The Yankees' outfield is currently in flux and top prospect Spencer Jones hopes to be in the mix when the team breaks camp next March.
Jones, 24, had his breakthrough season in 2025, demolishing Double-A pitching before being promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where the outfielder held his own.
Through both levels of the minor leagues in 2025, Jones slashed .274/.362/.571 with an OPS of .932. He also had 35 home runs and drove in 80 runs.
“Being able to be more consistent month-to-month, that was the biggest thing for me,” Jones told SNY’s Michelle Margaux at the Italian American Baseball Foundation Gala in the Bronx on Thursday night. “A lot of confidence and something I look forward to bringing in next year.”
It was a bounce-back season for Jones, who struggled in 2024 once he got to Double-A. He credits a change in his swing for his consistency and continues to work on it this offseason in preparation for spring training.
“I changed some stuff with my swing, learned a lot about it and going into this offseason is just cleaning up some of the things that went wrong and moving into this next season,” he said.
Outside of Aaron Judge in right field and Trent Grisham -- who accepted the qualifying offer -- in center, the Yankees have an opening in left field after the departure of Cody Bellinger. While the Yankees continue to try and bring Bellinger back, it’s not a guarantee, which gives Jones and other youngsters like Jasson Dominguez a chance to win the job this spring.
GM Brian Cashman said Jones "put himself in the conversation" to make the roster at the Yankees' end-of-season news conference in October, and the outfield prospect is getting ready to earn it.
When asked what he could do to prepare to compete for a roster spot, Jones described his mindset.
“Trying to prove to them, every reason why you should be there,” he said. “Being as competitive as possible and showing them how bad you want it is important and that’s going to be my job going into camp.”
Lakers star LeBron James celebrates after a 123-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. (Andrew Lahodynskyj / Getty Images)
Of course.
Stuck between trying to extend his record streak of 1,297 consecutive games with 10 or more points or passing to an open Rui Hachimura to take the potential winning shot, LeBron James made the right play.
Because that’s what he’s done for 23 years in the NBA.
James’ assist on Hachimura’s buzzer-beating three-pointer punctuated the Lakers’ dramatic 123-120 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday at Scotiabank Arena.
After the Lakers (16-5) forced a miss by Brandon Ingram with 22.9 seconds left, Austin Reaves heard Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic calling for a double team. Scottie Barnes rushed to guard Reaves near the sideline and the Lakers guard sent a left-handed bounce pass to James near the top of the arc. James, with eight points on labored four-for-17 shooting, took one dribble and fired it to Hachimura in the corner.
“I just make the right play,” James said. “That's all that matters. Win, lose or draw, make the right play.”
James’ 11 assists and Reaves’ 44 points and 10 assists helped the Lakers overcome the absence of Luka Doncic, who missed the game because of personal reasons. The NBA’s leading scorer and his fiancee are expecting their second child. Coach JJ Redick said the team hopes to get Doncic “back soon, but don’t have a pinpointed day yet.”
Without the team’s primary offensive engine, center Deandre Ayton chipped in 17 points and Jake LaRavia scored 14 off the bench. Two-way guard Nick Smith Jr. delivered 12 points in 14 minutes off the bench as the Lakers dug deep into their roster ahead of another game in Boston on Friday.
James last scored in single digits on Jan. 5, 2007 when Milwaukee held him to eight points on three-for-13 shooting in 43 minutes. But Cleveland still won that game 95-86 as James dished nine assists.
At 40, James has continued to rely on his playmaking, averaging 7.8 assists in six games since missing the first 14 because of sciatica. James acknowledged he still is finding his rhythm offensively.
He faded into the background of the Lakers' blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday, when he barely extended the streak by scoring four of his 10 points in the fourth quarter. He came out aggressively against the Raptors with nine shots by halftime.
But he scored only four points. He missed his first six shots, some even missing the rim.
Behind 22 third-quarter points from Reaves, the Lakers were clinging to a two-point lead entering the fourth. James was “acutely aware” of how many points he had as the game progressed, Redick said. With only six points in the first three quarters, James opened the fourth with two quick three-point attempts. Neither was close to going in.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, left, drives against Toronto guard Ja'Kobe Walter during the first half of the Lakers' win Thursday. (Andrew Lahodynskyj / Getty Images)
The first Lakers points in the fourth quarter came from Smith. Of course, he was assisted by James.
Throughout his celebrated career, James often has been criticized for his passing. In big moments, critics questioned whether he could be the true face of the NBA if he was passing on winning opportunities to create open looks for his teammates. If he passed, he was ridiculed for not stepping up. If he shot and missed, he was torn down for it.
James, the career scoring leader who ranks fourth in assists, still remembers “everything [that] has been negatively said” about his game. Any insinuation that he wouldn’t always choose the right play sticks with him the most.
