After their second preseason game and reaching the halfway point of training camp, the Philadelphia Flyers have made a few more cuts as their final roster begins to take shape.
Several notable prospects, like Brek Liske and Maksim Sokolovskii, for example, were sent back to junior hockey as part of the first round of cuts.
Now, it is time for some veterans and newcomers to join them, as the Flyers have clearly established which players are battling for ice time and a roster spot.
On Wednesday, it was revealed by PuckPedia that the Flyers had placed six veterans on waivers: defenseman Cam Dineen, and forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Nolan Foote, Carl Grundstrom, Jack Studnicka, and Danila Klimovich.
Of the six, Grundstrom is the biggest surprise given that he has practiced in an NHL-facing role throughout training camp, but the Flyers could also be making this move now for the sake of roster flexibility going forward.
Should Grundstrom clear waivers now, he will not have to clear waivers again until he plays in 10 regular season games or spends 30 days on the NHL roster, whichever comes first.
This would give the Flyers insurance in case Denver Barkey (lower-body) is not back by the time the regular season starts, or in the event Nikita Grebenkin (upper-body) is not yet ready for game action.
Remember, Grebenkin has not played a competitive game since March, has yet to appear in a preseason game, and spent the early portion of training camp in a yellow non-contact jersey.
Now is the time for Grebenkin to begin ramping up, though runway is short with the regular season opener just one week away now.
As for the other players, it is clear they will just be depth options over the course of the season.
Studnicka had some moments, but that was about it from the rest of the group. Klimovich was at fault for one of the Boston Bruins' goals in Tuesday night's loss.
The remaining forwards competing for roster spots on the Flyers currently include Grundstrom, Jacob Gaucher, Jett Luchanko, Cole Knuble, Grebenkin, and Riley Thompson.
The San Jose Sharks are continuing to trim down their training camp roster as we've now passed the midway point of preseason. While the majority of cuts were unsurprising, there is one that stood out a bit more than the rest.
Ethan Cardwell was one of three players placed on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to the American Hockey League, along with Tye Felhaber and Libor Hajek. Cardwell has the highest chance of being claimed of the three, as he could potentially fill a fourth line role at the NHL level for a team with a shortage of quality depth. Given his usage in preseason, it seemed that he was in contention for an NHL job this time around, but it appears that management has seen enough.
The Sharks reassigned five forwards: Andre Gasseau, Samuel Huo, Donovan Houle, Anthony Vincent, and Carson Wetsch. Four defensemen were also sent to join the Barracuda: Roland McKeown, Mack Oliphant, Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, and Phillip Sinn. Last but not least, goaltender Matt Davis was also reassigned to the AHL.
With the Sharks' training camp roster currently sitting at 36 players, we're going to see quite a few more cuts in the coming days, with the next batch likely coming after tomorrow night's game against the Anaheim Ducks.
On Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks were back on the SAP Center's ice for the first time since April as they hosted the Vegas Golden Knights for their first home preseason game of the 2026-27 season.
In the opening moments, Dmitri Orlov showed some signs of summer rust as he gave the Golden Knights a prime scoring chance with a turnover in the neutral zone. On the other end of spectrum, Ethan Cardwell continued to show why he is in the battle for an NHL job as he had a phenomenal first shift starting with maintaining possession in the defensive zone and ended with a shot on goal.
A broken stick gave the Sharks' fourth line a decent chance roughly five minutes into the game, as the Golden Knights' pass was off line and landed directly on the blade of Patrick Giles, although nothing came of it.
Alex Wennberg caught a puck up high on his birthday, causing a whistle with 12:59 remaining in the first. Nolan Allan then went on to make his presence felt with a huge old-school body check on Alexander Holtz.
In the middle of the period, the combination of Michael Misa and Igor Chernyshov seemed to be thriving, as they were generating some solid changes in transition. Patrick Giles on the other hand had a dangerous giveaway behind the Sharks' net, but he immediately made up for it with a massive hit just a second later.
