Juan Soto now has even more to smile about, as the Mets’ star was named the National League Player of the Month for June.
Soto tore the cover off the ball last month, slashing .322/.474/.722 with 11 home runs, 20 RBI, 25 walks, and 25 runs scored. Soto's 11 home runs tied for the most he’s ever hit in a single month, as he matched that total in August 2020 with the Washington Nationals.
He also joined Darryl Strawberry (May 1987) as the second Met with 10-plus home runs and 20-plus walks in a calendar month.
It’s well documented that Soto’s Mets tenure got off to a slow start, by his own ridiculously high standards, as he hit .241 in March/April and .219 in May, but the superstar has rounded back into form, and is now pushing to make his fifth All-Star team, posting a 157 OPS+ on the season.
Soto and the Mets will look to keep things moving in the right direction on Thursday night, when they go for a series win over the Milwaukee Brewers before welcoming the Yankees to Citi Field this weekend.
A couple of days ago a Rangers fan posted a notice on X/Twitter accompanied by a photo of Russian offensive ace Maxim Shabanov.
"Are we getting him next?" was the text message. It was clear to the Blueshirts' loyalist that Shabanov would look good on Seventh Avenue.
Well, the fact of the matter is that Shabanov will look good, but skating for the New York
Islanders who signed him – and not the Rangers.
We all know that the New York-New York rivalry dates back to 1972, when the Islanders were born, but it's taking on a new form this summer. And for a good reason since both clubs are desperate to rebuild.
The race to sign Shabanov is Exhibit A.
"These two teams are battling each other," says The Old Scout, "because they both missed the playoffs and don't want to do it again. At the least, they want a Wild Card berth."
Both teams are set in goal but the Rangers admittedly are fortifying their blue line corps. K'Andre Miller had become defensive debit so GM Chris Drury signed the veteran Slava Gavrikov.
The Islanders lost Mike Reilly – also, like Miller, to Carolina – and might replace him with their number one Draft pick Matthew Schaefer. But that's only a "might."
"Rushing Schaefer to the NHL right from Junior hockey could be a mistake," adds The Old Scout, "but if the kid has the goods then he might work as a longshot gamble."
The Islanders missed the playoffs – one point behind the Rangers – in the Wildcard race. Now both New York clubs have two more months to lift themselves to playoff calibre for the 2025-26 campaign.
And wouldn't it be something if both made it. Even better; if both made it and faced each other in the 2026 playoffs!
The Warriors’ tug-of-war leverage battle with restricted free-agent forward Jonathan Kuminga is on. And ESPN’s Tim Legler explained why Golden State needs the 22-year-old swingman more than he needs it on Wednesday’s edition of “NBA Today.”
“I think personally, at this point, the Warriors need Jonathan Kuminga more than he needs them,” Legler said. “Where are the athletes on this team? He does represent an athletic wing. The guy does have something, from a skill standpoint and a physical standpoint, [that] they don’t have on their roster.”
Kuminga is that youthful high-flyer that Golden State doesn’t have, as it sports one of the league’s older rosters centered around 37-year-old Steph Curry, 35-year-old Jimmy Butler and 35-year-old Draymond Green. But at the same time, the shaky Kuminga experiment would be entering a fifth season if the Warriors were to strike a deal with their No. 7 overall selection from the 2021 NBA Draft, and so far, it’s been rough.
At the end of the 2024-25 NBA season, Kuminga’s averages fell to 20.8 minutes, 12.2 points and 3.9 rebounds over the 15 regular-season games he played in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation after Butler’s arrival. The six-time NBA All-Star forward doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, making Kuminga — an inconsistent shooter as of now — an odd fit in the Bay.
“I understand … they wish he was a little bit more locked in defensively with his concentration; they wish he was a little bit more consistent with his rebounding effort. I get all of that,” Legler said. “The guy has played almost 6,000 minutes for the Golden State Warriors, and he’s still auditioning.
