The New York Rangers are heading into the 2025-26 season with the hope of turning things back around. They certainly have the potential to be a postseason club if their top players step up.
Yet, when looking at the Rangers' roster, they have an interesting under-the-radar player to keep a very close eye on this season: Taylor Raddysh.
The Rangers signed Raddysh to a two-year, $3 million deal back in July in a move to improve their forward depth. While this move was among the smaller NHL signings of the summer, the potential for Raddysh to be a good addition to the Rangers' roster is certainly there.
Raddysh has shown during his career that he has the potential to provide decent secondary offensive production when playing at his best. During this past season with the Washington Capitals, he recorded 27 points in 80 games. Yet, he also showed that he can put the puck in the net during the 2022-23 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, as he scored a career-high 20 goals and recorded 37 points in 78 games.
If Raddysh can produce that kind of offense this season, it would be big for a Rangers club that could use more secondary scoring. It will be interesting to see if he can do just that for the Rangers in 2025-26 and be a nice surprise for them.
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We asked for your views on Russell Martin's claims that Rangers are full of confidence and can still win the league.
Here's what some of you said:
Iain: So this is a confident team? God help us when their confidence goes. What is this guy on? What is it he seeing that the rest of us are missing? Never seen a team so disjointed and afraid in my life. What do they do at training? Laughing stock. Win the league? I think just now I would settle for a league win. Although it could be possible as last time Rangers won league there were no fans, it's going that way just now.
Bob: Martin is delusional. Anyone watching Thursday's game saw a team low on confidence and without a plan. Without Jack Butland it could have been 6-0. I think we might have a chance in the Championship next year.
Dougie: When you look at the players over the last few years who have come to Rangers, Aaron Ramsay, Amad Diallo, Max Aarons, Nasser Djiga, Joe Rothwell, they are all Premier League players, plus the long list of internationals from across numerous countries and leagues. What I want to know is what makes these players so bad up here? Is it Scottish football? Adapting to different style of play and pace or is there something inherently wrong at Rangers that turns quality/good players to dross? While on this subject I am wondering if Nicolas Raskin is really good or does he just stand out in this really, really abysmal Rangers team.
Jim: There is no confidence in this team, Martin is wearing rose tinted glasses. The only place we are getting is bottom of our league and hopeless in Europe. A lot of the existing players just don't seem to want to be there and play football. If they are scared, they should not even be in the squad. I would tell them no wages until you start to play for the team. They are dull and boring and I just wasted a lot of my money on a season ticket, it's time for Rangers to get rid of the dross we have in the team already.
Colin: Please just go Russell. He's living in a dream if he thinks he can still win the league. The team looks like mid-table at the best and is currently second bottom.
Alexander: This apology of a manager is seriously deluded. He has no idea how to manage a club of this size. His methods are not working, his style is slow, ponderous, boring and negative. He doesn't know how to motivate the team, players out of position and others that don't have the ability to play this style. He's lost the fan base already and there's no recovery from that. He should resign, failing that he should be sacked immediately.
David: I'm sorry but I really don't see where he's finding evidence for the comments he makes about the current situation. He's clearly out his depth from the evidence so far. The team look clueless and their body language is deafening as soon as they concede a goal! There is only one ultimate option and that's the immediate sacking of Martin, the worst manager in our history!
One of the hottest races in MLB this season is not between teams fighting for a playoff spot but between Aaron Judge and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh for the AL MVP award.
Both players have had masterful seasons, but the Yankees' win over the Orioles on Friday showed why Judge could win his second consecutive MVP award. The slugger went 1-for-3 with a walk, but his go-ahead two-run shot led to the Yankees' 8-4 win over the Orioles on Friday night. It was a pivotal moment for New York, which is trying to catch the Blue Jays for the AL East crown, after starter Will Warren gave up the team's early lead, Judge gave the lead right back.
Judge's night puts his batting average at an AL-high .330, and he is en route to winning his first batting title. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked after Friday's win if the feat would surprise him. But in the midst of answering, the longtime skipper made a proclamation about the AL MVP race.
