“First time around, you try so hard to do a lot of things,” the outfielder said Wednesday. “For me, I’m a chill bird, I just need to relax and allow myself to do as I do, and not force anything.”
When he returned July 26, Jones was determined to be himself. The results have followed.
Spencer Jones belts an RBI double in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 10-5 win over the Mariners on Aug. 12, 2026 at the Stadium. Jason Szenes for New York Post
Jones has been particularly effective with runners in scoring position, posting a .981 OPS in such situations spanning 46 plate appearances. He has a simple approach with men on base.
“I think something that I learned when I was young, that I’ve always liked, was that when there’s runners on base there’s really no pressure on you at the plate. It’s more so on the pitcher on the mound,” Jones said. “That’s kind of the way I’ve always framed it and just recognize that the guys are going to try to get you out, they’re going to put stuff over the plate. As long as you do your job and don’t go chasing, you’ll get a pitch to hit.”
Spencer Jones slides safely into second base with an RBI double in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Mariners. Jason Szenes for New York Post
Jones’ recent emergence — he had a big day in Saturday’s win over the Braves and ace Chris Sale, driving in two runs — has been significant as the injury-ravaged Yankees search for offense. He had one of the biggest hits Wednesday, a two-run double that cut a three-run deficit to one in the third inning. Two innings later, he pulled the Yankees even with another double.
“I feel like he has had some adjustability. You start with obviously his size and strength and speed, and real natural power. He touches it on the barrel, it’s getting hit hard,” manager Aaron Boone said.
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“But I feel like he’s done a good job of having professional at-bats every day. He understands some of his strengths and weaknesses. He has been pretty good at having a plan going up there, and knowing what that pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses are and then making a plan for that. He has shown some adaptability at this level, which has been good.”
New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren reacts on the mound after giving up a home run to Seattle Mariners designated hitter Dominic Canzone in the third inning at Yankee Stadium, Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
After a rough outing, Will Warren blamed his emotions more than his pitches.
The Yankees starting pitcher was victimized by three home runs, each coming off a different pitch, but his outing might be most remembered for a ball that found grass rather than seats.
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In the second inning, Seattle’s Brendan Donovan lofted a high fly into shallow center. Trent Grisham’s first instinct was to jog in — he later acknowledged he got a bad read on the ball — before realizing the fly ball should be his.
The epiphany came too late, and George Lombard Jr.’s helpless lunge with his back to the plate was unsuccessful. The ball dropped for a gift double, and TV cameras caught Warren yelling in frustration.
“You got to be able to control your emotions,” Warren said after the 10-5 win over the Mariners in The Bronx. “I don’t think I did a very good job of that tonight, and that’s probably why I got ran out of there in the fifth.”
The second-inning misplay would not haunt him — Warren eventually induced a double play from Taylor Ward — but there were several other pitches that might.
Will Warren reacts dejectedly after giving up a home run to designated hitter Dominic Canzone in the third inning of the Yankees’ 10-5 loss to the Mariners on Aug. 12, 2026 at the Stadium. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Five batters into the game, the Yankees were down 3-0 because Randy Arozarena turned a sweeper that was not even in the strike zone into a two-run home run to right field — “Wow,” said manager Aaron Boone, who couldn’t believe Arozarena hooked the homer rather than sliced it into foul territory — and Julio Rodríguez redirected a four-seamer over the right field wall.
In the third, Dominic Canzone demolished a changeup to right — the 397-foot drive was no porch job — and the Mariners added another in the fifth when Fernando Cruz could not strand a runner Warren left on base.
Will Warren throws a pitch during the first inning of the Yankees’ win over the Mariners. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
“Overall, just behind in the count,” Warren said after he was charged with five runs in four-plus innings on six hits and four walks, “and they made me pay.”
At this point, Boone doesn’t have any plans to test Luis García Jr.’s defensive flexibility in a game. But Boone left the door open for that to happen at some point — whether it’s later in 2026 or beyond.
García, whom the Yankees acquired ahead of the trade deadline, played second base — and struggled doing so — with the Nationals before switching to first base full-time this year. But with a logjam at first base with Ben Rice, and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. stumbling and a free agent in the offseason, García taking grounders at other positions, as he did before Tuesday’s game, could become a more common scene.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Boone said when asked about García playing another position. “Kinda had him making sure he works out there all the time, and you watch him and I feel like he’s got real natural actions to me. … Just watching him work and move and things like that, I feel like he could.”
Boone brought up García’s defensive versatility unprompted before the game, when asked about García fitting into the clubhouse and adding value at first base.
Luis Garcia Jr. during his first game in The Bronx on Aug. 3, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“I feel like there’s more in there for him defensively,” Boone said of the 26-year-old, who has played 508 games at second base, 70 at shortstop and 101 at first base throughout his career entering play Wednesday. García had a minus-seven Outs Above Average at second base, according to Baseball Savant, and a minus-17 Defensive Runs Saved last season, according to FanGraphs — capturing the risk involved with any potential position switch.
But Boone and infield coach Dan Fiorito have been impressed by García’s arm, and Fiorito added that García can slow the game down when balls are hit at him and has good hands.
“We’ll kinda wait and see where everything kind of transitions,” Fiorito told The Post. “I mean, you saw García out here [Tuesday] taking ground balls at second and third, and that’s something that we’ll do with all first basemen — just kinda like working around the infield, doing it for their athleticism standpoints. We’ll see what kind of things open up for us as the year progresses.”
Kervin Castro, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right elbow neuritis, could return this season, Boone said, although he might cut it close.
The righty, who had been quietly effective in the bullpen (one run in 6 ⅓ innings), went down in late May with an injury that Boone said was similar and wound up sidelined for five weeks. There are six and a half weeks left in the season.