“I think, at some point, you need to come to the realization that it’s not going to happen for him in Golden State. And guess what? It might not happen somewhere else, either. But I think, Jonathan Kuminga, to find out, I think he needs to go somewhere where he doesn’t have such cynicism looking at him all the time, waiting for the bad habits … so he can go back to the bench.”
Kuminga definitely has played under heavy pressure from the Warriors organization and Dub Nation. Tensions only are heightened as the clock ticks on the aging franchise’s championship window, especially after Golden State appeared to be a serious contender before Curry’s hamstring injury against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the 2025 Western Conference playoffs.
What the Warriors and Kuminga decide to do is unknown. But at the very least, their dynamic is awkward. A change of scenery might be best for Kuminga’s career and Golden State’s future. Or not.
Legler reiterated that the end game between the two parties remains complex.
“They need him. They need the physical specimen that he is,” Legler said. “He needs a fresh start somewhere else to see what this guy could actually become in this league.”
It is no surprise that the Warriors are engaged in sign-and-trade talks over deals involving Kuminga, as reported by NBC Sports Bay Area’s Tristi Rodriguez.
SACRAMENTO – Nique Clifford’s versatility on both ends of the court and his ability to play multiple positions were primary factors behind the Kings’ decision to trade into the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft to select the 6-foot-5 guard with the No. 24 overall pick.
With free agency looming around the corner, the Kings still have a pressing need to find a full-time point guard. Veteran Dennis Schroder reportedly intends to sign a three-year, $45 million contract with Sacramento. Though the deal can’t be made official until Sunday, during Thursday’s press conference at Golden 1 Center, Clifford unknowingly made it sound like a deal between the sides is done.
Regardless, Sacramento’s newest prized rookie says he’s more than willing to play the point if that’s what is necessary.
“Whatever my role is, whatever coach sees me as and throws me into, I feel like I can go do it at a high level,” Clifford said Thursday during his introductory press conference at Golden 1 Center. “I want to contribute to winning, that’s my ultimate goal. Whatever that looks like, [I] just have to approach every single day as an opportunity to get better and learn from all of the knowledge and guys I have around me.”
Clifford played point guard for much of his early years in basketball before, according to his mother Angel, he underwent a growth spurt that altered how teams used him.
He was the nation’s 13th-best rebounder last season, averaging 9.6 boards a game despite often being out-sized in the paint by 4-5 inches. Offensively, Clifford put up averages of 18.9 points and 4.4 assists.
“Nique is a very talented and versatile basketball player. That’s what attracted us to him,” First-year Kings general manager Scott Perry said. “He can play multiple positions in this game on the perimeter, not only on the offensive end, but he gives you that defensive versatility too. We really believe he’s going to be able to match up just about anywhere on the perimeter from a defensive standpoint.
“He has improved each year that he’s been in college basketball. That is an important trait that we look for when we evaluate talent coming out of (the) collegiate ranks.”
Clifford and the Kings’ 2025 second-round draft pick, center Maxime Raynaud, were formally introduced during Thursday’s press conference. The event was attended by friends and family members of the two newcomers, along with several team employees who frequently cheered and made the event more light-hearted.
Beyond the iced-out “Clifford the Big Red Dog” pendant that dangled from his neck, Clifford seemed to be in a more serious mood.
He might even have tipped the Kings’ plans for the upcoming free agency period.
“Just excited for the opportunity to learn from even guys coming in, like Dennis Schroeder and different teammates that I’m going to have,” Clifford said. “I’m going to be able to learn from those guys and get more comfortable in every position.
“It’s just finding my way, finding any way, to impact the game, whether that’s defense, rebounding, knocking down shots when I get them. Just trying to be impactful every time I step on the court.”
Even if he has to play point guard every now and then.
They also have an unfortunate habit of playing like Little Leaguers.