"Nothing Aaron Judge does surprises me; to me, he's the clear-cut MVP," Boone said. "Batting title, feel like he's been on base seven times a day the last week. Whether they don't pitch to him, pitch to him, hitting it out of the ballpark. Made a really good play in right field to open the game, you see his athleticism out there. I don't put anything past 99. He's playing like an all-time great."
While Judge's overall season numbers are extraordinary, he's doing it down the stretch as the team gets ready for a postseason run. He's hitting .374/.543/.802 (34-for-91) with 33 runs, three doubles, 12 home runs (eight in his last 15 games), 18 RBI, 33 walks (seven intentional) and four stolen bases over his last 28 games.
Overall, Judge has reached base safely in 134 of his 150 games this year, while batting .330/.458/.687 with 135 runs, 30 doubles, two triples, 52 home runs, 111 RBI, 124 walks (36 intentional, a new AL record) and 12 stolen bases.
In comparison, Raleigh has set records for what a catcher can accomplish as a hitter. His 60 home runs are a record for catchers and switch-hitters and are threatening Judge's AL home run record (62). He's also leading a Mariners pitching staff that is one of the best in the league, while captaining the AL West champs.
All while playing good defense and staying available for his team.
Perhaps, the race will come down to the final two games as the Yankees and Mariners fight for seeding and positioning, and Raleigh and Judge look to pad their stats before the writers make their decision.
The MVP award will be announced sometime in October.
"Nothing Aaron Judge does surprises me, to me he's the clear-cut MVP"
After Friday's 6-2 loss to the Marlins and the Reds' 3-1 win over the Brewers, the Mets are no longer in control of their own destiny for the final NL Wild Card spot. But the team could have given itself a better shot if they didn't implode in the fifth inning of Friday's loss.
Leading 2-0 in the fifth, the Marlins began to get to young starter Brandon Sproat. While the pesky Marlins hit into some luck, dumping balls just inside the foul line and tying the game, the Mets' pitching and defense did not do themselves any favors and let the inning get out of hand. Pete Alonso, after making a nifty stab at a grounder to him, looked back the runner at third for the first out. Jakob Marsee followed by essentially doing the same thing on the drawn-in Alonso, but the first baseman could not pick the ball cleanly, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
Now, with Gregory Soto in for Sproat and a runner at first with two outs, the southpaw did not account for Agustin Ramirez, who promptly stole second without a throw. Inexplicably, Ramirez stole third, but not because Soto didn't check, but Ronny Mauricio -- a defensive replacement for the injured Brett Baty -- did not cover the bag. Instead of getting out of the inning down just one, Ramirez would score on an Xavier Edwards single, then Connor Norby hit the two-run blast to cap off the six-run inning.
"We continue to make those mistakes and it’s costing us games," Mendoza said after the loss. When he was asked why they haven't been cleaned up, considering they are in September, the second-year skipper didn't have an answer.
"That’s a good question," he said. "It’s on me, it’s on all of us. We continue to make the same mistakes and it’s costing us games."
Mendoza called the steal of third base an "inning-changer," while Alonso wished he had fielded the liner to him cleanly to try and get the runner out at home.
"If I fielded it cleanly, I would have thrown it home, but I’m happy to get an out there," Alonso said of his misplay. "If you don’t get an out, things could have gone way worse. I wish I could have got the out at home."
But the fifth inning wasn't the only reason the Mets fell to the Marlins. After scoring two first-inning runs off of Sandy Alcantara, the Mets could get nothing on the Marlins' starter or the bullpen. But they had their opportunities.
New York finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. The biggest opportunity they had was in the second, when Francisco Lindor hit a liner with two runners on that looked destined for a double over the head of Troy Johnston, but the Marlins' first baseman snatched it out of the air and stepped on first base to complete the inning-ending double play.