Clarke Schmidt, who felt forearm cramping during a live batting practice Aug. 4, still has not returned to a mound.
Schmidt, whom the Yankees have said has seen a doctor who believed the issue was just cramps rather than something more serious, has been throwing but on flat ground.
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“I know the last couple of days have gotten better each day throwing,” Boone said of Schmidt, who is hoping to return as a bullpen option this season after 2025 Tommy John surgery.
Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain) ran the bases for a second straight day and appeared to come through OK. His next step, and if and when he would begin a rehab assignment, remains unclear.
It was a massive game for the Clippers offense lead by number one prospect Ralphy Velazquez. He went 3-5 with 2 HRs and is officially starting to kick the door down. Will they call him up? Ralphy wasn’t the only Clipper to hit multiple HRs in this game. Guardians legend David Fry went 3-4 with two HRs and 6 RBIs, his AAA OPS is up to 1.209. Kody Huff went 2-5 with a HR of his own, and we also saw multi hit games from Cooper Ingle and Kyle Manzardo. All together the Clippers scored 15 runs on 15 hits with 9 walks to just 5 strikeouts. That’s a pretty great game offensively if you ask me.
Connor Brogdon, Trevor Stephan, and Daniel Espino all had scoreless innings in relief.
The RubberDucks totaled just 4 hits tonight, but that can work when 3/4 of them were home runs. Ryan Cesarini homered yet again, along with Bennett Thompson and Dean Curley, who seems to be figuring it out at AA after a slow start.
Ryan Degges had another great start for the Ducks. He threw 4.1 scoreless innings while striking out 5 and walking 3. His ERA on the RubberDucks is still at 0.00.
Welbyn Francisca juuust missed another home run tonight, he hit a line drive single that hit off the top of the wall and was limited to just a single. He went 2-4 and is now hitting .282 with a .932 OPS in High A. He just turned 20 years old a couple months ago so I don’t think they’ll do it, but I’d love to see him get a taste of AA this season. Jose Pirela welcome to High-A! He went 2-2 with a HR, a triple, and 2 walks. There’s a lot of swing and miss in his profile but he’s a tooled up kid with some real power potential, I hope he is able to figure it out.
Aidan Major made his High-A debut and allowed two runs in 4 innings pitched while striking out 4.
The Howlers kept this from being an affiliate sweep tonight. They recorded just two total hits as a team.
Will Hynes had one of his better starts so far this season. He allowed just one earned run while striking out two batters in his 4 innings pitched. His ERA is down to 8.49 since being promoted to Hill City.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 12: Atlanta pitcher Tyler Mahle (54) pitches during the MLB game between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves on August 12th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Well Tyler Mahle is two starts into his Braves’ tenure, but those two starts have been two of the best starts by a Brave not names Chris Sale this season, going 6.0 innings with strong strikeout numbers in each. There is one thing that definitely jumps out on his profile that the Braves may have changed and that is dramatically reducing his cutter usage, in favor of his four-seamer and splitter. It is also possible that they dropped his arm angle, but that is less clear from the season-long trends for him. If that can actually unlock a better version of Mahle, who has always had middle-of-the-rotation talent, that would be a huge win for the Braves and a huge feather in Jeremy Hefner’s cap.
For the Pittsburgh Penguins, there are several players as part of the Jake Guentzel trade tree who are in a "wait and see" stage to determine whether that trade will end up panning out for the organization.
But they are about to take a loss on at least one of the pieces of that deal.
On Aug. 15, select NCAA players set to graduate who are in their fourth season of NCAA eligibility can become unrestricted free agents. According to Puckpedia, if a player is eligible, they must complete the necessary paperwork to indicate they're no longer a college student and submit it to the NHL's Central Registry by the 15th in order to become a draft-related free agent.
And at the top of the list is Penguins' prospect Cruz Lucius.
Lucius, 22, was acquired as part of the trade that sent Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes before the 2024 trade deadline. He played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin before transferring to Arizona State University for his past two collegiate seasons. He had a breakout campaign in 2025-26, registering 15 goals and 46 points in 36 games, which was good enough for 11th overall in NCAA scoring.
Unfortunately for the Penguins, Lucius has already informed the team that he does not plan to sign with them for "personal reasons," meaning he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on the 15th so long as he completes the necessary paperwork. Had he opted to remain with Pittsburgh and sign, he would have joined a relatively crowded pool of forward prospects.
Lucius was brought over from Carolina along with fellow forward prospects Ville Koivunen and Vasily Ponomarev - who is playing in the KHL - as well as NHL forward Michael Bunting and a second-round pick in the 2024 draft that turned into defenseman Harrison Brunicke, arguably Pittsburgh's top prospect. Bunting was then traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn, who was flipped for a 2027 fourth and a 2026 second-round pick that became Markus Ruck.
Even if the Guentzel trade tree is still growing and still has fruit to bear, the eventual loss of Lucius is a small blow to the Penguins' forward depth as well as their payout from that trade.
Lucius was a fourth-round selection (124th overall) by Carolina in 2022.
Knoxville Smokies players and staff celebrate the win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in a Minor League Baseball game on July 29, 2026, at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Braxton Garrett made his Cubs’ debut in this game and he had some major issues throwing strikes. Garrett only allowed one run on one hit over two innings, but he walked six batters while striking out just one. Only 29 of Garrett’s 62 pitches were strikes.
Hoby Milner pitched one inning on a rehab assignment. In the fifth inning, Milner gave up no runs, but did surrender one hit and allowed one run. He did not strike anyone out.
Connor Noland got the win in relief. Noland allowed three runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings. He struck out three and did not walk anyone.
Noland got in trouble in the ninth inning, giving up two runs and leaving runners on first and third with two outs when he was replaced by Tyler Ferguson. Ferguson threw one pitch, got a ground out to first base and collected the save.