The latest example of Boston’s defensive ineptitude came in the eighth inning of their series finale against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. With the bases loaded and one out, TJ Friedl hit a chopper to Trevor Story, who couldn’t field the ball cleanly. Second baseman Marcelo Mayer tracked down the misplayed ball and threw to third base — where Christian Encarnacion-Strand had already rounded and was headed for home.
Third baseman Abraham Toro received Mayer’s throw and tried to tag a runner who wasn’t there, then threw home too late to nab Encarnacion-Strand — which allowed Santiago Espinal to advance to third base after Connor Wong’s throw didn’t arrive in time.
Watch the play below (at the 10:55 mark) if you’d like your blood pressure to rise:
The botched play was the final nail in the coffin of Boston’s 8-4 loss, which also featured Romy Gonzalez getting thrown out at third base trying to stretch a double to a triple with zero outs in a one-run game. The Red Sox allowed four unearned runs on two errors Wednesday night and currently have nine more errors (72) than the next-closest American League team.
Unfortunately, sloppy fielding isn’t just a 2025 issue for Boston. The Red Sox led the AL in errors in both 2023 and 2024, and their 289 errors since the start of the 2023 campaign are the most in baseball by a wide margin. (The Miami Marlins are second with 257.)
“It’s been a systemic thing for a long time,” Kennedy replied. “And that’s on us. That’s on everybody in the organization.
“It’s not acceptable to be out there at the Major League level and making fundamental mistakes. If you do that in the big leagues, if you give away outs, you’re going to be in trouble. So yes, we need to improve. Full stop.”
The Red Sox appeared to be turning the corner in mid-June after sweeping the New York Yankees to earn their seventh win in eight games. But after their stunning decision to trade Rafael Devers on June 15, they’ve gone just 5-9, including a six-game losing streak highlighted by several costly miscues in the field.
Add it all up, and you have a team that ranks third in the AL in runs scored and eighth in team ERA but enters Thursday three games out of a Wild Card spot at 43-45.
“If you look back at the season, there’s been a lot of those that have slipped through our hands,” manager Alex Cora said after Wednesday’s game. “Honestly, we’re in the position we are because of that.”
Some of Boston’s struggles with “the basics” can be attributed to throwing rookies like Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony into the fire. But the Red Sox’ mistakes aren’t limited to their young players; Story, Alex Bregman, Abraham Toro and Jarren Duran have all been thrown out trying to advance on the bases this season, while 13 different players have committed three errors or more.
How the Red Sox go about solving their “systemic” issue with fundamentals remains to be seen. But if this team misses the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, don’t be surprised if changes are made on both the minor-league and major-league level this winter.
Jonathan Kuminga’s future with the Warriors is complicated and uncertain, but Udonis Haslem believes the solution actually is quite simple.
The three-time NBA champion and ESPN analyst, like the rest of the NBA world, discussed Kuminga’s situation with Golden State on Wednesday’s edition of “NBA Today.” Haslem was asked what Kuminga, who is a restricted free agent, should want as he emerges into uncharted territory.
“He should want to go be his best version, and I don’t think that’s going to happen in Golden State,” Haslem said. “And it’s nothing against Golden State, it’s nothing against Kuminga. It’s just not a good fit. Especially when you got a guy like Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler’s a damn good basketball player. He needs the ball in his hands. He’s going to make other guys better. He’s going to defend on the other end. His basketball IQ is out of the roof.”
When the Warriors first acquired Butler at the trade deadline in February, they had hoped the six-time All-Star and Kuminga would thrive off of each other on the court together.
“And I think that’s where [Butler] gets the edge with Kuminga,” Haslem said. “If you put him in the game, you put him with Steph [Curry], you put him with those other guys and you don’t miss a beat. You put Kuminga in and it’s a little bit of a standstill offensively. He gets the ball in his hands, he wants to do his thing. So, Jonathan Kuminga should look for a situation or opportunity to be his best version. It is his time, and he should not feel bad about that at all.
