Former Florida Panther Scott Gomez will be enshrined into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as the Class of 2025 alongside Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Tara Mounsey and Bruce Bennett.
"The collection of talent that is part of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025 is truly remarkable," said Mike Trimboli, president of USA Hockey. "Their extraordinary contributions have positively impacted our game and continue to do so today."
Gomez, a native of Anchorage, Ala., played 1076 games in the NHL, scoring 181 goals and 756 points. The former 27th overall pick of the 1998 NHL Draft was a pure playmaker, winning two Stanley Cups and a Calder Trophy in his NHL career.
Gomez was unable to win any international tournaments with Team USA, but starred in several events. He featured in two World Junior Championships and finished the tournament with the most assists in 1999. Additionally, Gomez was a key figure in the Americans' squad in the 2004 World Cup and the 2006 Olympics.
The now 45-year-old wasn't with the Panthers for a very long time, playing just one season and recording two goals and 12 points in 46 games, but provided veteran leadership to a young team that was near the bottom of the NHL.
SAN FRANCISCO — Given how historically bad the Colorado Rockies have been this year, every series at Coors Field has felt like a borderline must-sweep for MLB playoff hopefuls. But for the Giants this week, there was no doubt.
They needed to take all three in Denver to keep their playoff hopes alive and they did, capping an energetic and surprisingly interesting series with a 10-8 win on Wednesday.
The Giants have won 10 of 11 and they crept a game closer to the postseason race a few hours after the New York Mets lost in Detroit. They have won four consecutive series for the first time all season, choosing a hell of a time to do so.
The charge in the finale was led by Matt Chapman, who homered twice on the same day he found out that he has been suspended for one game for his role in Tuesday’s benches-clearing incident. Chapman is appealing and likely will try to kick that can down the road as long as possible. Right now, the Giants are playing like a team that’ll need him through the final game of the season.
They’ll head to St. Louis just four games behind the Mets in the wild-card race, although New York does hold the tiebreaker, so it’s essentially a five-game deficit with 22 to go. They’re also just five games behind the slumping San Diego Padres, although again, the Giants would need to finish a game up because they don’t own the tiebreaker.
Stranger things have happened, and right now the Giants certainly are feeling dangerous. Here are three things to know from the final night at Coors this season …
Unlikely Record-Breakers
If you look at the lineup, it’s not necessarily a huge surprise that this group became the first in San Francisco Giants history to homer in 17 consecutive games. Rafael Devers already has 30 homers and Willy Adames looks like he’ll be next. Chapman’s two got him to 20 and Heliot Ramos could get there, too. There’s a good amount of power out there every day.
But … if you remember July and early August, this makes absolutely no sense.
The Giants put themselves in a deep hole by going 2-13 over a span of 15 home games right before and after the MLB trade deadline, and over that stretch they homered in back-to-back games just once. For weeks, they had trouble just scoring a second run most nights, and now they’re taking turns rounding the bases. During this streak, they’ve gotten homers from 12 different players.
The Giants are just two games away from tying the franchise record, set by the 1947 club in New York. That group got a 51-homer season from Hall of Famer Johnny Mize and had three other players hit at least 29.
Tip Your Cap
During the Farhan Zaidi years, the Giants gained a reputation for finding gold where others saw a pile of rocks. But the reality is that they were doing a great job with minor league free agents and older flyers long before Zaidi was hired. They have continued to do well in the first year under Buster Posey and Zack Minasian, who formerly headed their pro scouting department, giving him an intimate knowledge of other organizations.
Dom Smith is the best example this year, but recently, the Giants have gotten good work from Joel Peguero, a 28-year-old who signed in the offseason. Peguero recorded four outs Wednesday and has thrown nine scoreless innings since debuting in San Diego last month. He topped out at 101.5 mph in the thin Denver air.
JT Brubaker contributed two scoreless innings on Wednesday — helping to settle things down after the Rockies rallied — before running into trouble with one out in the ninth. Ryan Walker entered to finish it off.
It’s a team effort when you find unexpected help, and Posey and Minasian lean heavily on assistant GM Jeremy Shelley, who has a strong reputation when it comes to digging up unlikely contributors. The analytics and pro scouting groups deserve a lot of credit, too.
