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When are the 2026 NBA Finals? Full schedule as Knicks advance

Praise Danhausen! The New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals!

After more than two decades of pain, suffering and way too much time thinking the Stephon Marbury trade would right the franchise's ship, the Knicks have returned to the NBA Finals. All that's left for them to do is wait to see who they'll face.

In the West, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are duking it out in a series for the ages. Whoever emerges victorious will undoubtedly be the favorite to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy when all is said and done, but the Knicks shouldn't be counted out entirely. Their 11 straight postseason victories are the most in franchise history, and tied for the third-longest such streak in league history with the 1989 and 2001 Los Angeles Lakers.

Momentum matters a whole lot when it comes to the NBA postseason, which is why it could be a disadvantage for the Knicks to have to wait so long following their victory in the Eastern Conference finals. Here's the full schedule for the 2026 NBA Finals:

2026 NBA Finals schedule

The NBA Finals will stream exclusively on ABC with all games starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.

*- if necessary

  • Game 1: Wednesday, June 3 at Thunder/Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
  • Game 2: Friday, June 5 at Thunder/Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
  • Game 3: Monday, June 8 at Knicks, 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
  • Game 4: Wednesday, June 10 at Knicks, 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
  • Game 5*: Saturday, June 13 at Thunder/Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
  • Game 6*: Tuesday, June 16 at Knicks, 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC
  • Game 7*: Friday, June 19 at Thunder/Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC

Eastern Conference finals results

Western Conferene finals results, schedule

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NBA Finals schedule as Knicks await Thunder-Spurs winner

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Relentless Knicks sweep Cavaliers to return to NBA finals for first time since 1999

The New York Knicks hold the Eastern Conference Championship trophy after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers. Photograph: Tim Phillis/AP

The New York Knicks are back in the NBA finals for the first time since 1999 after another overwhelming victory completed a 4-0 sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Knicks are in ruthless form as they attempt to win their first NBA championship since 1973. They also swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals and beat the Atlanta Hawks 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs. While their path to the finals in their Eastern Conference has been smooth they will face a stiff test to claim the NBA title. They will face either the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, a team with very few flaws, or the San Antonio Spurs, led by 7ft 4in superstar Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs-Thunder series is tied at 2-2 with Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Related: Victor Wembanyama’s half-court buzzer beater showcased a master in complete control

For now though, the Knicks can rest up and look back on an excellent series against the Cavaliers after completing the sweep with a 130-93 win. Cleveland only seriously threatened the Knicks in the opening game of the East finals, when they held a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter, before Jalen Brunson inspired New York to a thrilling comeback win in overtime. The Knicks won the next three games by 16, 13 and 37 points and are on an 11-game winning streak, the third longest in a single postseason in NBA history.

Brunson, whose father Rick played for the Knicks the last time they reached the finals, has been the star of the series but paid tribute to the rest of the Knicks after Monday night’s game.

“It means a lot [to get to the finals], but I wouldn’t be here without my teammates,” Brunson said on the ESPN broadcast. “My coach, this staff, the fanbase, without them none of this is possible.”

Brunson was also awarded the Larry Bird Trophy as the Eastern Conference finals MVP after averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 assists across the series.

“[Brunson’s leadership] is vital for us,” said Josh Hart of his teammate. “He’s an even keel, he doesn’t let us get too high or too low. Even games like this when we’re up 15 or 20, he wants to make sure we’re doubling down on our habits.”

Monday’s game was all but over after the Knicks went on a 20-0 run at the end of the first quarter and early into the second. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for New York with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell put up 31 points but once again he could not lead his team to a serious challenge against the Knicks.

“They’re playing better basketball. You got to give them credit. They’re on a heater. I don’t want to detract from what we’ve done, but sometimes you’ve got to give the other team credit,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said.

The Knicks’ presence will bring plenty of attention to this year’s finals. On Monday, several of their high-profile fans, including Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan and Timothée Chalamet, made the journey to Cleveland to see them complete their victory. Lee is on an excellent run after his favorite soccer team, Arsenal, clinched their first Premier League title since 2004 last week.

