The Chicago Blackhawks traded Connor Murphy, who has been in trade rumors for a long time now, to the Edmonton Oilers.
In exchange for Murphy at a 50 percent retained salary, the Oilers sent back a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson continues to stockpile high-end draft picks for players who aren't a part of the long-term plan. Connor Murphy is a good player, but his age and contract situation forced the Blackhawks to make a decision.
He will help a playoff-bound Oilers team on the defensive side of the puck. Playing for the playoffs for the first time in his NHL career, outside of the COVID bubble, should be a great motivator for him to bring his best. Having teammates like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will also be refreshing.
Murphy is on the top unit of the number one penalty kill in the NHL. The Oilers are seen as a power play type of offensive team, so adding a stay at home shut down defender/penalty-killer like Murphy makes them more dangerous as a unit.
Former Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman was famous for acquiring former players, and he showed that knack on Monday with this Murphy trade. Admittedly, this one makes sense for him more than others.
Trade grade for the Blackhawks: A
Kyle Davidson and the Chicago Blackhawks get a second-round pick, which is a high-value selection, for a player who is on an expiring contract. Landing a pick like that is not easy on the trade market, but Kyle Davidson was once again rewarded for sticking to his guns in negotiations.
Whether they use that pick in 2028 or move it as a trade chip remains to be seen, but they have a lot of time before they will truly worry about that. As sellers, you want to get as many assets for unrestricted free agents as you can. Davidson was successful in that venture this time, earning him an A-grade for the deal.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 02: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers handles the ball defended by Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena on December 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, 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 Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors will host another Southern California rival as they take on the Clippers on Monday night. The game will be played at 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and can be watched on Peacock and NBC Sports Bay Area.
Golden State is coming off a 129–101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the game was never close as a healthy Lakers squad jumped out to a first-quarter lead and never looked back against the undermanned Warriors. Luka Dončić, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Saturday, led all scorers with 26 points, followed by LeBron James with 22 points.
As for the Warriors, they needed a strong shooting night to stay competitive, but it never came as the team shot just 12-of-44 from three-point range (27.3%). Gui Santos led Golden State with 14 points, while Moses Moody came in second with 12 points, including four made threes.
The Warriors look to bounce back against a Clippers team playing on the second night of a back-to-back. On Sunday, Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak with a 137–117 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points in 29 minutes, marking his 37th straight game with at least 20 points, and he continues to lead the Clippers with an average of 28 points per game this season.
Golden State, meanwhile, remains without its top scorer in Stephen Curry. The team announced on Sunday that Curry will miss at least 10 more days with a lingering knee injury.
The Warriors are 4–6 in the 10 games they have played without Curry. Although expectations have understandably been lowered in his absence, along with Jimmy Butler’s season-ending ACL injury, head coach Steve Kerr has praised the effort and coachability shown by the rest of the roster during this challenging stretch of the season. And with the Clippers trailing just 2.5 games behind them for the eighth seed in the West, Golden State will once again be counting on their depth and effort to give them a chance without their stars.
What has been your biggest challenge this season in terms of trying to keep this ship on course?
STEVE KERR: "I'm enjoying the season. Our guys have competed and really done a good job of finding ways to win… these guys are great… It's a fun group to coach." pic.twitter.com/CxfxDPQ4RN
San Antonio Spurs' Luke Kornet reacts to a call during a game Sunday against the New York Knicks. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press)
At least one NBA player objects to the Atlanta Hawks paying tribute to the famous Magic City adult entertainment club during their game Monday against the Orlando Magic.
San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet posted a statement on Medium asking the Hawks to call off the promotion "as to ensure that the NBA remains a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone involved."
"The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world," Kornet wrote. "We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.
"Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society. Regardless of how a woman finds her way into the adult entertainment industry, many in this space experience abuse, harassment, and violence to which they should never be subjected."