The I-Cubs were held scoreless for the first five innings until right fielder Kevin Alcántara hit a two-run home run, his 19th on the year. (Or 20th if you count the one at Wrigley.) The Jaguar was 2 for 4 with a double and the home run.
Iowa took the lead for good with a five-run seventh inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by first baseman BJ Murray. It was Murray’s 14th this year. He went 1 for 5.
Left fielder Jordan Nwogu was 2 for 3 with a walk. He scored once and drove in two.
Second baseman Owen Miller went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.
Jubrayker Salaya made his Low-A debut and pitched three innings. He allowed one unearned run on one hit. He struck out two and walked one.
Next up, Victor Zarraga threw three scoreless innings and got the win. Zarraga allowed just one baserunner, a hit batter, but then erased him in a double play so he faced the minimum. Zarraga struck out two.
The Pelicans divided the nine innings equally between three pitchers, and Julio Valdez got the three-inning save. Valdez gave up no runs on just one hit. He struck out two and walked one.
Right fielder Eli Lovich was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.
Center fielder Ethan Conrad was 1 for 4 with a double.
At first, Wednesday emerged as an instance of Trent Grisham struggling in center field — despite the public support of Aaron Boone one day prior, despite the Yankees having another option in Spencer Jones who could play there and a dip at the plate not helping his case.
But by the end of the night, when the Yankees’ 10-5 win concluded, Grisham’s best offensive game in months made that — and his rough season at the plate at large with a $22 million contract — an afterthought.
Grisham crushed two homers, collected three hits and drove in four runs, delivering his second multihomer game of the season and ninth of his career.
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He has collected multiple hits in three consecutive games, which tied his career best. And Grisham has gone 8-for-14 over his last four games, capturing one of his best stretches of the season as he attempts to fix a brutal start.
“I don’t think he gets swung emotionally very much by highs and lows,” Boone said. “The reality is he’s putting together a lot of good at-bats right now for us, and we know that’s what he’s capable of — of setting the tone for us.”
Grisham admitted that he wanted a better read on the ball off Brendan Donovan’s bat at the start of the second inning, which had an exit velocity of 70 mph and an expected batting average of .170, according to Baseball Savant. The shallow fly ball into center field started with Grisham slowly jogging in.
New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham reacts after he hits an RBI double in the seventh inning on Aug. 12, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Shortstop George Lombard Jr. ended up wildly attempting to dive for it, tumbling to the ground as Donovan sprinted into second with a double.
“It felt like the ball was up there long enough that a play could’ve been made if everyone got the right jump on it,” said Boone, who added that he still needed to watch the replay to see Grisham’s read.
Trent Grisham celebrates one of his two homers on Wednesday night. Robert Sabo for NY Post
But the Yankees escaped the inning unscathed, and with two outs in the fifth inning, Grisham crushed a first-pitch sinker 364 feet to right field.
He drove in Lombard with a double in the seventh before adding his 15th homer of the season in the eighth, giving him three in the last four games.
“Earlier in my career, I’ve gotten really high and really low, really emotional,” Grisham said. “What I’ve seen in the better players across the league usually just kinda stay even-keeled. … So I just try to emulate that as much as I can.”
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By the time the Yankees’ game ended Aug. 2, Grisham’s average had dipped to .211, the lowest it’d been since early June. His career season in 2025 kept fading.
But even with his power down one season after a career-best 34 homers, Grisham, at least for this 10-day stretch has started to ease some of those concerns.
“Hitting the ball in the seats and the gap,” Boone said, “I’ll sign up for that.”
When the Buss family sold their majority stake in the Lakers 14 months ago — ending 46 years of being a family-run business — it didn't come out of nowhere. There had been speculation for years that as the deep pockets needed to run a competitive major American sports franchise grew, the Buss family had no choice but to consider this option, and Dodger owner Mark Walter already owned 27% of the team (and had first right of refusal on any sale).
NBC Sports had been told that Kushner and Iger were seriously involved in the bidding for a potential expansion team in Las Vegas (though not necessarily the frontrunner). That massive expense — an expansion fee expected to be at least $7 billion but likely higher — to get in the door and then start a new team may have given the partners pause.
Kushner reached out to Walter on Friday and the deal quickly came together during the weekend, all of it coming together in three days, Iger told The California Post.
Why sell the team now?
That is the $12.5 billion question. It also is at least part of the answer. Walter purchased the team 14 months ago at a valuation of $10 billion, so turning a tidy $2.5 billion profit in just more than a year is good work if you can get it.
However, it also may be that Walter needed cash. Walter is the CEO and invested deeply in Guggenheim Partners (which owned the Lakers as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers), and is also the founder and leads TWG Global, a holding company. Investigators at both the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan and the SEC are looking into alleged failure to properly disclose billions of dollars in related-party private credit loans tied to Walter's companies.
Because Joshua Kushner is the brother and business partner of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, there has been online speculation that the White House had a hand in forcing the sale. A White House spokesperson reportedly told Front Office Sports the sale had nothing to do with Trump or the administration.
Will the Buss family still be involved?
Yes. Walter is selling his majority stake in the franchise, and the Buss family will maintain its 15% share.
Under the agreement with Walter, Jeanie Buss stayed on as the official governor of the Lakers and was going to be in that role for at least five years. The new owners plan to honor that agreement, Iger told The California Post.
"We have enormous respect and appreciation for Jeanie, her father and what they've contributed to this franchise, and we have every intention to honor the agreement that was made between Mark and Jeanie. If things change, they'll change, but we're going into this with enormous respect and appreciation for who she is and what she represents in the organization."
Does this sale impact the Dodgers?
No. Walter and Guggenheim will maintain ownership of the two-time defending World Series Champions, and this sale does not involve the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.