Luca Cagnoni almost connected with Misa for a deflection in front of the net at one stage but it bounced off the post, then moments later, the young defenseman hit the pipe on his own shot.
After 20 minutes of play, the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 but the Sharks had generated some quality scoring chances.
Collin Graf appeared to have an equipment issue right off the draw to start the second period, causing the Sharks' lines to be jumbled for a bit while he got his skate blades replaced on the bench.
The Sharks somehow didn't score a goal with 11:36 remaining in the middle frame. A sprawled out Carter Hart was able to deny a backhand chance by Stenberg, that should've found the back of the net. A minute later, Yaroslav Askarov had a bit of showmanship himself, raising his glove up in the face of Jonas Rondbjerg after a glove save.
The second period seemed to fly by with few specific notable moments. Luca Cagnoni and the aforementioned Askarov were definitely the standouts of the period, as Askarov appeared to have much more confidence. Cagnoni also had quite a bit of confidence and was timing his pinches from the blue line perfectly and helping generate offense from the blue line, even if the Sharks had yet to score in the "Power Bite Farewell Tour."
Michael Misa finally broke the deadlock, and officially got the previously mentioned Farewell Tour underway, when he scored a power play goal 4:16 into the third period. The power play had generated quite a few chances, but one finally made its way past Hart. The Sharks' lead didn't last long though, as Alex Holtz tied it up for the Golden Knights four minutes later.
Cagnoni got outmuscled heavily in front of his own net around the midway point of the period by Jakub Demek. Given Demek's seven-inch height advantage and 32 pounds on Cagnoni, it's not unexpected, but does show one of the Sharks' defenseman's biggest flaws. With his stature, he's going to be pushed around fairly regularly by bigger opposition and there's obviously nothing that can really be done about that.
Tyler Toffoli and Igor Chernyshov had an opportunity to restore the Sharks' lead on a nice give-and-go passing play, but despite Hart being out of position, Toffoli got the shot off too late and put it in the side of the net rather than scoring.
The game remained tied throughout the rest of the third period and went into overtime. Despite quite a few chances for both sides, neither team scored in the 3-on-3 period and the game went to a shootout.
The Sharks ultimately went on to fall in the shootout, losing to the Golden Knights 2-1.
Going into the last round 11 points clear, the bowler Olly Hannon-Dalby is confident the favourites can clinch the title
Olly Hannon‑Dalby, 6ft 7in of medium‑fast heritage craft, has just come out of training at Edgbaston. The last round of County Championship cricket is about to start and slow‑burn Warwickshire are nailed-on favourites. Hannon‑Dalby tries to pinpoint what has made the team tick this summer.
“Our bowling has massive depth,” he says. “Ethan Bamber has had an outstanding year with 60 wickets, and then Chris Woakes has been around the majority of the season. To be able to throw an English legend the ball every now and then is unbelievable – and his demeanour when he plays, how he carries himself is amazing. In fact our depth in general is great, everyone has played and contributed.”
In what will likely be his last regular season start for the Atlanta Braves this season, Chris Sale will be facing off against Andrew Abbott and the Cincinnati Reds.
Chris Sale is not the front runner for the Cy Young award, but will most certainly get some second and third place votes with his 2.18 ERA, 30.3 percent strikeout rate, and league leading strikeout to walk ratio of 6.13. Sale also leads the NL is best HR rate of 0.5 per nine innings, and best walk rate in the NL of 4.9 percent.
Side note, Chris Sale has the best career strikeout to walk ratio of all-time. Sale has also pitched 157.0 innings thus far this season, which is hurting his Cy Young chances to guys like Jacob Misiorowski. It could be argued that he has passed his fellow competitor Cristopher Sánchez, but Sánchez has a whopping 200.0 IP which is second in MLB behind Sandy Alcantara.