"When you’re facing elite pitching there, whenever you get chances, you have to be able to punch," Mendoza said of the lack of offense. "We had good at-bats in those first four innings, we had our opportunities."
"Sandy’s an ace. And he did what aces do and bunker down and made adjustments," Alonso said. "It’s unfortunate because he did bunker down and we gave up six runs. As a squad, we just have to stay hungry and do whatever we can and lock in. We did a good job early, but we have to find a way to get Sandy out of the game."
With two games remaining, the Mets will need some help. They are tied for the final spot with the Reds, but Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker. The Mets will need to win one more game than the Reds over these final two games to make it back to the postseason.
"We put ourselves in this position," Mendoza said. "Here we are, we got to come back tomorrow and the next day. We have to win the next two and see what happens. We did it to ourselves."
Alonso said the team is playing with a "high sense of urgency," and while it's unfortunate they lost on Friday, he knows they have to put it in the past and think about winning on Saturday. When asked if the reality of potentially missing the postseason has sunk in yet, the Mets' slugger dismissed the notion.
"Good thing it’s not over yet," he said. "We’ll figure that out later on. Hopefully, we can win tomorrow and not face that reality. For now, we just got to do what we can to win tomorrow."
The Mets will look to Clay Holmes to keep the Marlins down and their season alive when they play on Saturday afternoon.
There was no way of knowing how Brandon Sproat would handle high-stakes pressure and responsibility with the Mets' postseason hopes hanging in the balance. But what the rookie right-hander offered in the opener of a season-altering series didn't lower the panic meter.
With sole possession of the NL's third wild-card spot on the line, Sproat found himself in the midst of growing frustrations on Friday night, as he couldn't complete his second turn through the Marlins' lineup in the Mets' lifeless 6-2 loss at LoanDepot Park. The letdown dropped them to 82-78 and into a tie with the Reds, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
"We've put ourselves in this position," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "Here we are, we've got to come back tomorrow and the next day now. We've got to win the next two now and see what happens. But we did it to ourselves."
The disheartening outing from Sproat didn't start on a sour note. He cruised through the first four innings with a 2-0 lead, and while he plunked two and walked one before giving up his first hit in the fourth, there weren't any warning signs of a meltdown. But the Mets' fears were soon realized.
Sproat fell apart in the fifth, allowing back-to-back singles and then a disastrous game-tying triple. He shook off the brutal sequence by inducing a pair of groundouts, but a two-out single knocked him out of the game, and then Gregory Soto threw gasoline onto the fire by allowing an additional three runs.
"The fastball had been working all night. That inning, they just found a couple barrels," Sproat said. "It's kind of something you learn from... You've got to be present every single inning. I was still present there. They put a couple of hits together, and it didn't go my way. That's baseball, that's the game."
In a critical game, Sproat fell short of a quality appearance. He struck out a season-low two across 4.2 innings (61 pitches), and with four runs charged to his ledger, he wrapped up his first September in the majors with a 4.79 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over four appearances (20.2 innings).
Sproat fell victim to some hard contact, and shoddy defense from his teammates contributed to the fifth-inning implosion. But the Mets needed length and efficiency from the youngster -- even if the request seemed unfair to someone with little big league experience.
The Mets will enter Saturday in must-win mode -- another loss and a Reds win would seal fates and knock them out of playoff contention.
The Yankees extended their winning streak to six games on Friday night, as timely power from their superstar sluggers lifted them to an 8-4 win over the last-place Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
However, for a third straight night, they were unable to claim sole possession of first place in the AL East. The division-rival Blue Jays still own the head-to-head tiebreaker, and they wrapped up Friday with a 4-2 home win over the Rays.