Rough for Ray
Left-hander Robbie Ray started to walk off the mound in the bottom of the fifth, thinking a strikeout had held a 4-1 lead. He didn’t get the call and he ended up not making it out of the inning.
Ray was charged with five runs — four earned — in 4 2/3 innings. Coors, man.
He struck out eight, which moved him back into the top 10 in the NL. Teammate Logan Webb currently ranks second in the league in strikeouts to Zack Wheeler, who is done for the year.
Ray dealt with tough luck, but he should still be relatively happy with the night. His fastball velocity had been down in recent starts but he maxed out at 95.8 mph on Wednesday.
Red Wings prospect Shai Buium reflects on his journey from NCAA champion to AHL standout in exclusive interview with The Hockey News.
On Wednesday afternoon, The Hockey News had an exclusive sit-down interview with Red Wings prospect Shai Buium. The San Diego native is looking to make an impact at upcoming training camp and potentially push for a main roster spot.
Before being selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Buium was a standout defenseman at the University of Denver, recording 14 goals and 61 assists for 75 points with a +61 rating in 120 games across three seasons. His collegiate career was very successful as he was a part of two National Championship wins with the Pioneers in 2022 and 2024.
Shai Buium(2nd round’21 for Denver) picks up an assist 🍏 on the goal that gives Denver the lead in the national championship game. #LGRW
While spending his off-season in sunny California, Buium noted that his goal for the season is to continue growing as a player and become a true difference maker wherever he plays.
“I'm always going to training camp thinking in the back of my mind, I want to make it a hard decision for them to send me down to the AHL obviously,” Buium explained “Goals for the season, largely to be the best player on the Griffins, best defenseman on the Griffins, and try to work my way up to the NHL and just keep developing my game so when I get to the NHL I'm ready to go."
Buium’s confidence in his game is noticeable by his peers as Griffins Assistant Coach Brian Lashoff noted Buium is one of the players to watch for the Griffins heading into next season. Buium noted that he appreciated his coach’s comments and that to hear things like that from his coach and a former longtime pro defenseman is very flattering but noted there’s “still a lot of work to do.”
Lashoff and Griffins Head Coach Dan Watson noted in previous interviews with The Hockey News that Buium progressed as the season went along with Lashoff explaining that towards the end of the season, he trusted him with “big minutes” in key situations. The 22-year-old defenseman finished with a pair of goals and 23 assists for 25 goals through 67 games played. He described the transition from the NCAA to the AHL as “a little more systematic” and that the talent in the league was evident from the start.
— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) March 4, 2025
“Everybody's really good, like the fourth line through the first line, everyone's a good player, everyone's got good sticks, everyone knows how to use their body well, so just maneuvering through that and just learning the game, it's a little bit quicker,” Buium said “Pucks are going to the net, you have to be really good at box outs, in the corners, just little things that you maybe get away with sometimes in college, if you're maybe being lazy, or you're out of position, you can't be out of position in pro hockey."
Buium attributed his style of play to being a two-way defenseman that can transition well and move the puck while also not trying to model his game too much after one specific player.
"Not gonna lie, I don't like to model my game after specific guys. I just like to watch the best guys in the NHL and just pick things from them,” Buium stated “You go watch [Jaccob] Slavin and how good he is defensively, and then you go pick up things from a more offensive defenseman and then you learn those things in the ozone and their transition play but just try to pick up things from everybody.”
If he can continue his steady progression and turn into one of the most impactful defenseman on the Griffins like he hopes, Buium could get a look on the Red Wings main roster. Detroit finished bottom 12 in defense last season and with a young player that is hungry, looking to make an impact, he could make a lasting impression with bench boss Todd McLellan and carve himself out a role.
Buium finished off the interview by showing admiration towards the University of Denver during his time there when asked about some of his favourite moments as a Pioneer.
“Oh, it was super fun obviously, you're playing hockey with some of your best friends you made in school and winning championships, there's nothing better,” Buium explained “Had the best, best times of my life playing hockey there, I got to play a year with my brother, win a championship with him, so I’m really grateful for that part of my life."
