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Texas Rangers lineup for May 29, 2026 against the Kansas City Royals: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore and Stephen Kolek.
The floundering Texas Rangers will try to flounder less tonight against the Royals of Kansas City. Offensive dynamo Nicky Lopez is hitting ninth, which I assume is for that “two leadoff man” synergy.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Jung — 3B
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Duran — SS
Carter — CF
Osuna — LF
Jansen — C
Lopez — 2B
7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -131 favorites.
Undoubtedly, it has been a fun couple of weeks for the Diamondbacks. They’re tied for the second-best record in the majors over their last 20 games at 14-6, they’ve batted to a .248/.323/.382 slash line, and pitched to a 2.59 ERA. Those results find the team seven games over .500 and have watched their Baseball Reference playoff odds spike by nearly 30% over the last month and their Fangraph’s odds increasing by almost 18%. One part of that stretch that shouldn’t be lost in the exciting shuffle: just how good the starting rotation has been this month as they’ve pitched to a 3.03 ERA and 1.074 WHIP while averaging over six innings pitched per game. That kind of length has limited the bullpen’s exposure to just 63.1 IP for the month compared to 116.1 IP in the first month of the season. That lack of usage has particularly hurt Brandon Pfaadt who hasn’t appeared in nearly a week and has struggled to be as impactful as he was last year when he was second on the team in innings pitched while making 33 starts. As part of that dynamic, there has been plenty of musing on and off the air on what kind of role Pfaadt will play in the pitching staff moving forward, especially as several players slowly but surely make their way back from injury including AJ Puk and Justin Martinez. What can the team do and what kind of role will he have moving forward?
This was always likely to be a problem for Pfaadt with the offseason signing of Michael Soroka and the re-signings of both Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen gave the team six viable starting pitchers before including the eventual return of Corbin Burnes sometime around the All-Star Break. The team did give Pfaadt a brief opportunity in the rotation while Kelly was working his way back from injury at the beginning of the season, but the results were not very encouraging, prompting the team to move Pfaadt into the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever instead. There’s certainly some successful precedent to the move as players like Tommy Henry and even Ryne Nelson have thrived (to different extents) while bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen. On principle, the move makes sense as Pfaadt’s wide pitch arsenal can keep batters guessing even as his cut fastball and four-seamer play well against his offspeed offerings. Unfortunately, Pfaadt has continued to struggle as he posted a 5.94 ERA and 1.380 WHIP in three starts while posting remarkably similar results as a reliever with a 5.30 ERA and 1.393 WHIP over eight appearances. There’s been quite a bit of inconsistency to his performances too as he’s had a few blowups mixed in with a few good appearances while also struggling to be the innings-eater the team might have hoped he would be. So far, he’s had almost as many appearances where he’s gone more than an inning (5) as he’s gone an inning or less (3) with three straight appearances of essentially an inning or less. Interestingly, he has changed his offerings somewhat as a reliever compared to starting with his four-seamer (27%), curveball (20%), and sinker (19%) leading his usage while as a starter he leaned on his sinker (32%) and cutter (18%) much more. Obviously those changes have not led to improved results and even worse, some of the underlying numbers have deteriorated with his walk rate increasing slightly from 8 to 11% and his hard hit rate elevating from 36 to 44%. Those numbers would be more acceptable for a starter who can more easily navigate traffic, but are a death knell for a reliever.
The obvious question then becomes whether it’s more effective for Pfaadt and the team to have him up in the majors as a long reliever or to keep him stretched out in Reno to potentially replace or support an injured starter elsewhere? Unfortunately, we likely will never get a definitive answer, but if I had to hazard a guess, I suspect that the team will option him back to Reno so he can stay stretched out while also working on the mechanics and mentality of coming into a game from the bullpen rather than as a starter – especially since there was functionally no transition time for him between the moves. It would also have the added benefit of giving him some time to psychologically reset and possibly refine his offerings without the extra pressure of needing to perform every night for a team that has played themselves back into the playoff hunt. Of course, there’s always the possibility that the move could backfire by hurting Pfaadt’s confidence, but I can’t imagine he’s feeling particularly confident at this point and if he can reimagine himself as a long reliever (at least for this season), he could be a great weapon for the team in the stretch run.
In the words of Zaza Pachulia: NOTHING EASY! NOTHING EASY! WE GOING TO GAME 7, BABY! GAME SEVEN! GAME SEVEEEEENNNN!
