Curry, speaking exclusively to People Magazine’s Natasha Dye, recently revealed he learned that he was dealing with a rare condition called Keratoconus in 2018.
“It was 2018, and I didn’t know I was really dealing with crazy blurred vision or distorted images — it was just the way that I saw things, and we compensated around it,” Curry told Dye.
It actually was then-Warriors general manager Bob Myers who noticed something off about Curry while watching a game from home.
“He texted me after the game because apparently the telecast kept showing me when I was on the bench, and he was like, ‘You’re just squinting, looking like you couldn’t see anything. Have you gotten your eyes checked? You should probably go do that because that wasn’t normal,’ ” Curry recalled to Dye.
Curry took Myers’ advice and went to see an optometrist.
And while he initially thought it was nothing, his visit revealed much more.
“They told me that I had a rare condition called Keratoconus, the irregular-shaped cornea that obviously leads to blurriness, distorted images,” Curry told Dye. “What I found out about it was it’s a progressive condition that can deteriorate your vision over time and it’s irreversible if it goes in the wrong direction.”
By the start of 2018, Curry already was a two-time NBA champion. He went on to win a third title later that summer.
During the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, Curry averaged nearly 27 points per game on nearly 50-percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range. Not bad for someone struggling with their vision.
Years later, the 38-year-old shared that he now gets his eyes checked every six months. While he shared that it took him some time to get used to wearing contacts during games, he now is a self-proclaimed “trained professional” at putting in his contacts after finding the right fit and prescription.
He added that he’s worked with Glaukos to get on a treatment plan that’s helped his anxiety about where things could go.
Curry doesn’t even want to imagine what his life might be like had he not taken Myers’ advice all those years ago. But it’s given him an uplifted energy knowing he can actually see on and off the court.
“I joke that when I’m all done, my memoir should be called The Whole Time I Couldn’t See,” Curry told Dye, with a laugh.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers works out before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers received two key reinforcements making their returns from injury on Tuesday, as both Andy Pages and Roki Sasaki played a factor into the team’s 7-0 shutout win over the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers are preparing to get the final Infinity Stone added to their gauntlet, as two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is expected to return from the injured list for Wednesday’s game against San Diego. Whether Ohtani will remain in the leadoff spot in the starting lineup is still up in the air, as Mookie Betts has been swinging a red-hot bat at the leadoff spot in his absence, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“I do think I should think through the Mookie vs. left situation, but I have to think about the entire lineup structure,” Roberts said. “That’s probably the way it’s going to fall out, but I haven’t totally decided yet.”
Roki Sasaki made his first bullpen appearance since the 2025 World Series on Tuesday, as he logged a scoreless top of the fourth inning while allowing just one hit and striking out two.
Although Sasaki has vastly improved in the second half this season before suffering a blister to his pitching hand— 5.33 ERA in first half, 2.97 ERA in second half— the plan is to once again have him out of the bullpen for the postseason for a second consecutive year, per Chen.
“It’s just showing that whatever it takes to help us win, knowing that any inning he throws in the postseason is going to be huge,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He clearly understands that.”
Josue De Paula is making a strong case for making the postseason roster, as the 21-year-old rookie is slashing .323/.500/.581 while becoming the first Dodger rookie with at least a .500 on-base percentage over his first 11 games since Corey Seager in 2015.
De Paula has spent the bulk of his time in the big leagues serving as the designated hitter, filling the void Ohtani left behind. With Ohtani expected to return from the injured list on Wednesday, the next test for De Paula is to see how he can handle himself in the outfield defensively, per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.
“All the reports that we’ve gotten from our minor-league staff are right on cue,” Ebel said. “He’s been working, he’s bringing it right here to the major leagues. And it’s a pleasure for me, with some energy, coming out early every day — hasn’t missed. We’re working on game situations, ground balls, left, right, right at him, fly balls, shags during BP. So we’re on the right track.”
Corson Ceulemans (1) scored his first goal of the preseason, and first for the Blue Jackets in a 5-1 loss to an extremely heavy NHL roster put on the ice by Buffalo.
There wasn't a lot to take from this game from a fan's point of view. But from a coach's point of view, there may have been a few. Don't worry, though; the next two games will look a bit more like actual NHL games for Columbus, rather than AHL games dressed as NHL games.
Carson Soucy continues to make a case for his spot on the opening roster and a contract. He laid a tremendously hard hit on the Sabres' Owen Zellweger that left him lying on the ice for an extended period of time. It was a clean hit, but Beck Malenstyn fought Soucy to show his disapproval of the hit. Soucy knew a fight was coming and may have gotten dinged up a bit in the scrap. Malenstyn then hit Soucy along the wall, sending Soucy to the bench hunched over. There is no word if he's hurt, but he did speak to the media after the game and seemd ok.
Positives
Goalie Cam Talbot looked very good in the first period. The score could've been much worse had it not been for Talbot's play. The NHL roster the Sabres put out finally took over, and got a few past Talbot in the second, but he looked good.
Negatives
It's hard to look at a 5-1 game and not see negatives, but with a mostly AHL lineup on the ice, they had no real shot at beating the Sabres on this night.
Injuries
Mikael Pyyhtiä left with a lower-body injury and didn't return for the duration of the game.
Final Stats
CBJ APP
Player Stats & Notes
Corson Ceulemans scored his first goal of the preseason and first for the CBJ. preseason. He also had 4 shots, 2 blocks, and played 18:32.
