PHOENIX — Zach Eflin’s great night on the mound had a sour ending after the Baltimore Orioles right-hander left a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with shoulder fatigue.
Eflin gave up just one run on four hits over six innings but his velocity dipped in the sixth. The 30-year-old mentioned the fatigue to manager Brandon Hyde between innings, which was enough to shut him down for the evening.
The Orioles beat the Diamondbacks 5-1. Eflin threw 73 pitches.
“We’re going to get some tests done, and hopefully, keeping our fingers crossed, everything’s OK there,” Hyde said. “Because he was absolutely cruising and so efficient.
“We’re hoping for the best tomorrow.”
Eflin said he was “pretty optimistic” the issue wouldn’t be a long-term setback. He is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA through three starts this season.
The Orioles already have lost key reliever Albert Suarez for a couple of months after the right-hander was moved to the 60-day injured list with a shoulder injury.
Eflin was 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA over nine starts for the Orioles last season after being acquired at the trade deadline in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
CHICAGO — Kyle Tucker was well aware of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s massive contract. He just wasn’t sure how it would impact him.
A day after Guerrero agreed to a 14-year, $500 million contract with Toronto that begins in 2026, Tucker insisted he is focusing more on the immediate future than whether he will remain with the Chicago Cubs after this season.
“I’m sure he loves playing in Toronto,” Tucker said before a 7-0 win over Texas. “It’s great for him. I mean, everyone’s a little different. Right now, I’m here to play this year. I’m excited to get out again and play tonight, just kind of see where everything goes after that.”
Guerrero’s contract, which is pending a physical, sets a high bar for other players with expiring deals, such as Tucker. It’s the third largest in total dollars behind outfielder Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets that started this season and two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began last year and is heavily deferred.
Guerrero, the son of a Hall of Famer, is playing on a one-year, $28.5 million contract after avoiding arbitration. The four-time All-Star had said he wouldn’t negotiate a long-term deal once he reported to spring training. But talks with his agent continued.
Tucker was asked if he had set a deadline for the Cubs.
“I haven’t thought about it that much,” he said. “I’m just trying to come out here and play. ... I’m just here to play baseball. I just let the other stuff fall where it is and see what happens.”
The Cubs acquired the well-rounded Tucker from Houston in December, hoping the three-time All-Star and one-time Gold Glove outfielder can lift a team that finished with an 83-79 record each of the past two years. But it’s not clear if this will be a long-term arrangement.
Tucker avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $16.5 million contract. He figures to be in for a huge deal, whether he agrees to one with the Cubs or signs with another team.
Tucker is off to a good start in Chicago. He is batting .327 with five homers and National League-leading 16 RBIs after going 2 for 5 and driving in a run against Texas.
Tucker took National League Player of the Week honors following an impressive performance against the Athletics and San Diego Padres. He combined to go 9 for 23 with three homers and eight RBIs as the Cubs won five of six games.
“It’s been fun watching Kyle kind of at the peak of who he is as an offensive player,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s just so locked in from pitch one and ready to do damage, and at the same time spitting on the stuff he doesn’t want to swing at. It’s been fun to watch. He’s had a great week, no doubt about it.”
Tucker is enjoying his time with the Cubs. He called the atmosphere at Wrigley Field “spectacular” and said fans “come out and support their team no matter what.”
“It’s been great ever since I’ve been over here,” Tucker said. “Everyone’s been super nice and helpful and everything. The hospitality’s been great. ... I just here to play some baseball and see what happens after that.”
BOSTON — Red Sox catcher Connor Wong fractured his left pinky after being called for catcher’s interference in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Wong was called for the interference when George Springer’s bat hit his glove with two outs in the first.
Manager Alex Cora and a trainer came out of the dugout to check on Wong. He took a few warmup pitches from starter Richard Fitts and stayed in the game for the rest of the inning. He was replaced by Carlos Narvaez in the second.