How will this impact the front office? The roster?
In the short term, nothing changes. The Lakers' retooled roster is largely set for this season — even though they have discussed trying to land wing Jonathan Kuminga in a sign-and-trade, if they can do it on their terms. At this point, there would be no bold moves to really make, even if ownership wanted to.
Also, Luka Doncic made it clear he remains committed to the Lakers.
Being a Laker means everything to me, and I’m excited to get back on the court and bring a championship to LA. I’ve gotten used to big changes over these last few years, but I know that no matter what, there is no limit to the potential of this iconic franchise. I look forward to…
Long-term it remains to be seen what this means. Walter had come in and started the "Dodgerification" of the Lakers organization, adding to the team's scouting and analytics staff and, like the Dodgers, pushing the franchise in a more analytically driven direction. Walter also made major changes on the business side of the organization, bringing in Lon Rosen as the team's new president of business operations, a role he had with the Dodgers.
"It's just premature to speculate at all about what we plan to do, because frankly, we haven't made any plans yet. Again, we go into this with an appreciation of who the Lakers are. And we just want to build value from today on...
"This is very new."
Who are Kushner and Iger?
Kushner founded Thrive Capital, a venture capital firm that invests largely in young tech companies such as Instagram and OpenAI, among many others. Kushner is worth an estimated $5.2 billion, according to Forbes.
Maybe more famously, Kushner is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law. However, Joshua does not have a role in the White House, reportedly has differing political views from his brother, and is a much more private person. Kushner also has invested in NBA teams before and is currently a minority owner of the Miami Heat (shares he will have to sell to complete this deal).
Iger is well known to many Southern California for his many years — across two stints — as the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, the second of which ended earlier this year. He is a consultant with Thive.
Kushner may be most of the money behind the sale, with Iger likely being the face of the new ownership group.
What are the next steps?
The details of the sale itself need to be formally put together in the coming months, then that will be presented to the league, which will do its due diligence. Ultimately, two-thirds of the Board of Governors need to vote to approve the sale.
That likely is all a formality. This sale is going to happen.
WASHINGTON – Alex Bregman is more locked in than any hitter in the major leagues. The Chicago Cubs are as close to the Milwaukee Brewers as they’ve been in nearly three months.
And with three balls rocketing off Bregman’s bat Wednesday, Aug. 12, he and the Cubs served notice that their alliance is starting to turn lethal.
The two-time World Series champion and MVP runner-up crossed another item off his career to-do list, posting his first three-homer game as the Cubs withstood a stiff challenge from the Washington Nationals but burst the dam in the middle innings for a 12-6 victory.
The Cubs signed Bregman to a five-year, $140 million contract not only for his production but also his reputation as a human victory cigar, his mere presence uplifting teammates in a manner rare among ballplayers.
Yet after an epic run with the Houston Astros and a culture-shifting year spent in Boston, Bregman and the Cubs have proved a symbiotic relationship, grinders helping grinders.
This week, that came in the form of Bregman and major league development assistant Ben Martin poring over more than a decade of videos at 1 in the morning after the club arrived in Washington.
The video dated as far back as Bregman’s 2016 stint at Class AA Corpus Christi in the Astros’ system, and the duo used KinaTrax motion-capture data to chart changes in his swing.
The homework paid off: Bregman had two hits and a homer in the Cubs’ series-opening win Tuesday.
A night later came the booms.
His three-run homer off reliever Jake Bird in the fifth inning lifted Chicago to a 4-1 lead and after the Nationals tied it in the bottom half, his two-run blast off Yovanny Cruz an inning later pushed Chicago’s lead to 9-4, ensuring a lower-leverage game for the Cubs' bullpen.
For good measure, he piled on with a two-run shot in the eighth off veteran right-hander Trevor Williams, capping a perfect night: 3-for-3, three homers, two walks and an undeniable status that he’s been the game’s hottest hitter for three weeks running.
Since July 27, Bregman leads all major league hitters with 26 hits in 16 games. He’s slashing .394/.460/.788 in that span, with six home runs.
For reference: It took him 69 games spanning 10 weeks to hit his first six home runs of the season. Not that the Cubs really doubted the three-time All-Star and 2019 AL MVP runner-up.
Nor did Bregman.
“No. I knew,” Bregman said about tamping down any worries and retaining his confidence that, eventually, he’d break out. “But just gotta keep going. Gotta figure out what’s going on and address it. I feel like the last month or so has been a step in the right direction.
“But really, the last two days have been a real step in the right direction.”
Backing up his home run Tuesday with three more towering fly balls into the left field seats – almost identical, really – was crucial. Bregman knows himself enough to avoid the pitfall of the false positive – a moment where he believes he’s figured out a flaw in his swing, only for him to feel uncomfortable in the box the next day.
“Honestly, that’s the most important thing, right?” he says. “I’ve had days this year where it’s gone all right, had a few extra-base hits and the next day, you wake up and get to the ballpark and it feels completely different because maybe that cue wasn’t the one that was actually correct.
“We went through the archives for this, from way back in the day, to look at all the changes of how I’ve kind of loaded throughout my career. We were watching Double-A Corpus Christi video two nights ago in my room, 1 o’clock, Ben and I.”
That stint at Corpus Christi came barely a year after the Astros used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft on Bregman, then an LSU shortstop. The No. 1 pick was Dansby Swanson, the Vanderbilt shortstop picked by Arizona.
Bregman wore No. 2 in Houston as a reminder he wasn’t yet No. 1. Now, he and Swanson are mutual appreciators in Chicago, both owning three-homer games this season.
“He’s obviously a guy I respect the knowledge of the game he has,” Bregman says of Swanson. “We bounce things across each other over the course of a season. We’re both looking to do one thing and win.