Dmitri Voronkov had an assist and 2 shots.
Boston Buckberger
Luca Marelli led the team with 5 blocked shots.
Luca Pinelli had 3 shots.
Cam Talbot 23 of 26 shots.
Team Stats
The Jackets went 0/5 on the power play.
The Columbus PK stopped all 3 Buffalo power plays.
Columbus won 41.1% of the faceoffs - 23/56
The Blue Jackets had 28 hits and 20 blocks.
Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets will be back home on Thursday to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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DENVER, CO - AUGUST 19: Kyle Freeland #21 of the Colorado Rockies reacts after giving up an RBI in the second inning at Coors Field on August 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Top of the morning to you, Purple Row!
Well, friends, since it’s the final week of the 2026 regular season, teams are looking ahead to what comes next. For some, it’s preparing for the postseason, while teams like the Rockies are looking forward to what comes next after the World Series.
The Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks continue their series tonight with Mason Adams facing off against the veteran Merrill Kelly. Meanwhile, the playoff push continues across the league as teams fight for the few spots remaining in the Wild Card. It’s a fun time of the year in the final sprint!
Now, here are some links to kick off your Wednesday.
Rockies News & Links
Freeland soaking it all in ahead of potential final home start with Rockies | MLB.com — Tuesday was perhaps the last time Kyle Freeland takes the mound at Coors Field. As the season winds down, Freeland has been well aware this could be the end of his Rockies tenure, so he’s taken the time to enjoy and soak in every last minute with the team he grew up rooting for.
Offseason Outlook: Colorado Rockies | MLB Trade Rumors — MLB Trade Rumors always does some great content and this article gives a quick overview of free agents, salary obligations, and arbitration candidates heading into the 2026 offseason.
Judge likely to miss Wild Card Series with ‘moderate grade’ calf strain | MLB.com — The New York Yankees got some bad news about Aaron Judge’s availability in the first round of the postseason. Manager Aaron Boone announced that Judge was dealing with a “moderate grade” right calf strain and that the team isn’t planning on activating him for a potential Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox. Judge has been down most of the year with injury, so it may not be the worst news for the Yankees, but it certainly doesn’t help.
Red Sox award Tracy with 3-year deal; Breslow’s options for ’29, ’30 picked up | MLB.com — The turnaround for the Boston Red Sox from being dead in the water to clinching a playoff spot has been one of the fun stories of the 2026 season. To reward his efforts, the Red Sox took off the interim tag of Chad Tracy, officially making him the 49th manager in club history. Additionally, Boston has picked up the options of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow through 2030.
When Will the Angels Be Competitive Again? | FanGraphs — Dan Szymborski dives into the prospects of how quickly the Los Angeles Angels could turn things around under new owner Stan Kroenke. It’s worth a read and ultimately, it may not be as easy a turnaround as fans may hope for.
How Walt Weiss found the balance that guided the Braves to a NL East title | The Athletic ($) — Former Rockies manager Walt Weiss has had a much easier time in his second stint as a big league manager, guiding the Atlanta Braves to another NL East title. He reflects on the lessons he learned leading struggling Rockies teams and also points to the great working relationship he has with Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos.
Happy Friday, everyone! We’ve got some big manager news, and for once it isn’t anyone getting fired. Two interim managers have been able to remove “interim” from their titles as the Mets and Red Sox make things official with Andy Green and Chad Tracy. We also know two players who might not be participating in the postseason, at least not right away. Aaron Judge will miss the Wild Card for sure, and Joc Pederson will be sidelined into the postseason.
Also, we look at Paul Skenes, who is pointing to the WBC as a possible culprit for his pitching issues, and we have some questions about the Angels.
The Mets will be standing by their interim manager.
Andy Green has agreed to a three-year deal to remain Mets manager after this season. Green took over as interim manager when Carlos Mendoza was fired in late June. He had insisted he wanted to return to the front office after the season, but he’ll continue in the dugout.
Another interim manager is sticking around for the long haul.
The Boston Red Sox have removed the interim tag from manager Chad Tracy's title and signed him to a three-year contract with a club option for 2030. Tracy took over as manager following Alex Cora's firing when Boston was 12-17. The Red Sox are 74-55 since.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 08: A general view of an empty stadium concourse before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park on September 08, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
There are any number of reasons why the San Francisco Giants have had a really terrible, awful, no-good, cruddy 2026 season. And sure, we could go through the likely reasons for that. But that kind of feels like an off-season thing. And we still have a handful of games to endure.
But you know who doesn’t have to endure any more of the 2026 season? The entire 2026 roster! Everyone’s season is over. Which just adds another heaping dose of misery to a team with an abundance of it already.
I think we’ve probably already done one of these posts this year, but if so, that was really early and before we knew just how bad the season was going to go.
And while I was initially planning to write about the outcome of the WPBL Championship game that took place yesterday afternoon, I am also old and will probably be asleep by the end of the game. So we’ll talk about that tomorrow.
Instead, it’s time for another round of my favorite game: Wrong Answers Only! Because I think we could all use the laughs.
Today’s topic: What is the cause of the Giants’ cursed 2026 season?
Last time, I went through a lengthy tale about Buster Posey buying a cursed object from a farmer’s market. So this time, I think I’m going to give the blame to Netflix. See, they were out in McCovey Cove for Opening Day this year, and I can’t help but think someone took something out of the water that they weren’t supposed to. A cursed home run ball that was never fished out of the water by kayakers. Or perhaps it was, and they were cursed too and put it back. Hard to say. But it’s definitely Netflix’s fault somehow.
