New managers galore suggest many of the usual suspects will struggle to dethrone the champions, but their own hunger could be the key
Mikel Arteta wants to get his messaging absolutely right. According to him, Arsenal are not about to defend their Premier League title. They are set to attack another one.
Remember Win the dog, who the manager brought in to the club’s training ground a few years back? She must now be called “Won”. But it is when Arteta quibbles over another bout of semantics that he highlights why he is entering the new season with such energy and optimism.
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 23: Pitcher Carlos Rodon #55 of the New York Yankees waits to pitch against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park on June 23, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Carlos Rodón marked his return from a seven-week absence with left elbow inflammation with four strong innings against the Orioles on Tuesday. He allowed a run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts, the lone damage a Coby Mayo solo homer in the third, as the Yankees took the series opener, 3-1, thanks to some clutch hitting from Trent Grisham. By far, the most important moments from his start were the pair of strikeouts to strand the bases loaded in the second, so let’s dive in.
We join Rodón with one out in the bottom of the second, Trent Grisham having given them the lead with a solo home run in the top half of the frame. However, he faces a serious threat after a Jazz Chisholm Jr. error on a potential inning-ending double play ball loaded the bases. Stepping to the plate is former Yankee farmhand Carlos Narváez, who memorably crushed them in three games with the Red Sox last year before getting shipped to Baltimore in the Adley Rutschman blockbuster at this year’s deadline.
To this point in the contest, Rodón’s four-seamer has been sitting at about 93-94 mph, so you can tell he senses the gravity of the situation when dialing this first-pitch heater to 96.
Austin Wells sets a high target and Rodón nails it with the four-seamer. Between the velocity, placement, and elite 19 inches of induced vertical break, Narváez swings right through the pitch underneath as the ball gives the illusion of rise on its path to home.
After the spot-on execution of that fastball, Rodón looks to keep the feeling of that release with another four-seamer to the same spot.
Rodón throws an almost identical pitch to the one before. This one had two more inches of drop than the previous one, which is why Narváez is able to foul it back rather than whiff through it. All the same, it’s an advantageous result to give Rodón all the count leverage, 0-2.
With Narváez showing a willingness to offer at the high fastball, the obvious choice is to keep climbing the ladder with the four-seamer.
Unfortunately, this pitch is a little too high and a little too high to entice the hitter to chase. Nonetheless, it is still an effective pitch to keep the hitter’s eye level looking for an elevated heater.
Rodón plays off that eye level with the classic back-foot slider.
This is the absolute perfect pitch to follow the preceding high heater. The slider looks exactly like a fastball right down the middle before diving down and in as the hitter is starting his swing, leaving Narváez no chance to make contact. Perfect release, perfect spot, perfect execution — that’s pitch sequencing at its finest.
Here’s the full sequence:
Now needing just one out to escape the jam, Rodón faces the top of the order again, Jackson Holliday stepping in after having popped out in the first. Rodón threw all fastballs — three four-seamers and three sinkers — to retire Holliday in the first, so he switches things up here with a first-pitch slider.
It’s clear Rodón’s first-inning attack plan had an effect on Holliday’s approach here. This is not a particularly good slider — in fact it’s a hanger pretty much down the middle. However, given that the pitch looks like a fastball off the plate up and in out of Rodón’s hand, he’s able to freeze Holliday for strike one looking.
Once you show the hitter that you can land your breaking ball in the zone for a called strike, it should amplify the chase potential when following it up with another bender out of the zone.
Instead, Rodón throws pretty much the same pitch as the one he just threw, another mistake slider that catches the heart of the plate. Luckily for him, it appears Holliday is still hunting the fastball given how early and off-balance this swing is to pop it weakly foul and out of play.
After getting away with a pair of mistake sliders, I wasn’t at all surprised to see Rodón change course to the four-seamer here.
Rodón hurls his fastest and best located fastball of his entire outing, and not just because of the leverage of the situation. He pinpoints this 96 mph heater right on the corner up and away, a successful ABS challenge from Wells overturning the initial ball call for the inning-ending strike three looking to strand the bases loaded. In a way, he was almost helped by the first two not-so-great sliders he threw. It feels like Holliday is now sitting on a third straight slider in this spot, meaning he is even more likely to take an up-and-away fastball given the way he saw the last two sliders move away (not that he was likely to make contact with this flawlessly executed four-seamer even if he had swung).