“He has a small fracture on the pinky area, so he’s going on the IL,” Cora said after Boston’s 6-2 loss. “How long, we don’t know. Late swing got him good. We’re going to have to make a move.”
PHOENIX — Baltimore Orioles reliever Albert Suarez has been transferred to the 60-day injured list with a shoulder issue, the team announced.
The right-hander has made just one appearance this season, throwing 2 2/3 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 28. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Suarez isn’t expected to need surgery.
“It’s going to be months,” Hyde said. “Hopefully just a few months, but it’s really unfortunate news.”
The 35-year-old Suarez was a big part of the pitching staff last season, compiling a 3.70 ERA over 133 2/3 innings in 32 appearances, including 24 starts.
“It’s a big blow for us because he was throwing the ball really well in spring training and did so many things well for us last year,” Hyde said.
The Orioles acquired left-handed pitcher Grant Wolfram from the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league outfielder Daz Cameron and cash. Wolfram was put on the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after Suarez was moved to the 60-day IL.
SEATTLE — Houston right-hander Spencer Arrighetti broke his right thumb when he was hit by a line drive while playing catch in left field before the game at Seattle.
Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters Arrighetti was being evaluated during his pregame availability. The team announced the injury about an hour before its series opener against the Mariners.
The 25-year-old Arrighetti is 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA in two starts this season. He allowed five runs and three hits in 3 2/3 innings during a 6-1 loss at Minnesota.
Arrighetti, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft, went 7-13 with a 4.53 ERA in 28 starts and one relief appearance as a rookie last year.
Paul George came to Philadelphia on a four-year, $212 million max contract, but due to injuries he played in just 41 games, averaging 16.2 points a night (his lowest output since 2012). Before the season tipped off, Joel Embiid signed a three-year, $192.9 million contract extension with Philadelphia that doesn't even kick in until the 2026-27 season. Embiid played in just 19 games due to knee issues this season.
The 76ers aren't trading either of them this summer, they couldn't if they wanted to (not getting a reasonable return). Nick Nurse stated the obvious, speaking to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: If Philadelphia is going to bounce back next fall from the most disappointing season in franchise history, it starts with a healthy Embiid and George.
"There's, obviously, a good number of them that need to get taken care of, get back to health, but obviously, Joel and Paul will be the big concerns," Nurse said. "Can they get back and get ready to go? And I guess we won't find that out for a little while, and then you start unpacking and then you get back to thinking there's some really, really good players there and start piecing it together and then we get ready to build out the rest of the roster around them."
Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey played just 15 games together this season. If that number doesn't at least reach 50 next season, then hopes for a turnaround are slim — that's the financial reality of today's NBA and the 76ers' top-heavy construction.
With those three players plus rookie Jared McCain — who was running away with Rookie of the Year until he tore his meniscus in January — the Sixers are on the hook for $149.1 million in salary, which is about $5 million below the salary cap and having at least 10 roster spots to fill. The actual number to watch is the second tax apron ($207.8 million), but things add up quickly to get the 76ers near there. Philly has tanked, losing 12 in a row, hoping to retain its first-round draft pick (it is owed to Oklahoma City, top-six protected). If Philly lands in the top six, that rookie will cost at least $8 million (and could cost up to $13 million). Quentin Grimes has been a standout to end the season but is a free agent expected to command $20-$25 million a season with his new deal. Kelly Oubre is expected to opt out of his $8.4 million contract and become a free agent seeking a raise, and Guerschon Yabusele is also a free agent. Keep most of those players, round out the roster with minimum salary players, and the Sixers are pushing the tax aprons.
Philadelphia is committed to a top-heavy roster. That means the only way they can win next season is if Embiid, George, and Maxey can deliver at a much higher level than we saw this year. And that starts with getting the trio healthy.
