The baseball looked more like a beach ball during Will Benson performance against his former team during Major League Baseball’s first ever “Rivalry Weekend.” That was enough to earn the top spot on our #HighFive list for the first time in his career.

1. Willie ‘Beamin” Benson 

 

Since being recalled to the Majors on May 9th Will Benson has been on a mission to prove he belongs as a fixture on any Major League roster.

Things lined up perfectly for him last weekend.  As he tries to leave no doubts he belongs on the Reds roster, he got the chance to show the Cleveland Guardians, the team he made his debut with before being traded to Cincinnati that they should have kept him on their side of Ohio. Benson would go on to homer four times during the three-game weekend set, driving in seven runs as his Reds broke out the brooms against the Guardians.

MORE: Wild Will Benson Went Crazy Against His Former Team

He would go on to be named the National League Player of the Week after posting a .526 average with five home runs, 10 RBI and a 1.959 OPS.

2. Aaron Judge

For a normal man, a slash line of .333/.438/.593 with two homers, four RBI, a stolen base and five walks would be a sure thing for the top spot on our #HighFive list, but for 2025 Aaron Judge it was a slight slump that brought his average down closer to .399 as he is trying to become the first player since 1941 to hit over .400.

MORE: Aaron Judge Delivers Two-Run Bro Bomb, Lifts Yankees In 2-For-4 Performance

He came up clutch on Wednesday driving in a game-tying single in the 8th that helped the Yankees comeback and win in walkoff fashion over the Marcus Semien led struggling Rangers.

Judge also hit his American League leading 16th home run this week; a 326ft bomb over the right field run that was the shortest of his career. “It counts the same as the furthest one,” Judge told reporters after the game.

3. Taj Bradley

(D Grubb)

Taj Bradley bounced back from one of his worst starts of the season with a solid outing against the reigning A.L. West champion Houston Astros.

MORE: Taj Bradley Shines In Quality Start, Strikes Out Seven Over Six Strong Innings In Win Over Astros

Bradley matched his season-high with seven strikeouts for the fourth time this year and the first since April 11th. He finished six innings giving up two runs on four hits and two walks to earn his fourth win of the year. The biggest issue for Bradley has been getting out of the first inning clean.  Once he begins settling in earlier he will be able to pitch deeper in games and be in line for more wins. 

His next start will be Tuesday against Royce Lewis and a Minnesota Twins team that will likely still be missing Byron Buxton after the concussion he suffered last weekend.

4. Mookie Betts

Tuesday, June 11, 2024; Mookie Betts #50 of the Dodgers during the game. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Texas Rangers by the final score of 15-2 in Los Angeles, CA. (Kevin Reece for MLBbro.com)

It was a slow start to the week for Major League Baseball’s most versatile player, but he was able to salvage a spot on our Week 9 #HighFive list after a solid series against the Dodgers divisional rival Diamondbacks who will be chasing Los Angeles in the standings all summer.

MORE: Baseball Is Still A Kid’s Game: Mookie Betts’ Son Throws Out First Pitch On His Bobblehead Night

After his two-home run game Monday he has now hit 140 bombs for the Dodgers, passing his total of 139 he hit during his time with the Boston Red Sox. After somewhat of a rough April, Betts is hitting .292 with 11 RBI in May.  His four homers this month already double the total he had for all of last month.

5. “Rolls” Royce Lewis

After a late start to his season Royce Lewis is officially rounding into superstar form as he takes the fifth and final spot in Week 9 of our #HighFive list.

MORE: Third Baseman Royce Lewis Is Back Mashing & Mixing In Minnesota

Lewis started his season 2-for-23 but since last Thursday he is hitting .280 with a home run, three walks and four runs scored. He had hits in five straight games before taking a 0-for-4 collar home Wednesday night. The Twins are 8-2 over their last ten games and have been playing their best baseball since Lewis arrived in the lineup.

With Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals coming into the Twin Cities this weekend, Lewis will need to be the best player on the field for his Twins to gain ground in the standings over Kansas City.