“That aspect was always like the most, one of the most foolish things I've ever heard as far as making the right pass, making the right play,” James said. “We are in the business of winning basketball games. My whole life I've just played the game that way. I was taught the game that way and I've won at every single level I've played at by playing the game that way. So there was no reason for me to ever change once I got to this level.”
James’ unselfish play rubbed off on teammates who worked to earn his trust.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, left, celebrates with Austin Reaves, top left, and Jake LaRavia, center, after making the winning three-pointer against Toronto on Thursday. (Andrew Lahodynskyj / Getty Images)
“When you got someone like that, everybody's gotta fall in line,” said Reaves, who is averaging 41 points in four games without Doncic this season. “If you don't fall in line with someone like that, then you look crazy.”
The Lakers made it look perfect. Hachimura, who scored 12 points, sprinted down the sideline after his first winning buzzer-beater. Reaves jumped on his back. James yelled toward the Lakers bench with outstretched arms. Redick relished the look of pure joy on James’ face.
The superstar took no time to mourn the streak that he never truly tried to build. When asked for his feelings about the end of a run that was set to turn 19 years old next month, James looked almost puzzled at the question.
The Florida Panthers looked to break out of a recent funk on home ice when they welcomed the Nashville Predators to Sunrise.
Despite playing a strong overall game, Florida once again fell just short, this time giving up a late tying goal and then falling in overtime by a 2-1 final score.
The Panthers got the scoring started late in the first period on a nice passing play by two of the hottest Cats.
Sam Bannett slid a sneaky pass to a cutting Carter Verhaeghe in the Predators zone, and a quick backhand-forehand move later, Florida had a 1-0 lead at the 16:26 mark.
For Verhaeghe, the goal was his third over his past four games, a streak in which he’s racked up seven total points.
It was a big night for the one they call Swaggy, as his wife Casey gave birth to their first son, Rory, earlier this week.
Bennett has also been cooking of late. The assist was his eighth point over his past eight games.
Florida’s 1-0 lead remained on the scoreboard for the majority of the evening.
With 6:19 left in the third period, Ryan O’Reilly scored on the rebound of a Michael Bunting shot from a sharp angle to knot the score at one.
The Predators completed the comeback during overtime on a rush play that saw Gus Forsling go tumbling into his own goal.
Despite Florida’s net being dislodged, Steven Stamkos was able to shoot the puck into the cage as it slid toward the back boards, and since it was Forsling that knocked the net off, the goal was deemed legal.
Photo caption: Dec 4, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) shoots the puck but cannot score after a save by Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
The Colorado Avalanche are facing off against the New York Islanders for the second time of the season. Last time it was a 4-1 win for the Avalanche on Nov. 16 but this time, the Islanders were out for revenge, and that they got. It was a tough night for the Avalanche but a great one for the Islanders. They outshot the Avalanche 42-38 and capitalized on multiple chances leading to the 6-3 loss.
Period 1:
Heading into the game, this will be Devon Toews' 500th career game played in the NHL. The Avalanche once again are off to a sluggish start, and the Islanders capitalize on it. Mackenzie Blackwood loses track of a saved puck, and a whole scrum breaks out as sticks come flying in trying to either jam the puck in or bat it out, and it's Kyle McLean who finds the loose puck and bats it in to make it 1-0.
The Avalanche challenge for goaltender inference, as it looks like Blackwood was knocked down and had a stick stuck in his pads while he was down, but the challenge is unsuccessful. Thankfully, the Avalanche continue their strong penalty kill and kill it off, while the Islanders' power play continues to struggle.
Martin Necas is called for holding, but again, the Islanders fail to capitalize on the power play. However, it's Anders Lee with a nice short-side snipe that beats Blackwood under his glove to make it 2-0 with under two minutes left to play. The period ends with the Avalanche outshooting the Islanders 18-16, but it hasn't looked great for the majority of the period.
Period 2:
Artturi Lehkonen is called for cross-checking, but 30 seconds into the power play, Mathew Barzel is called for tripping, and it's 4-on-4. Bo Horvat can find the rebound of Matthew Schaefer’s shot and buries it, beating Blackwood five-hole to make it 3-0 Islanders. Just over 20 seconds later, Adam Pelech sends a shot that bounces off Blackwood’s glove weirdly and bounces under him and goes through his five-hole again, making it 4-0.
Though the Avalanche weren’t going just to lie down, Sam Malinski sends a wrister to the net, and Valeri Nichushkin, with good net front presence, can tip Malinski’s shot in, making it 4-1 and giving the Avalanche a little bit of life. That goal is just what they needed as the Avalanche get a little bit of puck luck as Martin Necas' shot bounces off Travis Mitchell and in, making it 4-2. Cale Makar is called for tripping, and Mathew Barzal on the power play burns them as he skates through Jack Drury and Brent Burns and finishes the play with a nifty back-hand shot to make it 5-2.