The San Antonio Spurs dismantled the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 118-91 win in Game Six. With the series tied 3-3, the Spurs will head to Oklahoma City with an NBA Finals appearance on the line.
The Spurs won the game on defense, holding the Thunder to just 13 points in the third quarter. While the defense stifled the Thunder, Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper scored at will. They’ll lead our Game Six player grades. As a quick reminder, player grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.
28 minutes, 28 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 3 turnovers, 10-for-21 shooting, 4-for-9 threes, +13
Wembanyama responded to the moment. Wembanyama came out aggressively after a disappointing Game Five. He made it rain from three and attacked the basket on a few difficult drives. He was much more impactful on the defensive end, constantly disrupting the Thunder’s drives to the basket.
If you’re looking to pick apart Wembanyama’s game, he probably took too many jumpers. The Thunder are doing everything in their power to prevent him from catching lobs at the rim or getting deep post position. Finding a way to get him going toward the basket will be key in Game Seven. As +132 underdogs on FanDuel, the Spurs will need everything they can get from Wembanyama.
Grade: A
26 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 fouls, 1-for-9 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, +17
Fox still doesn’t have the lift on his jumper due to his ankle injury. He made up for his lack of scoring with his passing and defensive effort. Fox had 7 assists and 0 turnovers in the win. He knew exactly when to push the pace in transition and when to slow it down and find his healthy teammates. Game Seven will be a different story. The game will almost certainly slow down, and the Spurs will need Fox’s scoring.
Grade: C+
32 minutes, 17 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 5-for-10 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, +13
Castle has been fantastic in this series. He was great at handling the ball in Game Six with 9 assists and just 1 turnover. Once again, he defended his tail off against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Spurs held SGA to 15 points on 6-18 shooting.
Grade: A-
25 minutes, 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 4-for-8 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, +24
Champagnie didn’t have the same explosive game he did in Game Five, but he continued to knock down shots. He made his presence known with an awesome finish at the rim and a sweet block from the weak side. He is playing really well right now on both ends. The Spurs are going to need another big performance from him in Game Seven.
Grade: B+
26 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 4-for-7 shooting, 4-for-7 threes, +18
Where would the Spurs be without Vassell? He was on fire in Game Six and maintained his excellent defense and effort. He’s been given incredibly difficult defensive matchups in SGA and Chet Holmgren. He’s held his own with Gilgeous-Alexander on the perimeter and played tough against Holmgren inside. His block against Holmgren was one of the biggest highlights from the game.
Grade: A-
22 minutes, 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 6-for-9 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, +19
This might have been Harper’s best game of the series. He looks like he’s back after struggling with an injury. He played with strength as he got to the basket and made aggressive plays in transition. What stood out the most was his tough shot-making in the mid-range and from three. When those shots are falling, the Spurs are incredibly hard to beat.
Grade: A
18 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 4-for-7 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, +7
Johnson continues to play within the rhythm and in the flow of the offense for the most part. There are times when he puts his head down and gets into trouble. His energy has been so important. He’ll need to bring that same passion and fire to Game Seven.
Grade: B
13 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-for-2 shooting, +13
This was a scrappy game for Kornet. He was mucking things up inside, especially during the Spurs’ big run without Wembanyama on the floor. Surviving without Wembanyama on the floor has been a key part of the Spurs’ victories in this series. Kornet helped San Antonio thrive in Game Six.
Grade: B
13 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 2-for-4 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, +5
Barnes grabbed an offensive rebound and knocked down a pair of triples in his limited minutes. Johnson went to him over Bryant earlier in the game, but ended up using both players.
Grade: B
8 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 1-for-3 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, +2
Bryant had another incredible dunk. He also played awesome defense on SGA in his limited minutes. That’s not counting him laying him out in a moment that almost led to a flagrant foul.
Grade: B
7 minutes, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 0-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, +/- 0
McLaughlin mixed it up with four rebounds and a few assists. He missed some tough shots in garbage time.
Grade: Incomplete
5 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 2-for-3 shooting, +1
Olynyk led garbage time scoring. He got fouled hard by Nikola Topic while going up for a layup late in the game.
Grade: Incomplete
5 minutes, 0-for-1 shooting, +1
Biyombo missed one shot in garbage time, oddly playing away from the basket in the Spurs’ 3-center lineup.