The Hawks announced its "Magic City Monday" promotion last week. Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz was a producer on the docuseries "Magic City: An American Fantasy" that aired last year on Starz. Atlanta-based artist T.I. will perform at halftime. A collaborative hoodie will be available for purchase, and some of the club's well-known wings will be served — including the lemon-pepper wings named after former Hawks player Lou Williams.
In 2020, while he was playing for the Clippers during the pandemic, Williams made headlines for visiting Magic City during an excused absence for personal reasons to return home to Atlanta. The NBA was finishing its season in a so-called bubble in Orlando meant to protect against COVID-19. Williams has said he was at the club just to pick up food.
In expressing his objection to the promotion, Kornet stressed that NBA teams should be held "to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting."
"I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision," Kornet wrote. "We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision."
Former Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill has delivered an expletive-filled tirade on the most recent episode of the Cricket Unfiltered podcast, calling co-host Andrew Menczel a “f***ing idiot” before threatening him in the extraordinary blow-up.
The Minnesota Wild brought in a veteran forward on Monday, as they claimed Robby Fabbri off of waivers from the St. Louis Blues. However, in a corresponding move, the Wild placed a former Montreal Canadiens forward on waivers.
After spending all of last season at the AHL level with the Providence Bruins, Pitlick has gotten into a good amount of NHL action this campaign with the Wild. In 32 games this season with Minnesota, the former Canadiens forward has recorded two goals, 24 penalty minutes, and 78 hits.
If Pitlick clears waivers, Minnesota will then be able to assign him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Wild. The Minnesota native has played in 12 games this season for Iowa, where he has eight goals and 11 points.
The Canadiens acquired Pitlick during the 2021-22 season as part of the trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames. In 14 games during that campaign with the Habs, he posted one goal, three points, and 15 hits.
Pitlick is not the only former Canadiens player who has been placed on waivers, though. This is because the Detroit Red Wings have placed defenseman Erik Gustafsson on waivers as well.
Gustafsson has played in two games this season with Detroit, where he has recorded zero points and a minus-2 rating. Down in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins this campaign, the former Canadiens defenseman has two goals and 20 points in 22 games.
Gustafsson played in five regular-season games for the Habs in 2020-2021, where he had two assists. He also played in 16 playoff games for the Canadiens in 2021, posting one goal and three points.
MIAMI, FL - FEBRUARY 28: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets during the game against the Miami Heat on February 28, 2026 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Mar 2, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) hits a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies in the second inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
The Dodgers are now 2-0 in the month of March this spring, as they connected for four home runs to defeat the Colorado Rockies 7-5 on Monday.
Ryder Ryan made his first start of the spring, completing two innings of work on 35 pitches (23 for strikes) while allowing one hit and one earned run and picking up a strikeout. Paul Gervase, Edgardo Henriquez and Jordan Weems each tossed a scoreless inning in relief after Ryan’s departure.
Dalton Rushing began the scoring with a 450-foot no doubt home run to center field in the top of the second inning against Jimmy Herget, his second home run in as many games.
James Tibbs III outmatched Rushing’s long ball with a two-run home run that traveled 458 feet to deep center field in the top of the fourth inning against Welinton Herrera, also his second home run in as many games.
Colorado would tie the game at three in the bottom of the sixth inning with two consecutive home runs from Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karros against right-hander Carson Hobbs. The D0dgers would get both those runs back and retake the lead in the top of the eighth inning on a two-run shot from Elijah Hainline.
Joe Vetrano added another home run for the Dodgers in the top of the ninth to give them a three-run lead in the top of the ninth inning. Noah Miller drove home the final run of the game with an RBI single to plate Josue de Paula.
After Myles Caba loaded the bases with only one out, Antonio Knowles came in relief, allowing a pair of bases loaded walks to Zac Veen and Braxton Fulford to cut the lead to two. With the running run at first base, Knowles was able to get T.J. Rumfield to ground out to Hainline at second, ending the threat and the game.