Here’s the full sequence:
Given Rodón had completed just a pair of rehab starts following the seven-week layoff, there was a lot to feel encouraged by in these four innings of work and particularly these two ABs. First and foremost was the four-seamer, whose velocity, shape, and command looked to be in mid-season form rather than a first MLB start in almost two months. However, I was most impressed by Rodón dialing up his focus when facing this massive early jam. Having just scored in the top of the inning, it would have stung that little bit extra to immediately throw it away, especially following the error. Rodón made some of his best pitches of the start when he needed them most. I’m sure he would love to rein in the walks which have peppered his ten starts and steadily increase the pitch count beyond the 60-70 range set for this outing, but all in all you have to feel optimistic about where he’s at.
Rodón’s somewhat surprising early activation off the IL to start this game was accompanied by an even more surprising corresponding roster move, the Yankees placing Max Fried on the 15-day IL with a recurrence of the elbow bone bruise that kept him out for over two months. While the prognosis on Fried’s injury is far more encouraging this time around, it shows how important it was for Rodón to return when he did and pitch with the sharpness he exhibited.
Everyone knew this was coming, the only question was the details about the money.
James Harden opted out of his $42.3 million this offseason to give the Cavaliers' front office the cap space to make other moves to upgrade the roster. That came together on Wednesday with a trade that brings wing Peyton Watson to Cleveland on a new contract. That trade hand-capped the Cavaliers at the first apron and set the number for what they can offer Harden.
Harden and the Cavaliers have agreed to a three-year, $97 million contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN. The third year of this contract is a player option — a season when Harden will be 39 — and it also has a 15% trade kicker, should the Cavaliers deal him.
Cleveland traded for Harden at last season's deadline, looking for a veteran ball-handling guard and an upgrade at the point from Darius Garland. With the Cavaliers, Harden averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists per game, shooting 43.5% from 3-point range, and ultimately helping lead Cleveland to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, Harden had another up-and-down playoff run — with some of those down moments coming in critical games —that helped the Cavaliers' front office realize they needed to do more. Like landing Watson in a trade.
Harden's Hall of Fame resume is not in doubt: 2018 NBA MVP, eight-time All-NBA, 11-time All-Star, three-time league scoring champion and a member of the NBA's 75th anniversary team. What remains in doubt is his ability, at this point in his career, to be the playoff player the Cavaliers need him to be.
As noted by Charania, this contract pushes Harden's career earnings to $511 million, making him the fourth player in league history to pass the half-a-billion-dollar mark in salary earnings (LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are the others).
Any parent deserves a good seat to watch their kid hit his first minor league home run. Scott Strosnider doesn't roll that way.
Strosnider's son, Sawyer, hit his first career professional home run Wednesday, Aug. 19 for the Milwaukee Brewers' Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. And guess who caught the ball?
That would be dad, who, as Sawyer told MiLB.com, has a habit of roaming the stadium, restlessly watching. This time, he headed to the "party deck" at Fox Cities Stadium, just beyond the right field fence.
And Sawyer sent him a special delivery.
The 66th overall pick in last month's MLB draft ripped a pitch 103 mph off the bat and right into the hands of Scott Strosnider, who made a nifty catch - and even caught it on video. Sawyer pointed out that way as all pros do, though typically they're saluting their bullpen.
FIRST PRO HOME RUN FOR SAWYER STROSNIDER🔥
Strosnider blasted a solo shot 103 mph off the bat!
— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) August 19, 2026
This time it was, "Nice catch, Pops."
"My dad, he can't sit still, so he loves to run around the stadium," Strosnider said, per MLB.com. "I'll just be looking up after a foul ball or something and see him on every different side of the stadium. I think it was just the right place at the right time."
That's certainly one way to avoid negotiating with a fan for a milestone baseball.
PHILADELPHIA — Former All-Star left-hander Nestor Cortes agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, a deal that will pay him $1.5 million while in the major leagues and $250,000 while in the minors.
Cortes agreed to be optioned to Class A Clearwater as part of the deal. Right-hander Brian Keller was designated for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot.
A 31-year-old veteran of eight major league seasons, Cortes has not pitched in the major leagues since last Sept. 3 with San Diego.