Grade: Incomplete
5 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 foul, +1
No retribution on Plumlee after his flagrant foul in Game 5. He didn’t do much in his minutes.
Grade: Incomplete
6 minutes, 2 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul, 1-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, +1
Waters knocked down a sweet paint jumper for his two points.
Grade: Incomplete
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Lyle Richardson looked at five NHL players who have the potential to be bought out this off-season. Among the players who Richardson discussed was Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves.
"The Penguins have $37.9 million in salary-cap space for next season. Buying out Graves would only save them $1.2 million annually for the next two seasons, dropping to $944,444 in the third year. However, they could do it if they cannot find a club willing to take him off their hands," Richardson wrote.
When noting that Graves has had trouble finding his fit since joining the Penguins, it would not be particularly surprising if the Metropolitan Division club bought him out this off-season. This is especially so when noting that the 6-foot-5 defenseman even spent time in the AHL this season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
If the Penguins do not view Graves as a bounce-back candidate heading into the off-season, they could end up buying out the 2013 fourth-round pick. Trading him would be very difficult, as he has a $4.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2028-29 season. That is an expensive cap hit and a good amount of term for a player who struggled to stay in the NHL this season.
Nevertheless, it is going to be interesting to see what happens with Graves this off-season. With the Penguins having plenty of cap space, the possibility of them giving him another chance next season should not be ruled out. However, it would also be understandable if they moved on from the veteran blueliner.
In 22 games this season with Pittsburgh, Graves scored one goal and had a minus-3 rating. In 15 AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he posted three goals and 10 points.
The Sixers have a new front-office boss.
The team will reportedly hire Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey as president of basketball operations, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Gansey was one of four candidates — including Minnesota Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, Phoenix Mercury GM Nick U’Ren and a lone internal candidate in Jameer Nelson — reportedly on Bob Myers’ short list to replace Daryl Morey.
As Gansey separated from the pack of candidates, it’s been speculated that the Sixers could potentially promote Nelson to their GM role. The only word out so far comes from Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice, who has reported that a decision regarding the St. Joe’s legend has yet to be made.
In Gansey, the Sixers get an interesting candidate.
Gansey was a standout player in college for both Saint Bonaventure and West Virginia. After playing a few years professionally both overseas and the then D League, he quickly joined the Cavs’ front office as director of development league operations in 2012. He won the D League’s Basketball Executive of the Year in 2017 for his work with the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ D League affiliate. He was then promoted to assistant general manager before president of basketball operations Koby Altman named him GM in 2021.
Cleveland was able to recover fairly quickly after LeBron James and company were swept in the NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors in 2018. James departed to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency and the Cavs won 19, 19 and 22 games, respectively, the following three seasons amidst a rebuild.
After selecting Evan Mobley third overall in 2021, adding him to a young core featuring Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, the team finished with 44 wins, good enough for the East’s eighth seed. Unfortunately, they lost both play-in games and didn’t get to the actual NBA playoffs.
A blockbuster trade for All-Star Donovan Mitchell helped the team raise the bar and expectations. After disappointing playoff finishes the following two seasons, the team fired head coach JB Bickerstaff and brought on Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson won 64 games in the regular season, but the team was bounced in the second round again.
After a polarizing trade that sent the oft-injured Garland to the LA Clippers for James Harden, the Cavs were able to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018. But obviously, Cleveland had a massively underwhelming performance against the New York Knicks.
While it’s fair to wonder how much say Gansey had in the Harden deal, there’s no questioning the Cavs’ recent ability to draft and develop players while finding talent on the margins. It’s obvious Gansey played a huge role in that.
That will likely be Gansey’s immediate goal — build the best team possible around the max deals of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey while not compromising the future of the Maxey-VJ Edgecombe backcourt. No easy task there.
So, the Sixers got their guy. His first test comes rather quickly with the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23, followed quickly by free agency. We’ll see how the team’s new steward plans to build the roster now and in the future.
There is likely not another defenseman in this draft as NHL-ready as Alberts Smits is, and it’s why he would be such a perfect fit for the Florida Panthers.
While the Panthers’ defense core has few to no weaknesses, they can afford to add another young, two-way defender. It’s unlikely that Smits would feature in the Panthers’ lineup during the 2026-27 season, but he could play in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, and nothing is impossible.