From a brief chat with Buium, he comes across as a fun-loving Californian who simply wants to play hockey, excel at it, and spend quality time with the people he cares about when off the ice. In the off-season, he explained he enjoys golfing, after recently picking it up as a hobby, and relaxing on California beaches with “good people that can have good conversations.” Based on even a short interaction, it’s easy to see why Detroit fans should be excited to cheer him on and hope he makes a strong impact on the franchise.
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In three seasons with the Predators, Evangelista has emerged as a potential future star of this organization, putting up 32 points in 68 games last season at 22-23 years old.
Evangelista's representation and Trotz have most likely spent the better part of these last 55 days trying to figure out a contract that would work for everyone. On July 1, following the opening of free agency, Trotz commented on the status of Evangelista's contract negotiations.
While all of this has been centered on Evangelista, rightfully so, throughout the summer, there has been a growing narrative about the Predators' front office.
Brady Skjei and Nic Hague's contracts were ranked as two of the worst in the league. The Predators were ranked 30th out of 32 in the NHL's contract efficiency rankings, and the Predators' front office confidence was ranked 31st with a "D-" rating.
With the Predators taking an elongated amount of time to re-sign Evangelista, a player they highly value, the front office could be in hot water before the puck drops.
The issue that's seemingly repeated is that they are either signing older players to long contracts or generally bigger players to big contracts.
The two big splashes from last season's free agency, Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos, were both signed to long contracts as players in their mid-30s.
Marchessault was unable to figure out a deal in Vegas as the Golden Knights didn't want a five-year contract with Marchessault being 38 years old by the time it expired.
Skjei and even Juuse Saros' contract came under fire due to their ages and decline in production. One Athletic article even pointed out Nashville's decision to prioritize extended Saros over developing Yaroslav Askarov, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks as an 11th overall pick in 2020.
This summer, the Predators traded for Nicolas Hague, a bottom-two defenseman from the Golden Knights, and signed him to a 4-year, $5.5 million contract, with the expectation he'll play in the Predators' top defensive pairing.
From the outside, it looked like another case of the Predators just signing a player that was "big" with Hague having a 6-feet-6-inch, 230-pound build.
The Evangelista situation may be the tipping point, or even just the water coming right up to the brink of the pot.
If he truly signifies that he wants to leave, the Predators will have his rights as a restricted free agent and will be able to dictate where he goes. At that point, the saving grace of the front office would be to bring in a player who his either equivalent to Evangelista or better.
If this deal gets done, great. It'll likely be a contract that is either two or three years.
However, that does leave a bittersweet taste of "why did it take the Predators this long to sign him?"
This is a player that Trotz had called "the future," but it had taken over two months to strike a deal?
This is a major crossroads that the Predators are at when it comes to front office confidence.
It is not known whether Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, left, was aware of or played a role in facilitating an employment agreement between Aspiration Partners and Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard. (Getty Images)
The Clippers forcefully denied allegations detailed in a podcast published on Wednesday that a discredited global tree-planting company paid Kawhi Leonard $28 million to pad the star forward's contract and skirt the NBA salary cap. However, the NBA told The Times that it will start an investigation.
Investigative journalist Pablo Torre of the Athletic said during "Pablo Finds Out" that he reviewed numerous documents and conducted interviews with former employees of Aspiration Partners, the sustainability services firm that recently declared bankruptcy. Co-founder Joseph Sanberg agreed to plead guilty Aug. 21 to a scheme to defraud investors and lenders of more than $248 million.
During Aspiration's bankruptcy proceedings, documents emerged citing KL2 Aspire as a creditor owed $7 million, one of four yearly payments of that amount agreed upon in a 2022 contract. KL2 is a limited liability company that names Leonard — whose jersey number is 2 — as its manager.
Aspiration was partially funded by a $50-million investment from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. It is not known whether Ballmer was aware of or played a role in facilitating the employment agreement between Aspiration and Leonard.