The worst-case scenario for the Yankees hasn't changed. If they fail to leap ahead of the Blue Jays before the regular season ends on Sunday, they'll host a best-of-three Wild Card series next week. Their opponent could be the Red Sox, Guardians, Tigers, or Astros. These four teams are vying for two spots.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Last weekend at Camden Yards, the Yankees struggled mightily against Orioles lefty Trevor Rogers, who struck out seven across six scoreless innings to lower his ERA to a stellar 1.35. But history didn't repeat itself in The Bronx, as a quick first-inning swing from Giancarlo Stanton with two outs and one runner on produced a clutch two-run shot to right-center. The veteran slugger's 22nd homer of the season traveled 397 feet with an exit velocity of 109 mph. Stanton appears wide-awake from a long September slumber -- he entered Thursday hitting a measly .175 this month and then delivered a game-altering three-run double to help the Yankees sweep the White Sox.
-- Will Warren couldn't have looked any sharper through two innings, as he faced the minimum by inducing three strikeouts and three flyouts on 26 total pitches. But the rookie right-hander lost that groove in the third, and his mess frustratingly started against the No. 9 hitter with two outs already recorded. After giving up an infield single and a walk, Warren served up a three-run homer to Jordan Westburg that placed the Orioles ahead. Before completing the frame, Warren allowed one more single and received a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake. He needed 30 pitches to escape the jam.
-- Much to the Yankees' delight, the Orioles couldn't even hold the one-run lead for an inning. With one out and a runner on first in the third, Aaron Judge clobbered a Rogers sinker that narrowly cleared the center-field wall for a two-run blast. It was homer No. 52 on the season for the Yankees' captain, and his 110-mph liner traveled 423 feet with a low 23-degree launch angle. Then, seven pitches later, Judge's behemoth teammate inflicted more damage off Rogers, as Stanton demolished a two-run shot to left-center that flew over the Orioles' bullpen. A homer in all 30 ballparks -- it traveled a whopping 451 feet.
-- The Yankees' power surge couldn't have been predicted with confidence. Rogers entered Friday's outing with just three homers allowed across 106.2 innings this season, and he'd logged 15 straight appearances with two or fewer runs on his ledger. With a few swings from Stanton and Judge, his homer total doubled. The Orioles didn't ask for a fourth inning of work from Rogers, who threw 52 pitches -- they turned to the bullpen instead.
-- The three-run cushion helped Warren settle back in. While he allowed a two-out double in the fourth, he induced two strikeouts in that inning and then completed a scoreless fifth with another punchout. The fifth-inning strikeout pushed his season total to 171, the second-most from a rookie in franchise history. Warren couldn't register an out in the sixth, however -- a leadoff homer to Tyler O'Neill cut the Yankees' lead to 6-4 and forced a call to the bullpen. He left the mound with seven strikeouts and a 4.44 season ERA (four runs on six hits and one walk, 81 total pitches).
-- The Yankees were wise to pull Warren after the solo homer, but the reliever they turned to first made everyone sweat. Mark Leiter Jr. quickly found himself in a bases-loaded jam after seeing Paul Goldschmidt botch a chopper at first and walking a pair. With two outs and the tying run at second, Tim Hill was called upon to clean up the mess, and he did just that by getting Jackson Holliday to ground out. The Yankees placed pressure on Orioles reliever Yennier Cano in the bottom of the sixth, and after a pair of singles from Trent Grisham and Anthony Volpe, their lead was bumped to 7-4 on an RBI single from Austin Wells. The seventh inning belonged to Fernando Cruz -- he walked a pair but kept the Orioles from scoring.
-- An insurance run arrived for the Yankees in the seventh. A single from Goldschmidt, a walk from Judge, and another single from Cody Bellinger set the bases loaded for -- guess who? -- Stanton with no outs. The wish for a three-homer game didn't come true, though -- he had to settle for an RBI groundout that pushed the lead to 8-4. The Orioles had a chance to turn two on the chopper to third, but Westburg opted not to throw home. The rally could've been greater, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounded out and Volpe popped out to end the threat.
-- Camilo Doval pitched with confidence for a sixth straight appearance, striking out the side in a scoreless eighth and lowering his ERA from 3.64 to 3.58. With a four-run lead, the ninth inning didn't present a save situation for David Bednar, but the Yankees wanted their closer on the mound with the stakes still high. Due to a walk and an infield single, he found himself in a jam with runners on the corners and one out. Bednar didn't waver, though -- he struck a pair to seal the deal.
