The Buffalo Sabres will begin their final homestand of the regular season against the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, with milestones on the line for both sides. The Leafs have an opportunity to win the Atlantic Division for the first time and for winger Mitch Marner to reach the 100-point mark, while on the Sabres side they will have another chance to notch head coach Lindy Ruff’s 900th career victory.
The Sabres held a brief morning skate on Tuesday without center Beck Malenstyn and defenseman Owen Power. Malenstyn took a shot up high against the Florida Panthers on Saturday, and his absence will require a call up from AHL Rochester to fill in on the fourth line. Power’s injury is feared to be more serious and could be long-term.
"It looks to be (a serious injury), so we don't really have a time frame yet. We'll have more information for a follow-up today or in the next couple days," Ruff said. "I don't know if I should say month to month, but he would be listed week to week, but that's just me kind of speculating. He'd be out for some period of time."
Power left Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Panthers in the second period after defenseman Mattias Samuelsson knocked Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe into the Sabres blueliner, rolling up on his left leg. While Ruff did not indicate any specifics on the injury, there is a fear of it being long-term, which would mean that the former #1 overall pick would be spending most or all of the upcoming offseason rehabilitating it.
"He's such a big piece of the team, and obviously, he's continuing to grow his game and develop," Sabres forward Tage Thompson said. "I guess the silver lining is it's an injury that's happened going into the summer, and he'll have time to rehab it and rest it, get ready for the upcoming season and come back stronger......It's obviously tough to see anyone get injured, and I definitely feel for him right now, but having gone through injuries myself, especially ones where you're out a little bit longer, it's sometimes gonna be a blessing. This could be something that really helps him."
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The NHL announced every team’s King Clancy Trophy nominee for the 2024-25 season.
This award goes “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Each team nominated a player.
The King Clancy Trophy will be voted on by a committee made up of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman as well as previous King Clancy winners and those who received the historic NHL Foundation Player Award. The committee will consider how a nominee positively benefits his community with inspiration, involvement and impact.
The player with the most votes will earn $25,000 to donate to any charity or charities they wish. Also, the winner can choose to have their team get up to $20,000 from the NHL to support an event for their humanitarian cause.
Since the award was introduced in 1988, an Islanders player has won the King Clancy Trophy three times. The Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks have also taken the award home on three occasions. The Calgary Flames have won the King Clancy four times, the most of any team in the league. Their last winner was captain Mikael Backlund in 2022-23.
BUFFALO — The Toronto Maple Leafs will reward Max Domi with a second look alongside John Tavares and William Nylander as the club visits the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Tuesday.
Domi picked up a pair of assists in the third period while skating on Toronto's second line in the Maple Leafs' 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday and head coach Craig Berube hopes the forward's spring brings the right dynamic as they look to solidify their playoff roster.
"I wanted a little more speed in that line. They ended up getting a couple goals that line for us, but just the speed and his playmaking ability," Berube said of the change. (He) made some nice plays. Made two good plays. We scored two goals off it. I thought he did a good job.
"He's obviously a versatile player for us. (He) plays center, plays wing. He provides speed and ability to make plays."
The Maple Leafs need one point in their next two games to clinch first place in the Atlantic Division. With home-ice advantage for Round 1 of the post-season now secure, the Leafs are still looking for optimal lines through lines 2-4.
In his first season with the Leafs, Domi primarily played center, but moved over to the wing regularly after an injury to Mitch Marner. Once Marner returned, Domi stayed on the wing alongside Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi for their 2024 first-round series against the Boston Bruins.
With players like Max Pacioretty possibly set to come be activated from long-term injured reserve, the next two games gives Berube a chance to see where things shake out.
Pontus Holmberg moved from wing to center to the third line with Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson.
If the Leafs get a point tonight, they will have won a division in a full 82-game season for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. They'll also secure a date with the Ottawa Senators in the opening round.
"I understand it's been a while, we're looking forwardto the playoff push," Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz said. "We don't care who we see, we're just excited to get that going."
The Leafs wrap up their regular season at home against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
Its Tuesday, April 15 and the Red Sox (8-10) are in Tampa to take on the Rays (8-8). Walker Buehler is slated to take the mound for Boston against Ryan Pepiot for Tampa Bay.