Torre revealed during the podcast that he did not find evidence of any marketing or endorsement work done by Leonard for Aspiration. The only connection he found between the player and the company came in a 2023 tweet by the Clippers that read, "Happy Birthday, Kawhi! For every comment/retweet, @Aspiration will plant one tree for Kawhi's birthday!"
The NBA said in a statement to The Times that "we are aware of this morning’s media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation.” However, the Clippers told The Times that they could prove that Torre's allegations are false.
“Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration,” the Clippers statement said. “Any contrary assertion is provably false: The team ended its relationship with Aspiration years ago, during the 2022-23 season, when Aspiration defaulted on its obligations.
"Neither the Clippers nor Mr. Ballmer was aware of any improper activity by Aspiration or its co-founder until after the government instituted its investigation. The team and Mr. Ballmer stand ready to assist law enforcement in any way they can.”
A former Aspiration finance department employee whose voice was modulated on Torre's podcast said that when they noticed the shockingly large fee paid to Leonard, they were told that, "If I had any questions about it, essentially don’t because it was to circumvent the salary cap, LOL. There was lots of LOL when things were shared.”
Other celebrities paid to endorse Aspiration and its tree-planting operation included Robert Downey Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio and Drake. The finance department employee said none of them received anything close to the payment given to Leonard.
"Every other celebrity endorsement combined would not have met even a quarter of Kawhi Leonard’s endorsement,” the employee said.
Leonard joined the Clippers in July 2019 on a three-year, $103-million contract after leading the Toronto Raptors to the NBA title. He re-upped for four years and $176.3 million in 2021, then signed a three-year, $153-million extension last year.
When the Clippers landed Leonard in 2019, the NBA was stunned: In a matter of hours, the Clippers had traded for Paul George and signed Leonard, outmaneuvering the Lakers and other suitors.
Suspicions were raised that Ballmer had somehow circumvented the salary cap and compensated Leonard with more than just the max NBA contract. However, the NBA investigated Leonard’s advisor Dennis Robertson — also known as Uncle Dennis — and determined the Clippers had not granted Leonard impermissible benefits.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is adamantly opposed to a team doing an end run around the salary cap with creative under-the-table payments to players, perhaps contributing to the swift acknowledgment that the accusations concerning Leonard have triggered a league investigation.
Under the terms of the NBA collective bargaining agreement, the Clippers could be fined up to $4.5 million and stripped of a first-round draft pick for a first offense if they were found to have circumvented the salary cap.
Six years later, the deal for George and signing of Leonard are viewed in a different light because the Clippers never advanced to the NBA Finals and this season, the team watched assets they surrendered to acquire George — including league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to the championship.
One of the New York Rangers’ top defensive prospects is none other than EJ Emery.
The Rangers selected Emery in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft with the hopes he could blossom into a reliable NHL defenseman down the road.
However, during his first season playing at the University of North Dakota, Emery struggled from a statistical standpoint as he only recorded one point in 31 games.
Rangers director of player development Jed Ortmeyer doesn't believe this is an issue though since Emery’s game is not necessarily about loading up the stat sheet.
"I don't think his game is measured on production," Ortmeyer said via Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "It's his ability to defend and play in all situations in terms of penalty killing, playing against other team's top players and shutting them down, being hard to play against. He's so focused on working from the (defensive) zone out."
Not only does Ortmeyer feel that Emery’s lack of statistical success is not a concern, but he believes Emery showed a lot of promise throughout his freshman season.
“He had a really good year. He’s one of the youngest defensemen in college hockey as a true freshman,” Ortmeyer said. “It's a tough league he was playing in. He was able to step in and have a big role and play big minutes for them. I think his development is heading in the right direction and he’s on a great path at a great school. We are excited about what he’s doing and where he’s going.”
The 19-year-old attended Rangers development camp in July, and he’s set to return to North Dakota for his sophomore season.
With it being September, most of the players who hit the market as unrestricted free agents (UFAs) this summer have been signed. While this is the case, there are still some interesting players available for the taking who could land professional tryouts (PTOs) over the next few weeks.
Among the veteran defensemen still looking for their next contract is former New Jersey Devils blueliner Jon Merrill.