What’s your best absurd reason for why this team has been cursed this year?
Pitching for the Orioles' Esteban Mejia (#45). The Florida Complex League, minor league team Baltimore Orioles plays at the Buck O'Neil Complex baseball field located at Twin Lakes Park in east Sarasota. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
What a difference a year can make. Unfortunately.
One year ago at this time, Esteban Mejia’s career was on a very different trajectory. The Dominican right-hander, a 2024 international signing, was coming off of an excellent first season stateside, one in which he flashed both dazzling results — a 2.45 ERA and 11.8 K/9 as an 18-year-old for Low-A Delmarva — and a jaw-dropping repertoire, headlined by a four-seam fastball that touched 102 mph, along with a devastating changeup and gyro-like slider.
On MLB Pipeline, he’d skyrocketed from an unranked prospect to #8 in the O’s system. Baseball America went even further, listing him as one of MLB’s 100 best prospects, with BA’s Josh Norris raving, “He produces outings that burrow in your brain and stay there for weeks.”
Sure, Mejia walked a few too many hitters, but what teenaged pitcher doesn’t? This kid was a star in the making, the Orioles’ fastest-rising and most electric pitching prospect, and 2026 was going to be his year to shine. As I wrote last October, “If 2025 was the year that Mejia broke out onto the prospect scene, 2026 could be the year that he rises to the very top of it.”
Oh, 2025 Paul. How young and naïve you were.
Mejia did not, as it turns out, rise to the very top of the prospect scene this year. In fact, when the updated lists are published, he may be nowhere to be found at all. His 2026 season was an unmitigated disaster, one that may have irreversibly wrecked his prospect status and left him scrambling to rebuild his nascent career.
Opening the season with a repeat engagement at Delmarva, things went off the rails for Mejia almost immediately. His first start was solid enough — six strikeouts, three walks, and one hit in 4.1 innings at Salem — but in his home debut a week later, he allowed five baserunners and three runs without getting out of the first inning.
Mejia was plagued by an inability to throw strikes, which reached a nadir on April 17 in Fredericksburg. In that game, Mejia issued an astounding eight walks — twice as many as he’d ever had in a single outing — in 2.1 innings of work. He threw twice as many balls (42) as strikes (21) and uncorked two wild pitches. In the first inning alone, he walked the first three batters, then plated two runs on a balk and a wild pitch, and walked the next two batters to force home another. Even for a pitcher with a career 5.4 BB/9 rate entering the season, this was a whole new level of wildness.
Mejia returned in his next start with a gem — four scoreless innings, eight strikeouts, just one walk — and it seemed like his Fredericksburg outing might’ve been a fluke. But then things continued to unravel. Over his next six starts, Meija struggled to an 8.83 ERA and walked 26 batters in 17.1 innings, including three outings of five or more walks.
By the end of June, Mejia was 15 games into his season and had yet to work five innings in any of them, carrying an 8.08 ERA and averaging more than 12 walks per nine innings. It should be said that Mejia averaged less than a hit per inning, so batters weren’t exactly smoking the ball when they put it in play, but they rightly decided that there was little reason to swing if the pitcher was just going to put them on base anyway. The Orioles had seen enough, and pulled Mejia off the roster for a month to place him on the development list, working on a specialized throwing program with the right-hander to try to get his control back on track.
I keep revisiting Josh Norris’s remark about Mejia’s outings that “burrow in your brain.” Sadly, there were plenty of those in 2026, and this time that’s not a compliment.
The most brain-burrowing of those outings came in back-to-back starts on July 29 and Aug. 4, after Mejia’s return to the Shorebirds’ active roster. In those two outings combined, Mejia faced 11 batters. He retired none of them. The first outing, against Hickory, went single, single, hit by pitch, single, double, single, wild pitch, walk. The second outing, once again versus his nemesis Fredericksburg, lasted four batters. All four were walks, and all four came around to score, inflating Mejia’s ERA to 10.20.
Good news was hard to come by for Mejia in 2026. Even when it looked like he was briefly getting his act together in mid-August, tossing three straight scoreless outings with only three walks in 8.1 innings, he came unglued in his final two. He walked all three batters he faced in an Aug. 27 outing against — you guessed it — Fredericksburg, then was torched for six runs in 1.2 innings in his season finale Sept. 6, the fourth time he’d given up six or more runs.
You may want to avert your eyes as I present Mejia’s full 2026 season stats. He was 0-9 with a 9.80 ERA, and he issued 70 walks (and six HBP for good measure) in 52.1 IP, for an average of 12.0 walks per nine innings. Twelve! To call it a dismal season would be an understatement. For a pitcher who was primed for a breakout to fall apart instead was a tough pill to swallow for Mejia and the Orioles.
As I cautioned in last year’s Mejia post (if I may once again be tacky and quote myself): “He’s a long way from MLB, and there’s a whole lot that could go wrong on his journey up the minor league ladder. Baseball history is littered with prospects who dominated at the lower levels but hit a wall once the competition got tougher, stalling out their careers without ever getting a sniff of the majors.”