The Red Sox are coming off an embarrassing loss in the series' first meeting. The Rays won 16-1, and were dominant from the opening inning.
The Rays scored four runs in the second inning and another nine in the third inning. Tanner Houck was horrible in his four games of the season. He gave up 12 runs and only made it 2.1 innings.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Red Sox at Rays
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time: 7:05PM EST
Site: George M. Steinbrenner Field
City: Tampa, FL
Network/Streaming: FanDuel Sports Sun, NESN
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Odds for the Red Sox at the Rays
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Moneyline: Red Sox (+109), Rays (-129)
Spread: Rays -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Red Sox at Rays
Pitching matchup for April 15, 2025: Walker Buehler vs. Ryan Pepiot
Red Sox: Walker Buehler, (1-1, 5.75 ERA) Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts
Rays: Ryan Pepiot, (1-1, 3.38 ERA) Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Red Sox at Rays
The Rays have won 4 of their last 5 home series against the the Red Sox
5 of the Rays' last 6 home games have gone over the Total
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Red Sox and the Rays 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 Tuesday's game between the Red Sox and the Rays:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Tampa Bay Rays on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Boston Red Sox at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
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Its Tuesday, April 15 and the Guardians (8-7) are in Baltimore to take on the Orioles (6-9). Logan Allen is slated to take the mound for Cleveland against Charlie Morton for Baltimore.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Guardians at Orioles
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time: 7:05PM EST
Site: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
City: Baltimore, MD
Network/Streaming:
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 Guardians at the Orioles The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Moneyline: Guardians (+120), Orioles (-142)
Spread: Orioles -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Guardians at Orioles
Pitching matchup for April 15, 2025: Logan Allen vs. Charlie Morton
Guardians: Logan Allen, (0-1, 3.60 ERA) Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts
Orioles: Charlie Morton, (0-3, 8.78 ERA) Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts
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The Guardians have won their last 8 away games against teams with losing records
Each of the last 4 matchups between the Guardians and the Orioles have gone over the Total
The Orioles have failed to cover the Run Line in 8 of their last 9 home games
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Guardians and the Orioles 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 Tuesday's game between the Guardians and the Orioles:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cleveland Guardians at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
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It’s Tuesday, April 15, and the Colorado Rockies (3-13) and Los Angeles Dodgers (12-6) are all set to square off from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Landon Knack is slated to take the mound for Los Angeles against Ryan Feltner for Colorado. The Dodgers took Game 1 of the series last night, 5-3. Dustin May allowed one run over six innings and the Dodgers hammered in two homers courtesy of Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts.
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 tipoff, 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 Rockies vs. Dodgers live today
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time: 10:10PM EST
Site: Dodger Stadium
City: Los Angeles, CA
Network/Streaming: COLR, SNLA
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-dayNBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Rockies vs. Dodgers
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Odds: Rockies (+249), Dodgers (-311)
Spread: Dodgers -1.5
Over/Under: 8.0 points
That gives the Rockies an implied team point total of 3.79, and the Dodgers 4.57.
Probable starting pitchers for Rockies at Dodgers
Pitching matchup for April 15, 2025: Ryan Feltner vs. Landon Knack
Rockies: Ryan Feltner, (0-0, 2.81 ERA) Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts
Dodgers: Landon Knack, (1-0, 10.39 ERA) Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Royals at Yankees
Colorado's offense has scored three total runs in the past four road games.
Landon Knack hasn't gone more than 2.1 innings this season over two starts (5 hits, 5 ER, 5 Ks, 4 BB).
Ryan Feltner has gone at least 5.0 innings in all three starts this season (2.81 ERA, 16 Ks to 4 BB).
Mookie Betts went yard last night for his fourth homer at home compared to zero on the road.
Shohei Ohtani belted his fifth homer last night and has a chance for his second back-to-back homer days of the 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!
Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s Rockies vs. Dodgers game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the Dodgers ML and the Under versus the Rockies:
"Coming off a 5-3 win that could have easily been 5-0, I don't see any reason why the Dodgers cannot get another outright win and even cover the -1.5. The top four of the order combined for nine hits, while the rest of the lineup had one, so that is an issue.