Game MVP: Giancarlo Stanton
For a second straight night, Stanton lifted the Yankees to victory. He's driven in eight runs over the last two games.
The Mets got to Sandy Alcantara early but couldn't tack on before the Marlins plated six in the fifth inning as New York fell, 6-2, on Friday night in Miami.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Mets got off to a quick start thanks to Francisco Lindor, again. The Mets' shortstop launched a solo shot off of Alcantara to draw blood first. Juan Soto singled and stole second before scoring on a one-out double by Pete Alonso to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead.
Lindor also plated another in the second. After Francisco Alvarez, starting at DH, and Luis Torrens hit singles before the shortstop lined a one-out missile toward the right field line, Marlins first baseman Troy Johnson snagged the potential double and stepped on first for the double play.
-Alcantara dominated the Mets back on Aug. 31, pitching seven one-run innings at Citi Field. And after that two-run first, Alcantara hunkered down and scattered base runners. Mets batters were hitting the former Cy Young winner hard in this one, but it didn't amount to much. The Mets would get just two hits after that first inning -- the last in the third -- against Alcantara, who retired 13 straight before coming out for the eighth inning. He walked Lindor on four pitches to start and was pulled after seven-plus dominant innings. Alcantara tossed 100 pitches (66 strikes), allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters.
The Mets would catch a break in the eighth after Alcantara was pulled. Soto grounded into a force out before Brandon Nimmo hit a tailor-made double play ball to Xavier Edwards, but the second baseman flipped the ball poorly to Otto Lopez covering second to allow Soto to reach safely. Alonso struck out swinging, but Jeff McNeil walked to load the bases for a pinch-hitting Mark Vientos. Vientos popped out to shallow left field to end the threat.
New York finished 1-for-10 with RISP and left seven runners on base.
-Brandon Sproat was cruising early. Aside from some hit-by-pitches, he pitched three no-hit innings before a leadoff single in the fourth put an end to that bid. But even still, Sproat threw just five pitches to get out of the fourth, thanks in large part to a double play. But the Marlins finally got to Sproat in the fifth after a leadoff single and a double off the glove of Alonso put runners on the corners with no outs. Heriberto Hernandez dropped a triple just fair down the right field line to drive in two. After Alonso had a putout that kept Hernandez at third, Jakob Marsee hit another liner to Alonso, but the first baseman could not field it properly and the Mets had to settle for the putout at first as Hernandez scampered home to give the Marlins the 3-2 lead.
After Agustin Ramirez hit a two-out single, the night was over for Sproat after 4.2 innings (61 pitches/39 strikes). Ramirez would steal second and third off of Gregory Soto -- Ronny Mauricio failed to cover third when Soto had Ramirez caught stealing -- before Xavier Edwards' single pushed across the fourth run of the inning. Pinch-hitter Connor Norby followed by taking Soto deep to give Miami a 6-2 lead before the inning mercifully ended.
The Marlins hit Sproat hard in the fifth and kept the young right-hander from getting through the inning. He allowed four runs on five hits and one walk while striking out just two batters.
-The Mets' bullpen had to get 52 outs in the three-game series in Chicago and were tasked to get more on Friday. In relief of Sproat, Soto was not good. The southpaw allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in 1.1 innings pitched. Huascar Brazoban pitched a scoreless inning and Kyle Herget worked around a leadoff double to pitch a scoreless eighth.
-Carlos Mendoza put out a different-looking lineup on Friday. Aside from Alvarez playing DH, Cedric Mullins started in center because Mendoza didn't want Tyrone Taylor to play three straight games coming off the IL. Mullins went 0-for-3 with a walk.
Dodgers pitcher Brock Stewart delivers against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 6. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
When the Dodgers traded for Brock Stewart at the trade deadline, they knew he came with some risk.