It’s safe to say that something went wrong for Mejia. A lot of things. As quickly as his stock exploded in 2025, it imploded in 2026. And if it’s ever going to return, it’ll require a heck of a lot of hard work and perhaps a complete mechanical overhaul on Mejia’s part. The Orioles’ development staff has a long offseason ahead trying to figure out how things went so haywire for the young righty and what, if anything, can help him get back on track in 2027. Throwing strikes, of course, is priority number one, but that’s easier said than done.
At 19 years old, Esteban Mejia’s baseball story isn’t finished yet. It just got a lot more complicated.
So much of the coming season is uncertain for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They restructured their whole core and brought in a new star point guard in LaMelo Ball, and jettisoned cornerstones of the team’s past identity in Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Mike Conley Jr. They even switched owners.
Within that restructuring, there are many new roles being created for different players. It seems like only Anthony Edwards will slot back in where he was last year.
Jaden McDaniels will suddenly be a featured shot creator. Jaylen Clark will be expected to be a rotation piece. And notably, Joan Beringer will have to make good on his potential, considering he is basically the only remaining piece of the return for Karl-Anthony Towns.
However, hidden in all of this is a recent first-round pick that the Timberwolves will have to work with more closely and with more finesse.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 12: Terrence Shannon Jr. #1 reacts as Joe Ingles #7 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on against the New Orleans Pelicans in the fourth quarter at Target Center on April 12, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Pelicans 132-126. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
T.J. Shannon Jr. came out of Illinois as a terror in transition. Since he entered the league, Shannon has struggled to find regular rotation minutes, despite his clear strengths in one of the most important single skills in the league: attacking the basket.
This difficulty comes largely from how he does what he is so good at on paper. Shannon requires the ball in his hands nearly at all times to be effective. After an exciting rookie season in which he was the X-factor against the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Shannon found himself out of the rotation as a sophomore player.
Part of this has to do with his injury history, but the larger reason is that he simply could not fit into a team that had so many different egos and creators constantly battling and bouncing off each other. He failed to be a complementary piece when that was all the team needed.
That, however, changed in the playoffs. Shannon was a real difference-maker against both the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs in the first and second rounds, functioning as a shot creator when the team lost scorer after scorer to injury or emotions and lacked anyone to take over possessions.
Now, with that new role established as necessary, but the opportunity to make it happen no less nebulous, Shannon seems to be setting up for a make-or-break season. So much of this Timberwolves season relies on him, and so much of his career relies on this single campaign, and yet it’s hard not to look at what he is doing and what he has done, and to think that both he and the team would be better served doing something else.
No, it’s not his three-point shooting that needs to move forward to help the Timberwolves, nor would a leap in defensive ability really do much to solidify him going forward.
The best way T.J. Shannon could help the Minnesota Timberwolves win a championship would be as an asset equivalent to a first-round pick that the front office can use to find a real difference-maker that they don’t need to work around as heavily as they need to for Shannon.
Let me explain.
T.J. Shannon spent much of last season wallowing on the bench. Between injury and a lack of role, there was no real reason to play a wing who could neither shoot from distance nor defend at an elite level.
Shannon’s strength comes in the pressure he applies to the rim. It was what made him so effective against Nikola Jokic, who does not defend the rim at all, and Victor Wembanyama, who has conditioning issues that prevent him from being the excellent rim protector he is when tested too often throughout the course of the game.
It was as if Shannon had completely overloaded Wembanyama in that first game of the series against the San Antonio Spurs by simply attacking the rim time after time after time. He broke the reigning defensive player of the year with sheer rim volume. That deserves both recognition and mention.
“He gonna have to block it every time, I ain’t gonna stop going downhill. I told him that when he said a little something…
He gonna have to block it every time, man. I know he ain’t gonna block it every single time. I’m gonna dunk on him”
However, not every team has Nikola Jokic or Victor Wembanyama. Not every team lacks a capable backup the way either of those two teams does for their best players. Not every team will expect their center to be the only capable rim protector, leaving Shannon to exert his will against them.
No, the more common situation is what we saw happening during the regular season. Shannon will come in for spurts, will attack in transition, and will find himself a few layups with his strong left hand. However, as his minutes wear on, he will become less and less helpful to the team, as his shots don’t drop, as he fails to defend beyond tipping away passes, and while Chris Finch continues to get more and more upset at his effort from the sideline.
The situation was perfect for Shannon in that playoff run, as it was for the guest star appearance that happened against the OKC Thunder just a year prior.
Ironically, it is Shannon’s ability to get to the rim, draw fouls, and make opposing teams’ defenses’ lives hell that makes him both so valuable in the postseason and so much less useful during the regular season, when depth is playable, and teams can overcome foul problems to their best players in a vacuum.
Just that ability to force a foul differential seems so much stronger than it is. No, when it comes down to it, Shannon struggles to be an impact player when he is not in the perfect situation to succeed.
That makes him the definition of a specialist. There’s nothing wrong with being a specialist; however, it means that his value is capped at being a decent situational bench piece who explodes against specific types of opposition.
What it also means is that Shannon will be far less useful than the other players vying for his playing time at the backup forward position in Jaylen Clark, Ayo Dosunmu, and whoever else joins the fray, due to his lack of versatility.
In many ways, Shannon’s season has been put in a far worse situation by the signing of Jonathan Kuminga, which pushes Shannon from being a suitable small-ball four, with similar athletic traits and measurables to Miles Bridges, to being a tweener forced to come off the bench, who needs the ball in his hands and will have to rely on LaMelo Ball to make him play at his best when he gets minutes with the starters.