When Eric Musselman was hired as USC's basketball coach a year ago, he'd end up starting basically from scratch with only little-used reserve Harrison Hornery hanging around through the coaching transition. Such is life in the transfer portal era ... Musselman's Trojans were already losing half the roster due to graduation/exhausted eligibility with starters Chibuzo Agbo (11.8 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game), Josh Cohen (5.9 PPG) and reserves Matt Knowling, Clark Slajchert, Bryce Pope and Hornery all gone.
On a week when everyone talks about Washington Capitals captain and super sniper Alexander Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record, the NHL still announced its three stars of the week on Monday.
Unsurprisingly, the league's new sharpshooting king is the first star of the last week, but Montreal Canadiens’ captain Nick Suzuki gets the second star. The top-line center collected four goals and three assists for seven points in four games.
While he led the team all season long, his contribution in the last week was impossible to ignore. In a game where the Canadiens seemed destined to lose, Suzuki scored the game-tying goal with eight seconds to go before scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. That extra time lamplighter was his fifth of the season, the second highest total this season.
The captain then got a goal and an assist in his next two games against the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers, and he capped off his week with an assist in the 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators. The Canadiens have a five-game winning streak, and the fact that Suzuki is on a five-game scoring streak is not a coincidence.
The 25-year-old is 12th in the NHL in points with 84, two behind Sidney Crosby and six behind Connor McDavid. Granted, the Edmonton Oilers captain has played fewer games, skating in just 63 contests, but still. Suzuki is the Canadiens' highest scorer since Alex Kovalev, who got 84 points in 82 games during the 2007-08 season.
With five games left to play, logic dictates that the captain will manage to increase that total. The Canadiens haven’t seen a player score over 90 points since Vincent Damphousse and Pierre Turgeon reached the milestone in 1995-96. There’s no guarantee that Suzuki will get there, but it is at least possible.
The fact that Suzuki is reaching such heights while the Canadiens are still looking for a real top-six second line bodes well for the future. When opponents have to deal with two actual scoring lines, likely next season with Ivan Demidov’s arrival, Suzuki should have more freedom on the ice.
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Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates — mimicking a melodramatic commercial he did for a luxury Japanese skincare company — as he rounds the bases after his two-run home run during Monday's game. (Nick Wass / Associated Press)
Even President Trump, it turns out, professes to be a Shohei Ohtani fan.
So universal is Ohtani’s celebrity that during the Dodgers’ visit to the White House on Monday to celebrate their World Series championship, Trump dedicated a significant portion of the 20-minute ceremony to extolling the two-way star, making him the first Dodgers player whom the President singled out and approached to shake hands.
“He looks like a movie star,” Trump joked, before listing the many accomplishments from Ohtani’s unprecedented 50/50 season that made him a unanimous winner of the National League most valuable player.
Later, Ohtani spoke about the exchange.
“He said it was an honor to meet me, and I told him it was also an honor for me to meet him,” Ohtani said in Japanese, before joking that Trump was “taller than I thought.”
“It’s really an honor,” Ohtani added. “I’ve come from Japan like this to play here, and I appreciate this country every day. I think it was an honor to be able to meet the top person in this country.”
Asked if he hoped to return to the White House with the Dodgers as champions next year, Ohtani answered affirmatively.
“I’d like to go as many times as possible,” he said.
And the slugger has been playing like it, starting this season almost exactly where he left off last year.
In his first 12 games Ohtani was batting .311 with a 1.081 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (almost identical to his 2024 stats), four home runs, five RBIs and two stolen bases. Among Dodgers hitters, only catcher Will Smith (who was batting .400 with a 1.117 OPS) had better numbers.
Ohtani’s highlight reel already is adding up, from his sentimental home run during the season-opening trip to Japan to his walk-off blast against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium last week.
He’s even started a new hand-signal celebration for the team — mimicking a melodramatic commercial he did for a luxury Japanese skincare company (which teammates razzed him about while watching it on loop during their trip to Japan) by dragging two fingers in front of his eyes while rounding the bases after his walk-off home run.