Merill played this past season with the Minnesota Wild, where he posted two goals, six points, 41 hits, and 85 blocks in 70 games. This was his fourth season with the Wild, but his tenure in Minnesota came to an end this summer after he was not re-signed. Now, with the regular-season being only one month away, he still has not found his new home.
Yet, when noting that Merrill can work well in a bottom-pairing or seventh defenseman role, the possibility of him getting a PTO before NHL training camps start is certainly there. Teams are always on the hunt for more defensive depth, and Merrill is one of the top unsigned blueliners left. It also does not hurt that he has 12 years of his NHL experience.
Merrill was selected by the Devils with the 38th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. In 216 games over four seasons with the Devils, he recorded six goals, 30 assists, 36 points, and 173 hits.
The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the youngest organizations in the NHL. They do have some veterans on the roster who will make an impact in 2025-26, but most of the hope comes from players who are still on their entry-level contracts.
The Blackhawks are well represented on this list, starting with their young superstar, Connor Bedard. He is ranked second, only behind San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini. Bedard has a case to be number one, but his somewhat underwhelming season on a struggling team in 2024-25 leaves a lot to be desired.
Connor Bedard is still very much on track to be a star in the league, like Celebrini. The latter just has more hype surrounding him due to the events of the last year.
Bedard was one of 11 Blackhawks players named on a list that included 173. He is the only one who landed in the first tier, the “elite player” category.
Tier 2 didn't have any Blackhawks in it. However, Artyom Levshunov did make tier 3 (Bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player. He was ranked 22nd overall.
Levshunov, a former second overall pick in the draft, has a ton of upside. He is the fifth defenseman on the list, with the ceiling of being a top-pair NHL defenseman. Big and meaningful minutes are on the slate for Levshunov in 2025-26.
Anton Frondell, Chicago's third overall pick in 2025, was in Tier 4 and ranked 26th, which Pronman described as a "top of the lineup" player tier. For Frondell, who will play 2025-26 in Sweden, that is not a bad way to be evaluated at this stage. If he turns out to be a top-six two-way forward for Chicago, they will see that as an absolute win.
If he is a second-line center long-term behind Bedard, they'd be set down the middle of their scoring lines. The tools are there for him to be a key contributor for the next decade.
Tier 5, where Pronman has "bubble top and middle of the lineup players", is where you'll find Frank Nazar (ranked 45th), who just earned an incredible contract extension. Pronman isn't as high on Nazar as most, but the respect is there to acknowledge that he could be a top-of-the-lineup player.
For Nazar, 2025-26 is about leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that he is an above-average player. His speed, creativity, and tenacious ways could be how he takes that next step as a producer.
Then there is the "middle of the lineup" tier 6. There you will see Kevin Korchinski (80th), Sam Rinzel (86th), Sacha Boisvert (111th), Oliver Moore (113th), Mason West (136th), Colton Dach (151st), and Roman Kantserov (162nd).
Having Rinzel below Korchinski is certainly a choice. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher defenseman has his feet wet in the NHL, but he has a lot more to prove. If he plays anything like he did towards the end of the season, he will be closer to Levshunov's tier than this one with Korchinski.
The rest of the forwards in this group all make sense. They all could have years where they are big offensive contributors to the team, but none of them are guys that the Blackhawks are hoping can lead them in scoring en route to the playoffs.
Everybody views prospects differently. This is another perspective that ultimately shows that the Blackhawks have done a wonderful job of stockpiling talent, regardless of the order. What Kyle Davidson and his staff do with said talent remains to be seen.
To view Pronman's rankings in full, you can click here.
The Mets (75-65) fell to the Detroit Tigers (81-60) by a score of 6-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Comerica Park.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Clay Holmes allowed an early unearned run thanks to a Hayden Senger catcher's interference call that extended the second inning, but the right-hander was mostly effective, if not efficient. Holmes had some good swing-and-miss stuff, striking out six Tigers, but he ran his pitch count up to 85, and his afternoon ended after his second walk of the fifth inning. Lefty Gregory Soto was called upon to try to get out of the jam, but a wild pitch and two-run single by Riley Greene gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead.
Holmes went 4.2 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out six and walking three.