Their current defense core heading into next season features Gustav Forsling (29), Aaron Ekblad (30), Seth Jones (31), Niko Mikkola (30), Dmitry Kulikov (35), and Uvis Balinskis (29). They desperately need youth, and Smits can provide that.
But outside of being near NHL-ready, Smits has a high ceiling. Standing 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Smits sports a frame that is ready for the NHL, and he has no fear in using it. Smits is strong when protecting the front of the net, uses it to avoid forecheckers, and separates players from the puck around the boards.
Smits also has the skating and speed to make his large frame effective. Smits routinely uses his skating to avoid forecheckers and start transition offense. Whether that’s by carrying the puck up by himself, or moving it to teammates before continuing up the ice, if there were a thing to nitpick on, it would be his decision-making once he enters the offensive zone.
A bit too often, Smits defers to playing the puck into the corner and making a safe play, rather than trying to create offense. When his team is cycling the puck, the Latvian defender can jump into the play and is often the main puck possessor.
Who Can The Florida Panthers Target At Pick No. 9 In The 2026 NHL Draft?The Florida Panthers may not have moved up during the NHL draft lottery; in fact, they fell a spot, but there are plenty of intriguing players to choose from at ninth overall. Finally, Smits has had no issues quarterbacking a power play unit. He’s done so at the World Juniors Championships, did a bit at the Olympics, and has recently done so at the World Championships. At the world juniors, Smits posted one goal and five points in four games; at the Olympics, he posted two assists in four games; and at the World Championships, he posted four assists in eight games.
Smits has also shown plenty of versatility. He started the season in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, where he scored six goals and totaled 13 points for Jukurit. He was then loaned to EHC München in the DEL, where he scored two goals and six points in 11 playoff games.
Smits would be a perfect fit for the Panthers, but there remains a high likelihood that he will be selected before then. Scouts and draft analysts are pretty split on how to rank the defensemen in this draft class, as some have Smits in the top five and others outside the top 10.
One thing is certain: Smits would fit the Panthers' play style and culture to a tee.
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Don't let them take your lunch money, Chet.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren was already enduring a grueling Western Conference Finals against San Antonio before Devin Vassell emphatically swatted away his routine dunk in Game 6. To make matters worse, Vassell piled on the dejected big man with a heavy dose of trash talk as the Frost Bank Center crowd erupted.
Despite that, my Spurs vs. Thunder predictions aren't counting out the talented center, who faces a massive gut check ahead of Game 7.
Our NBA picks for Saturday, May 30 expect Holmgren to bounce back — or at least blow past market expectations that have dropped due to recent blowout scripts — as Oklahoma City enters Saturday's decisive showdown as a 3.5-point home favorite.
Don't miss tip-off at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Thunder: Much like young Michael Jordan was tormented by the Detroit Pistons before winning his titles, Victor Wembanyama and the young Spurs face their own foil in Oklahoma City. San Antonio is so close but just not ready to defeat those demons. The one-sided loss in Game 6 had Thunder coach Mark Daigneault waving the white flag in the third quarter and saving his legs for Saturday. Oklahoma City is no stranger to pressure, having won a Game 7 in last year’s NBA Finals. Securing home court in the playoffs pays off in this contest, with OKC owning the best offensive rating as a host in the postseason while also going 11-5 SU on its own floor off a loss this season, including 3-0 SU in those spots in the playoffs.
In the past two games, Chet Holmgren has been shooting 59% for a collective 26 points, including hitting all six FTAs.
Not bad for the Oklahoma City Thunder power forward... but not enough.
Passive play and limited minutes in recent blowouts are stunting his scoring.
With squashes in the last four games vs. the San Antonio Spurs, Holmgren’s minutes go from an average of 15 in the 1H to 11.9 in the 2H, including a piddly four minutes in the 4Q. His usage drops with it.
Saturday’s short spread writes a tight game script that keeps Chet on the floor. Projections sit as high as 16+ points, which is comfortably beyond his shrinking prop total.
COVERS INTEL: Rarely do you get precedent in these high-pressure scenarios, but Holmgren also struggled offensively vs. Indiana in last year's NBA Finals. He followed a 6-for-24 skid in Games 5 and 6 with a big 18-point effort in Game 7. Chet can answer the bell.Experience counts in the crunch, and the Oklahoma City Thunder have played in plenty of pressure cookers.