Just over a minute into the period, Makar is able to walk down the slot and find Lehkonen on the goal line, who rifles one past Sorokin to make it 5-3. Schaefer is called for delay of game, but the Avalanche can’t score on their second power play of the night. Blackwood stops Anthony Duclair, who had a great breakaway attempt. Blackwood is pulled with just over three minutes left in the period, down two goals.
Scott Mayfield is called for tripping, and the Avalanche gets a 6-on-4 opportunity with Blackwood pulled. Casey Cizikas picks off a cross-ice pass and sends it into the empty net to make it 6-3 and force the Avalanche to their second regulation loss on the season.
The Avalanche are back in action on Saturday, December 6, against the New York Rangers in New York.
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Talk continues to build around Winnipeg as the likely host for the NHL’s next Heritage Classic, and new rumors suggest the Winnipeg Jets may face the Montreal Canadiens if the event is officially approved. Nothing has been confirmed by the league, but speculation has intensified in recent days as the NHL considers bringing back its outdoor game series.
The rumors around the event began on the October 22 edition of Hockey Night in Canada. During the weekly headlines segment, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman told host Ron MacLean that the league was looking at reviving the Heritage Classic and that Winnipeg had emerged as a strong candidate. Friedman did not expand further but said, “looks like there’s going to be one next year and the whispers from out west is that Winnipeg is going to be a serious contender to host it.”
Since then, Winnipeg has consistently appeared as the expected host city, though no official announcement has been made, and the opposing team remains unconfirmed. Recent unverified reports point to the Montreal Canadiens as the likely opponent for the Jets, but neither the NHL nor either club has commented on the speculation.
NEWS: The 2026 NHL Heritage Classic will be October 25th between the Canadiens and Jets at the 32,000-seat Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, home of the CFL’s Blue Bombers. #GoHabsGo#GoJetsGo
If selected, Princess Auto Field, the home stadium of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, would be the venue. The stadium previously hosted the 2016 Heritage Classic when the Jets met the Edmonton Oilers. Winnipeg lost that game 3-0, with Edmonton led by a young Connor McDavid who recorded an assist.
The Jets last appeared in a Heritage Classic in 2019 in Regina, where they defeated the Calgary Flames in overtime at Mosaic Stadium. That win evened Winnipeg’s outdoor game record at one victory and one loss.
Winnipeg’s history of hosting large events and its strong fan base have kept the city in regular consideration for NHL outdoor games. The league typically confirms Heritage Classic details several months in advance, and for now the possibility of a Jets–Canadiens matchup remains only a rumor but a potential exciting matchup for a standalone event.
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The Kings are coming off a 3-1 loss against the Washington Capitals. That is the Kings' 4th loss in the last 6 games. The Kings' power play also continued to struggle, so they are looking to play better on the man advantage tonight against the Blackhawks, which may prove to be a difficult task, as the Blackhawks have the 5th-best penalty kill in the NHL. The Blackhawks are coming off a 4-3 Shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and are looking to avoid losing two in a row heading into tonight's matchup.
Teuvo Teravainen - Jason Dickinson - Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach - Ryan Donato
Alex Vlasic - Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser - Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk - Connor Murphy
Sam Rinzel
Spencer Knight
Arvid Soderblom
Injuries and Line Changes
The Kings are seemingly fully healthy, with Drew Doughty, Warren Foegele, and Phillip Danault all returning to the lineup. The Blackhawks are without Nick Foligno, who is out tonight with a left-hand injury. The Blackhawks are also running 11 Forwards and 7 Defensemen, a common theme this season.
Key Factors
The Kings will have to try to contain one of the best young forwards in the NHL, Connor Bedard, who has been on an absolute tear this season for the Blackhawks, with 17 goals and 38 points on the year, and in his last 5 games, he has 4 goals and 7 points. The Kings will have to be smart defensively, especially with how electric Bedard has been. For the Kings, they will be looking to their superstar player to be the difference-maker, as he has 2 goals and 3 points in his last 5 games.
The goaltenders in tonight's matchup are very interesting, as both Kuemper and Knight have been very solid this season, with Knight taking a massive step forward in his play. Knight this season has played 18 games, with 8 wins, 1 shutout, a 2.52 GAA, and a .917 SV%. For the Kings, Kuemper has been very solid, playing 18 games with 8 wins, 1 shutout, a 2.37 GAA, and a .908 SV%. So the matchup between these two goalies is going to be very interesting.
If the Kings can clean up their power-play chances in this game, it could be the deciding factor for them tonight. In the last 10 matchups between these teams, the Kings are 7-1-2, and while Chicago has played much better this season, I predict the Kings will win 3-1 tonight and get back on track.