This to me would indicate that it’d be TJ Shannon. 6-6, 220 and is physical and athletic enough to defend and rebound. Leaning into getting him as many reps as possible is great with me https://t.co/UbU1XPQmcr
Instead of trying to thread this needle, it may behoove both the player and the team to find somewhere else. The Timberwolves are still searching for meaningful depth pieces. They lack the draft capital to make a deal to find that after moving their 2033 first-round pick for LaMelo Ball.
Maybe it is Shannon that can be that extra young player slash pick capital that the Wolves need to find the final piece for their puzzle. In that situation, Shannon would be able to get more touches and minutes. He would have to fit in less, and maybe that could come with a large payday or a larger role for the older-than-you-would-expect young player.
For the Wolves, it comes as a very easy opportunity to get a playable rotation player.
Some would argue that the worst thing to do when entering a presumed spat of contention is to trade off young players with promise for veterans. However, it seems impossible that Shannon’s breakout will come on a Wolves team that can no longer help him reach those heights and needs him to be someone he is not.
With the Wolves so close to contending, and Shannon so far from being the player that the team needs, a mutual parting of ways is likely the best path forward.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 12: Jericho Sims #00 of the Milwaukee Bucks rebounds the ball during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 12, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jericho Sims had the best year of his career over the 2025-26 campaign, playing as the Bucks’ backup center. Averaging 5.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.6 APG, Sims was the gritty, athletic rim-runner who put in the dirty work. He earned himself increased playing time by showing his willingness to hustle and fight for boards on one of the league’s worst rebounding teams. Especially as starting center Myles Turner struggled to convert in Milwaukee’s choppy offense, Sims got more first-team reps and started nine of Milwaukee’s final 12 games.
Sims is one of the league’s best rim finishers, with world-class athleticism, great strength, a huge wingspan, and a tireless motor. Despite being relatively small for an NBA center at 6’10,” he scored on 83.4% of his attempts at the rim. Sims was also used heavily for his plus rebounding, especially on the offensive end, where he hauled in 2.2 offensive rebounds per contest. Crucially, he’s also agile enough to switch onto smaller wings and guards when covering the pick-and-roll.
Having said all of this, Sims struggled heavily in several other facets of the game. He has virtually no offensive game outside of the paint and shot just 62% from the line. He was also pretty turnover-prone, averaging 1.1 giveaways per contest despite his extremely low usage. Sims also struggled with foul trouble much of the time and got called for a crazy number of illegal screens.
This season, the 27-year-old will find it much harder to get first-team reps following the arrival of Kel’el Ware. Ware is younger, has a perimeter game, is a better defender, and is a more willing rebounder, meaning there isn’t a real argument for Sims to get more minutes than Ware.
Although he opted into a $2.8m player option this summer, Sims is also reportedly a trade option for the Bucks as they look to clear cap space and accumulate even more draft capital. The Lakers and Knicks have shown interest in acquiring him as a high-energy, versatile backup. His salary would make it very easy for buyers to pick up, and, with Milwaukee managing a crowded big man rotation, he could be on the chopping block come February.
Sims’ athleticism and high work rate helped him log career highs and work his way into the Bucks rotation throughout last season, but it’s his small, expiring contract that could make him especially useful to general manager Jon Horst and the Bucks front office.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 21: Donovan Mitchell #45 and James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers look on during the game against the New York Knicks during Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on May 21, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a precarious position. On one hand, they just had their most successful postseason run since trading for Donovan Mitchell four years ago – earning their first Eastern Conference Finals bid since 2018. However, on the other hand, the way they were so thoroughly dismantled by the New York Knicks made it apparent that they were far from a true title hopeful.
The first part of the offseason only served to further this gap. While the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, and Boston Celtics all got better, the Cavaliers lost Dean Wade (one of the team’s best connectors) and Keon Ellis, and they completely flailed on the LeBron James sweepstakes.
Now, the Cavaliers are officially all the way in. They made the big swing for Watson, shipped out Darius Garland for James Harden (then extended him), and gifted Donovan Mitchell a heavy extension. Cleveland has exhausted pretty much all their resources, but is it enough?
If you take one thing away from this article, it should be that everything kind of hinges on Watson. Since the Nuggets drafted Watson with the 30th overall pick, he’s always been a tantalizing defensive prospect. Folks compare him to prime Jonathan Isaac because of his combination of length, defensive playmaking, and lateral agility. He’s regularly in the upper echelon in block rate (93rd percentile block rate in the first three years of his career), despite not being a center and taking on tough perimeter defensive assignments.
In 2024-25, Watson began to flash some off-the-dribble upside, and then last year, courtesy of some injuries and his maturation as a player, it all started to coalesce. In the month of January (15 games), Watson averaged 21.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.5 blocks per game on 59.6% true shooting. To put that into some perspective, since the 2014-15 season (right around the start of the pace-and-space era), there have been 364 such instances where a player under 24 years old put those numbers up in a 15-game span (per Stathead). The only players who did that and haven’t made an All-Star team yet are Miles Bridges, Josh Giddey, and Cooper Flagg (who will surely be earning that honor someday soon).
That’s a very small sample, and an admittedly cherry-picked one at that. Injuries kept us from seeing how it would portend in a postseason setting, and the last time we saw him in the playoffs, his touch-and-go contributions on offense relegated him to 14.2 minutes per game.
His January scoring numbers won’t be a necessity for this Cavaliers team. At most, he’ll be a third option behind Harden and Mitchell, and an innings eater when one/both of them is off the floor.