-- It was a good day at the dish for Pete Alonso. After grounding a single in his first at-bat, Alonso put the Mets on the board in the third inning thanks to a two-out RBI double to right-center -- his 35th two-bagger of the season. Alonso ended up with three hits on the afternoon, the only Met with multiple base knocks.
-- Starter Casey Mize limited the Mets to one run over 5.0 innings, but the visiting squad had a prime opportunity against the Tigers' bullpen in the top of the sixth. A Juan Soto walk and Alonso's third hit of the game put two runners on with nobody out, and Mark Vientos would cash in with an RBI single to left off of Tommy Kahnle to cut the lead to one run. But with the bases loaded and one out, Starling Marte went after the first pitch he saw, grounding into a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play.
-- Ryan Helsley's nightmare tenure with the Mets continued in the bottom of the seventh. After allowing a leadoff single and walk, Helsley, while struggling with his command, grooved a fastball to Kerry Carpenter, who lined a three-run homer just over the wall in the right, making it a four-run game.
Helsley has now given up 14 earned runs in 11.0 innings since being acquired at the trade deadline.
Game MVP
Carpenter, whose three-run blast broke the game open and killed any momentum the Mets had been building.
NC State opened the season with a 24-17 win over East Carolina on Thursday night at Carter-Finley Stadium, avenging its Military Bowl loss to the Pirates. Now, the Wolfpack is ready to turn the page as Virginia visits Raleigh on Saturday. But while the Cavaliers and Wolfpack are set to clash, it will be the […]
Fans enter Angel Stadium on opening day prior to the start of the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on March 31, 2014. (Jeff Gross / Getty Images)
Dodger Stadium might not be the first ballpark in Southern California served by a gondola, if that comes to pass. In Anaheim, city planners are considering whether to pursue a gondola that would serve Angel Stadium.
For more than a decade, the city has explored how to connect its two main visitor hubs along Katella Avenue, with Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center about three miles west of Angel Stadium and Honda Center.
The effort has accelerated recently, spurred by city approval of a plan that allows Disney to expand its theme parks and add nearby attractions as well as the construction of OC Vibe, a dining, entertainment and residential village surrounding Honda Center.
In May, the chief executive of the local tourist agency told Spectrum News that a gondola was one of the transit options under consideration. On Tuesday, the Anaheim Investigator posted public records regarding the gondola option, including a study the city had paid a gondola company $20,000 to produce.
Among the possibilities the company pitched, according to the Investigator: the gondola’s towers, which hold the support cables in place, could be flared to resemble the Big A, the landmark that gives the ballpark its beloved nickname.
“It is fun and exciting to think about something like a gondola,” said Mike Lyster, the city spokesman. “We know Dodger Stadium’s has generated a lot of interest. To suggest it’s anything more would give the wrong impression.”
Lyster said Anaheim officials also have been in touch with Tesla and Waymo about options for driverless shuttles or trams, and with a company called Glydways that pitches small driverless vehicles operating along dedicated pathways.
The gondola company, called Swyft Cities, does not have gondolas in commercial operation but has discussed a similar option with the city of Irvine for use in its emerging Orange County Great Park neighborhoods.
Lyster said the possibility of expanding the Disneyland monorail has not come up in “recent discussions,” since the newer options might turn out to be environmentally friendlier and less costly.
“We have to evaluate these emerging technologies to determine which ones may have staying power, which ones may be cost-effective,” Lyster said. “We’re too early to say this one or that one may be a strong candidate."
Swyft Cities estimated a gondola construction cost of roughly $35 million last year and increased the cost to $125.7 million this year, the Investigator reported. The estimated cost of the proposed Dodger Stadium gondola, which would involve construction over hillside terrain, has risen from $125 million when former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt first pitched the plan in 2018 to about $500 million now.
In its presentation to Anaheim, Swyft Cities said the next step would be for the city to commission a “detailed analysis, preliminary engineering, and implementation strategy.”
The estimated cost of that study, should the city choose to want it: $350,000 to $500,000.
One of the reasons Craig Breslow offered for his extended delay in elevating Roman Anthony to the major league roster earlier this year was that he and the organization simply did not want to place too much pressure on the shoulders of a 21-year-old rookie.