The Braves got a scare yesterday when Ronald Acuña fouled a ball off his shin, but luckily all the tests came back negative. The Braves have already clinched the division so a loss to the Reds yesterday was not a huge deal except the chances of a playoff bye are quickly fading. The offense looked bad again, so hopefully they can catch a spark again before the playoffs take off.
No Braves player has faced Abbott more than five at-bats. Ha-Seong Kim has a HR in his four at-bats and Ozzie Albies has a .600 average. Michael Harris has struggled to an OPS of .400 in his five at-bats, and Mauricio Dubón and Mike Yastrzemski are hitless in their three at-bats. Austin Riley is also hitless in five at-bats.
It is hard to make any type of prediction on such a limited history, but we can look at Abbott’s numbers and see his 4.70 ERA is approximately eleven percent below average and his 1.472 WHIP is the worst of his four year career. This season he has struggled with walks giving up 4.2 per nine innings. The Braves need to be patient this even and take advantage of his weakness. It is no secret that the Braves struggle in the walk department. Their 7.7 percent is the third worst in MLB. To be fair, they strike out at a lower rate than the average team this season, but walks get runners on base to knock in.
The Reds are in the bottom six in RP ERA this season. The Braves have feasted on RPs all season long. The key to the game tonight seems to be be patient against Abbott because he gives up a lot of walks. Get to the bullpen, and strike. Chris Sale should keep the runs low to make this a pretty easy win on paper. The question is how many players will be resting today, especially with a high likelihood that Acuña will be letting his leg heal.
Isaac Howard played more than 17 minutes for the Edmonton Oilers against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night and finished the night with no shots in a 2-1 overtime win.
But hey, wasn't it just a few days ago that Mike Babcock was saying he didn't particularly like Howard's game?
Howard has spent training camp trying to carve out a spot on this roster having already played a year in Bakersfield. He has talked about improving the details, becoming a more mature player and taking his offseason training seriously. One preseason game drew criticism from his new coach, and another gave him very little opportunity to show the offensive game that got him here.
Maybe everyone can relax a little bit.
“It was just a gritty game. There wasn't a ton of chances either way. I think we just stuck with it,” Howard said. “I didn't think there was a ton going on that game. It was just a simple game.”
That's preseason hockey sometimes.
The Oilers and Jets combined for 41 shots, of which Howard had none, and Viljami Marjala ultimately scored the overtime winner. Howard did, however, spend the night playing with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
“When you're used to playing in a different league and you have the puck all the time — then you get out here and you never get the puck — for young guys, it can be frustrating,” Babcock said. “Then you try to do too much instead of just doing your job and check it back. You're going to get a chance, then you’ve got to make it count.
Let's be real here, Howard is 22 years old and committed to being a full-time NHL player. Every now and then, he's going to have games Babcock likes, games he doesn't like and probably a few where there isn't enough happening to have much of an opinion either way.
That's why taking individual preseason performances too seriously gets a little silly.
Howard didn't lose his chance to play in the NHL when Babcock said he didn't like his first preseason game, nor did he secure one Tuesday night either. Babcock's comments about Howard have largely centred around that process of getting to know your players and where they are best suited to play within your lineup.
Howard can shoot, score, make plays with the puck, and he's more mature about the defensive side of his game as well. Zach Hyman said during camp that nobody around the Oilers is particularly concerned about those parts of his game, with the focus instead going toward his physical play, forechecking and the details required to play in the NHL.
Preseason creates too much noise every September, probably because of the size of camp when it starts compared to when it ends and the expectations fans have for every player. A young player has a bad night and suddenly his roster chances are questioned. He plays well two nights later and everyone starts pencilling him into the opening-night lineup.
Howard's camp hasn't really changed that much.
He came into it with an opportunity to make the Oilers, and he still has one. Babcock has found parts of his game he wants improved, Howard has acknowledged the details he needs to work on, and Edmonton still has time before it has to make a final decision.
The Oilers plan to dress a largely AHL lineup Thursday in Vancouver before using something close to their opening-night roster Saturday against Calgary. Howard will get his answer soon enough.