Cortes as 2-4 with a 6.29 ERA in eight starts last year with Milwaukee and San Diego, a season interrupted by left flexor tendon strain that sidelined him from major league action between April 4 and Aug. 6, and left biceps tendinitis that ended his season on Sept. 3. He was acquired by the Padres from the Brewers on July 31 last year.
Cortes is 35-25 with a 3.94 ERA in 94 starts and 49 relief appearances for Baltimore (2018), the New York Yankees (2019, 2021-24), Seattle (2020), Milwaukee (2025) and San Diego (2025). He was an All-Star in 2022, when he went 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA.
Sidelined for more than a month heading into the 2024 World Series, he gave up a walk-off 10th-inning grand slam to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman in Game 1.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 07: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the second quarter of a game against the Detroit Pistons in Game Two of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 07, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers have penned what should be there final “big move” of the offseason. After weeks of rumors around the framework of a James Harden deal, it was reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania that Harden and the Cavaliers have come to an agreement.
The Cavaliers and Harden signed a three-year contract worth up to $97 million. The third year of the deal is a player option, and the contract includes a trade kicker as well. All three years are guaranteed.
Harden has been patient and very helpful with the Cavaliers’ offseason plans. With Harden declining his $42.3 million player option in June, it opened up the Cavaliers’ ability to navigate under the second apron.
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The Cavaliers appear to be done with all their big swings after the recent acquisition of Peyton Watson. They’ve finally rewarded Harden for his patience through the LeBron James decision and then the trades of Dennis Schroder and Max Strus for Watson.
The Cavaliers were able to get Harden to lower his annual salary in a three-year deal to get under both the first and second aprons. For all the discourse about Harden and his approach to basketball on and off the court, it appears Harden was true to the rumors about giving the Cavaliers flexibility and was patient enough to allow the team to improve the roster.
While Harden’s deal will see him being paid around $32 million annually at age 39 is something that might be tough to swallow; it also needs to be noted that he has given the Cavaliers the ability to remain relevant in a greatly improved Eastern Conference in the short term.
Last season, Harden averaged 23.6 points, 8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 70 games for both the Cavs and Los Angeles Clippers. He appeared in 18 playoff games for Cleveland, averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.1 rebounds.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 19: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves bats during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Ritter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Deja vu all over again – day game, trying to deny a sweep.
First pitch for Grant Holmes vs. Anthony Kay is at 2:10 pm ET.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - AUGUST 19: Pitcher Steven Cruz #64 of the Kansas City Royals is congratulated by Carter Jensen #22 after they defeated the Athletics at Kauffman Stadium on August 19, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back to Thursday Afternoon Baseball featuring the Kansas City Royals. In today’s episode, the Good Guys look for win no. 5 in a row (which would also be six out of seven) against the dastardly Athletics, who, once upon a time, called Kansas City home. Now, they’re the only team without one.
On the mound for the Royals will be Randy Dobnak, his stellar beard, and flowing locks. Dobnak, making his seventh start of the season, looks to follow up on his solid start against the Angels back on August 15th. In the game, in which he received no decision, and which the Angels ultimately won, 1-0, Dobnak pitched 5-and-2/3 innings while striking out six, walking two, allowing four hits, and giving up zero runs. Alas: he had no run support.
For the year, Dobnak is 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 1.296 WHIP, with 25 strikeouts and 16 walks in 41-and-2/3 innings. I wouldn’t mind Dobnak returning to the Royals in 2027 (if a season happens) but only as the team’s fourth or fifth starter. Right now, I imagine next year’s rotation looking something like this:
Michael Wacha
Noah Cameron
Seth Lugo
Randy Dobnak
?????
I would not be opposed to signing a starter who takes over the first slot and pushes everyone else down. Can the Royals compete with a rotation headlined by Wacha/Cameron/Lugo/Dobnak? Eh.
Also, if you’re one of those fans who doesn’t like talking about next season on August 20th, well, may I point out to you the standings? Wins and losses are moot at this point. Contention is out the window. Let a man dream.
Back to the here and now: the Royals face another lefty today, this one named Gage Jump. Reminds me of Jame Gumb. It puts the lotion on its skin. Anyway, Gumb—I mean, Jump—is only 23, a rookie, and not having a bad year. He’s been a bright spot on this blight of a season for the Nomadletics: 5-7, 4.50 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.449 WHIP, 85 strikeouts, 37 walks over 15 games started in which he’s pitched a total of 78 innings. The A’s drafted him just two years about out of LSU.