The Under is probably the safer bet rather than the -1.5 for the Dodgers. The Rockies offense has scored two or fewer runs in six out of 10 road games this season and lost four straight games combining for three total runs (all coming last night). Ryan Feltner has also looked good for Colorado with 16 strikeouts to four walks through three games. I like the Under 8.0 to 8.5 runs and lean the Dodgers ML for parlays."
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections 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 today’s Rockies & Dodgers game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Los Angeles Dodgers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Colorado Rockies at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Rockies vs. Dodgers on Tuesday
The Dodgers have won 3 straight matchups against NL West teams
The Under is 4-1 in the Rockies' last 5 matchups against NL West teams
The Rockies have failed to cover the Run Line in 12 of their last 14 games
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Outside of their three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox’ offense has been virtually non-existent so far this season.
Multiple players are worthy of blame. Rafael Devers still hasn’t looked like himself since his historically bad start, 2024 All-Star MVP Jarren Duran has a .581 OPS, and Boston has gotten next to zero production from the catcher spot between Connor Wong, Carlos Narvaez, and Blake Sabol.
The biggest culprit, though? That would be Triston Casas.
The 25-year-old first baseman enters Tuesday with a .175/.242/.281 slash line, 18 strikeouts, four walks, and only one home run through 16 games. He began the season as the club’s cleanup hitter before being moved down to sixth in the batting order. He’ll hit seventh in Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Those are unacceptable numbers for one of the more important pieces of Boston’s lineup, but there is reason to believe brighter days are in Casas’ near future.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Casas struggle mightily to begin a season. As WEEI’s Rob Bradford pointed out, he posted almost identical numbers over the first 14 games of his rookie campaign in 2023.
Triston Casas through first 14 games started in 2023: .135 BA, .528 OPS, 2 HRs, 20 Ks, 6 BBs, 23 left on base Triston Casas through first 14 games started in 2025: .175 BA, .523 OPS, HR, 18 Ks, 4 BBs, 21 left on base
Casas went on to produce an impressive debut season with the big-league club, hitting .263 with 24 homers, 65 RBI, and a .856 OPS in 132 games. The former top prospect finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Casas’ monthly splits also offer a potential explanation for his slow starts. For his career, he owns a .667 OPS between March/April, a .766 OPS in May, .839 in June, 1.199 in July, .852 in August, and .798 in September. Perhaps the frigid weather has factored into the Florida native’s early-season woes.
Whatever the case, it’s still too premature to panic about Casas’ offensive slump, just as it was to worry about Devers’ head-scratching start. It’s far more reasonable to question Casas’ longevity at first base, as his defense has only declined since his rookie year.
The Red Sox need Casas to figure it out both at the plate and in the field sooner rather than later. They lack depth at the position, with utility man Romy Gonzalez as their only other current option on the active roster. Vaughn Grissom has gotten reps at first base with Triple-A Worcester, but it would be difficult to trust the young middle infielder at a position he has never played at the MLB level.
Casas and the Red Sox will look for better results Tuesday when they face the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of their three-game series. Boston was steamrolled in Monday’s series opener, 16-1.
NHL Central Scouting lists are better viewed as a league-wide barometer rather than a distinctive ranking by an outlet. The NHL’s in-house bureau gives teams and fans rankings to serve as a guide.
Here are some initial reactions to the NHL draft skater lists.
OHL Brampton right winger Porter Martone dropped a couple of spots from fourth to sixth place. He may not be a top-five draft pick after being a virtual lock in that range previously.
WHL Brandon center Roger McQueen has spent much of the season on the sidelines with a back injury, and although he came back just before the playoffs, he missed the final two games of the team’s first-round series loss. His drop from fifth to eighth could be the start of teams becoming more concerned about his long-term health.
Another interesting drop on the list was Haoxi ‘Simon’ Wang who fell from 23rd to 34th, signifying that teams likely see the tall but lanky Oshawa Generals’ defenseman as a possible second-round pick. He stepped into the OHL at the halfway point of the season after starting in the OJHL, where he generated a ton of buzz.