Over the course of three-plus months, that rookie proved that pressure would not be a problem.
Anthony played both corner outfield spots and batted in the top four spots in the order, quickly making himself invaluable to a team making a run at the AL East.
Yet now he’s gone, placed on the injured list with an oblique strain and likely to miss the rest of the regular season and perhaps a week or two of the postseason. Alex Bregman, the only position player who’s been more valuable to the Red Sox since Anthony’s call-up, described it as a “gut punch.”
And while that emotional component will be difficult for the Red Sox to overcome, they’ll still have to take the field 22 times without Anthony to finish the regular season. That means manager Alex Cora will have to mix and match his lineups each night to try to maximize his roster and make up for the significant vacancy at the top of the order.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the picture who may — and may not — be able to step up in Anthony’s absence.
Refsnyder vs. righties
Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez have been lefty killers all season long. It’s a bit absurd how well they’ve mashed against southpaws, with Gonzalez posting a .994 OPS against lefties and Refsnyder not far behind at .950.
Cora has carefully managed his usage of Refsnyder, who has more than twice as many plate appearances against lefties than he does against righties this season. That may have to change, as Refsnyder is the most logical option to get more playing time in right field.
But Refsnyder will have to prove he can be better against righties. He’s hitting just .234 against them this year (compared to .300 vs. lefties) with a .620 OPS. Those numbers are in line with his career numbers vs. righties (.231 average, .634 OPS in 738 plate appearances), so it may be unreasonable to expect him to suddenly become a different player.
Yet in the midst of a tight playoff roster, Refsnyder and his 10 years of big league experience should at least make him comfortable in some big spots.
Where is Wilyer?
The Anthony absence would be much less of a concern if Wilyer Abreu was nearing a return. Alas, the Gold Glove right fielder has not had a quick recovery from his calf injury, and his return to the field does not seem at all imminent.
Cora told WEEI on Wednesday that Abreu is “not close” to returning, noting that Abreu still has not run since going on the IL in mid-August.
Abreu was in the midst of an excellent year, batting .253 with 22 home runs, 69 RBIs and an .811 OPS in his second full season in the majors. His return would be a major boost to the lineup and in the field, but he hasn’t played since Aug. 17, and the clock is ticking on him being able to return at all.
The Password
When Abreu went to the IL, the Red Sox called up their top outfield prospect, Jhostynxon Garcia — aka “The Password.” The 22-year-old saw the field in five games with Boston, and he went just 2-for-7 with two walks and five strikeouts in his limited opportunities.
Garcia has handled the transition to Triple-A well this year, as he has a .904 OPS with 17 homers in 69 games for the WooSox.
Yet Garcia may not quite be ready for a regular role on a team making a playoff run in September, and Cora likely won’t be eager to have Garcia on the field in big spots down the stretch.
Remember Kristian Campbell?
It wasn’t all that long ago that Kristian Campbell became the first of the “Big Three” to make it to the majors, making the team out of camp and signing an eight-year extension shortly thereafter.
Yet after a hot start (.313/.420/.515 in his first 28 games), Campbell batted just .154 with a .451 OPS in his next 39 games. Campbell was sent down to Worcester in late June and has yet to return to Boston.
Campbell has played well for Worcester, with an .831 OPS while playing second base, left field and center field being moved to first base as part of the potential solution to that Red Sox problem in the wake of Triston Casas’ season-ending injury.
While Campbell has seemingly proven himself at the Triple-A level, Cora didn’t sound eager to have Campbell rejoin the Red Sox when discussing the 23-year-old in mid-August.
“It’s the same things he struggled here with,” Cora said, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “Pitch recognition, covering certain shapes of fastballs. That’s something that’s hard because he’s not gonna get that down there. He’s not. The velo here is harder, it’s faster. Locations are on point here. With all due respect to the players down there, the gap is a big gap. Just one of those where we’ve got to keep working. He’s got to keep working and see what the future holds.”
Clearly, Cora was of the belief that Campbell still had work to do. Will the losses of Abreu and Anthony change his mind?