“That’s what wakes us up in the morning every day, is winning baseball games.”
Says Swanson, who hit his 18th homer Wednesday: “The track record speaks for itself. For him, it’s about being convicted in something that he’s doing. I feel like he’s finally found that. I’ve seen it his whole career.
“He’s a special player when he’s going right.”
Bregman’s season totals still look mildly un-Bregmanlike – a .256 average, 16 homers, a .759 OPS that’s a good tick off the .846 mark he brought into this season.
Yet the Cubs are now 71-50, nicely invigorated by trade deadline additions, and as close to Milwaukee since they were 2½ games out on May 24.
You forget, Cubs manager Craig Counsell says, that it’s a 162-game season.
“A 162-game season,” he says, for emphasis.
The great ones know that well. And Bregman now has the production to match the passion he’s spread around an already locked-in clubhouse.
“Part of that personality really fit in seamlessly,” says Swanson. “One thing he’s brought is help guys navigate through things, whether it’s other guys and their at-bats, pitchers and their approach.
“He’s at his best when he has his hands in everything.”
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 10: Adrian Morejon #50 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the eighth inning at Petco Park on August 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country.
Adrian Morejon is one of the longest tenured players on the roster for the San Diego Padres. The left-hander was signed in as an International Free Agent in 2016 and made his debut with the team in 2019. Morejon was initially being used as a starter but poor performances as a starter and injuries pushed him to the bullpen where he has blossomed into one of the most dominant relievers in MLB. The only bullpen arm who might be more dominant than Morejon is his teammate and current San Diego closer, Mason Miller. Morejon might not be the most dominant overall reliever in the game, but there is little argument that he is is the most dominant left-handed releiver in the game.
With his appearance today in the final game of the series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park, Morejon has a record of 9-2 with a 2.76 ERA. He pitched the 10th and 11th innings and was not perfect, but he was good enough to hold the team with the best record in baseball in the Brewers to two hits and an unearned run with two walks and four strikeouts. He now has 80 strikeouts over 65.1 innings and has appeared in 56 games this season for San Diego. Morejon was not as dominant as the Friar Faithful have come to expect, but that is understandable when you look at the fact that the Padres just finished a stretch of 26 games in 27 days, the last 16 of which came after the lone day off.
Morejon has been one of the primary contributors in the San Diego bullpen in recent years. He has become more prominent over the last two years as the setup man for the Padres. Morejon typically comes into games in the eighth inning of a game with a three-run lead or less. On most nights he mows down opposing hitters and then hands the game over to Miller who has recorded 30 saves on the season. Opponents know their opportunities will be limited over the final innings of the game once Morejon takes the mound.
It is important to note he is not married to the eighth inning role even though that is where he comes into most games. When Jason Adam is healthy, Morejon has come into the games in the seventh or even the sixth innings depending on where the matchups benefit the Padres. More recently Morejon has become the Shohei Ohtani specialist when San Diego plays the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Morejon’s days in San Diego may finally be coming to an end after he has spent a decade in the system. He will be a free agent at the end of the year and because of his performance and status in MLB, he could cash-in with a massive free-agent contract. It was for this reason that rumors about a possible Morejon trade could have been an option at the MLB Trade Deadline. All 29 MLB teams could use Morejon in some way in their ‘pen and many would make him their closer. The left-hander was not traded and made it clear prior to the deadline he did not want to be traded. In fact, he told members of the media who were assembled in the locker room that he would like to look at the possibility of remaining with the Padres beyond this season.
Every fan likes to play general manager, so Gaslamp Ball is giving respondents the opportunity to do just that with the Gaslamp Ball Reacts Survey poll question this week. Do you think the Padres should extend Morejon? That’s it. Just a simple “Yes” or “No.” Results will be posted later in the week.
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ATLANTA — Tobias Myers went from a valued arm for the Mets early this season to far removed from the major league mix as the season nears the home stretch.
The right-hander, who was demoted in June, has pitched to an 8.24 ERA over his past eight appearances for Triple-A Syracuse, most recently utilized as a starter.
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Myers began the season as a swingman for the Mets after arriving with Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Brewers last winter.
“He has the kind of stuff and has demonstrated the kind of stuff that gets people out in the big leagues,” interim manager Andy Green said before the Mets’ 6-3 loss to the Braves on Wednesday at Truist Field. “It hasn’t been showing in Triple-A right now. He has the capacity to change that. He’s got great work ethic. He’s just got to demonstrate it. If he does, I fully expect to see him.”
Myers’ dip in velocity has been the most significant issue, according to Green.
“The most recent outing he was sitting around 90 [mph],” Green said. “He’s been successful in the big leagues, there was an outing last year he went 3 ¹/₃ [innings], he was up to 98 and was sitting at 96. He has bullied hitters with his fastball and then the split plays off it. That is not happening right now. That belongs to him, and our pitching group is there to help him. But he’s got the opportunity to change that and he’s somebody we do believe in and want back here.”
Tobias Myers, who was demoted earlier this season, is still struggling at Triple-A. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
Cristian Pache spent most of the season at Syracuse wondering if he would get an opportunity with the Mets. The veteran is now receiving that opportunity as the team’s fifth outfielder following the trade that sent Tyrone Taylor to the Cubs.
“I will keep working to play,” Pache said. “I want to do more for the team.”
Pache has primarily served as a late-inning defensive replacement in games Brett Baty has started in the outfield.
“The elite defense, the baserunning, kind of fits that role for us if we need that,” Green said. “Those are the skill sets we value with him and there’s not a lot of starts [for him] with the other guys in the outfield.”
Francisco Alvarez’s .838 OPS for August entering play wasn’t unnoticed by Green.
