidence to make the Braves an offer.

Hawks Summer League stars

The Hawks suffered their first loss of the Summer League on Sunday in their last game. That doesn’t matter. The most important storyline was a strong showing by two first-round draft picks, forward Asa Newell (2025) and guard Kobe Bufkin (2023). Both were ranked among the top 15 players in Las Vegas, as judged by HoopsHype.

I’m not surprised by Newell’s efficient, stat-stuffing campaign. The Georgia standout has the kind of high-energy, scrappy game that translates well to the rugged and unrefined Summer League. I was less certain about what Bufkin would do. He’s technically a full-fledged NBA player, but he played only 27 games over his first two seasons because of injuries.

Newell and Bufkin will get a chance to carve out regular roles for the Hawks. The team has no veteran depth at power forward or point guard. A good Summer League doesn’t always mean much for the regular season. It’s better than the alternative. Summer League is something for Newell and Bufkin to build on.

Atlanta United’s lost season gets worse

Remember Atlanta United? The local MLS team is easy to forget. U.S. National team play broke up the schedule, and the FIFA Club World Cup took over Mercedes-Benz Stadium. If you tuned out Atlanta United, then just know that nothing much has changed.

Scoring is a chore still. The Five Stripes have tallied more league goals than only three Eastern Conference rivals. Soft goals are allowed still. Charlotte got three of them in the second half while coming back to win 3-2 Saturday. Only two East teams have conceded more goals than the Five Stripes.

Atlanta United (4-8-11) is on a seven-match winless streak. It’s 13 points below the cutoff line for the playoffs, with 11 matches left. Manager Ronny Deila acknowledged it doesn’t look good for his team, but he said Atlanta United won’t give up the fight. Maybe Deila isn’t the best judge of that, considering he also said he couldn’t explain why his team consistently plays poorly early in the second half.

Atlanta United generated excitement last winter by signing midfielder Miguel Almirón and striker Emmanuel Latte Lath to join midfielder Alexey Miranchuk. There have been few magical moments from the trio. They’ve combined to score only 13 goals (two on penalties), with seven assists.

This has become a lost season for the Five Stripes.