“Oftentimes, we make guys feel bad for wanting to step into that light and be their best version. I don’t think he should feel bad about this. He’s played the game. He’s been in Golden State long enough. He’s a damn good basketball player. It’s his time to shine and he wants his opportunity, and I don’t blame him.”
The Warriors extended a $7.9 million qualifying offer to Kuminga, making him a restricted free agent. This means if he receives an offer from another team, the Warriors can either choose to match that offer and retain him or decline to match it and let him sign with the other team.
They also can explore a sign-and-trade scenario, which a source confirmed to NBC Sports California on Wednesday is being discussed with the Kings and Pistons that would send second-year guard Devin Carter and big man Dario Saric to Golden State, Kuminga to Sacramento and high-flying guard Malik Monk to Detroit.
The possibilities are limitless, but it appears more and more likely that Kuminga’s time in the Bay is nearing an end.
Australian beats France’s Arthur Cazaux 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0
No 1 says grass tournament is like a ‘second home slam’
Alex de Minaur has been left relieved to blast back from being a set down and avoid joining the legion of seeds who have already been scattered at this shock-laden Wimbledon.
In perfect sunny conditions on Thursday morning, Australia’s big hope brushed off a woeful first set against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux before regrouping, asserting his superiority and eventually prevailing 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 to ease into the third round again.
The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't yet made any big splashes in this summer's UFA pool. Their most notable move was signing former Montreal Canadiens checking-line forward Michael Pezzetta to a two-year deal.
Meanwhile, their most notable trade was the sign-and-trade deal that sent right winger Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights on June 30 for Nicolas Roy.
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic believes Marner's departure leaves the Leafs in need of a top-six forward. He suggested they add either a right winger to skate alongside Auston Matthews or John Tavares, or a center who could push Tavares to the wing or centering the third line.
This year's thin free-agent market is tapped out of prime scoring talent. Sportsnet's Luke Fox thinks GM Brad Treliving will turn to the trade market for a bona fide top-six forward.
The Hockey News’ David Alter observed that the Maple Leafs have over $4.9 million in cap space for this season. He suggested Treliving could weaponize that space later this summer, targeting cap-strapped teams to acquire a player the Leafs need.
Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun shares that opinion. He felt Treliving could draw on his glut of affordable bottom-six forwards for trade chips.
That could include Nick Robertson, an RFA with arbitration rights. The 23-year-old left winger created a stir last summer when he requested a trade, only to sign a one-year deal a week before training camp opened last September.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens have been active in the off-season trade market. Less than a week after their bombshell acquisition of defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders last Friday, they shipped blueliner Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues for middle-six forward Zack Bolduc.
Both moves received positive reviews, but failed to address their pressing need for a second-line center. They must also cope with the departures of veteran forwards Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak.
Arpon Basu of The Athletic believes Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is willing to look within the organization to address that issue in the short term. Sportsnet's Eric Engels thinks their best option would be to try Kirby Dach in the second-line center role.
Engels acknowledged that the oft-injured Dach struggled last season before undergoing knee surgery. However, he didn't have wingers like Bolduc and Ivan Demidov as potential linemates.
Following the acquisition of Dobson, there was speculation that Mike Matheson might be used as a trade chip for a second-line center or winger. The 31-year-old puck-moving defenseman is a year away from UFA eligibility, but Hughes told reporters he's not moving him, citing the big minutes he played last season.
The Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw follows through on the pitch that struck out Vinny Capra of the Chicago White Sox for Kershaw's 3,000th career strikeout. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
It wasn’t so much the culmination of a career as it was another signpost pointing the way to the Hall of Fame.
It certainly wasn’t the last pitch Clayton Kershaw will ever throw for the Dodgers, but it will likely be among the most memorable.
Because when Chicago White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra took a 1-and-2 slider for a strike to end the sixth inning Wednesday night, Kershaw became just the 20th pitcher in major league history to record 3,000 strikeouts.