On the flip side, Brantford Bulldogs center Jake O’Brien went from eighth to fourth after a great season, showcasing a blend of physical tools and size and some excellent playmaking ability. Radim Mrtka, the Seattle Thunderbirds' import defender, rounded out the top five, moving up a spot. Barrie Colts physical blueliner Kaswhawn Aitcheson finds himself in the top 10, moving up five spots.
Mason West, a center playing Minnesota high school hockey, jumped from 50th to 27th. He’s worth watching as the NHL draft draws closer.
West is a big forward who moves fairly well for his size and is finishing the season strong for the USHL’s Fargo Force. He has the package that so many NHL teams want, so it will take just one team falling in love and grabbing him in the late first or early second round.
The international list is always a bit more chaotic, and this iteration is no different.
Although Frondell and Eklund simply flipped positions at the top, the mid-term No. 3 was Ivan Ryabkin, who moved to USHL Muskegon and saw his stock fall to 35th on the final North American list. Modo Jr. center Milton Gastrin moved from fourth to third, and Czech left winger Vojtech Cihar moved up a spot to fourth.
One of the most interesting names on the final list is Russian right winger Alexander Zharovksy landing at No. 5 after not being on the mid-season list at all.
Zharovsky has a very interesting package of tools, and he tore up Russian junior hockey with 50 points in 45 games for Ufa Jr. But after not being on the list all year, finding him in fifth place was a moderate surprise.
Max Psenicka sat eighth in the midterm rankings, but he moved to the WHL to play for the Portland Winterhawks. With seven points in 24 games and four points in nine playoff games, he's only 40th on the North American skaters list. Maxim Agafonov (17th to 33rd), Dmitri Isayev (ninth to 21st), and Kirill Yemelyanov (15th to 31st) are among some of the names that fell notably.
Swedish winger Arvid Drott went from 43rd to 25th, playing alongside Eric Nilson (No. 7) on many occasions for Djurgarden Jr. Max Westergard, a Finnish winger playing in Sweden, rose from 66th to 30th.
Its Tuesday, April 15 and the Giants (12-4) are in Philadelphia to take on the Phillies (9-7).
Justin Verlander is slated to take the mound for San Francisco against Jesús Luzardo for Philadelphia.
The Giants smacked Philly last night winning the opener 10-4. Tyler Fitzgerald led the assault driving in three runs with a double, triple, and home run for San Francisco. Five Giants' pitchers combined to strike out 13 Phillies.
Lets 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 the how to catch tipoff, 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 Giants at Phillies
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time: 6:45PM EST
Site: Citizens Bank Park
City: Philadelphia, PA
Network/Streaming: NBCSBA, NBCSP+
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Odds for the Giants at the Phillies
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Moneyline: Giants (+124), Phillies (-148)
Spread: Phillies -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Giants at Phillies
Pitching matchup for April 15, 2025: Justin Verlander vs. Jesús Luzardo
Giants: Justin Verlander (0-0, 6.92 ERA) Last outing: 4/9 vs. Cincinnati - 5.2IP, 5ER, 5H, 3BB, 9Ks
Phillies: Jesús Luzardo (2-0, 1.50 ERA) Last outing: 4/10 at Atlanta - 6IP, 1ER, 6H, 1BB, 6Ks
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Giants at Phillies
The Giants have won 4 of their last 5 games
Giants' games have cashed to the OVER in 11 of 16 games
Phillies' games have cashed to the UNDER in 11 of 16 games
Jesus Luzardo has 14Ks in his last 2 starts (13IP)
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!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Giants and the Phillies
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 Tuesday's game between the Giants and the Phillies:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the San Francisco Giants at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
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On a chilly, rainy night against the Twins on Monday in Minnesota, Acuña was all over the place.
In the third inning, Acuña walked, stole second base, and scored on Pete Alonso's two-out single.
In the fifth, Acuña stroked an opposite-field double down the right field line.
In the seventh, Acuña led off by dropping a perfect bunt between the pitcher and third base, and came around to score on Juan Soto's two-run blast.
Acuña's big night was a continuation of a hot stretch, with him tallying six hits in his last 14 at-bats after a slow start at the plate.