“Knicks fans are a specific species of human that should be studied, they’re crazy,” said Knicks guard Landry Shamet. “They fly out to Cleveland on a Monday, they’re everywhere. Everywhere you walk in [New York City] that’s what you hear, the buzz is unbelievable. You could try to explain what’s going on for Knicks fans in New York right now, but good luck.”

The Knicks’ first home game of the NBA finals will take place on 8 June, and courtside seats for that matchup are already priced at $105,000 on resale sites.

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Knicks headed to NBA Finals for first time since 1999 after 43-point blowout to sweep Cavaliers

Latrell Spreewell. Allan Houston. Marcus Camby. Larry Johnson. Charlie Ward. Jeff Van Gundy as coach.

The last time the New York Knicks were in the NBA Finals, 27 years ago, those were the legendary names (Patrick Ewing helped get them there, but was out with a torn Achilles).

Now the names that will go down in Knicks history are Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and others. Mike Brown, who was brought in with a finals-or-bust mandate as coach, has delivered.

The entire team delivered on Monday, as they have for a few weeks and a few series now. Once again, New York ran Cleveland out of its own building, this time in a 126-83 blowout win that saw the Knicks sweep the Cavaliers out of the playoffs and themselves into the Finals.

New York heads to the Finals for the first time since 1999, riding an historic 11-game winning streak, as everything with the Knicks has clicked at the right time. They will get more than a week off to rest and recover as the NBA Finals don't start until June 3, with Game 1 either in Oklahoma City or San Antonio, depending on who comes out of the Western Conference Finals (that series is tied 2-2 heading into a critical Game 5 on Tuesday night).

Cleveland heads into an offseason with a lot of questions — including whether Donovan Mitchell will sign an extension to stay beyond next season. This team was the top seed in the East a season ago but lost in the second round of the playoffs. Then, this season, traded for James Harden mid-season to improve their chances, made the Eastern Conference Finals but were out-everythinged by the Knicks. It's going to force a summer of harsh evaluations for the most expensive team in the NBA.

For a brief few minutes to start Game 4, there was a glimmer of hope for the outnumbered — at least it sounded like it — Cavaliers fans in their home arena. A desperate Cleveland team started the game on an 8-2 run, and midway through the first quarter the Cavaliers still led by one.

Then Game 4 turned into essentially a replay of Game 3. Cleveland missed contested looks while New York hit open ones — or scored in transition. Knicks' role players could not miss, starting with Landry Shamet off the bench. The Knicks' 26 first-half fast-break points were the most by any team in the playoffs in the last 30 years (stat via ESPN). New York was executing on a level Cleveland could not match on both ends of the court and that turned into a 20-0 run that thrilled the Knicks faithful.

Cleveland pretty much rolled over from there, any runs the Cavaliers made was simply because the Knicks hit a cold stretch.
New York spread the scoring around. Towns led the scoring with 19 points, Anunoby had 16, Shamet remained hot off the bench with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Bridges and Brunson had 15 points but both were a little cold from the floor. Not that it mattered.

Mitchell showed up and played hard, at least on offense, scoring 31 on 9-of-18 shooting. He was also frustrated on the bench because of the effort his team gave on Monday night, and that's going to lead to even more questions this summer.

The only question the Knicks face is how to spend the next week until the NBA Finals start.

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Charles Barkley blasts Cavaliers for how they ‘quit’ in Game 4

The New York Knicks are heading to the NBA Finals, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are headed home.

New York closed out the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night, winning Game 4 by a final score of 130-93 to complete the four-game sweep of the Cavaliers.

And Charles Barkley pointed to a lack of “effort,” and how the team “quit” in the first half of Game 4 as a major reason why.

Facing elimination at home against the Knicks in Game 4, the Cavaliers were on the wrong end of a 20-0 run from the Knicks, as New York built a 68-49 halftime lead. And during the halftime show, Barkley “requested special time” to address what he saw in the first half:

After Barkley provided the definition of quit — which included a notation to “see also: Cavaliers in Game 4 vs. Knicks” — the show aired several clips from the first half of Knicks players beating Cleveland defenders back down the court for fast-break points.