More people have flown to the moon than have struck out 3,000 major league hitters. And for Kershaw, who has been chasing history since he threw his first big-league pitch as a skinny 20-year-old, entering such an elite club will be a big piece of his legacy.
Only now he has the wisdom and the grace to realize it was never about him in the first place.
“It's an incredible list. I'm super, super grateful to be a part of it,” Kershaw said. “But if you don't have anybody to celebrate with, it just doesn't matter.”
Kershaw would know since he’s one of the most decorated players in history. Twice a 20-game winner, a five-time ERA champion and two-time world champion, he’s won three Cy Young Awards, was a league MVP and is a 10-time All-Star.
“The individual stuff,” he repeated, “is only as important as the people around you.”
So while Kershaw stood out when he reached the 3K milestone on the 100th and final pitch he threw in the Dodgers’ 5-4 win, he refused to stand apart, pausing on his way off the field to point at his family sitting in their usual seats in the front row of the loge section. He then accepted hugs from teammates Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández.
But he saved his warmest embrace for manager Dave Roberts, who bounded up the dugout steps to greet him.
“We've been through a lot together,” said Roberts, who has guided Kershaw through doubts and disappointments, through high points and lows in their 10 years together.
“I'm one of the few people in uniform that has been through them,” Roberts said. “That was kind of what the embrace was.”
Kershaw, 37, is just the fourth left-hander to reach 3,000 strikeouts but more important, he said, is the fact he’s just the second in a century, after Bob Gibson, to do it with the same team. No pitcher, in fact, has spent more years in a Dodger uniform that Kershaw.
“I don't know if I put a ton of stock in being with one team early on,” he said. “Over time you get older and appreciate one organization a little bit more. Doc [Roberts] stuck with me, too. It hasn't been all roses, I know that.
“So there's just a lot of mutual respect and I'm super grateful now, looking back, to get to say that I spent my whole career here. And I will spend my whole career here.”
Kershaw struck out the first batter he faced in his Dodgers debut 18 years ago, getting the Cardinals’ Skip Schumaker to wave at a 1-and-2 pitch. It was the first of three strikeouts he would record in his first big-league inning. So even from the start, the K in Kershaw — the scorebook symbol for a strikeout — stood out more than than the rest of the name.
In between Schumaker and Capra, Kershaw fanned nearly 1,000 different hitters, from CJ Abrams and Bobby Abreu to Ryan Zimmerman and Barry Zito.
He’s struck out (Jason) Castro and (Buddy) Kennedy, Elvis (Andrus) and (Alex) Presley and (Billy) Hamilton and (Alex) Jackson. He’s whiffed (Scott) Cousins and brothers (Bengie and Yadier Molina), a (Chin-lung) Hu and a Yu (Darvish), a Cook (Aaron) and a (Jeff) Baker as well as a Trout (Mike) and multiple Marlins (Miami).
Former Giant Brandon Belt was Kershaw’s most frequent victim, striking out 30 times in 62 at-bats. Fewer than 50 batters have faced him at least five times without striking out, according to Baseball Reference.
Along the way Kershaw’s unique windup, the right knee pausing as he lifts both hands just above his cap, has become an instantly recognizable silhouette for a generation of Dodgers fans.
There’s only one other left-hander in team history that can compare with Kershaw, yet he and Sandy Koufax are so different the comparisons are more contrasts than anything.
Kershaw has been brilliant over the entirety of his 18-year career, winning 10 or more games 12 times. He’s never finished a season with a losing record and his career ERA of 2.52 is the lowest of the last 105 years for pitchers who have thrown at least 1,500 innings. Even at 37, he’s unbeaten in four decisions.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw walks off the mound after recording his 3,000th career strikeout as right fielder Andy Pages, left, and first baseman Freddie Freeman, right, react behind him. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Koufax was 36-40 with an ERA above 4.00 through his first six seasons. And while Koufax’s career was ended by injury before his 31st birthday, Kershaw has pushed through repeated problems with his back, shoulder, knee, toe, elbow, pelvis and forearm.