Overall, Acuña is still getting his legs under him offensively, but he has a solid .343 OBP and OPS+ of 104.
He still has just 75 big league plate appearances under his belt. And, as David Stearns explained before the season, remains an unfinished product at the plate. But with Siri going down and Jeff McNeil nearing a return, it's fair to ask -- could Acuña become part of the Mets' center field plan?
As things currently stand, the Mets have three other players on the active roster who are capable of playing center.
May 28, 2024; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets right fielder Tyrone Taylor (15) makes a catch for an out during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images
The one who will likely continue to get the bulk of the starts there is Tyrone Taylor, who had an average season offensively last year (99 OPS+) while providing elite defense. But he has struggled in a big way at the dish in 2025, slashing .158/.179/.211 in 39 plate appearances over 10 games while posting an OPS+ of 13.
Brandon Nimmo, the starting left fielder, could also get time in his old home in center, but it's hard to envision the Mets shifting him there when you consider how deliberately his legs are being managed in an effort to keep him fresh for the long haul.
Then there's Jesse Winker, the regular DH. While Winker has experience in center, he hasn't played there since 2021, and hasn't seen regular playing time there since 2019.
As far as options in the minors, there aren't any who are currently on the 40-man roster. One intriguing name is Drew Gilbert, who has mashed in 24 at-bats this season. But he is still getting back into playing shape in the lower minors after an injury-plagued 2024, and hasn't even returned to Triple-A Syracuse yet.
Jett Williams should stick in center (or at second base), but he's still with Double-A Binghamton, and a call up to the majors isn't on the immediate horizon.
So ... can Acuña help out in center with Siri out?
There is an easy argument to make both for or against it.
New York Mets second baseman Luisangel Acuna (2) celebrates hitting a double against the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Target Field / Jesse Johnson - Imagn Images
On the for side...
Once McNeil returns, Acuña could be squeezed out of getting regular at-bats. So if he remains on the 26-man roster, it would make sense to find a legitimate role for him. It would also be wise to be proactive with a different option in center if Taylor continues to struggle offensively.
And it wouldn't mean throwing Acuña into the fire without experience.
Acuña started getting time in center field in the minors in 2023, and played 35 games there over 289.0 innings in 2024.
On the against side...
An emphasis for the Mets under Stearns has been elite defense in center field, and it's even more important now with Soto in right field.
That kind of philosophy isn't something you abandon, especially during a year where the team is expected to contend for a championship.
Additionally, while Acuña has a solid amount of experience playing center, he hasn't yet done it in the majors.
We'll know soon enough whether the Mets have Acuña in mind as part of the center field solution while Siri is out. But it's an intriguing option to keep an eye on -- whether it happens now or down the line.
The Louisiana native who played for the Pistons, and then ultimately took over their front office and led them to their 2004 title — but also had some misses with player and coaching moves that led to his exit a decade later — is finalizing a deal to become the New Orleans Pelicans' head of basketball operations, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.
Dumars takes over for David Griffin, who was let go Monday after six years on the job, with just two playoff appearances (and only two playoff games won in that time). Dumars had been a consultant with the Kings' front office and ownership for a few years, but spent the last three as the NBA league office's executive vice president of basketball operations (he's the guy who officially handed down fines and suspensions).
Dumars takes over a team at a crossroads, a franchise facing a couple of big questions: Whether to retain coach Willie Green and test the trade market for Zion Williamson.
Dumars may be taking the job with the understanding that ownership/upper management wants to see Green retained and Zion traded, a rumor working its way around league circles and reached NBC Sports. There's nuance to this — Green could have interest in the Phoenix coaching vacancy, the trade market for Zion may not be to Dumars' liking — but don't be surprised if that is the road traveled this summer. Zion has three years and $126.5 million remaining on his contract, and he looked like an All-NBA player (24.6 points a game on 56.7% shooting with 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists a night) when healthy, but he only played 30 games this season and has played more than 65 games just once in his career. That said, because of clauses in his contract that would allow a team to walk away from Zion if he's not playing (New Orleans could do the same), there will be teams trying to take the risk.