The Dodgers are now averaging 6.73 runs per game (74 in 11 games) so far this spring, tied with the San Francisco Giants for the most among cactus league teams.
UP NEXT
The Dodgers look to make it three consecutive wins as they take on the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark on Tuesday (12:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Roki Sasaki makes his second start of the spring against left-hander Joey Cantillo.
Matt Targett’s first-half double helped Middlesbrough return to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham and further boost their hopes of promotion to the Premier League.
Third-place Millwall’s triumph against Preston at the weekend cut the gap to just the one point coming into the match, but Kim Hellberg’s side responded to restore their four-point advantage in second place. Birmingham lost just their second league game at St Andrew’s since May 2024, meaning their chances of finishing in the playoffs have slipped further away. They remain eight points off the top six.
MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid lost a second straight La Liga match when a stunning volley from Martín Satriano gave Getafe a shock 1-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Monday.
The result prevented the capital club from cutting the four-point gap to leader Barcelona.
Getafe had lost all eight of its previous league encounters with Real Madrid and early saves from goalkeeper David Soria kept it from falling behind.
Soria turned over a shot from Arda Güler midway through the first half, not long after frustrating Vinicius Junior when he was through on goal.
Madrid had more of the ball but lacked punch up front and it paid a price for its profligacy six minutes before halftime when Getafe took the lead.
A hopeful cross from the right was headed clear but it fell to the feet of Satriano, who volleyed into the roof of the net from 20 meters out.
It was the second goal in three games for the Uruguayan, who joined on loan from Lyon during the last transfer window.
Madrid continued to dominate possession in the second half and Antonio Rüdiger and substitute Rodrygo were among those who came close to grabbing an equalizer.
But it could not find a way past Getafe’s stuffy rearguard and an in-form Soria.
Madrid’s task became even harder when Franco Mastantuono was sent off for dissent in stoppage time and although the numbers were evened up in the last minute when Getafe’s Adrian Liso was also shown a red card it came too late to make any impact.
Getafe held on to secure a historic win, its first at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2008, and a vital three points in its bid to stay in La Liga.
“Coming here is always very difficult," Getafe defender Kiko Femenía told broadcaster DAZN. "We have to congratulate the team, we did a superb job at the back and we scored when had the chance. We might even have scored more on the counterattack.”
They jumped three league places into 11th and were eight points above the relegation zone.
We’re in the full swing of spring training now, and the few roster spots that the Yankees have up for grabs have some good competition going on. Their retooled bullpen has several names that could make the roster or see themselves outrighted to Triple-A Scranton to start the year, as guys like Brent Headrick and Osvaldo Bido try to make their mark. The infield also has some hopefuls looking to make an impression, with Oswaldo Cabrera trying to make it back to the roster after missing most of last season and finding deadline additions Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero ahead of him on the depth chart now.
They’re not headline-grabbing competitions, but they often end up playing a part in enough games down the line to matter — especially in a division as stacked as the AL East. If the difference between being division champs or scrapping for a Wild Card spot comes down to how the middle of your bullpen performs in the middle of June, for instance, you want to have enough weapons to survive the 162-game marathon and avoid nosediving like the Yankees have in recent years. So who is best suited to win spots on the Opening Day roster? Which prospects might impress enough to get a shot midseason? And where is the team’s depth most lacking? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.
Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of March 5th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Mookie Betts, above during a workout at Camelback Ranch last month, played in his first spring training game Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Since his first full season in 2015, Mookie Betts had either been named an All-Star or received votes for most valuable player every year.
That held true until last year. In his sixth season with the Dodgers, Betts posted career lows in batting average (.258), on-base percentage (.326), and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.732) while playing 148 games at shortstop.
Betts, now 33, believes last year was an outlier and he can get back to his previous form.