Only Don Sutton has won more games in a Dodger uniform than the 216 that belong to Kershaw, who will soon be enshrined next to Koufax and Sutton in the Hall of Fame.
“Early on they were talking about this next Sandy Koufax guy, this big left-hander. Really didn't have an idea where the ball was going, but pretty special,” said Roberts, who retired as a player after Kershaw’s rookie season. “It's much better to be wearing the same uniform as him.”
But Roberts has seen the other side, when the young promise gives way to pitfalls. He’s seen Kershaw battle so many injuries, he’s spent nearly as much time on the injured list as in the rotation over the last five seasons. Alongside the brilliance, he’s seen the uncertainty.
So with Kershaw approaching history Wednesday, Roberts loosened the leash, letting him go back to the mound for the sixth inning despite having thrown 92 pitches, his most in more than two years.
“I wanted to give Clayton every opportunity,” he said. “You could see the emotion that he had today, trying to get that third strike. But I think it just happened the way it's supposed to happen, in the sense that it was the third out [and] we got a chance to really celebrate him.”
Each time Kershaw got to two strikes, something he did to 15 of the 27 hitters he faced, “I said a few Hail Marys,” Roberts said.
“It's the last box for Clayton to check in his tremendous career,” he added, saying he doubted many more pitchers will ever reach 3,000 strikeouts. “You’ve got to stay healthy, you’ve got to be good early in your career, you’ve got to be good for a long time.”
That, Roberts said, was behind the second long hug he and his pitcher shared in the dugout Wednesday night as a highlight reel of Kershaw’s career played on the video boards above both outfield pavilions. The sellout crowd, which had long been on its feet, continuing cheering, eventually drawing Kershaw back out onto the field to doff his cap in appreciation.
“That ovation,” he said, “was something that I'll never forget, for sure.”
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw tips his cap while walking off the field after tossing his 3,000th career strikeout against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Fernando Urquiza screamed himself hoarse, slapping palms with strangers on the field level of Dodger Stadium. He’d waited six innings — each on the very edge of his seat. He refreshed flight options to Milwaukee in case Clayton Kershaw made him wait until his next start for strikeout No. 3,000.
Roderick Abram, a die-hard New York Yankees fan celebrating his 40th birthday, rejoiced when Kershaw reached the strikeout milestone. In enemy pinstripes, his team allegiance wavered long enough to clap for a man he often hopes gets shelled — particularly in the Bronx — but not on Wednesday night.
Kershaw's historic game wasn’t necessarily a vintage outing, but to his dearest fans, that only deepened the meaning.
The Chicago White Sox didn’t make it easy for Kershaw. He labored. He gave up runs. It seemed he might fall one short of the three strikeouts he needed. And still, he managed to finally become the 20th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,000 strikeouts.
“Building the emotion and building it up to what it came to be,” said Urquiza, who has attended Dodger games for 38 years. “But Clayton Kershaw pitching, it wouldn’t have happened any other way than to be an emotional outcome.”
As Kershaw wrapped the fifth with just two strikeouts, the mood at Dodger Stadium tightened. Phones rose with each windup, fans stood between pitches and that rare postseason stillness crept in, nearly three months early.
And though some considered leaving early to beat traffic and others weighed booking Milwaukee flights, it didn’t seem as though hope fled Dodger Stadium.
“I know it took a little bit longer for him to get it, but I knew he was going to get it, and that’s why they kept him in. And he wanted it bad, and he got it,” said 34-year-old barber Steven Moreno, who said he “wouldn’t have missed the game for the world.”
Back in 2008, Daniel Palomera brought his kids to watch Greg Maddux pitch. Instead, a baby-faced 20-year-old with a towering leg kick took the mound.
A young fan holds a sign with the number "3,000" on the night Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw recorded his 3,000th career strikeout. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
Palomera saw the early days of Kershaw's career 17 years ago and returned Wednesday for what could be one of his last major milestones.