It's not just Zion and his hamstring, the Pelicans were ravaged by injuries this season including to Dejounte Murray (torn Achilles), Trey Murphy III (torn labrum), Herb Jones (torn labrum) and CJ McCollum. However, it was piled up losses and misses on players that led to Griffin's dismissal. For example, Dyson Daniels spent two seasons in New Orleans battling for minutes with Jones, Murphy, and Jose Alvarado among others. However, after being traded to Atlanta last summer, he has had a breakout season where he is the frontrunner for Most Improved Player and is in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year.
The Colorado Avalanche ended Gabriel Landeskog's conditioning loan early.
Their captain rejoins the NHL club on Tuesday after spending most of the past week with the AHL's Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche announced.
The 32-year-old hasn't played an NHL game since June 26, 2022, when his assist helped the Avalanche beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup. He's had a right knee injury that involved cartilage transplant surgery in May 2023.
Landeskog has been on long-term injury reserve during his recovery. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the Avalanche could assign him on a conditioning loan to the AHL while he's on LTIR for up to the longer of six days and three games for the purpose of determining whether he's fit to play. Although it's been six days, Landeskog only participated in two games, while the Eagles have three regular-season games remaining.
"Physically, I feel great," Landeskog told reporters after his first game. "Obviously, it's the first game in a long time, so I got plenty of things to work on and get better at, but it was a lot of fun."
Although the Stockholm, Sweden, native said he has a lot of things to improve on to get back into the flow, it was fun to be back.
"Obviously, there were times where I didn't know if it was ever going to happen, so it felt great being in the battle again and on the bench, in the room, on the ice, all of the nuances of a hockey game," he said.
Avalanche teammates Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Josh Manson, as well as former teammate Andrew Cogliano and Avs GM Chris MacFarland, attended the April 11 match to support Landeskog.
Landeskog could be back on the ice with his teammates for the first-round matchup against the Dallas Stars if his knee responded well to the game action. The Avalanche are currently using LTIR pool space to exceed the salary cap's upper limit by just over $6 million, according to PuckPedia. Landeskog carries a $7-million cap hit.
There's no salary cap in the playoffs, meaning the team wouldn't need to clear cap space to take him off LTIR.
In 738 career NHL games, Landeskog has 248 goals and 323 assists for 571 points.
With only one game left in Lane Hutson’s historical rookie season, the Montreal Canadiens blueliner still leads all rookies in points, two ahead of San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini and five in front of Philadelphia Flyers’ Matvei Michkov. On Monday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, he finally beat Chris Chelios’s record and became the highest-scoring rookie defenseman in franchise history.
The 62nd overall pick at the 2022 draft has exceeded all expectations in his rookie season. While he dropped at the draft because of his small stature, he had taken to the NHL like a fish to water and is using his size to his advantage. The blueliner has so much speed and deceptive actions that other players struggle to hit such a tiny, fast-moving target.
With a single game left to play, it’s safe to say that Hutson will not break the league record that belongs to Larry Murphy, who put up 76 points with the Los Angeles Kings in 1980-81, but being the fifth-highest scoring defenseman in league history is no small feat. As things stand, only Murphy, Brian Leetch (71), Gary Suter (68), and Phil Housley (66) have scored more points in their rookie season. They all became fantastic offensive defensemen, playing significant roles in their team’s fate. Housley is the only one who didn’t win a Stanley Cup.
Among active blueliners, Quinn Hughes’s rookie season was the most productive, with 53 points (in 68 games), ranks 15th in league history. Moritz Seider and Cale Makar (in 57 games) had 50 points in their first seasons, giving them the 18th and 19th rank, respectively. Seider and Makar both won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie of the year, and Hughes probably would have done as well had he not played his rookie season the same year as Makar.
At this stage, the Canadiens’ standout should receive the honour and become the first Canadiens to win it since Ken Dryden in 1971-72. Only six Habs have won the coveted prize: Dryden, Jacques Laperriere, Bobby Rousseau, Ralph Backstrom, Bernie Geoffrion, and John Quilty.
Even if Hutson were to lose the rookie scoring race, considering how impressive and even historical his rookie season has been, he should still be crowned.