What I’m really curious about is how good of a shooter he can be. Last year, he hit 41.1% of his 3.6 threes per game, but in the three years before that, those numbers were 32.8% and 1.8, respectively. Which sample size truly encapsulates who Watson is as a shooter today?
The pessimist in me still thinks he’s a below-average shooter (just so hard to shed the non-shooter label once you’ve been branded with it), but if I’m wrong, Watson’s combination of spacing, secondary creation, and defensive versatility would make him by far and away the best fifth starter this iteration of the team has rostered.
Speaking of the core four, Allen is about as metronomic as they come. Pencil him in for another top-10 center season in 2026-27. Harden’s also pretty consistent, but staring down his age-37 season, he’s far from a sure thing. Meaningful regression from him would increase the need for Watson’s independent scoring flashes to stick.
Mobley needs to get back to his 2024-25 form for this team to have the top-end talent to make this all work. After finishing 12th in the NBA in Estimated Plus-Minus that season, Mobley fell all the way to 59th last season (per Dunks & Threes). Some of this was probably a byproduct of him being overburdened at the start of the year (Cleveland was dealing with a lot of injuries), but a lot of it seems to be a lack of consistency in his aggression. On some nights, he’s willing to bulldoze his way into a crowded lane for a thunderous jam. While on others, he lingers around aimlessly, further confounding the Cavaliers’ spacing predicament. It’d also be nice if Mitchell upped his playmaking and didn’t lay goose eggs so often in the playoffs (his volatile nature can be both charming and damning), but his reliance on forceful side-to-side movements seems to have a deteriorating factor on his body, and at this point (next year will be his age-30 season), he is who he is.
To build this star-studded starting five, the Cavaliers had to sacrifice their depth. Jaylon Tyson took a big leap in Year Two – going from 14th percentile in EPM as a rookie to 77th percentile last year. Continued growth from him as a junior will be critical to the Cavaliers’ success. Sam Merrill will continue to be a wicked sharpshooter with defensive limitations. But after them, it’s Craig Porter Jr., Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Mario Hezonja, Thomas Bryant, Tyrese Proctor, Maleek Thomas, and a few other non-household names. It would be nice if one or two of those guys could punch above their weight (my bet would be Porter). Injury luck also needs to be on their side.
As of right now, FanDuel gives the Cavaliers the sixth-best odds of coming out of the Eastern Conference (+900, 10%). I think that undersells them a bit.
To me, the Knicks and Toronto Raptors are in a class of their own. Before the Watson sign-and-trade, I expected Cleveland to regress to the point where they’d be participating in the play-in. But now, I think the Cavaliers belong in the same tier as the 76ers, Celtics, and Pacers. I’d even go as far as to say that the Cavaliers starting five puts them at the top of that group.
Last year, the Cavaliers were a very good offensive team (6th in offensive rating) and a middling team on the defensive side of the ball (15th in defensive rating). Adding Watson goes a long way toward fortifying their front line, and while losing a trustworthy veteran shooter like Max Strus isn’t great for their offense, the versatility that Watson opens up, coupled with having Harden for a full year and any potential improvements that come from Tyson, should keep them in the same ballpark on that end of the floor. This means that the Cavaliers have a real chance of being a top ten unit on both sides of the ball. Who else in the East – other than the Knicks and Raptors – can you confidently say that about at this point? Probably the Celtics, but that’s about it.
Things have changed for the Cavaliers. They are no longer the team that won 64 games in 2024-25, or the one that people anticipated to win the East at the start of last year. However, the idealized version of Watson is the best wing the team has had since The King was still in town. If that dice roll pays off, the Big Four remain formidable, some bench pieces rise to the occasion, and injuries don’t derail them, this could be the most complete version we’ve seen of them yet. But if they don’t, a teardown may be in order. One thing is certain: this is the year that rubber meets the road for the Cavaliers, one way or another.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 18: Ranger Suarez #55 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on September 18, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you sign a pitcher to a $130 million contract, you’re an MLB decision-maker (Hello! Hire me! I have good ideas and work fairly hard!) If you’re not an MLB decision-maker and have the capacity to read my first sentence without taking it literally, you’ll want that $130 million pitcher to pitch in big games. The Boston Red Sox signed Ranger Suarez to a 5-year, $130 million contract shortly after losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs this offseason.
Suarez wasn’t making top dollar over the first eight years of his career, but he was pitching in big games. He threw in 11 postseason games for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting a 1.48 ERA on his way to four wins and one save. With one week remaining in the regular season, Suarez is lined up to start game three of the Wild Card series, although Chad Tracy said not to read into that yet. Despite Tracy’s guidance, I’m choosing to read into it.
Suarez has been streaky this season. He posted a 2.10 ERA over five starts in June. In August, he registered a 5.70 ERA. If you believe in pitcher streakiness, you’ll be pleased to know the lefty has allowed just two earned runs over his last three starts (19.2 innings). Is this the start of a hot streak, or just some fortunate outcomes over a short sample? To quote the owl from the Tootsie Pop commercial, let’s find out!
Suarez is typically effective against lefties, although he hit some blips during the middle of the season. He sees mostly right-handed hitters, though the Yankees are likely to keep both Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger in the lineup, as well as potentially Austin Wells and Jazz Chisholm. When Suarez got into trouble against lefties this season, it was primarily by missing the edge of the zone too often, falling behind in counts, and walking hitters. In August, he walked 15% of the lefties he faced. In September, he’s only seen 28 lefties, but he’s dialed it in.