While the offense has been humming for the Thunder at home, their defense has made the biggest difference by being disruptive. They’ve forced the San Antonio Spurs into an average of 19.7 turnovers in three games at OKC (six more than in San Antonio), quickly translating those miscues into 25 average points off turnovers.
Nerves will get the better of the young Spurs and feed into those transition buckets for Oklahoma City.
Lost in a sea of slander, Holmgren has hauled in 22 total rebounds over the past two games. Those boards are even more impressive when you factor in his limited minutes in the second half of those blowouts.
Chet has been in position for 36 rebounding opportunities in that span and is aggressive on the offensive glass, with seven boards on the offensive end in the past two showings.
The big men shine brightest on the biggest stage.
Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama add to their rivalry with OKC’s 7-footer projected for as many as 16 points and nine rebounds, while the Spurs’ 7-foot superstar is capable of 27 points and 13 rebounds — a mark he would have surpassed had he not sat in garbage time of Game 6.
As basketball bettors and NBA fans, we can only hope Game 7 takes a different path and stays close. I like Oklahoma City’s edge at home on Saturday.
The Thunder are 6-2 SU when coming off a double-digit loss on the season, and they were missing MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in two of those “bounce-back” spots. Overall, OKC is 15-5 SU off a loss, including a perfect 3-0 in the playoffs. Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Thunder.
| Location | Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK |
| Date | Saturday, May 30, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBC/Peacock |
Not intended for use in MA.
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The Brewers finished off a satisfying sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, then got a deserved day off on Thursday. Tonight, they’re in Houston, where they face the Astros in the first game of a three-game jaunt on the road before getting back to Milwaukee on Monday. The Astros started the season poorly, but they’ve won six of their last seven, all on the road: they swept the Cubs at Wrigley last weekend, then won three of four against the Rangers in Arlington. The Astros looked dead in the AL West for a while, but that division is now led by the 28-29 Seattle Mariners, and Houston is just 2.5 games back.
Tonight’s pitching matchup features two relatively inexperienced starting pitchers. The Brewers are rolling with Coleman Crow, the rookie who will be making his third career start. He’s made two solid spot starts for the big-league Brewers this season: he threw 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball against the Marlins on April 17, then gave up one run in five innings against the Twins on May 15. Milwaukee won both games. His numbers haven’t been as good at Triple-A Nashville, but a lot of that is attributable to one outing when he gave up eight runs in late April (right after his first career major league start). He’s allowed only four combined runs in his last three starts with Nashville.
Houston will go with the right-handed Taiwanese pitcher Kai-Wei Teng, who debuted for Houston in 2024 but has made only 29 appearances, 11 of them starts, in his major league career. Teng is 27 and having a nice year for Houston: he started the season in the bullpen but has started in his last three appearances. The last two of those have gone quite well: in his last two games, Teng has 11 shutout innings and while he’s been wild (seven walks), he’s allowed only four hits in those 11 innings. Houston won both games, a 4-1 win over the Rangers and a 3-0 shutout of the Cubs.
A couple pitching notes today: Abner Uribe has been fined and suspended by the league, but he is appealing that decision. My suspicion is that Uribe will probably pitch a couple times and then drop the appeal before a game in which he wouldn’t have been used anyway, but that’s a littlehard to control. In any case, he’ll be available tonight.
Second, Jared Koenig has been sent to Nashville to begin a rehab assignment. Given how Quinn Priester’s rehab is going, I’m a bit pessimistic about rehabbing pitchers at the moment, but hopefully Koenig will be fine and back with the Brewers soon.
Christian Yelich is back in the leadoff spot, where he went 4-for-9 in the last two games of the St. Louis series. The Brewers are going with the left-handed side of a couple of platoons, as David Hamilton starts in place of Joey Ortiz and Jake Bauers is in for Andrew Vaughn. Both Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell are in the lineup, as well. Houston’s lineup doesn’t feature a whole lot of firepower, but they’ve got one enormous weapon in Yordan Alvarez, who has been arguably the league’s best hitter this season. He’s hitting .307/.419/.654, leads the AL with 20 homers, and leads the majors with a 199 OPS+ and 134 total bases.
First pitch is a little later than usual: 7:10 p.m. Find the game on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza provided a number of Mets injury updates prior to Friday night's series opener against the Marlins…
Alvarez continues to make incredible timing coming from knee surgery.