“Two years ago, I didn’t think he was gonna make it,” Palomera said. “And last year, I thought he might have thought of retiring with all the injuries, but him coming back just makes it that much more special. He’s getting to do it here — that’s really special."
Jeremy Wasser stood a few rows behind home plate in a sky blue Kershaw Foundation T-shirt. He tilted his head back and paused for a moment when asked about Kershaw’s legacy.
“To see him be as successful as he’s been, as consistently great as he’s been, he’s represented the city and represented the team with class and with character,” Wasser said. “And the combination of that character and his performance on the field is an extraordinary achievement.”
Kershaw's accompliment will forever be known as a major milestone in Dodgers history, but it meant more than a statistic to the fans who gave the loyal veteran pitcher a six-minute standing ovation.
“The way he cares and treats his own teammates like family," Moreno said. "He's made this organization like a family."
When the Ottawa Senators selected Shane Pinto 32nd overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, some Sens fans raised an eyebrow or two, wondering if Hamilton Bulldogs winger Arthur Kaliyev might have been the better choice. Kaliyev had just put up a 51-goal OHL season, and ended up being chosen by the LA Kings with the very next pick after Pinto.
Needless to say, over the past six years, Pinto has firmly established himself as the better NHL player, leaving Kaliyev in the dust in both development and impact. So that discussion has been dead for a few seasons now.
Under Staios and team owner Michael Andlauer, Kaliyev helped the Bulldogs capture the OHL championship in 2018, then scored 95 goals over the next two seasons. But at the NHL level, his skating and defense have both been an issue. But few people would argue one thing: His slap shot and one-timer are both fierce. Unfortunately for the player, that hasn't translated to NHL success.
On Wednesday, the Senators announced that Kaliyev was one of five players signed to a two-way contract to help out Belleville and add some NHL depth in the event of injury. Along with rejoining Staios and Andlauer in Ottawa, Kaliyev might also be able to recreate some of the junior magic in Belleville with his former OHL teammate, Jan Jenik, who received a qualifying offer from the Senators but remains a restricted free agent.
Kaliyev last played in March against the Winnipeg Jets when he suffered a season-ending upper-body injury. To that point, he had four points in 14 games for the Rangers after being claimed off waivers by the Kings in January. Prior to being claimed, Kaliyev had missed the entire Kings' season to that point, reportedly fracturing his clavicle during Day 2 of training camp.
For Kaliyev, the move offers a fresh start among familiar faces who still believe in him and have seen firsthand what he's capable of. At this point in his career trajectory, there's probably no better landing spot for him than this organization. For the Sens, it really doesn't cost them anything to see if there's still an NHL player in there. At the very least, he'll help in Belleville.
Speaking of which...
Other Signings
In addition to Kaliyev, the Senators also signed forwards Hayden Hodgson, Wyatt Bongiovanni, Olle Lycksell, and goaltender Hunter Shepard to two-way deals.
Hunter Shepard joins the Senators after playing 39 games for the Hershey Bears (AHL) last season, finishing with a 23-11-4 record, a 2.80 goals-against average, and a .891 save percentage. Over 118 AHL games, Shepard has a crazy 78-26-12 record with a 2.22 GAA and .914 SV%. He also appeared in five NHL games for the Washington Capitals, posting a 2-2-1 record.
Wyatt Bongiovanni returns after a solid season in Belleville, where he scored 22 goals and 11 assists for 33 points in 54 games, tying for the team lead in goals. Originally acquired from the Winnipeg Jets in March 2024, Bongiovanni has 76 points (51 goals) in 161 career AHL games.
Olle Lycksell split his 2024–25 season between the Philadelphia Flyers and their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 25-year-old had five assists in 19 NHL games, while posting 19 goals and 25 assists in 43 AHL games. Lycksell has 128 points in 134 career AHL games, along with 11 points in 45 NHL appearances.