“I think [his at-bats] have just been really competitive, every one of them, for the most part,” Green said. “The power is there. The hits are there. He’s starting to drive in runs as well. Alvy’s ceiling is still astronomically high. He has the capacity to do so much in this game and to see a lot of it come out and see his OPS continue to march northward, it’s fun to see.”
The Mets fell to 18-21 against NL East opponents this season. They will continue their division slate with three games against the Nationals beginning Friday at Citi Field.
Aug 12, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) follows through on a two run home run against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If you don’t know about the psychologist Erik Erikson, in addition to having a pleasing name to say, he was a pretty cool guy who studied identity formation (with specific cultural contexts, way before anyone was doing that), describing eight distinct life stages, each guided by an existential question. The 2026 Mariners have been making me think about a lot of existential questions, like why baseball hurt so much?, and none so many as tonight, when they dangled the possibility of a slump-busting win only to fall in the late innings at Yankee Stadium in particularly grueling fashion.
According to Erikson, the first stage of life – infancy – is marked by the psychological crisis of trust vs. mistrust. The world is big and scary and unfamiliar, and it’s unclear as to what can be trusted. That’s a battle Mariners fans have been going back and forth on with this 2026 team, who have been seemingly unable to string together nine innings of cohesive baseball, let alone a winning streak. But lately the Mariners have been so bad it’s almost felt comforting. Familiar. Consistent, even if it’s terrible. So it wasn’t thrilling so much as it was frightening when they posted a three-run first inning against Yankees starter Will Warren. With one out, Cole Young hit an oppo ground ball single with one out. Is it time to start beating the “put Cole Young back at leadoff” drum a little more loudly? Randy Arozarena continued his homer-hitting ways, lacing a sweeper off the plate just over the right field wall for a two-run homer. With two outs, Julio Rodríguez added on with a solo homer of his own. Three runs! In the first inning! The Mariners fan mind cannot comprehend.
But for those of us torn between trust and mistrust, and heavily on the side of mistrust, it’s hard not to see another example of the Mariners not fully jumping on a pitcher early. It only took three pitches to make those two outs between the home runs, both outs pounded into the ground. Probably nothing to worry about, right? Right?
Maybe a little something to worry about, because Bryce Miller gave back one of those runs right away in the bottom of the inning. Toddlerhood, per Erikson, is marked by a struggle for autonomy – asserting likes and dislikes as a way to mark oneself as an independent entity in the world. Freed from the confines of the piggyback, these last starts down the stretch have been Bryce Miller’s opportunity to prove he deserves to stand as an autonomous unit. But today Miller’s repertoire essentially shrunk to two, maybe three pitches, as he went all fastball/sinker supplemented with the splitter. Miller didn’t throw his cutter a single time today, explaining he doesn’t like that pitch against this lineup, and he threw just two sweepers and one slider.
“I wish I would’ve thrown a few more curveballs,” he said postgame, but noted the primary thing he needed to do was execute his pitches better, especially at pivot points.
“I couldn’t execute,” he said. “I couldn’t make the pitches when I needed to. All the runs they scored on me were with two outs…I gotta execute with two outs and two strikes.”
Things got worse in the third, despite Canzone chipping in another solo homer to give the Mariners that run back. But the Yankees seemed ready for what Miller wanted to do in the third, starting with a leadoff double from Austin Wells, who dropped the head of the bat on a fastball in his lefty loop zone for a hard-hit two-bagger. It looked like Bryce might escape the inning without letting the run score, but he opted to go six straight splitters to Ben Rice, who refused to chase them, issuing a two-out walk (bad Bryce!). Miller then got into a long battle with Spencer Jones, feeding him almost nothing but fastballs (and one splitter) but unable to miss Jones’s bat. Finally, on the eighth pitch of the at-bat Miller left a 96.6 mph fastball middle-low for a two-run double that drew the Yankees within a run. The psychological crisis of toddlerhood, according to Erickson, is the tension between a desire for autonomy and shame/doubt. The psychological crisis for me watching this game is the tension between me truly, deeply believing Bryce Miller is a good pitcher, and the doubt tonight’s performance engendered.
The Mariners offense had opportunities in this game, which is the frustrating part of tonight’s loss for me. In the second, a leadoff “double” (flyball that dunked into no-man’s land) for Brendan Donovan, followed by a walk to Cal Raleigh, ultimately went nowhere after a Colt Emerson strikeout and a Taylor Ward GIDP. After Canzone’s homer in the third, Julio and Cal Raleigh worked back-to-back walks, only for Donovan to hit an inning-ending groundout. A leadoff single in the fourth from Raleigh was stranded with another Emerson strikeout and back-to-back groundouts from Ward and Young, Ward’s on a first-pitch swing.
The backbreaker for me was the fifth inning. Randy Arozarena led off with a 12-pitch walk – the longest plate appearance of his career – that bounced Warren from the game. With Fernando Cruz in, Dominic Canzone popped out on the second pitch he saw, for the second time that game making a quick out following a strong plate appearance by Randy. Julio Rodríguez then walked, and Josh Naylor singled up the middle to bring in a run and give the Mariners some breathing room, but more importantly, keep the line moving with just one out. But then a pair of Yankees fans stormed the field, causing a delay, and Aaron Boone yanked Cruz to replace him with lefty Tim Hill, and once again, Brendan Donovan went after the second pitch he saw for an inning-ending GIDP. Per Erickson, the existential question of early childhood (3-6 years) has to do with the safety of exploring the larger world: is it okay for me to do, move, and act? I would prefer the Mariners hitters ask themselves these questions when standing in the box considering their swing choices.