But on Friday, their worst-case scenario was realized.
Stewart will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, manager Dave Roberts announced, leaving the Dodgers without the only significant deadline addition they made to bolster their struggling bullpen.
Although the Dodgers have been managing several injury concerns — from Will Smith’s fractured hand, to Tommy Edman’s sore ankle, to leg bruises that Max Muncy revealed on Friday he has been dealing with — Stewart’s status had become among the most alarming.
Even after completing a minor-league rehab stint for a shoulder problem that had kept him out since early August, he continued to feel residual soreness.
After meeting with head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache this week, Stewart and the team decided surgery would be best. According to general manager Brandon Gomes, the 33-year-old is having a debridement procedure that should allow him to pitch the “majority” of next season, when he will still be under Dodgers control.
But for this October, the club will have to proceed without him.
"We had a lot of conversations with Brock, and he was like, 'Hey, I want to help this team in any way possible,'” Gomes said. “But watching him throw and just having the conversations with him, there was still something that was just bothering him. As much as we would love to have him right now, we don't want to put his long-term health at risk.”
Shoulder problems are nothing new for Stewart. Last season, he made just 16 appearances with the Minnesota Twins before undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery in August.
While this latest injury is not believed to be directly related to last year’s issue, Gomes did acknowledge that “any time you're taking on a pitcher, we understand that there are risks.”
It’s not that the Dodgers overpaid for Stewart, giving up only former prospect James Outman in their deadline deal with the Twins. But, by not adding a bigger name in a bullpen that had been slumping even before the deadline (and has further spiraled in the two months since), the Dodgers put a lot of eggs in the right-hander’s basket. He was supposed to give the unit some experienced stability. Now, he leaves yet another hole to fill.
Without Stewart, the Dodgers’ right-handed relief hierarchy is somewhat unclear. They still have longtime stalwart Blake Treinen, but he has posted a career-worst 5.47 ERA and dealt with first-half arm troubles. Hard-throwing rookie Edgardo Henriquez has a 2.50 ERA in 21 appearances, but still has just 21⅓ career innings in the big leagues. And then there’s Roki Sasaki, the rookie Japanese phenom who returned from a nearly five-month shoulder injury with an auspicious inning out of the bullpen this week.
Another name that could enter the mix: Starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan, who was scheduled to pitch Friday’s series-opener against the Seattle Mariners but will likely be shifted to a multi-inning relief role out of the bullpen come the postseason.
In any event, however, Stewart’s absence will still hurt. What the Dodgers hoped would be a high-upside play, given his 2.38 ERA with the Twins this season, has instead become yet another bullpen letdown.
Will Smith’s status
Dodgers catcher Will Smith sprints to first after hitting a double against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 9. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Little has changed in Will Smith’s recovery from a hand fracture, with Roberts saying he was “hoping” — but not “hopeful” — about the catcher being available for next week’s best-of-three wild-card round.
“He's going to start trying to swing a bat,” Roberts said. “That'll kind of give us a little bit more information. Potentially start throwing as well.”
Roberts also noted that “each day, Will does say it's feeling a little bit better."
However, given the nature of his injury, “it's just tricky,” Gomes added.
“You never know with bones,” Gomes said. “One day it might feel better and we can really take off. We're not closing off the door to that right now. But we got to make sure to check some boxes before that."
If Smith is not available to catch in the wild-card round, which begins Tuesday, Roberts reiterated that Ben Rortvedt will likely see the “lion’s share” of playing time.
Edman, Muncy getting rest
In better injury news, Roberts sounded hopeful of having Edman and Muncy for the start of the playoffs. On Friday, however, he gave them both a second consecutive day off.
Edman has been dealing with the latest flare-up to his long-bothersome ankle injury, having tweaked it again while running down a fly ball in center field in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s win in Arizona.
“It’s not gonna be 100% throughout the rest of the season. It is something we’re gonna have to keep managing,” Roberts said. “But my thought is he’ll be back in there tomorrow.”