Carter Jensen receives off the afternoon with Luke Maile behind the dish, Salvador Perez manning first, and Vinnie Pasquantino DHing. In case you missed it, Starling Marte is no longer available off the bench, as the Royals released him this morning. I’m sad that didn’t work out.
No active Royal has faced Jump.
With Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia back in the lineup the past few games, the Royals look like they have 7/9 of a decent lineup. For next season, I’d like a different left fielder and for Salvy to move permanently to a back-up role. Kyle Isbel and Tyler Tolbert could platoon in center.
Not much to say about this lineup. Lawrence Butler has struggled. No Nick Kurtz again. He’s only on the 10-day IL, but hasn’t played since July 31st. I wouldn’t be surprised if they shut him down entirely.
Uh…yeah. That’s about it. Behold the lineup for the worst team in baseball.
When Edward Cabrera returned from his injury, Craig Counsell announced that he’d go back in the rotation and David Peterson would go to the bullpen.
Welp. As you know, Cabrera’s start was a disaster and he wound up back on the injured list with a blister. Earlier this week I had asked you in the SB Nation Reacts survey who you’d like to see in the rotation to replace Cabrera.
Here are the results:
The majority got their wish, as Peterson will be added back to the rotation this weekend. He’s now the scheduled starter for Saturday against the Mariners in Seattle.
Peterson did make one relief appearance during his “banishment,” 1.1 scoreless innings and 22 pitches during the Cubs’ win over the White Sox on Monday. So he’ll be going on normal rest in Saturday’s game and with that low pitch count Monday, should be able to (hopefully) go deep into the game.
The question remains: When Cabrera is eligible to return from the IL, should he go back in the rotation? I’m pretty sure the answer from most of you will be “no,” as Peterson has been quite effective since that awful start against the Cardinals in early July. In seven games since then: 2.06 ERA, 1.229 WHIP, 3.86 FIP and the Cubs won six of those seven games.
Cabrera might actually be quite effective out of the pen. He throws hard — up to 97 — and that 94 mile per hour changeup is a good out pitch when he has it working. And throwing one inning at a time might help him with his blister issue.
As always, we await developments.
Here are the results of the national question asked this week.
This is something with which I concur. The Diamondbacks, for example, made the postseason in 2023 with a negative run differential — 746 runs scored, 761 allowed. They were 84-78. Of course, with wild card teams you’re going to likely have some near-.500 teams in the postseason and in fact, this year there could be more than one with the American League Wild Card race currently with six teams within 1.5 games of the last wild card spot, every one of them under .500. And the AL West-leading Astros are only one game over .500.
All you have to do is get in and get hot for four weeks in October.
The Cubs, most likely, are a 92-95 win team and don’t have to worry about that — but still will have to have four hot weeks in October. Make it so.
ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 04: Special Assistant Greg Maddux of the Texas Rangers is in uniform as he looks on from the dugout during the game with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 4, 2015 in Anaheim, California (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Its a Thursday afternoon, and everyone is all grouchy after last night’s loss.
Seems like a good time to offer up a trivia question.
Once again, a couple of rules…
1 — Put a spoiler over your answer in the comments.
2 — Don’t go digging around on baseball sites to try to discover the answer. This is a trivia question, not a scavenger hunt.
Here is an alphabetical list of professional baseball pitchers:
Greg Maddux
Terry Mulholland
Chan Ho Park
Curt Schilling
John Smoltz
These pitchers are all tied for first place in a very specific category involving them doing the most of something.
Can you guess what category that is?
I will provide an update with the answer later on today.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 14: Robert Gasser #54 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After winning 22-0 in Tuesday night’s series opener, the Brewers dropped last night’s game 7-5 against the Mariners, as Dustin May got off to a very shaky start, but the bullpen did all they could to keep Milwaukee in the game.
The Crew will look to bounce back for a series victory in Thursday afternoon’s rubber match, as left-hander Robert Gasser gets the ball opposite George Kirby for Seattle.
Gasser, 27, has made 14 starts this season, with a 3-5 record, 4.54 ERA, 4.60 FIP, and 68 strikeouts across 73 1/3 innings. He went 6 1/3 innings against the Dodgers his last time out, allowing three runs on eight hits (two homers) and a walk while striking out seven in a 3-1 Brewer loss.