Suarez has simplified his approach, increasing his sinker and slider usage. He’s thrown the sinker on the arm side where it can jam hitters, rather than trying to back door it.
His slider was also located low and on the glove side, which translated to a 50% chase rate. Suarez also increased his first-pitch strike percentage from 55% in August to 68% in September. When Suarez is ahead, hitters are forced to swing at more pitches on the edges, and it translates to easy outs. Bellinger and Rice both hit pitches on the inside part of the plate well. In a few meetings this season, Suarez has opted to pitch primarily away from them. If Suarez does pitch against the Yankees, it will be interesting to see if he tries to jam them or continues to pitch away. Either way, his sinker/slider combination has been very effective over the past few weeks.
Righties are the bigger question for Suarez. Fortunately, the Yankees’ right-handed hitters without Aaron Judge in the lineup aren’t as daunting. Paul Goldschmidt and Heliot Ramos are the two biggest names, while George Lombard has also hit lefties well in his debut season. Ramos and Lombard each have plenty of strikeouts in their game, as does Jose Caballero. Amed Rosario is also often in the lineup against lefties, but he’s posted a wRC+ of just 6 — yes, you read that correctly — 6 against lefties over the past two months.
Back to Suarez. Over his last three starts, he’s held righties to a .190 batting average while striking out 24.5% of them. He made some notable changes to his approach as well. He’s made changes to both his usage rates and how he’s deployed them.
For most of the season, he’s led with his cutter against righties. It’s been effective, as he’s thrown it high and inside where it can jam hitters. In September, he’s backed off the usage and thrown it more on the arm side. The strike rate has fallen, but the different approach might be helping his other pitches be more effective.
He’s made up for the lower cutter usage by increasing his sinkers to righties. Here’s a look at the heat map for most of the season and September.
Early in the season, he almost exclusively kept his sinker away from righties. More recently, he’s used the whole plate, throwing it down and away as well as inside. The strike rate is up, while the contact against it is weak. With the cutter more on the arm side, it might be more difficult for hitters to pull the trigger on the sinker, leading to an increase in called strikes.
The other notable change Suarez has made is slashing his changeup usage. For much of his career, his changeup has been his best pitch against righties. The swinging strike rate has been between 15 and 20%, with weak contact against it. This season, the zone rate and chase rate are below his usual marks, leading to a strike rate below 50%. From the beginning of the season through the end of August, the pitch accounted for 17% of his offerings to righties. Over his last three starts, he’s used the pitch just 8% of the time. He’s thrown it in just four two-strike counts in September, despite it being his second most used pitch against righties for most of the season. While it’s a good pitch when it’s working, it hasn’t been a weapon for most of this season.
Suarez’s deep arsenal means it can look very different for him on a given day. After returning from injury in July, he used five pitches over 14% of the time. As the Red Sox inched closer to securing a playoff spot, he cut the changeup and covered that portion of the plate with a sinker. It’s an approach that’s worked, but could be exposed as hitters are more ready for it. While most of the games this week are largely meaningless, how Suarez approaches righties in his final start of the season is something to watch, and could be a tell for how he performs in the playoffs.
Garrett Crochet ruined Game 1 for the AL Wild Card series last year for the Yankees.
And he could be looking to inflict damage on Boston’s AL East rivals once again.
The sidelined lefty ace said he hit 96 mph in a live batting practice session Tuesday and believes he can contribute in the postseason.
Boston Red Sox left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet continues his comeback from left shoulder inflammation during a side session at Polar Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
“The way that … just went, I could go get outs,” Crochet said, according to the Boston Globe. “It depends obviously what role they want me in. It’s not really for me to say. I know myself and I know my body, and the biggest thing was that I felt good out there. Felt like I was able to ramp up intensity to a place that I haven’t gone yet. Tomorrow is going to be a big deal, seeing how I recover.”
The Yankees and Red Sox are seemingly on a collision course for a second straight Wild Card clash, although Boston has yet to secure the No. 5 seed.
The loser of the AL Central battle between the Guardians and White Sox can still overtake Boston for that date in The Bronx next Tuesday.
Boston entered last postseason with Crochet anchoring its rotation off a season that earned him second place in the AL Cy Young voting but question marks in the rotation after him.
This time around, Boston has established starters but Crochet is the question mark.
Crochet is closing in on five months since he last pitched in an MLB game after landing on the injured list in April with left shoulder inflammation, having last started April 25.
Boston Red Sox’s Garrett Crochet throws a pitch during the fifth inning of a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
He did not pitch up to his standards in his six outings before being sidelined, posting a 6.30 ERA while allowing 33 hits and five homers in just 30 innings.
It’s uncertain how Boston would use him in the postseason due to the long layoff and the team having quality starters.
Lefties Peyton Tolle, Ranger Suarez and Jake Bennett plus righty Sonny Gray give Boston four capable starters to match up with the Yankees.
Last season, Crochet dominated the Yankees in Game 1, striking out 11 while allowing just one run in 7 2/3 innings in Boston’s 3-1 victory.
Brayan Bello lasted just 2 1/3 innings in a Game 2 loss and rookie Connelly Early logged only 3 2/3 innings in the decisive Game 3 loss.