“That’s what I expect,” Betts said after making his Cactus League debut Sunday. “I haven’t felt this way in a long time. So, the way I feel now, I’m healthy, my swing’s in a really good spot. My head’s in a really good spot. I haven’t had any bad days in the cage. I haven’t had any bad days [taking batting practice]. Usually by now, I would have taken a thousand swings, trying to fix stuff, trying to get game-ready, and now I’m just cruising. I’m just cruising and I’m ready to go.”
This spring, manager Dave Roberts offered an unequivocal vote of confidence.
“He will be in the MVP conversation this year,” Roberts said. “But again, I think, speaking for Mookie, his main goal is to help us win a championship. So, I think whatever falls out from there, I think that will happen.”
A stomach bug that caused him to lose a considerable amount of weight put Betts behind last spring, and he never quite caught up. Through his first 103 games, he batted .231 with a .302 on-base percentage and .657 OPS. Enduring the longest cold spell of his career, Betts was forced to retool.
“It’s really just going back to what I what I do best, and really just honing in on it,” Betts said. “Instead of trying to fix problems, I was more able to just hone in on what I do best. And kind of groove those patterns instead of trying to fix old habits.”
Betts says in a bizarre way, he enjoyed his season of soul searching.
“I learned a lot about myself,” Betts said. “I learned a lot about how I operate. I was able to get in the right headspace, and sustain the right headspace. And then once I was able to kind of get in the right headspace and stay there, I haven’t been searching, I haven’t been doing anything since I’ve been here outside of just working and preparing.”
Things started to click in late summer. Over his final 47 games, he batted .317 with a .376 on-base percentage and .892 OPS.
It wasn’t the stats that bothered Betts as much as his lack of production through the first four months.
“Once I was able to help the boys, I was fine," Betts said. But before that, I was really upset, not with the numbers per se, but not being able to help. Not doing my job, carrying my weight. Once I was able to do stuff, especially later on in the season, I was able to just take a step back and say, ‘You did pretty good.’"
Part of the plan for maximizing Betts’ abilities is minimizing his work in camp. Betts was the last healthy position player to appear in a spring game, starting Sunday after sitting for the first nine games. He was back in the lineup Monday, collecting his first hit with a single in three at-bats against the Colorado Rockies.
“It’s intentional,” Roberts said last week. “It’s load management. I wanted Mookie to start a little bit later, as far as not getting into spring training ready to go and kind of use spring training to build up, given it’s six weeks.”
Gavin Stone suffers setback, Dodgers ‘pause’ his throwing
Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone delivers in the first inning a during a spring training game against the Guardians last Tuesday. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
Six days after Gavin Stone made his Cactus League debut and threw a scoreless inning, Roberts said Stone suffered a setback and will pause throwing activities. Stone missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2024.
“Stone threw the inning and then he had a bullpen the next day, and then his shoulder flared up and was sore,” Roberts said before Monday's game. “And so right now, we put him on ice, and trying to let the soreness dissipate. So, given everything that he’s gone through with the shoulder, we wanted to make sure that we kind of pushed pause, so I don’t know when he’s going to start throwing again, but I think it is a setback unfortunately.”
“He’s worked so hard to kind of get back to where he was pitching in a game," Roberts said. "We’re excited about that. He threw the baseball really well, and it was one inning, so it wasn’t too taxing. So, to come back in his 'pen and not feel good, that’s disappointing, and it’s not from lack of effort, but yeah, just disappointing.”
Roberts also confirmed right-hander Roki Sasaki would make his second Cactus League start Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians, with the expectation he would go three innings, and right-hander Tyler Glasnow would start Wednesday's game against Team Mexico in a World Baseball Classic tuneup.
Etc.
The Dodgers announced they were reassigning pitchers Patrick Copen, Luke Fox, Jerming Rosario, Adam Serwinowski, Nick Frasso and Jose Rodriguez, catchers Nelson Quiroz and Chuckie Robinson, infielders Keston Hiura and Matt Gorski and outfielder Chris Newell to minor league camp.