Kirby, 28, has made 23 starts this year, with an 8-9 record, 3.89 ERA, 3.78 FIP, and 114 strikeouts across 136 2/3 innings. He’s coming off a no-decision, as he went 4 2/3 innings against the Astros, allowing five runs on eight hits (one homer) and three walks, striking out two.
Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, and Jake Bauers sit at the top of Milwaukee’s order, followed by Gary Sánchez, Christian Yelich, and Joey Ortiz, who moves up to the six spot in the order after a strong month and a half. Garrett Mitchell, David Hamilton, and Luis Lara round things out.
First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
Lakers minority owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, center, sits beside actress Jessica Alba during a game on April 11, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, is not selling his stake in the Lakers.
Soon-Shiong bought a 4% stake in the team from Magic Johnson in 2010. His family attorney, Chuck Kenworthy, said that Soon-Shiong has no interest in selling his stake amid a high-stakes ownership transition.
“We love the Lakers,” Kenworthy told The Times. “We believe in the Lakers. We believe in the future of the Lakers and the championship years they are going to have. And we believe they are still undervalued.”
A group led by former Disney chief Bob Iger and venture capitalist Joshua Kushner agreed last week to buy controlling interest in the Lakers from Mark Walter at a $12.5-billion valuation — a record price for an American sports team. The sale is still pending approval by the NBA board of governors. Walter, who owns a majority stake in the Dodgers, is the subject of multiple federal investigations.
Jeanie Buss, whom Walter had agreed could remain as the Lakers’ governor for five years, is challenging her siblings’ decision to sell the family’s 17.8% stake in the team.
Real estate developer Edward P. Roski, one of the Lakers’ other known minority owners, has not disclosed whether he intends to sell his 3% stake in the team. He has owned a stake in the team since 1998. Todd Boehly purchased a minority stake in the Lakers in 2021, but it’s unclear whether all his shares folded into business partner Walter’s majority stake.
While Football Daily remains open to the idea that Stanley Kubrick directed the moon landings and the Pentagon is hiding grey aliens in Area 51, we have never had much truck with tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists when it comes to officiating in football. While refereeing a match in which all 22 participants are expert gaslighters will inevitably lead to mistakes, we’ve always presumed these gaffes can be attributed to good old-fashioned incompetence and not some shadowy cabal who have devoted their life’s work to keeping [insert your team’s name here] firmly in their place. Sadly, a random trawl of assorted Social Media Disgrace platforms on any given day during the season proves there is no shortage of paranoid fans, while “the Folarin Balogun affair” at the Geopolitics World Cup will have added no end of grist to their mill. After all, if an entitled president can successfully agitate to have a player’s suspension swept under the rug, who’s to say dark forces aren’t also at play when it comes to deciding whether the ball went out for a throw-in off Gabriel Martinelli or Enzo Le Fée?
May I be among 1,057 others born in the 1980s to mention that one of Orson Welles’ final film roles was as the voice of Unicron in Transformers: The Movie. His character was an enormous planet which travelled through space, devouring other planets. If that isn’t a suitable metaphor for the Premier League and its transfer windows, I don’t know what is” – Luke Davydaitis (and no others).
I wonder if West Ham and Wolves fans are regretting ever complaining that they had to wait for the last day of Big Website’s Premier League previews? And if Tottenham fans will take it as a hint that said complaining may lead to no preview at all” – Doug Peters.
If Carlos Baleba ends up at Manchester United, I hope we can rely on their fans to finally deliver the ‘Daydream Baleba’ chant the world deserves” – Chris Jersan.
Anthony Kay gets the start in this makeup game against Atlanta. | (Getty Images)
The Braves are back in town for one game against the White Sox to finish a series from June 11. The White Sox have already taken the first two games and have a chance to sweep the Braves this afternoon. Atlanta was just swept by the Twins after losing two of three to the Diamondbacks, so ideally that trend will carry over today.
The Good Guys are back to their regular pitching rotation today with Anthony Kay on the mound. Since the team no longer has today off and went deep into the bullpen during the Crosstown Classic, a lengthy outing from Kay would give the relief corps a much-needed break. Sam Antonacci is back in the leadoff spot today, Drew Romo is behind the plate, and it’s Montgomery squared with Braden and Colson hitting back-to-back.