Until then, one preseason game is still one preseason game, even when the head coach doesn't particularly like it.
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It sounds like fans will have to wait a while longer. But that doesn’t mean there should be concern that two sides will reach a deal.
“I don’t want there to be no drama. No talking points. This team should be competitive and go win,” Curry said about his unsettled contract extension situation, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Stephen Curry lights the Empire State Building in New York City. The event was held in honor of KPMG Leadership Development Day, in partnership with the Underrated Golf Tour presented by KPMG. Flint / SplashNews.com
Curry can sign a two-year, $136.7 million extension that would keep him with Golden State through the 2028-29 season. He’s slated to make $62.5 million this season, in what’s the final season of the 4-year, $215.35 million maximum veteran extension he signed in August 2021.
“It’s going to happen at the right time, once I have all the information I need to make the decision that is right,” Curry added of his contract. “The team’s been great having that conversation back and forth. If I don’t sign, it won’t affect me in terms of my play or carrying that weight. But I’ll make the decision when I’m ready.”
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry reacts on the court during the second half of a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“We’re in a very interesting situation. All the different salary cap conditions of whether I sign for a max or less or whatever it is, I want to be on a competitive team. I want to have an opportunity to have some flexibility because we haven’t had that in years past, the recent past,” Curry added.
“This team should have flexibility to make necessary moves if things happen. Those are always just the considerations. For me, information and patience is key. It’s just a very unique situation all the way around based on where we’ve been the last four years, where I’m at in my career, what our team looks like this year and the absolute desperation to win. Trying to balance all that.”
Curry is making it very clear that he wants to play for a winner, and sounds like he’s willing to take less money to make that a reality.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors reacts on the bench during the second half of a game against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Robert Sabo for NY Post
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 15: Joey Ortiz #3 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates his two run home run with William Contreras #24, to take a 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, during the second inning at Dodger Stadium on August 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers have both clinched playoff spots, and both are currently on pace to be the top seed in their respective leagues. They have done it despite each having a lower payroll than the Royals. The Brewers spent $145.6 million – less than half what the last place Mets spent – while the Rays had the third-lowest payroll in baseball at $96 million.
Whether those financial limitations will limit their postseason success remains to be seen. But there is no question the Royals should be looking at what both teams have accomplished during the regular season. After two modest winning seasons, the Royals have regressed badly into a last place finish. Tampa Bay and Milwaukee have shown that it is possible to win a lot of games without spending like a large-market team, a model the Royals should try to emulate.
A different approach to offense
The Brewers are second in baseball in runs scored while the Rays are eleventh. They have scored runs despite a lack of power. The Rays are tied with the Royals for 22nd in home runs, and the Brewers are dead last. Instead, they score runs the old-fashioned way – by hitting the ball on the ground, getting on base, and stealing bases. Batting average has become a bit passé, but the Brewers and Rays are tied for tops in baseball in that category.
How are they hitting for average in an era where batting averages are near historic lows? First of all, they put the ball in play. While strikeout rates climb, the Rays lead baseball in contact rate at 81.8 percent, while the Brewers are ninth. The Royals are fourth in contact rate, yet don’t score as many runs. Why not?
The Rays and Brewers put the ball on the ground. The Brewers lead baseball in groundball rate at 46.9 percent, the Rays are fifth. The Royals are second-to-last at 39 percent. The Royals moved in the fences, and while it has led to more home runs, the team is not suddenly putting the ball over the fence at a high rate. The Brewers are hitting .260 on ground balls (second-best in baseball), while the Royals are hitting .258, not far behind. But the Brewers have over 300 more plate appearances that have resulted in a ground ball. Meanwhile, the Royals are hitting .203 on fly balls and have the second-most plate appearances that have resulted in a fly ball. If your flyballs aren’t leaving the park, they’re likely not helping much.