As expected, the Yankees went on to tie it up in the fifth against Miller. With Miller’s repertoire limited, the Yankees were clearly looking for the sinker or fastball early in counts. Austin Wells swung hard at a first-pitch sinker for a flyout, followed by George Lombard Junior doing the same on a four-seamer, flying out to Canzone. Finally, Trent Grisham was able to get one of those early-swing flyballs over the wall, jumping on a first-pitch sinker for a Yankee Stadium special (364 feet, .130 xBA), to bring the Yankees within a run once again. Ben Rice followed that with a double on one of the two sweepers Miller threw tonight, and then Spencer Jones again ambushed a first-pitch fastball for a back-to-back double, tying the game.
The Mariners had a chance to go ahead in the sixth. Cal Raleigh led off with another walk, and as frustrating as this game was, Cal Raleigh showing some better discipline at the plate is a good sign, she said, lacing up her clown shoes securely. But Colt Emerson struck out, and despite Taylor Ward reaching on a fielding error that should have been a GIDP, Young and Arozarena went on to make back-to-back two-pitch weak contact outs to quell that threat.
Bryce Miller managed to make it through the sixth, almost getting into some more two-out trouble when Ryan McMahon narrowly missed a homer on a splitter at the bottom of the zone; he was thrown out trying to stretch for a double thanks to a nails throw by Canzone in right. But the Mariners weren’t able to carry that momentum forward in the top of the seventh; Josh Naylor took a two-out walk but was picked off for the third out of the inning, surprised by Paul Blackburn. The Mariners took seven walks tonight, and scored just one of them. Late childhood and adolescence, says Erikson, is the age of looking around and assessing oneself against one’s peers: do I have what it takes to make it in the world? What is my identity? This late in the season, it feels like the Mariners still lack an identity.
The Yankees finally went ahead in this in the bottom of the seventh, making some more hard, loud contact off Gabe Speier. George Lombard Jr. singled, then scored on a Trent Grisham double. “That’s a double, and that’s the Yankee lead” crowed Karl Ravech on ESPN, and it felt like he said “and that’s the ballgame,” and that’s also how it felt, a feeling only intensified when Ben Rice added on with a hard-hit single up the middle Colt Emerson couldn’t handle to score another run. After an intentional walk to righty Heliot Ramos, Speier was supposed to get lefty Jazz Chisholm, but walked in a run instead to put the game even further out of reach. We’re up to the stage of early adulthood, marked by romantic/interpersonal relationships in Erikson’s schema, so I’m going to hold your hand while I tell you that Cole Young was removed prior to this inning with “dizziness.” Cole Young has been the emotionally loadbearing One Good Thing about this cursed season, so this one feels like an extra little kick in the throat from the baseball gods.
From here on, the game went about as you expect. The deficit got bigger, with Nick Davila giving up a second homer to Grisham, making it 10-5. The Mariners failed to add on. The announcers, both national and local, turned to different topics of conversation other than the game.
Middle adulthood, says Erickson, is driven by the existential question “can I make my life count?” (It always comes back to Mary Oliver, you know this by now.) There is something about a baseball season – spanning seasons, all the life events that can happen between March and October, easily markable gateposts – that inspires one to think about mortality. And there is something about the Mariners, in particular, that inspires one to think about how one is counting out the days of one’s life, or what it says about us to tie ourselves to this continually underperforming, disappointing, frustrating baseball franchise. I’m not there yet chronologically, but hoping I can mentally, at least, get to Erickson’s final stage of identity development sometime before the end of this season: ego integrity vs. despair, the answer to the question “was it okay to be me a Mariners fan?”
The Senators launched a new season of Breakaway on their YouTube channel on Wednesday, and the first episode of Season 7 offered an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the team's war room during the first round of this year's NHL Draft.
The episode's most intriguing material came from a mic'd-up Steve Staios, who revealed several details about Ottawa's draft-night thinking.
One of the biggest revelations was that their 25th overall pick, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen, was ranked nine picks higher (16th overall) on the Sens' internal draft board.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss how GM Steve Staios generally keeps his cards close to his vest.
So they had to be thrilled he was still available when their pick came around.
That being said, it sounds like Staios could have gone either way when it came to choosing between Lagerberg Hoen and Jaxon Cover, the London Knights forward Ottawa eventually selected 32nd overall.
"Okay, I was thinking [we pick] Cover first and then Lagerberg Hoen?" Staios wondered aloud to his scouting staff. "Or [do we think Lagerberg Hoen] won't be there?"
The Senators settled on the skilled Swede at No. 25, and a couple of factors appeared to push them in that direction.
One was obviously their internal ranking and the concern that he wouldn't last to 32. The other was some interesting intel gathered during the pre-draft interview process.
"We talked to some of the top-end Swedish guys in the interview process," Staios told head coach Travis Green. "Stuff like, 'If you can bring a player with you, who would it be?' And this guy's name came up a lot."
That apparently helped reinforce what Ottawa's scouts already thought about Lagerberg Hoen.
Staios was also busy on the phone leading up to the 25th pick, listening to potential trade offers.
At one point, as viewers got to eavesdrop on one of his phone calls, Staios said he was being offered the 33rd and 41st picks for Ottawa's 25th and 72nd selections.
It doesn't take much detective work to figure out that the offer came from new Vancouver Canucks GM Ryan Johnson, whose club owned picks 33 and 41.
Had Staios accepted, the Senators would have held picks 32, 33 and 41 instead of 25, 32 and 72.
He opted to stay put, almost certainly because Ottawa didn't believe Lagerberg Hoen would still be there at No. 32. Considering the Senators had him ranked 16th overall, it's easy to understand why they weren't willing to take that chance.
There was another interesting option involving the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Staios revealed that Pittsburgh had called to offer a deal that included a Penguins roster player, although the min-doc didn't reveal the player's identity.
That leaves plenty of room for speculation on who that might be.