And lastly … Nate Eaton
The person who literally replaced Anthony on Tuesday night was Nate Eaton, and he actually came through with a big hit to set the stage for Boston’s four-run eighth inning.
Eaton has been a minor contributor for the Red Sox this year, playing in 21 games and batting .275 with a .658 OPS. Eaton has posted good numbers for Worcester (.290/.373/.483) and given his speed, he makes sense as a bench option for Cora to use in certain spots.
But at 28 years old, Eaton is well-established as a fringe major leaguer and thus won’t see extended usage over the final four weeks of the season.
Former Mets left-handed reliever José Castillo, who was designated for assignment on Aug. 30, was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners and added to their 40-man roster on Wednesday.
Castillo, 29, was acquired by New York from the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 15 in exchange for cash, and pitched in 16 games for the Mets.
He had a 2.35 ERA and 1.76 WHIP over 15.1 innings, tallying 19 strikeouts and six walks. The lefty last pitched in the bigs on Aug. 29 against the Miami Marlins, allowing one run on four hits over 2.0 innings.
Those appearances brought his season ERA down to 4.98 after he struggled with the D-backs, pitching to an 11.37 ERA over 6.1 innings in five games earlier this season.
Castillo also pitched in 10 games for Triple-A Syracuse while with New York, posting a 1.69 ERA and striking out 16 in 10.2 innings.
It is not very often that you hear an NHL player be that transparent about the possibility of one of their teammates being moved. Yet, based on Backlund's comments, it certainly feels that Andersson will be traded elsewhere at some point as he enters the final year of his contract.
Let's discuss three teams that stand out as possible landing spots for Andersson.
Vegas Golden Knights
In late June, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported that Andersson only wanted to sign a contract extension in a potential trade if it was with the Vegas Golden Knights. Since then, the Golden Knights have been heavily linked to Andersson as a potential landing spot.
The Golden Knights are well known for making big moves, and it would make a ton of sense for them to bring in Andersson. Considering Alex Pietrangelo has stepped away from hockey to try to recover from injuries and might not return, the Golden Knights certainly could use another effective two-way right-shot defenseman. Landing Andersson would provide them with just that.
The Golden Knights would need to be creative to be able to afford Andersson, considering they're more than $7 million over the salary cap. Pietrangelo will likely be on the long-term injured reserve, which gives Vegas more cap room to work with, but the team will still only have around $1.16 million in space once that happens.
That said, they have never been afraid to make aggressive moves if it means landing an effective player.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars have plenty to be optimistic about heading into the 2025-26 season.
They have a strong mix of veteran and young forwards to go along with an elite goaltender in Jake Oettinger. However, after Miro Heiskanen, the right side of their defense is Dallas' Achilles heel. Acquiring Andersson would be an excellent way to fix this.
Andersson would give their second pairing a massive boost if acquired. However, he could also be an option for their top pairing if Miro Heiskanen moved to the left side or misses time. In either scenario, the Stars' top four would improve tremendously with an Andersson addition, and Ilya Lyubushkin and Nils Lundkvist down the depth chart.
Similar to the Golden Knights, the Stars would need to move out some salary to make a trade for Andersson work. That is where things could get tricky, as Dallas currently only has a little over $400,000 of cap space. Even if Andersson is still available closer to the trade deadline and the Stars accrue cap space, they still must make more room to acquire the blueliner.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins could also be a dark horse team to watch when it comes to Andersson. While they re-signed Henri Jokiharju this off-season, they still have not found the best top-four replacement for Brandon Carlo since trading him to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Acquiring Andersson would change that.
Andersson would significantly improve the right side of Boston's defense. Having a one-two punch of Charlie McAvoy and Andersson would make the Bruins a much more difficult team to go up against. He would also give them another quarterback to work on their power play due to his offensive skills.
The Bruins' goal is to prove that last season was a fluke and to get back into the playoffs in 2025-26. Acquiring Andersson could help their odds of doing just that.
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Parise, Pavelski, Gomez Feature In U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2025Scott Gomez, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Tara Mounsey and Bruce Bennett will be enshrined into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as the Class of 2025.