Mendoza said that the backstop has already done just about everything in his recovery -- catching bullpens, blocking, running, and throwing.
He also looked back to normal taking swings at Citi Field pregame Friday.
“Just two weeks removed from surgery, it’s pretty amazing to see,” the skipper said.
As long as things continue to progress as planned, Mendoza wouldn’t be surprised to see Alvarez starting a minor league rehab assignment as early as next week.
Polanco seems to be trending positively, as well.
Stearns said that the veteran infielder will play in games each of the next two days, then get a day off Sunday, and they will take it day-by-day from there.
If all goes as planned, there’s a possibility he could be back in the lineup during the next road trip.
Polanco himself echoed those sentiments speaking to reporters in Binghamton Thursday, saying that he isn’t in a rush but feels good returning to games so far.
He went 1-for-2 with a single and strikeout as the Rumble Ponies' DH his first time out.
Polanco, of course, has been recovering from a wrist issue and Achilles bursitis which slowed him down mightily during the early part of the season.
He's expected to be limited to DH duties upon his return.
Lindor is making good progress in his recovery from a left calf strain, as well.
The star shortstop has been at Citi Field as he's resumed baseball activities this week, but Stearns says that there's still no potential timeline for a return.
Lindor has been sidelined since leaving with the injury vs. the Twins on April 22.
The Mets have only had him, Bo Bichette, and Juan Soto in the lineup at the same time nine times this season.
"That's been one of the most frustrating parts of the season," Stearns said. "We believed the top of our order would match any order in baseball and we haven't had them together -- so that's been a challenge for us.
"We still believe those are good players, and when we get them back, we'll have a really good top of the lineup."
Robert, meanwhile, still hasn't resumed baseball activities.
Stearns said that he's gone through a series of injections to try and help his herniated disc, and he is currently progressing through rehab activities, but hasn't been deemed ready to take that next step yet.
"He needs to continue to work through strengthening exercises and mobility exercises without any pain for our training staff to feel comfortable progressing him even further," he said.
Robert was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room on the roster earlier this week.
Top prospect A.J. Ewing has slid in nicely as the everyday center fielder while he's been sidelined.
As for Senga, he's continuing to make progress in his rehab, as well.
The right-hander was knocked around a bit as he allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over 3.2 innings in his first appearance with Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday night.
For right now, though, Mendoza and the Mets aren't too worried about the numbers.
"He look good," the skipper said. "Right now it's just about the physical part and making sure that he's feeling good, but at some point down the line the results will matter."
Senga will throw a bullpen session on Sunday, then make another rehab appearance.
One of the Philadelphia Flyers' top objectives this off-season should be to add to their blueline. They could use an offensive defenseman, in particular.
Due to this, in a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz urged the Flyers to make a bold move and sign veteran defenseman John Carlson if he ends up not re-signing with the Anaheim Ducks this summer.
"If the Flyers want to build on that step and take another one this upcoming season, they will have to fix some major weaknesses. The most glaring of those weaknesses is the power play," Gretz wrote. "Carlson might be older and closer to the end of his career than the prime of it, but he showed this past season with both the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks that he can still work the man-advantage and provide offense."
The idea of the Flyers signing Carlson is certainly an intriguing one. He played for one of the Flyers' biggest rivals, the Capitals, for 17 seasons before being dealt to the Ducks at the deadline. With this alone, it would be interesting to see him to join the Flyers.
However, with the Flyers needing more offense from the point and help on the right side of their blueline, bringing in Carlson on a short-term deal could be worth considering. He would have the potential to fit nicely in their top four if successfully signed.
In 71 games this season split between the Capitals and the Ducks, Carlson had 14 goals, 46 assists, 60 points, and a plus-9 rating. With numbers like these, the 36-year-old defenseman would have the potential to be a nice short-term fit for the Flyers. Let's see if they end up targeting him from here.
The Mets will be swapping the roles of two of their left-handed pitchers, Carlos Mendoza announced before Friday night’s series opener against the Marlins. David Peterson, who has made seven starts this season and entered in the fourth inning or earlier in all 12 of his appearances, will be available out of the bullpen beginning on Sunday. Meanwhile, Sean Manaea, who has yet to make a start in 12 appearances while only entering the game in the fourth inning or earlier twice, will return to the rotation (either as a starter or bulk man after an opener).