“This is just effort here,” began Barkley as the montage of Knicks players rolling up fast-break points aired during the halftime break.

“Players ain’t gonna say they’re gonna quit, but you know what shows? Their actions,” continued Barkley.

By the time Game 4 drew to a close, New York had outrebounded Cleveland 60-33, and had scored 33 fast-break points, compared to just nine for Cleveland.

And those watching at home were treated to a vocabulary lesson, courtesy of Charles Barkley.

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Knicks' Jalen Brunson named unanimous 2026 Eastern Conference Finals MVP

Jalen Brunson has been named the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals MVP. 

The captain did his part to lead the Knicks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. 

Brunson was absolutely spectacular throughout the series as New York wrapped up a dominant four-game sweep of the Cavaliers on the road on Monday night. 

He opened things with a 38-point showing in the Knicks' Game 1 overtime win. 

The All-Star point guard then followed that by becoming more of a playmaker in Game 2, finishing with just 19 points while dishing out 14 assists for his first double-double of the postseason. 

Brunson led all scorers with 30 points in Game 3, then needed just 15 as he sat the entire fourth quarter during the Knicks' blowout victory to close things out Monday night. 

He averaged 25.5 points, 7.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds during the four ECF games. 

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Knicks close out Eastern Conference Finals with 130-93 win over Cavaliers to advance to first NBA Finals since 1999

The Knicks completed a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals after a 130-93 win on Monday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-- New York has been blowing teams out during this incredible playoff run its on right now and a lot of that has to do with getting out to early leads which happened again in Game 4. It took a minute as the Cavs, desperate to keep their season alive, came out aggressive, particularly Donovan Mitchell, but the Knicks eventually imposed their will and took advantage of Cleveland's lack of hustle while getting back on defense.

-- The two biggest scorers in the early part of the game were, no surprise, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, but the first quarter was truly an all-out team affair with bench players Landry Shamet and Miles McBride also hitting some big shots to kill any momentum the Cavs were trying to create. 

Both players kept up their hot shooting in the second quarter where New York continued to extend its lead. Shamet, in particular, was in his bag and had the hot hand from beyond the arc. He finished with 16 points on 5-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-4 from deep.

-- In the blink of an eye, thanks to a 12-0 run to kick off the second quarter, the Knicks had a 24-point lead on the Cavs and were simply the far superior team. They dominated Cleveland in nearly every aspect of the game, most notably rebounding and fast-break points.

-- Other than Mitchell, the Cavs had no answers to keep up with New York's fine-tuned offense and looked disjointed and at times uninterested on most of their possessions. For his part, Mitchell showed up and finished with 31 points, but his scoring mate James Harden had a terrible game and scored just 12 points on 2-for-8 from the floor (0-for-6 from deep). As a team, Cleveland shot a paltry 27.5 percent from three-point range.

-- As for the Knicks, they couldn't miss from downtown. Along with Shamet, Towns literally didn't miss a single three ball (3-for-3) with Brunson and McBride also chipping in from behind the line. As a team, New York shot 44 percent from deep and had 33 assists on the night. But it wasn't just the three-point shot that had New York rolling; everything was working.

The Knicks outrebounded the Cavs, 60-33, including 20-6 on the offensive glass. Towns finished with a game-high 14 rebounds and Mitchell Robinson had 10 in 18 minutes off the bench. They also had 15 steals on the night with contributions up and down the lineup in that department. 

-- New York's lead grew to as large as 45 points in the fourth quarter with Cleveland waiving the white flag. Both teams emptied their bench with still eight minutes to play, and even with their reserves on the court the Knicks didn't miss a step. 

Every single player who stepped onto the court for New York had a positive impact on the game with nobody finishing with a plus-minus rating below plus-2. 

Game MVP: Landry Shamet

Sham-wow's energy off the bench was the catalyst for the Knicks' annihilation of the Cavs, and he finished with a game-high plus-minus rating of plus-28.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks await the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Cavs roll over in humiliating 130-93 Game 4 loss to Knicks

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 25: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the third quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Four of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 25, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers’ season officially ended at 10:31 P.M. on Monday, but they didn’t show much effort after about 8:30.