“It’s good for them to tease me and get excited,” Ohtani said when asked about the celebration. “I think the atmosphere is good.”
Ohtani broke out the celebration repeatedly Monday night. After going just one for 11 in a weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he exploded for a three-for-four performance in a 6-4 loss to the Washington Nationals.
Ohtani had a first-inning infield single, a third-inning two-run home run and a fifth-inning triple that hit high off the center field wall. Twice he had a chance to complete his second career cycle with a double. But, after striking out in the eighth, he settled for a walk in the ninth, trying to extend a Dodgers rally that fizzled for their third loss in four games.
“The at-bats Shohei took were pretty exceptional,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Even that last at-bat to earn a walk … and not try to chase a cycle, speaks to being a team player and passing the baton. He had an excellent night.”
The only thing missing for Ohtani is his long-awaited return to pitching. In another parallel to last year, the 30-year-old right-hander continues to slowly work his way back from a 2023 Tommy John surgery, throwing regular bullpen and long-toss sessions.
“The bullpens are going well,” Ohtani said, more than 18 months removed from his second Tommy John procedure. “I think I’m in a really good place feel-wise.”
But when asked how close he is to throwing live batting practice — a major step Ohtani got close to last year before pausing his pitching program during the playoffs, then having his winter regimen delayed by surgery on his left shoulder — he wasn’t sure of an exact timeline.
“I’m still at the stage in which I have limits on the types of pitches I can throw and limits on speed,” he said. “I think that will be something I discuss with the doctor and the team staff. Personally, I think it’s something I’d like to do not too far out.”
Ohtani said such limitations come from Dodgers brass and head team physician Neal ElAttrache, the renowned sports surgeon who has performed both of Ohtani’s elbow operations. For example, Ohtani has not yet been cleared to throw his sweeper. He only just reincorporated a few splitters into his most recent bullpen last weekend. During that session his velocity continued to hover around the low 90s.
“[Dr. ElAttrache] said that since it’s my second operation, it’s better to be careful,” Ohtani said. “Personally, I think I’d like to go along with that.”
So in the meantime, Ohtani continues to focus on the same designated hitter role he mastered last season; so much so, it prompted presidential recognition.
“Is he good?” Trump jokingly asked Roberts during Monday’s ceremony.
“He’s only getting better,” Roberts responded with a laugh.
“He’s getting better?” Trump said. “That’s scary for a lot of people, huh?”
PITTSBURGH — St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a bone bruise in his left knee.
Pedro Pages is expected to get the bulk of the action behind the plate with Herrera out. Catcher Yohel Pozo was brought up from Triple-A Memphis, and he was in the starting lineup for the Cardinals’ game at Pittsburgh.
The 24-year-old Herrera got hurt in the opener of a doubleheader at Boston. He is expected to be sidelined for four weeks.
Herrera was off to a hot start in his first season as a full-time starter, batting .381 with four homers and 11 RBIs in seven games.
He was unable to put weight on his left leg and had to be helped off the field after running the bases. He underwent testing, which was negative.
“It was really good news,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said before the series opener against the Pirates. “The way his knee buckled, I thought it might be an ACL tear.”
WASHINGTON — Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell expects to be out for two weeks while he recovers from shoulder inflammation.
Snell, who agreed to a five-year, $182 million contract with Los Angeles in November, said the shoulder issue has been lingering for three weeks. The two-time Cy Young Award winner had an MRI that came back clean, and he was placed on the 10-day IL.
“I thought I could pitch through it,” Snell said. “But when I got to Philly, played long toss, catch, tried to throw it. I just couldn’t. It’s inflammation. Hopefully, it’s a couple weeks and I am back and ready to go.”
The World Series champions opened a three-game series at Washington. Manager Dave Roberts said left-hander Justin Wrobleski is lined up for Snell’s spot in the rotation.