Manaea has been more effective over the past few weeks, with a 3.09 ERA in 11.2 IP since May 10 representing a marked improvement from his 6.85 ERA in 22.1 IP before then. He has also seen a steady rise in fastball velocity, averaging 91.7 mph on his four-seamer on May 22 in Miami compared with as low as 88.6 mph in an outing earlier this season.
Peterson put together four consecutive solid outings to begin the month, pitching to a 2.50 ERA in 18 IP with 20 K and 16 BB. That positive stretch came to a close on Tuesday, when the Reds pounced on Peterson for six runs and 11 hits in five innings.
Peterson’s splits as a starter and reliever this season are stark, with a 7.56 ERA and .331 opponents batting average as a starter compared with a 2.25 ERA and .247 opponents’ batting average as a reliever. Those numbers are also consistent with his career norms. Across seven seasons, Peterson has a 4.36 ERA as a starter and a 2.51 ERA as a reliever, and that’s not counting his six scintillating appearances out of the bullpen during the 2024 postseason. As much as this move might be a show of faith in Manaea’s abilities, it’s also just as reasonably an acceptance of how best to utilize Peterson in his final year of team control.
The Ottawa Senators’ first step to bolster their goaltending position this offseason occurred with an off-ice addition.
On Friday, the organization officially announced the hiring of Maciej Szwoch to a newly created title: the coordinator of goaltending and scouting development.
According to the Senators’ official press release, Szwoch “will work with all the goaltenders on the Senators’ roster. He will be working with goaltenders in the NHL and AHL, as well as younger prospects. He will also be involved with drafting and scouting.”
Szwoch has previous NHL experience, having worked for seven years as a European goaltending consultant for the Detroit Red Wings from 2015 through 2022. Throughout his career, he has predominantly worked as a goaltending coach in the SHL for MODO and Färjestad BK.
Szwoch spent the second half of the season around the Senators, having joined the organization unofficially as a consultant. His presence was a product of Linus Ullmark’s leave of absence to address his mental health. To help their number one goaltender, one of the first things the organization did was bring in his close friend, former goaltending coach, and mentor, Szwoch.
The turnaround in Ullmark’s performance was immediate.
Through the first three months of the season, the Ottawa Senators had the worst team save percentage (87.19 Sv%) in the league, according to Natural Stat Trick. In terms of goals saved above expected (GSAx), both Linus Ullmark and backup goaltender Leevi Merilainen had two of the three worst GSAx metrics in the league at the turn of the calendar year.
In his first 28 appearances before his leave of absence, Ullmark had a -9.10 GSAx.
Despite strong underlying metrics that portrayed the Senators as one of the best defensive teams in the NHL, their goaltending had almost inescapably sunk their chance of reaching the postseason.
Following his return, Ullmark posted a 12.62 GSAx and was named the NHL’s second star of the week in April.
That marked improvement in performance helped the Senators clinch a second consecutive postseason spot, and Ullmark’s strong play carried over into the postseason.
Although the Senators were swept in four games, Ullmark posted a .932 save percentage, and his 10.05 GSAx ranked fourth among postseason totals.
This stark contrast between the formative stages of the season and Szwoch's presence in the second half added a layer of intrigue. In their end-of-season availabilities, both Travis Green and Steve Staios were mum on any changes or additions to their respective staffs.
Szwoch’s relationship with Ullmark and the drastic improvement in performance, however, raised questions about whether that relationship would continue. It is only reasonable to assume that it would not have been comfortable for goaltending coach Justin Peters to have an additional figure around who has a strong connection to the team’s number one goaltender.
With this newly appointed role, however, Peters can continue in his current role while ensuring the dynamic between Szwoch and Ullmark remains.
And, if anything else, today’s announcement essentially affirms that Ullmark will be around for the foreseeable future as well.
Szwoch's new role will also allow him to expand on a project he took on last summer.
In an episode of the ‘InGoal Radio Podcast’ featuring Szwoch, he explained that he spent the 2025 offseason conducting a study analyzing 322 goalies who were affiliated with NHL organizations between 2015 and 2025. His study evaluated draft success by comparing the cost invested in a player with the actual return measured by appearances or trade value. His data-driven study also depicted geographic and organizational trends in how NHL teams select and develop goaltenders.