“He’s definitely making progress,” Boston manager Chad Tracy — fresh off his promotion to full-time skipper — said, per the Boston Globe. “Again, it’s ‘see how he feels tomorrow.’ I know that there’s a lot of conversation around that because we’re only a week away from the postseason now. So determining how does he feel coming out of that [and] what does this weekend look like is going to be the next step.
“What that looks like now, I don’t know. I just know that whatever it is, it’s going to be done with Garrett’s best interest in mind, making sure that we’re doing it right.”
Crochet noted that he would “feel bad” taking someone’s spot on the roster, and said he would accept whatever the front office decides.
With the season ending Sunday, Boston does not have any soft landing spots to allow Crochet to face major-league hitters in a true game environment before the playoffs begin.
Boston ultimately may just have to trust that its star pitcher can return with no hiccups.
“You’re considering all those things,” Tracy said, per the Boston Globe. “We have to consider it and just be very, very mindful of, again, what are we potentially exposing him to and what can he give us really?”
The Vancouver Canucks dropped to 0-2 in the 2026 pre-season as they fell 3-1 to the Calgary Flames. Vancouver's lineup featured plenty of youth, while Calgary dressed a roster that will most likely be the same on opening night. Here are three Canucks standouts from Tuesday night.
Kevin Lankinen
Kevin Lankinen is the reason this game was close. Vancouver was outshot 31-9, with the 31-year-old making 28 saves. Although he allowed all three goals in the second, the middle frame was his best, as he stopped 15 of the 18 shots he faced.
Tuesday was a good bounce-back for Lankinen, who struggled during the scrimmage at training camp on Saturday. He came up with some big saves and was able to bail out his younger teammates throughout the night. Overall, it was a good start to the pre-season for Lankinen.
Aatu Räty
Aatu Räty was arguably the Canucks' best forward in this game. He led Vancouver with two shots on goal and recorded three additional shot attempts. Räty was also virtually unbeatable in the faceoff dot as he won 15 of the 20 draws he took.
After a less-than-ideal game on Saturday, Räty really stepped up against the Flames. He was able to win some board battles and looked engaged in the offensive zone. Ultimately, Räty made the most of his opportunities in what was his final game of the 2026 pre-season.
Adam Novotný
Adam Novotný did not look out of place in his second career pre-season game. The 18-year-old was constantly getting in on the forecheck and finished the night tied for second on the team with four shots. Novotný also blocked a shot on Tuesday and recorded one shot on goal.
Sep 22, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Vancouver Canucks left wing Adam Novonty (15) and Calgary Flames left wing Joel Farabee (86) battle for the puck during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Based on his performance during training camp and the pre-season, Novotný deserves some additional time with the NHL team. He will most likely head back to the OHL, but he has shown he may be closer to NHL-ready than initially thought. While it is early, it is safe to say that Novotný has a bright future ahead of him.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Jake Burger #21 of the Texas Rangers runs the bases after a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Globe Life Field on September 20, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Morning, all!
Marcus Semien is in town with the Mets for the first time since being traded last offseason and reminisced about his time with the Rangers.
The Rangers have placed Joc Pederson on the IL, retroactive to Saturday, but are hopeful he will be available if they make the playoffs.
Pederson also missed time in 2025 due to a broken hand after being hit by a pitch.
Ezequiel Duran’s time in the Dominican Winter League last year has paid off to the tune of the eighth highest WAR in the American League.
Tim Cowlishaw thinks the Rangers have an advantage over Houston in these final games by having earlier start times than Houston.
Of course, that also depends on the Rangers winning games, and last night that didn’t happen in part because of weak defense.
Not to be outdone by the defense, the Rangers’ offense last night was 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
Jake Burger’s assessment of the game and misplays amounted to “it sucks”
After narrowly beating the Ottawa Senators in Trois-Rivières on Monday night, the Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a much-deserved day off on Tuesday. The break was long planned, as it marked the halfway point of training camp, and everyone will be back in Brossard Wednesday morning.
Team B is scheduled to hit the ice first at 10:30 AM, followed by Team A at 11:50 AM and Team C at 1:00 PM. Then, on Thursday, Teams A and B will practice simultaneously at 10:30 AM before facing each other in a scrimmage at 11:30 on ice 2, while Team C will practice on ice 1 at 11:45. If you want to take a day off to visit the Canadiens’ camp, Thursday should be the day, as it’s the only scrimmage planned so far.
Friday, all three groups will practice at the usual times: Team A at 10:30, Team B at 11:50 Am and Team C at 1:00 PM. Then, on Saturday, the Canadiens will once again face the Senators, but this time in a split-squad game. Team A will stay in Montreal to play at the Bell Centre at 7:00 PM and will hold its morning skate at the CN Sports Complex at 10:30. Team B will have its morning skate at 11:30 before heading to Ottawa to face the Sens at 7:00 PM.
That will be the Canadiens’ final preseason game, and after that match we should see some cuts. Will Martin St-Louis be guided by who has an NHL contract, or will he truly award roster spots to the most deserving players? That remains to be seen. It wasn’t that long ago that the organization elected to put Joel Armia on waivers after an underwhelming camp.
Unless Kirby Dach raises his intensity soon, he could be a candidate for the same treatment. The question is, though, would he clear, or would a GM be willing to roll the dice on him? After all, he’s still a former third-overall pick and a big-frame potential center. Then again, there’s a significant injury history there, but it’s less of a factor when picking up someone on waivers than when actually using assets to acquire them.