Muncy, meanwhile, revealed Friday that he has been battling some leg bruising, which was at least in part the result of a hit-by-pitch he took to his lower half last week against the San Francisco Giants.
But, like Edman, the Dodgers’ expectation is that he’ll be ready for Game 1.
“It’s just trying to be smart about a couple things,” Muncy said. “Just trying to manage all of that, stay on top of that and hopefully clean all that up.”
TORONTO — The Atlanta Braves claimed and optioned pitcher Alek Manoah on Friday, three days after the former All-Star and 2022 AL Cy Young finalist was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Braves transferred second baseman Ozzie Albies to the 60-day injured list. Albies broke a bone in his left hand on Monday in a game against the Washington Nationals, ending his season.
Manoah was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays to make room on Toronto’s 40-man roster for Anthony Santander to come off the 60-day injured list.
Manoah had been pitching at Triple-A Buffalo, rehabbing a 2024 surgery on his elbow. The right-hander went 1-1 with a 2.97 ERA in seven starts for the Bisons.
After going 9-2 as a rookie in 2021, Manoah went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 2022, finishing third in AL Cy Young voting. Last season, Manoah went 1-2 with a 3.70 ERA over five starts spanning 24 1/3 innings before season-ending surgery.
Albies played in Atlanta’s first 157 games this season, batting .240 with 16 home runs and 74 RBIs. He injured the hamate bone on the palm side of the hand near the pinky and ring fingers. Albies fractured his left wrist in July 2024 and missed two months.
Brett Baty exited Friday's crucial series opener against the Marlins with right side soreness.
The young Mets infielder took an at-bat in the top of the first and grounded to second baseman Xavier Edwards for the third out of the inning. During the at-bat, he swung and missed on a pitch and visibly grimaced and tugged at his side. Despite that, he played the field in the bottom half of the frame and made an across-the-body throw to first base on a slow grounder to end the inning.
In between innings, the SNY broadcast caught Baty speaking to trainers in the dugout before he went down into the clubhouse and didn't return. He was replaced in the field by Ronny Mauricio.
"It’s the oblique area, the right side," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "Felt it on that swing. We saw it. He waved me off and then when he made that play, that throw, you could see it. So we got to wait and see tomorrow how he wakes up and if he’s able to do anything."
Mendoza was asked if the injury could end Baty's season and the skipper said there's a possibility.
"It’s too early, but just watching the faces he was making, that area right there is tricky," he said. "Again, we have to wait till tomorrow and see what the severity [is]."
Baty spoke to the media shortly after Mendoza and said his oblique felt good but wants to see how he feels on Saturday.
"I obviously want to play," Baty said. "There's only two days left, so if there's any possibility of me playing, I'm going to play."
If the oblique is injured, the Mets will likely place Baty on the IL. With just two regular season games remaining, it would eliminate him from those contests and likely the Wild Card round if New York gets to the postseason.
The 25-year-old infielder has had a breakout season with the Mets. He's slashing .254/.313/.435 with an OPS of .748 with 18 home runs and 50 RBI. All of those are career-highs for the infielder. Baty has also excelled at his natural position at third base and at second, giving him more versatility for Mendoza to use.
Brett Baty went down the tunnel after grimacing following a swing and a throw from third base in the first inning pic.twitter.com/2oB0Qdsh5f
The question surprised me at first. To say the least.
“Why,” a scout from a contending National League team asked in late July, “are the Yankees making Bellinger available?”
Huh?
And why, the scout went on to ask, were they making it known that they would talk about Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Trent Grisham, all free-agents-to-be?
When we dug into this with our Yankees sources, it proved true. With the team playing poorly and Aaron Judge facing possible Tommy John surgery, Brian Cashman and staff were in the preliminary stages of considering pivoting to a sale.
I don’t want to overstate this. It never got as far as in 2016, when the Yankees were fully prepared to both buy and sell before choosing the latter. This was more of a thought about selling, followed by the decision to buy in a purposeful but measured way.