One name that would make some sense is Justin Brazeau. The 6-foot-6, 232-pound winger scored 17 goals and 17 assists last season and has been mentioned in trade speculation.
With the Sens having recently lost the physical presence Brady Tkachuk provided, it's not difficult to imagine the Penguins offering a player like Brazeau. Naturally, the Pens' 39th overall pick or something else would have to be included in such a deal.
Or if there were no picks changing hands, the unnamed roster player might need to be someone like Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust.
But Staios resisted the various offers and plowed forward with his top picks in the order they were given.
They landed a player they had ranked 16th at No. 25, then still managed to get Cover seven selections later at No. 32.
For fans who enjoy the off-camera mechanics of draft night, it's a fun episode.
It's one thing to hear Gary Bettman announce names at the podium. It's another to hear how close the Senators came to doing something completely different.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 30: Georges Niang #20 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket against Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at Chase Center on December 30, 2024 in San Francisco, California. 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 Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors still have two roster spots remaining thanks to their offseason strategy of “LeBron James Or We’re Staying The Same.” One player who seems to fit what the Warriors look for an in end-of-the-bench signing is a veteran forward known as “The Minivan,” Georges Niang.
“Free agents who I'm told are drawing legitimate interest from Golden State for the Warriors' open roster spots: Georges Niang and Brandon Williams.” https://t.co/1hjVamMixF
The 33-year-old forward missed all of last season with an injury to his left foot, though neither the tanking Utah Jazz nor the tanking Memphis Grizzlies were interested in rushing Niang back to the court. He’s a 39.9% three-point shooter for his career, hitting over 40% of his shots behind the arc in six of his last seven seasons.
Niang was quite good in his last NBA season. In 2024-25, he averaged a career-high 9.9 points and 2.1 threes on 40.6% shooting in a season split between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks — he went over in the De’Andre Hunter trade, one the Cavaliers almost immediately regretted. Officially, he stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 230 pounds. He’s a below-average defender but not terrible but his role is to make catch-and-shoot threes, often from the corner.
That’s an archetype the Warriors have looked for in previous seasons. Omri Casspi, Jonas Jerebko, and Otto Porter, Jr. have all been that sort of player. Here’s what the Warriors presumably like about Niang:
Shooting
Veteran experience
Basketball IQ
Injury history
Short for his position
Has a podcast, “
Was alive when “Seinfeld” was making new episodes
The Dubs are also reportedly interested in Brandon Williams, the 26-year-old guard who averaged 13 points and 3.9 assists in 66 games with the Dallas Mavericks last season. Obviously Williams is a little young for the 2026-27 Warriors, and only shot 23.2% from three-point range last season. But advanced statistics do like his defense, and he averaged 0.9 steals last year.
Williams worked his way up through the G League to reach the NBA, after a knee injury cost him his sophomore year at Arizona and then the pandemic derailed the draft process in 2020 after he recovered. He’s 6-foot-1, so the Warriors can continue their dream of being the NBA’s shortest team even if they add Williams. The Mavericks seem uninterested in bringing Williams back, because they’ve acquired almost nothing but power forwards since Masai Ujiri took over the team, and apparently Cooper Flagg is Kyrie Irving’s backup now.
If previous reports are true, Niang and Williams may be competing for the same roster spot, as the Dubs are reportedly interested in adding a center as well. However, they already have Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Charles Bassey available at the five, along with Draymond Green’s usual small-ball five work, so they might prioritize shooting and having another guy who could dribble. There’s also a vacant two-way contract slot at present, which could go to a player like Graham Ike.
Why is Niang called “The Minivan”? It’s because of an unimpressive dunk Niang delivered while a member of the Utah Jazz in 2018. After Warriors Summer League legend Joe Ingles razzed Niang about barely clearing the rim, Niang explained to reporters that while some players had “Ferrari engines,” he had a “minivan engine” which required several laps around the block just to warm up.
That was eight years ago, so you can imagine the level of athleticism Niang is working with now, especially after missing a season with an injury. Still, the Warriors aren’t adding him for his dunking ability!
There’s simply not a lot of options out there. They weren’t adding Russell Westbrook anyway, but he retired. Ben Simmons is preparing to do showcases in Australia. Bradley Beal is coming back from a broken hip. Gabe Vincent averaged 4.4 points and 1.4 assists last season. Signing Cam Thomas would make Steve Kerr retire. Ochai Agbaji is sort of bad at basketball.
All we know is that the Warriors are adding two players and those players are getting the minimum. Are those players going to be exciting? That depends on how exciting you consider a minivan to be.
Now, a fourth matchup in the month has been revealed.
The Lakers will travel to San Francisco to play the Warriors on Oct. 30 to kick off their NBA Cup Group Play slate.
It was already known that the Lakers would play the Warriors three times during October entering Wednesday. Charles Wenzelberg/New York PostThe Lakers will travel to San Francisco to play the Warriors on Oct. 30 to kick off their NBA Cup Group Play slate. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The NBA announced the Lakers’ four NBA Cup Group Play games on Wednesday:
Oct. 30: at Warriors;
Nov. 6: vs. Trail Blazers;
Nov. 20: vs. Kings;
Nov. 27: at Spurs.
The Lakers will also play the Warriors in preseason exhibitions on Oct. 6 at Chase Center and Oct. 13 in Las Vegas before hosting the Warriors for both teams regular season opener on Oct. 21.
The group play of the NBA’s fourth annual in-season tournament will run from Oct. 30 through Nov. 27, with the single-elimination knockout round being played from Dec. 4-9.
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The NBA Cup final will be played at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 11 – the first time it will be held outside of Las Vegas, which hosted the tournament’s first three finals.
The semifinals will be played in the team’s markets after the semifinals and the final were played in Las Vegas the previous three years.
The full NBA schedule will be released at noon on Thursday.