The Dodgers' Mookie Betts said earlier this month about his decision to join his teammates at the White House: "It comes with the territory, being Black in America in a situation like this. It's a tough spot to be in." (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
That was also the year in which the Dodgers refused to take the field for a late August game to protest racial injustice in the wake of a police shooting of a 29-year-old Black man in Wisconsin.
The summer of racial reckoning, and the Dodgers’ modest role in it, feels like something from the distant past.
Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts and Max Muncy kneeled before a game against the Giants in July 2020 to protest racial injustice. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Rather than continue to stimulate important conversations, the Dodgers are back to whistling past America’s graveyard, pretending there is nothing hypocritical about visiting President Trump one week and celebrating Jackie Robinson Day the next. Conservative Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham wanted athletes to “shut up and dribble,” and the Dodgers are doing the baseball equivalent of just that.
The opportunity for the Dodgers to regain their stature as agents of change has come and gone, their salute to Robinson on Tuesday reverting to its previous form as a cynical exercise in stealing the valor of a previous generation.
This shift in social climate was subtly pointed out by Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts earlier this month when he explained his decision to visit the Trump White House after declining to do so with the Boston Red Sox in 2019.
“At the time,” Betts told reporters, “the world was a different place.”
The world was in even more of a different place in 2020. Most of the country was in lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Major league teams played 60-game regular seasons in which no fans were allowed in stadiums.
Baseball clubhouses are traditionally white and politically conservative spaces. The pandemic didn’t change that. What changed in the Dodgers locker room was a willingness to listen.
On Aug. 23 of that year, a Black man named Jacob Blake was shot by a police officer in Kenosha, Wis., leading to demonstrations around the country. Two days later, at a protest in Kenosha, white 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people.
The Dodgers were at Oracle Park on Aug. 26 when they received word of boycotted games in the NBA, as well as Major League Baseball. The only African American player on the team knew what he had to do.
“In my shoes,” Betts said at the time, “I couldn’t play.”
Manager Dave Roberts and third base coach George Lombard also ruled themselves out.
Betts told his teammates he would support them if they played the San Francisco Giants that day. They wouldn’t hear it. They joined his protest.
Starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw said: “As a white player on this team … how can we show support? What is something we can do to help our Black brothers on this team? Once Mookie said he wasn’t going to play … we felt the best thing to do to support him was not playing.”
Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw stood by Mookie Betts, joining his boycott of a game in 2020. (Associated Press)
Betts was moved by the gesture.
“I’ll always remember this day,” he said. “I’ll always remember this team just having my back.”
Five years later, as Betts said, the world is a different place. Civil rights violations don’t inspire the same amount of outrage as they once did, particularly in baseball clubhouses. Trump’s casual racism has become normalized to such a degree that even former outspoken critic Snoop Dogg was convinced to perform at a pre-inauguration event.
Still the Dodgers’ lone African American player, Betts said earlier this month about his decision to join his team at the White House: “It comes with the territory, being Black in America in a situation like this. It’s a tough spot to be in."
Tough, presumably, because he didn’t know how his teammates would react if he shared his thoughts. Tough, presumably, because he wondered if he would divide the team by taking a stand.
Reflecting on his refusal to visit Trump with the Red Sox, Betts said, “I regret that because I made it about me. This isn’t about me.”
In other words, this time around, he prioritized the well-being of his team over his personal convictions. The choice was understandable. Betts is a baseball player before he is an activist. His primary objective at this stage of his life is to win another World Series, and creating the perception of a divided team would be counterproductive to that.
Which was why Dodgers owner Mark Walter or president Stan Kasten should have stepped in and told the players they wouldn't visit the White House, that something more important than baseball was in play. They didn’t, of course. Kasten saying the Dodgers accepted Trump's invitation because the players wanted to is the kind of spineless buck-passing that has become standard procedure for this front office.
Walter and Kasten had the power to restart a necessary dialogue at a time when the Trump administration not only sent a brown-skinned man without a criminal record to a Salvadoran prison by mistake but also defied a Supreme Court order to facilitate his return. They didn't. Their silence was a betrayal, both to the Dodgers and their history.