Now the Yankees are as confident as anyone heading into the postseason and still fighting to win the American League East. It’s worth remembering how far they traveled to get here -- and how they achieved it by threading the extremely tricky needle of adding to the roster without sacrificing top prospects. It might go down as one of Cashman’s best tricks.
Deadline season began with a more traditional all-in mentality. On July 9, with the team 50-41, Cashman said, "We're going to go to town. We're going to do everything we possibly can to improve ourselves and try to match up.”
For most of the month, the Yankees treaded water at around ten games over .500, but played sloppily and lost too many games to good teams. Leadership was no longer convinced that this was a roster worth the sacrifice in prospects.
Then came the Judge scare. During a period of a few days that ended on July 26, the superstar underwent testing on his right elbow. The Yankees feared that he would need season-ending UCL surgery. Had that occurred, the Yankees might indeed have sold, sources say. They certainly would not have added in an aggressive way.
When Judge learned that he had a flexor strain and would return, Cashman and Co. landed in a middle ground.
They didn’t see it as an all-in year in the way that, say, the team’s only season with Juan Soto did. In that scenario, you focus almost exclusively on the present.
Still, the Yankees knew that their remaining schedule was relatively soft, and their team talented. They began to think of ways to improve the current club without damaging the future too much.
That included concepts that would have moved one big leaguer for another. One example, according to league sources, was a discussion with the Mets about dealing Trent Grishman for Brett Baty. The Mets needed a rental center fielder, while the Yankees sought a controllable third baseman and liked Baty’s lefty swing.
Obviously, that one never progressed. The Yankees addressed third base by acquiring Ryan McMahon from Colorado and continued to eye reasonably priced upgrades, with a particular interest in relievers and right-handed bench players.
On the day before the deadline, the Mets gave the Yankees a scare by paying more than the Yankees were willing for Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley. The Yanks had spoken to the Giants and Cardinals, respectively, about those players, and were not comfortable with the prices.
Once the Mets went there, the Yankees thought that bullpen help might not be attainable this year. But on deadline day itself, prices became more reasonable.
The Yankees were able to acquire closer David Bednar (a home run), Camilo Doval (a project with upside) and Jake Bird (since optioned to Triple-A), in addition to McMahon and bench pieces Jose Cabellero, Amed Rosario and Austin Slater. Not all of these players have helped, but taken together, those lifted the team’s floor.
Plus -- and this might be the most impressive part going forward -- the Yanks did not have to trade Cam Schlittler or top prospects like Spencer Jones, Carlos Legrange, Bryce Cunningham, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz or Ben Hess. The desirability of that group also represents a player development success.
As a result, the Yankees find themselves competing for a championship this year, and anticipating a pitching staff in 2026 stuffed at various junctures with the likes of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Schlittler, Lagrange, and Luis Gil, with the others knocking at the door.
Not a bad deadline for a front office that, just days earlier, didn’t know which way it should go. The next month will determine if it goes down in Yankee history. Come to think of it, the next few years will, too.
The regular season is only continuing to get closer for the New York Rangers. With this, the Blueshirts undoubtedly have some players to watch incredibly closely.
Among the most notable Rangers who fans should be watching is prospect Brennan Othmann.
Othmann is currently aiming to earn a spot on the Rangers' opening night roster and has plenty of competition to do so. Because of this, the 22-year-old forward will be looking to stand out with each chance he gets from the Rangers as the preseason continues.
Othmann certainly stood out during the Rangers' Sep. 25 preseason matchup against the New York Islanders, as he scored a nice goal on the power play. After receiving a nice feed from Rangers defenseman Scott Morrow, Othmann beat Islanders goaltender David Rittich with an excellent snapshot.
Scoring a goal like this is certainly a good step in the right direction for Othmann, and he will be aiming to build off it from here. Whether he starts the season with the Rangers or in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, Othmann's goal will be to continue to improve his all-around game. If he does, he could become a nice part of the Rangers' roster in the near future.