Van der Ven may be key for Spurs, Wissa could make Newcastle debut and Dyche deserves warm Everton welcome
Arsenal’s recent memories of Aston Villa are of awkward opponents. Mikel Arteta’s side squandered a two-goal lead at the Emirates Stadium when the teams last met, in January, Arsenal dropping two points, their title charge dented. With such little margin for error, it was the kind of day that boosted Liverpool and crystallised the sense that the Gunners would come up short. Villa also defeat Arsenal in 2023-24, abruptly halting Arteta’s six-game winning streak. Now Arsenal are in a different position, at the summit with a five-point lead – and six clear of Unai Emery’s team. Victory at Villa Park on Saturday, against a side that have lost only once in the league since August, would offer another significant indication that this could be the season Arsenal take the crown. Ben Fisher
Aston Villa v Arsenal, Saturday 12.30pm (all times GMT)
Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, a bonafide first-ballot future Hall of Fame player and arguably the greatest American-born forward in NHL history, is closing in on yet another milestone in his illustrious career.
With 1,359 career points, Kane trails Mike Modano by just 16 points (1,374) for the most by an American-born player in NHL history. He inched closer to Modano's record and actually tied him in a key category in the process.
During Detroit's 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday evening, Kane registered a pair of assists and equaled Modano's mark of 358 career multi-point games.
Patrick Kane factored on two of five @DetroitRedWings goals and boosted his points total to 495-864—1359, 15 shy of tying Mike Modano for first among U.S.-born players. #NHLStats
As he moves closer to becoming the highest-scoring U.S. player in NHL history, Kane said that he would love it if Modano were to be in attendance to watch his record be broken.
"It would be really cool, I've been a big fan of Mike since his playing days," Kane explained earlier in the week. "When I met him when I came into the League, it was really a surreal moment for me. Loved the way he played, his flair and style, his jersey flapping when he was skating, and just how effortless he played."
"His highlights were something I watched growing up, so it would be cool to have him in attendance."
Modano himself indicated that he would like to witness Kane surpass his scoring record in person.
"I knew years ago that he might be one that if he stayed healthy, that he would be the guy that kind of goes after it," Modano said. "I'd love to be there and definitely would make the effort to be there for that one."
Red Wings fans will recall Modano’s brief stint in Detroit at the end of his Hall of Fame career. The Westland native signed a one-year deal to join his hometown team before the 2010–11 season.
However, a lacerated right wrist suffered in a November 2010 game sidelined him for several months.
While Kane hasn't found the back of the net recently, he's had no shortage of good chances to score and is producing at nearly a point-per-game basis with 16 points in the 18 games he's played.
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Until Soungoutou Magassa’s 83rd-minute equaliser Manchester United seemed to be flowering in the cold of winter on the way to a win that would have been their fifth in eight games.
Instead Jarrod Bowen’s flick-on from Andy Irving’s corner from the right had to be cleared off the line by Noussair Mazraoui, only for the ball to go straight to Magassa, who drove home a first goal for the Hammers.
Paul "absolutely" does not want to retire mid-season, reports Marc Spears of ESPN.
"Does he want to retire, is he done? I was told absolutely not." @MarcJSpears on Chris Paul after being sent home from the Clippers pic.twitter.com/XVzDyEcTrH
Paul, who signed a veteran minimum contract with the Clippers this summer, cannot be traded until after Dec. 15 and the Clippers reportedly will look to find a new home for the future Hall of Famer. However, any teams that have any interest in him would rather wait to pick him up on the buyout market after the trade deadline — or, after the Clippers just release him — than give up anything in a trade.
Paul is known for being a very vocal leader, unafraid to call out anyone — teammates, coaches, management — in meetings and in private, and over the course of his career, that has worn thin at places. With the Clippers stumbling out of the gate, the relationship between Paul and coach Tyronn Lue reportedly grew strained, to the point that they were no longer speaking. That's when the decision to send Paul home and keep him away from the team was made.
Whatever one thinks of the reasoning, the Clippers' handling of Paul's exit — with the news leaking at nearly 3 AM Eastern while the team was in Atlanta — was not smooth. It caught Clippers players off guard, as they told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
"I'm just as confused and shocked as you guys, the world," (James) Harden said ... "Definitely surprised me. But not just Chris, it's a lot that we were dealing with. But that is out of my hands. I got to focus on what I got to focus on and what I can control. I guess the front office felt that was the best decision for the organization."
"It was shocking to me," (Kawhi) Leonard said. "I guess they had a conversation, and front office made a decision."
The Clippers did go out after all this drama and picked up a quality win in Atlanta, 115-92. LA is still 6-16 on the season and sitting 13th in the West.