The New York Knicks, with nearly as many of their fans in attendance as there were Cavs fans, completed the sweep with a one-sided 130-93 win.

Cleveland started the game strong. Their offense looked much better with the assertion of Max Strus in the starting lineup. They scored on three of their first four possessions, jumping out to an early six-point advantage. Then, the Knicks turned it on and never looked back.

New York took control of the game at the end of the first quarter. They closed the frame on a 13-5 run, then scored the first 12 points of the second quarter. That made it a 24-point Knicks lead. Any hope of extending the series was extinguished with that run.

The remaining 33 minutes of play were just an excuse for the Knicks fans who packed Rocket Arena a chance to celebrate their team’s first trip to the Finals in over a quarter of a century.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs in scoring. He put up 31 points on 9-18 shooting. Evan Mobley had 15 points and seven rebounds.

It was a complete team effort for the Knicks.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the starters with 19 points on 8-11 shooting with 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby had 17 points. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges had 15 apiece.

This was the furthest this Mitchell-led Cleveland group has gone in the playoffs, yet this postseason run was mostly unfulfilling.

The Cavs needed seven games — which was at least two too many — to get past a feisty, but inexperienced Toronto Raptors team that is far from a finished product. That was followed up with a seven-game series against a Detroit Pistons team that really couldn’t establish any consistent offense throughout the postseason. Then, they blew a golden opportunity to take Game 1 against New York by squandering a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter.

We’ll see where this team goes from here.

This was a turbulent regular season that featured injuries at every point and drastic trades in February to try to get the season back on track. On one hand, it’s impressive that they made it this far. But if this game — and series — were any indication of things, the Cavs have a long way to go if they want to compete for championships. Something needs to change.

It’ll likely be an active summer in Cleveland.

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Knicks' dream season continues, advance to first NBA Finals since 1999

The dream season continues. 

With a Game 4 win over the Cavaliers on Monday night, the Knicks completed a Eastern Conference Finals sweep. 

New York is now headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. 

Mike Brown's squad has been able to do so with one of the most incredible runs in NBA history. 

The Knicks have not lost since going down 2-1 to the Hawks with a Game 3 first-round defeat, rattling off 11 consecutive victories against Atlanta, Philly, and now Cleveland. 

That is the third-longest postseason winning streak in NBA history. 

Brown's team has been clicking on all cylinders from top to bottom, completely dominating their opponents on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis.

They are an incredible +262 during the winning streak, which is the best point differential across 11 games in NBA history, regardless of regular or postseason play. 

The Knicks now await the winner of the Thunder and Spurs Western Conference Finals, which is knotted up at two games apiece heading into Tuesday’s Game 5. 

They'll be looking for the franchise’s third title, and the first since 1973. 

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ESPN's 'Inside the NBA' crew roasts Cavaliers with Taylor Swift banner

The New York Knicks jumped on the Cleveland Cavaliers early in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals and the "Inside the NBA" crew piled on at halftime.

The Cavaliers, down 3-0 and facing a sweep on their home court at the hands of the Knicks, came out flat and found themselves trailing 68-49 at halftime. During the "Inside the NBA" halftime show on ESPN, the studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith made it clear what they thought of Cleveland's effort.

"Kids at home, you oughta see what the word 'quit' means," Barkley riffed. "To give up. The verb of that is 'Ca-va-liers.'"

That was followed by a graphic of a banner for the Cavs' season shown on screen. Rather than celebrating a championship, it simply reads "NBA Playoffs/Taylor Swift came to one of our games."

The Cavaliers pulled out Game 7 wins against the Toronto Raptors in the first round and the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but since their epic collapse in Game 1, they have been no match for the Knicks so far in this series.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cavs mocked for quitting, given Taylor Swift banner by Inside the NBA

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Game #54: Mariners at Athletics Game Thread

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28: Aaron Civale #45 of the Athletics pitches against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning at Sutter Health Park on April 28, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Happy Memorial Day everyone! The A’s are back at home and return to the friendly confines of Sutter Health Park still in first place in their division after a 4-3 road trip. Now the team will go head-to-head against the team that won the AL West last year and are hot on our heels this season in the Seattle Mariners. Tonight marks the opening of this three-game series that could have huge implications down the line at the end of the year.