San Diego Padres hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
The 2025 San Diego Padres finished with a 90-72 record, driven by a pitching staff widely regarded as one of the best in the majors. The offense was another story.
Collectively, the team batting average was .252, as they scored 4.33 runs per game. A sharp decline from the season before, with 4.69 runs per game.
Changes occurred at the managerial position, out went Mike Shildt, and in came Craig Stammen. Shortly after his announcement, Stammen reached out to an old teammate, Steven Souza Jr., to become the Padres’ new hitting coach. He accepted the challenge of resurrecting the offense.
Souza Jr. offers a simple hitting philosophy
Souza Jr. has a simple hitting philosophy of controlling the strike zone. It is an approach that allows hitters to become more aggressive and capitalize on pitchers’ mistakes. Souza Jr. encourages his hitters to visualize their at-bat before stepping into the batter’s box. It helps them identify the holes in the opponent’s defensive alignment.
It removes the threat of the batter overthinking and swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. Now, they can relax at the plate, as their approach only changes with two strikes. All that needs to take place is putting the ball in play.
Often, the result is that the pitch travels to the gap for an extra-base hit or possibly a home run. The Friars had trouble putting the ball over the fence. They hit 152 home runs, which ranked 28th in the majors last season.
Souza Jr. believes his hitting philosophy will limit batting slumps throughout the season. To reach this goal, his focus is raising the lineup’s confidence in the batter’s box.
2025 Padres offense: A big disappointment
The Padres’ offense was too inconsistent last season, especially with runners in scoring position. They left an average of 3.55 runners in scoring position per game, which ranked near the bottom of the majors.
The highs and lows were too far apart between an optimal offense and a dreaded run-scoring drought. Yes, lineup stability was a challenge due to injuries sustained by key offensive contributors last season. Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth and Xander Bogaerts all missed significant time, and the run production suffered. Still, the Friars ranked 18th in team scoring with 702 runs, despite being seventh in team batting average.
They essentially have the same lineup that concluded the 2025 season. To boost production, Souza Jr. must improve their mindset when batting with runners in scoring position. He must take down their stress level that should generate more productive swings.
Improved offensive production must occur in 2026. While the process may have a slow start, this lineup is too talented not to turn things around.
Hopefully, the bats will come into their own this season.
The Kings are playing their first game since firing their old head coach, Jim Hiller. Tonight will be the first game for D.J Smith as the head coach, and while it is not his first time being a head coach, it is his first time being the head coach for the Kings, and they do not get the easiest first matchup as they host the Colorado Avalanche, who are 1st in the NHL.
Kings Projected Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight:
Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Alex Turcotte - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Warren Foegele - Kenny Connors - Corey Perry
Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Mikey Anderson - Cody Ceci
Jacob Moverare - Brian Dumoulin
Anton Forsberg
Erik Portillo
Avalanche Projected Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Avalanche tonight:
Gabriel Landeskog - Nathan MacKinnon - Martin Necas
Artturi Lehkonen - Brock Nelson - Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton - Jack Drury - Victor Olofsson
Zakhar Bardakov - Parker Kelly - Gavin Brindley
Devon Toews - Cale Makar
Josh Manson - Brent Burns
Brett Kulak - Sam Malinski
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Line Changes and Injuries
The Colorado Avalanche are expected to use the same lineup as they did in the Chicago Blackhawks game. The Kings will be without Trevor Moore and Darcy Kuemper, who are both out due to illness. With those 2 players out, the Kings have called up Kenny Connors, who will make his NHL debut tonight, and Erik Portillo to back up Anton Forsberg.
Key Factors
The Kings are coming off a 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames, which was the first win for Artemi Panarin as a member of the Kings. The Kings currently sit 3 points back of the final wildcard spot, and a win tonight would be huge in their playoff race.
Tonight's matchup is one of the toughest for the Kings, as the Avalanche have firepower on offence and defence, led by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe have been playing very well together; in their last 3 games, they have both scored 3 points, and this duo can be a big enough factor for the Kings to pull off the upset.