Grant Holmes (7-5) will be on the mound for the visiting team. Holmes is fresh off a poor start in which he gave up six hits, six earned runs and three walks in 3 2/3 frames in a 10-3 loss against Arizona. Holmes was also the starter for the June 9 game against the White Sox.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT. You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 07: Austin Wells #28 and Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees look on before the game against the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium on August 7, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Amid the summer heat, and on a Monday no less, the Yankees announced they were placing Max Fried on the injured list. The news broke with a very general release saying the move was retroactive to Friday and due to a left elbow bone bruise. The same injury that cost Fried two months already this year.
Since Monday was an off day, we had to wait a full night and day before we got to hear from Aaron Boone on the news. When he was finally in front of the cameras, the skipper downplayed the news and made it seem like Fried and the team, or a collective “we,” made the decision for an injured list stint. Us fans were then treated to four good innings from Carlos Rodón, which made the place start skipping his last rehab start like Fried did on his way back.
On Wednesday, Boone went on a podcast and said that Fried did not want to miss time and further downplayed how serious the injury appears to be at the current time. He doubled down on the idea that the team wanted to ensure they did not let a little thing become a big thing. The slight shift in message and the big shift in tone make it feel like a game of telephone.
However, this relatively consistent information and positive reassurance should make us feel better, right? But I cannot be alone in wondering why this does not make me feel any better.
After consideration, I have decided I, or the collective “we,” have some traumatic, or probably just dramatic, fan stress disorder. This can most realistically be traced back to the first time for many of us when the Yankees punted the season and sold off players at the deadline. One of those acquired players was Clint Frazier.
Many have their opinions on Frazier. The nuts and bolts of it are that he went on to have an injury-riddled career stemming mostly from a concussion suffered with the Yankees in 2018. The team pushed the star prospect narrative hard on us and then quickly blamed injuries as the cause for his washout. Frazier has since publicly criticized how the Yankees handled his injuries and given legs to the “we can’t trust the team” argument for many fans.
Frazier was really just the visible part of the iceberg. Anthony Rizzo is the big chunk and main cause of our still-prevalent angst. Remember watching Rizzo get absolutely trucked and then play like a shell of himself for over a month back in 2023? Rizzo was officially diagnosed with a concussion after playing 46 games.
I am not a medical doctor, but the eye test, numbers, and quick decline raised alarms in all of us, it seemed, other than the team itself. Before the collision, Rizzo had an .880 OPS. During that month-plus, his OPS was .496. It made many of us feel like they simply needed to save the player from himself, if nothing else.
In the 2025 season, we got essentially the combination of Frazier and Rizzo with Anthony Volpe’s injury. The former star prospect was clearly battling something for essentially the whole year. Boone pounded the table for his young shortstop all season, and they kept saying it was not the issue.
Then, following the season, surgery revealed Volpe’s shoulder injury was far more extensive than what their initial in-season MRIs had indicated. Cashman, in the most Cashman way, even admitted that it was likely part of the issue after all. So another player clearly fought through an injury for a large stretch of the season, with the team trying to tell us logic, data, and our own eyes were not adding up correctly. Volpe might not be much better than his performance in 2025, but the team should have given the young man a break instead of cortisone and hope.
Sebastian Junger himself could have written the perfect storm of injuries the Yankees have had during the 2026 season and how they directly contribute to the reluctance to accept the Yankees’ optimism on Fried. When Giancarlo Stanton goes down with soft-tissue stuff, it is hard to put a date on his return. Then you have the Yankees captain, who prefers to stay private in his affairs. Since the team likely lacks a true ETA on Stanton and has respected Aaron Judge’s wishes about return timetables, both situations only further fuel all of our stomach aches.
That brings us full circle back to Fried. A recurring injury. But not a big injury this time. A move meant to make sure a little thing does not become a thing, even though it was already once a pretty big thing not long ago and is usually a precursor for a really big thing. Ugh.
How the team has handled injuries in the past, and the way it communicates, has led us to this point. Will Fried, Stanton, or Judge come back this season? Will any of them end up having surgery in the offseason? Your guess is as good as any.
And if you feel hesitant to buy into the injury optimism with Fried, I am with you. I want to accept the optimism, but recent history makes it hard to take the positive news without at least a grain of salt.