“Putting Blake on the IL certainly isn’t ideal,” Roberts said. “I still feel very good about our pitching depth. I am just hoping that it is very benign and not too long a wait from getting him back.”
Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw had a bullpen session as he nurses a left toe injury. The three-time Cy Young Award winner hasn’t pitched in a big league game since Aug. 30.
With Freddie Freeman sidelined by an ankle injury, Kershaw spoke for the team when celebrating the franchise’s 2024 title at the White House.
“It’s always an honor,” Kershaw said. “I don’t ever want to say no to those type of opportunities. Me not having a lot to do with the October run was a little awkward but at the same time (having) somebody on the outside that didn’t play to be able to highlight some of the things that this group did was really cool.”
The 37-year-old Kershaw thinks he is going to face hitters in Arizona, staying on the schedule he has been using for two weeks.
“It’s kind of a weird needle to thread because physically my arm is ready to go,” Kershaw said. “I am ready. But my toe isn’t all the way there yet. So, whenever my toe finally is strong enough to be put there, I want to be ready.”
Apr 6, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Eric Canha/Eric Canha-Imagn Images
BOSTON — EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
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Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran said in an upcoming documentary series that two years before his 2024 All-Star season, the pressures of the sport led him to intense bouts of depression and an attempted suicide.
“I remember when I was going through it and you start losing a couple of games and you’re not doing good, it feels like the world is kind of creeping in on you,” Duran, 28, said in the fourth episode of an eight-part Netflix series titled, “The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox.”
The episode chronicles the journey of Duran, a seventh-round draft pick in 2018, to making his MLB debut in 2021 after becoming one of the majors’ top prospects as one of the top hitters in the minors. It also delves into his struggles not long after getting called up to the majors, as the former infielder had a difficult time adapting to playing in the outfield.
“They love you one day, and then the next day they have to grind on you a little bit,” Duran recalled.
He said there were times he felt players were treated like “zoo animals.”
“Sometimes some fans take it too serious. I feel they cross the line when they start talking about my mental health — making fun of me for that,” Duran said. “Calling me weak. It just kind of triggered me when you start talking about mental health because I feel like that is just part of it — that loneliness. Some people deal with it better than others.”
The intense atmosphere of the Boston sports media market also wore on him, he said.
“I remember when I first started struggling I was like, just send me back down (to the minor leagues),” he recalled. “It honestly felt like there was a dark cloud over me because it’s so easy to look past the positive things for me, and then to grab onto the negative things.”
That pressure to perform came to a head at one point for the young slugger.
“I couldn’t deal with telling myself how much I sucked everyday,” Duran said. “I was already hearing it from fans. And what they said to me, (it’s not like) I haven’t told myself 10 times worse in the mirror. That was a really tough time for me. I didn’t even want to be here anymore.”
The series’ director, Greg Whiteley, then asked, “When you say, ‘here,’ you mean here with the Red Sox or here on planet Earth?”
“Probably both,” Duran said before going into detail.
In a statement, Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy commended Duran for being open about taking care of his mental health.
“Jarren’s decision to share his story is an act of courage that reaches far beyond baseball,” Kennedy said. “By opening up, he’s showing others who may be struggling that they’re not alone and that asking for help isn’t just okay, it’s essential. Every member of this organization continues to stand with him. He has our deepest admiration, he’s always had our full support, and we’re incredibly fortunate to have him as part of our team.”
Manager Alex Cora said he was aware of the situation long before the Netflix filming.
“I mean, obviously, I was aware of it,” Cora said before Boston’s scheduled game against Toronto. “Since I learned about it, me as a person, I’ve been giving him support, love. I’m somebody that he can talk to. That door’s always open. The relationship has grown throughout the years. Obviously, a lot of private conversations about the subject. I truly believe that him opening up is going to help a lot of people.
“It takes a person with courage and being transparent and genuine to do that. ... I hope that’s how we see it — that he will impact others and he’s going to save lives with what he did in Netflix.”