The goaltending matchup tonight looks like Forsberg vs. Blackwood. Forsberg is coming off his 2nd shutout of the season, where he made 29 saves. Blackwood is coming off a 14-save win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Overall, this game is going to be a tough one for the Kings, but with their new dynamic duo and strong defence, there is a good chance they can pull off the upset.
Former Australian opener Usman Khawaja has criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board after the national team’s T20 World Cup players were reportedly fined for an underwhelming performance during the ongoing tournament.
Now, he has suffered a “disappointing” setback that raises renewed questions about the Dodgers’ opening day rotation.
As manager Dave Roberts announced Monday morning, Stone’s surgically repaired shoulder “flared up” on him last week, after the 27-year-old made his long-awaited return from an injury that sidelined him for all of last year.
Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone delivers in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians, Feb. 24 in Phoenix. AP
In his Feb. 24 outing, Stone looked promising during a scoreless inning of work, striking out two batters in what was his first game action since his breakout rookie season in 2024. He came away encouraged by the quality of his stuff, too, hopeful he was finally past the extensive shoulder surgery that repaired his labrum, rotator cuff and shoulder capsule two years ago.
In the days after that outing, however, Stone threw a bullpen session that left his shoulder feeling sore. Thus, the Dodgers have “put him on ice” and shut him down from throwing for now, Roberts said. The team has not set an immediate timeline for when Stone could resume pitching activities. But Roberts indicated the development will likely rule the right-hander out for the opening day roster.
“Given everything he’s gone through with the shoulder, we wanted to make sure we push pause,” Roberts said. “I don’t know when he’s gonna start throwing again. But it is a setback, unfortunately. With the shoulder soreness, we’re just trying to be thoughtful and mindful for Gavin. And right now, he’s trying to get everything to calm down.”
Before Monday’s development, Stone seemed to be in strong position for an opening day roster spot.
With Blake Snell still working back from his own shoulder problem, and Shohei Ohtani unlikely to be fully built up as a pitcher by the time the season begins, the Dodgers appeared to have at least one spot up for grabs that Stone was competing for.
Now, the process of filing it could be trickier.
Stone throws to the New York Mets in the third inning at Citi Field in Queens, May 28, 2024. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is ahead of schedule, and off to represent Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic. Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki are also ramping up in camp, and set to make their second starts of the spring the next two days.
How they round out the rest of it will now be a central question for the rest of this spring.
Emmet Sheehan figures to be a leading candidate, but is a bit behind schedule after dealing with a sickness at the start of camp, having yet to appear in a Cactus League game. River Ryan and Justin Wrobleski are in the mix as well –– though Ryan is still dialing in his command as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
“River is still trying to make his way back, find his way back,” Roberts said. “I was talking to him on the bench a couple days ago, where he said there’s a timing mechanism that he and the guys … in our (pitching development) department kind of figured out. So I want to see how that looks. But he’s still gotta pitch well. He hasn’t pitched a whole lot for us.”
Dodgers’ Justin Wrobleski pitches during Game 7 of the 2025 World Series on Nov. 1, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. MLB Photos via Getty Images
One pitcher who isn’t a rotation candidate: Kyle Hurt.
Like Stone and Ryan, he is coming back from a lost season in 2025 that was spent recovering from Tommy John. And while he is “one of the guys that has stood out for me early in camp,” Roberts said, the Dodgers are viewing him as more of a multi-inning relief option than traditional starting pitcher.
Another name to watch could be 32-year-old left-hander Cole Irvin. He is a six-year MLB veteran (with a 4.54 ERA in 134 career outings) who signed a minor-league deal with the team this spring after pitching in South Korea’s KBO last season.
“We’re gonna look at the guys we have,” Roberts said. “We’ve got some good candidates for starters.”
Just, with Stone now hurt again, one less than they were hoping to.
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