Scheduled to get the ball tonight for the home team is veteran Aaron Civale. The right-hander has had a great season overall but got hit hard his last time on the mound. He surrendered five earned runs to the Angels in an eventual A’s win, getting bailed out by the offense down in Anaheim. He’ll carry a 3.31 ERA into tonight’s contest, a number he’ll be looking to lower and get closer to 3.

Here’s how the Athletics’ lineup looks for the series opener:

The A’s will welcome Brent Rooker back to the starting lineup after the DH got the series finale off yesterday. He’ll slide back into his usual cleanup spot behind Carlos Cortes, Nick Kurtz, and Shea Langeliers (who is back behind the plate tonight), with Tyler Soderstrom’s left-handed bat right behind him.

The back half of the lineup gets a little shuffle as center fielder Henry Bolte rises up to the sixth spot in the batting order. Jeff McNeil and Zack Gelof follow at second and third base, respectively, while Darell Hernaiz also returns to the starting lineup batting ninth after getting a breather yesterday as well.

For Seattle, they’re sending their own veteran to the mound in Luis Castillo. The 10-year vet has been a reliable arm atop the Mariners’ starting rotation for years now but is perhaps beginning to show signs of falling off. The righty is having by far his worst statistical season to date as he’s consistently gotten hit hard in all of his outings. That, plus the Mariners’ deep and young rotation options, caused the M’s to reconsider his stance as one of the team’s five starting pitchers but they’re planning to stick with him for a little while longer. The A’s could push up that decision up with a big showing on offense against Castillo.

And the Mariners’ starting lineup this evening:

The A’s maintain a 2.5 game lead over the Mariners in the AL West. One win guarantees us remaining there through the series but the team should be aiming higher for a series win or possible sweep. One game at a time though. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:

Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast

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Dodgers on Deck: Tuesday, May 26 vs. Rockies

MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 23: Eric Lauer #33 of the Los Angeles Dodgers smiles on the field prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Saturday, May 23, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Aaron Gash/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Eric Lauer will make his Dodgers debut by starting against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers acquired the veteran left-hander from the Toronto Blue Jays on May 17.

It’s a battle of southpaws on the mound, with Kyle Freeland starting the middle game of the series for Colorado.

Tuesday game info
  • Teams: Dodgers vs. Rockies
  • Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
  • Time: 7:10 p.m.
  • TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
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Chet Holmgren Named to All-NBA Third Team

May 24, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) shoots a free throw in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game four of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren was among the 15 names listed on an All-NBA Team. He just barely made the cusp, receiving exactly the 15th-most votes at 87.

The lanky challenger at the rim is also coming off an NBA All-Star and All-Defensive First Team appearance for the first time in his career.

He’s on the chase for a second-straight NBA championship against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, tied at two games each. Holmgren became only the fourth Zag to win an NBA title last summer (Los Angeles Lakers’ Adam Morrison in 2009 and 2010, Miami Heat’s Ronny Turiaf in 2012, and San Antonio Spurs’ Austin Daye in 2014).

Through 69 starts for the Thunder, the 7-1 talent averaged 17.1 points on a shooting split of 55.7 percent from the field, 36.2 percent on three-pointers, and 79.2 percent at the charity stripe. His 8.9 rebounds per game rank tied for No. 11 in the NBA, while his 1.9 blocks per game are tied for No. 2. Most importantly, the world’s up-and-coming basketball star listed a defensive rating of 104.1.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho

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Gregg Popovich tore into Spurs, lit fire under them after Game 3, 'That's not how we play basketball'

Gregg Popovich has been around the San Antonio Spurs all season, talking to players at practices, offering advice, and being the wise elder statesman that he is.