The Senators have done a decent job of scouting and developing goaltenders who have gone on to play professionally in North America. Unfortunately, several of them have gone on to find success for other organizations. The hope is that by adding Szwoch’s data and expertise, it will only continue to help them make more informed decisions in the future.
By Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News
D.J. Smith Has Opportunity To End Ex-Senators' Coach NHL DroughtIt's been over twenty years since an Ottawa Senators head coach left the organization and found an NHL head coaching job elsewhere.
Report: Senators Winger Claude Giroux Makes His Decision On Playing Next SeasonAccording to Pierre LeBrun, the veteran forward has committed to a 19th NHL season. With free agency looming July 1st, now it's up to the Senators. 
The Spurs aren’t done with the Thunder yet, but their fans are already eyeing up the Knicks.
After San Antonio won 118-91 to send the Western Conference finals to Game 7 against the Thunder, fans at the Front Bank Center called out Knicks star Jalen Brunson — who is still waiting to see which team his Knicks will face in the NBA Finals.
“We want Brunson!” Spurs fans chanted.
It appeared to be a direct response to a call-out by Knicks fans at the Empire State Building, who shouted “We want Wemby” for San Antonio’s star center Victor Wembanyama.
Spurs fans shouldn’t be looking too far ahead going into Saturday, as they still have to fave the defending champion Thunder in a do-or-die Game 7.
Oklahoma City is dealing with a ton of injuries as their second-best player, Jalen Williams, appears to be hobbled by a hamstring injury, while secondary ball handler Ajay Mitchell is out with a calf strain.
Mitchell looks seriously questionable to return during these playoffs, while Williams is a shell of his All-NBA self.
The Spurs aren’t without their problems either, as De’Aaron Fox has missed significant time these playoffs, and Dylan Harper sat out pieces of this series as well.
The Knicks are sitting on the outside watching this series intently as the Spurs and Thunder beat themselves up.
Mike Brown’s group only has one real injury concern, as center Mitchell Robinson broke his right pinky finger, though it is unclear when that occurred.
For the Arizona Cardinals the odd holdout from their starter who finished with a 1-11 record has created a lot of conversation around the idea of bumping up his pay.
While everyone looks at it from the perspective of if he is the starter once again heading into the season, he deserves to be paid more than his current amount, but there is always this weird caveat.
The caveat showed up in NFL.com’s piece on the quarterback battles in the NFL, where the Cardinals quarterback battle was highlighted, and they came to the same conclusion almost everyone has as well:
PREDICTED OUTCOME: Brissett gets a raise and starts in Week 1; Beck eventually starts several games.
There was a lot of good analysis in there as well, so I highly recommend checking out the full article, but I wanted to just focus on the predicted outcome, which seems nearly universal from most fans/pundits.
If the outcome that let’s just say 98% of people are expecting is that Beck starts games this year, which is almost going to assuredly happen because the team is bad, then what exactly are the Cardinals paying Brissett for?
If the expectation is that Brissett won’t play the whole season, then I guess the question for the Cardinals becomes… what is the point?
You unfortunately made it obvious this offseason that you hade other people in mind at the position, making overtures with both Malik Willis and Jimmy Garoppolo.
You drafted Carson Beck.
If Jacoby wasn’t the plan A or B then what is the difference in plan C or D? Especially if the overall expectation is he won’t be the starter for 15+ games.
This whole offseason has been a class on how not to handle things from a team who seemingly has no rudder or plan.
Friday notes…
Cubs lineup:
Cardinals lineup:
Shōta Imanaga was having a pretty good year until his last two starts, which were both awful. I’ll just note that half of all the runs he’s allowed this year (15 of 30) were in those two starts.
But here’s a team he does well against! Career vs. Cardinals: Four starts, 2.84 ERA, 0.789 WHIP, just three home runs in 25.1 innings, only one walk and 25 strikeouts.
Do more of that, Shōta.
This is Andre Pallante’s second full year in the Cardinals rotation. Last year wasn’t so good, with a 5.31 ERA in 31 starts, and he led MLB in wild pitches with 12.
This year has been somewhat better, and he has allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his 10 starts.
Career vs. Cubs: 12 games (five starts), 4.40 ERA, 1.674 WHIP, a low K rate (15 of 130 batters, or 11.5 percent).
Here is the weather forecast for the area around Busch Stadium.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.
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Baseball-reference.com game preview
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