Hayden Hodgson is a big body at 6-foot-two, 221 pounds, known for his forecheck and physical play. He played two games for Ottawa and 43 in Belleville, where he put up 11 points and 156 penalty minutes for the B-Sens.
To date, the biggest signing the Anaheim Ducks have made this offseason has been the addition of unrestricted free agent forward Mikael Granlund.
The Ducks have made some organizational depth moves in the last two days, however, inking four players to AHL contracts to play for the San Diego Gulls.
On July 1, the Gulls announced they’d signed forward Judd Caulfield and defenseman Will Francis to standard player contracts.
On July 2, they announced they’d added forward Matthew Phillips and defenseman Nikolas Brouillard, both on standard player contracts.
Of these four signings, the clear feel-good story is that of Will Francis. Five years and three battles against acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Francis is now officially living out his dream of playing hockey professionally.
“It was super special,” Francis said after signing his deal. “It’s something that I’ve worked toward ever since I was drafted into the organization. They’ve been first class to me, and it’s just a great feeling, and I got to celebrate it at home with my family.”
Francis (24) was drafted in the sixth round by Anaheim (163rd overall in 2019) six years ago from the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL. He didn’t play any hockey during recovery in 2020-21 and, with two more diagnoses, only played a total of 39 games during his four-year NCAA career with the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Francis made his AHL debut with the Gulls in April, playing three games at the end of the 2024-25 season on an amateur tryout.
“The biggest thing is just never stop believing in yourself,” Francis said. “To accomplish anything you want to accomplish in life, you've just got to start with that belief. I'd say that's something that's going to stick with me the rest of my life.”
Though four months younger than Francis, Caulfield (24) is an AHL veteran at this point in his career, having played 133 games for the Gulls over three seasons. He’s tallied 51 points (21-30=51) in that time, playing a versatile role up and down the lineup. Caulfield was a former fifth-round draft pick (145th in ’19) of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Phillips (27) is a slight winger (5-foot-8, 161 pounds) who’s been productive at every level of hockey at which he’s played except the NHL. He’s a nine-year veteran of the AHL and has totaled 300 points (124-176=300) in 339 games. He’s a former sixth-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames (166th in ’16) and has scored five points (1-4=5) in 34 games at the NHL level.
Brouillard (30) will return to San Diego for his second stint in his career with the Gulls. He played 167 games over three seasons with the Gulls from 2020 to 2023. He spent the previous two seasons with the Hartford Wolfpack in 2023-24 and the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2024-25.
These four players will look to provide a stable and nurturing environment for a young Gulls team in 2025-26 that will consist of budding talents like Nathan Gaucher, Stian Solberg, Yegor Sidorov, and Nico Myatovic, among others.
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It's Thursday, July 3 and the Royals (40-47) are in Seattle to take on the Mariners (45-41). Seth Lugo is slated to take the mound for Kansas City against Bryan Woo for Seattle.
Seattle took game 3 of the series, 3-2, to go up 2-1 over Kansas City with the final meeting on deck. The Royals are in a slump right now with a 2-9 record over the past 11 games compared to the 3-1 record for the Mariners in the last four and 7-4 mark in the previous 11.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Royals at Mariners
Date: Thursday, July 3, 2025
Time: 10:10PM EST
Site: T-Mobile Park
City: Seattle, WA
Network/Streaming: FDSNKC, RSNW
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Royals at the Mariners
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Royals (+130), Mariners (-156)
Spread: Mariners -1.5
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Royals at Mariners
Pitching matchup for July 3, 2025: Seth Lugo vs. Bryan Woo
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Royals and the Mariners
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s game between the Royals and the Mariners:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Seattle Mariners on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Kansas City Royals at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Royals at Mariners
The Royals have lost 8 of their last 10 games
The Under is 37-22-1 in the Royals' matchups against American League teams this season
Kansas City is 2-9 in the last 11 games, while Seattle is 7-4 in the past 11
The Mariners are 9-7 when Woo pitches this season
The Royals are 7-8 when Lugo pitches this season
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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