However, he is no longer the coach, so he had not entered the team's locker room postgame all season long... until after Game 3. That ugly loss changed things and Popovich lit a fire under the team, De'Aaron Fox told the Showtime crew in NBC after the Spurs bounced back in Game 3.
“Pop's been around throughout the course of the season, but that was the first time he walked into the locker room. And it was like, 'Nah, that BS. That's not how we play basketball.' And obviously he had some choice words for us. That was the first time all season he came into the locker room right after the game and told us how he felt — and everybody felt that. Mitch (Johnson, Spurs coach), B-Wright (Brian Wright, Spurs GM) was in there, all the players down to the staff. And that was the first time I seen that. Everybody was in there, trainers, everybody’s in there. We close the doors, we don’t let anybody know what’s going on in there. We open that door, we see Pop come in, and it’s like, ‘Awwww.'”

Whatever Popovich said worked. Well, that along with a monster game from Victor Wembanyama plus some really smart defensive adjustments.

The Spurs and Thunder are tied 2-2, but it feels like San Antonio has the momentum as the series shifts back to Oklahoma City for a critical Game 5 on Tuesday night, which tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET and you can watch on NBC or stream on Peacock.

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Corey Seager still on IL and not doing actual baseball activities for Texas while Jung out again

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager still had not resumed actual baseball activities Monday, the day that he could have been eligible to return from the injured list because of lower back inflammation.

Manager Skip Schumaker said the two-time World Series MVP went through some drills before the series opener against Houston but was “still probably a few days away” from batting practice or taking groundballs. Seager was mired in a career-worst 0-for-27 slump when put on the 10-day IL.

Seager wasn’t in the Rangers clubhouse when it was opened to reporters before the game.

Third baseman Josh Jung was out of the starting lineup for the second game in a row since banging his left shoulder hard on a diving defensive play Saturday. An MRI on Monday showed no significant issues in his non-throwing shoulder.

Jung tore the labrum in that shoulder during a weightlifting session just before the start of spring training in February 2022, seven months before his big league debut. He said he hadn’t felt any pain in that shoulder since then, which is was what concerned him.

Jung took some swings off the tee and went through his usual defensive routine Monday.

“I had zero range of motion left when I tore my labrum the first time,” he said. “I couldn’t lift my arm. I have full range of motion, and strength has been pretty good.”

Seager’s scratch and slump

The Rangers scratched a planned live batting practice session for Seager on Saturday, a day after he had jogged on the field and hit in the cage.

“I don’t know if it’s a setback,” Schumaker said. “I just think it hasn’t recovered as fast as we hoped for it.”

The 32-year-old Seager started 42 of the Rangers’ first 43 games, and said before the IL stint that physically he felt “completely fine.” He was hitless over his last seven games while playing 24 in a row over 27 days after his only previous game off April 16.

“We were monitoring and talking with him every day. ... I don’t think that was part of the deal,” Schumaker said. “He’s trying to get out of the slump that he was in. So I think there’s a lot of swings, and a dive up the middle, and I think all of it just kind of caught up to him a little bit.”

Seager last played May 13 at home against Arizona. Texas then had an off day and Seager was getting an extended break not playing in the series opener at Houston on May 15 before waking up with back spasms.

“So ironic that it was literally on the off day in Houston, and then here we are,” Schumaker said.

Seager has seven homers and 20 RBIs while hitting .179 — that average ranked 165th out of 170 qualified MLB hitters going into Monday’s game. In the fifth season of a $325 million, 10-year deal, Seager has 28 hits, 22 walks and 50 strikeouts in 182 plate appearances.

Langford and Smith updates

Left fielder Wyatt Langford, out since April 22 because of a right forearm strain, took BP in the cage Monday. If he continues to progress without any issues, he could take live BP and run bases by Friday and potentially begin rehab games next weekend.

Second baseman Josh Smith, after being hospitalized to be treated for viral meningitis, could be back at the ballpark in the next couple of days, according to Schumaker.

Smith was recovering from a right glute strain when he started feeling ill and was hospitalized. He hasn’t be around the team in nearly two weeks.