The Brewers and Rays also hit for average by using all fields. As the league has increasingly become pull-happy, they have made a habit of going the other way. The Brewers are deliberately letting the ball travel deep before making contact, as measured by their bat orientation, allowing them to slap the ball to the opposite field. They have the lowest flyball pull rate in over a decade. And as Mike Petriello writes, by using all fields, the Brewers make themselves impossible to defend against.
A higher batting average combined with a healthy walk rate gets at what teams need to win – runners on base. The Brewers lead baseball with a .340 on-base percentage and have the highest walk rate at 10.6 percent. They have just one hitter with at least 150 plate appearances with a walk rate under 8 percent (Sal Frelick at 7.8 percent). The Royals have five such hitters (Jac Caglianone, Starling Marte, Michael Massey, Kyle Isbel, and Salvador Perez). The lone Rays starter with a low walk rate is Chandler Simpson, who is hitting .309. The Royals have historically eschewed the ability to get on base as a skill. They have finished in the top half of the league in on-base percentage just twice in the last 20 years, with one of those coming when they won a championship in 2015.
When runners get on base, they wreak havoc on the bases. The Rays and Brewers are both among the top four in baseball in stolen bases. Seven different Brewers players are in double digits in steals.
The Royals have been seemingly chasing more home runs. It makes sense, home runs score runs immediately! But home run hitters are expensive. The philosophy of Moneyball was to zig while others zag. If high-contact, opposite-field, groundball hitters who can run are undervalued and can help score runs, the Royals need to be on that train.
The point isn’t even that this is the approach the Royals should follow. It’s that they need to be ahead of the curve. There are many different ways to score. The Brewers and Rays are showing that taking a different approach than the big-market teams can succeed.
Find gems in other organizations
Hall of Fame executive Pat Gillick frequently talked about the “many rivers” that teams must find talent in. Teams that win without high payrolls can’t rely on expensive free agents as their primary means of improving the roster. Instead, the Brewers and Rays are looking for underrated players in other organizations and acquiring them through shrewd trades, minor league free agency, waiver claims, and the Rule 5 draft.
Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn were each first basemen for other teams that had failed to live up to expectations. The Brewers acquired each in separate trades and this year they lead all teams in offensive production from first base. All-Star closer Trevor Megill was acquired from the Twins for a non-prospect. Chad Patrick, a 2.1 rWAR reliever, was acquired from the A’s for journeyman infielder Abraham Toro.
The Rays have been equally shrewd. They grabbed former Cuban outfield prospect Victor Mesa Jr. from the Marlins for a lottery ticket prospect, and he has become a 2.8 rWAR player in just 74 games. Reliever Kevin Kelly was a Rule 5 pick. Starting second baseman Richie Palacios was a journeyman acquired from the Cardinals for veteran reliever Andrew Kittredge.
But their biggest steal came at the expense of another smart organization, the Guardians. Little reported at the time, the Rays acquired a hard-hitting 18-year-old infielder for a promising young pitcher named Tobias Myers. The hitter blossomed with the Rays development team, and now Junior Caminero is an MVP candidate.
There is no silver bullet to finding talent. The advantage comes from being willing and able to look everywhere. You can see the Royals trying to do this in a lost season as they rotate different arms into their bullpen, looking for a solution. But it shouldn’t take a losing season to look for more talent. The Brewers and Rays have built organizations that constantly search for players they believe are undervalued, then rely on their scouting and development departments to figure out what they can do with them. They don’t need every bet to pay off because they keep making bets.
Sell high on players
What is perhaps most surprising about the success of the Brewers and Rays is that it has come after they recently traded away some major parts of their rosters. Last winter, the Brewers traded star pitcher Freddy Peralta, starting third baseman Caleb Durbin, outfielder Isaac Collins and reliever Nick Mears to the Royals. The Rays traded All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielders Josh Lowe and Jake Mangum, and pitcher Shane Baz over the offseason.
The Caleb Durbin trade is perhaps the best example of how the Brewers operate. Milwaukee acquired Durbin from the Yankees in 2024 after selling high on All-Star closer Devin Williams and shipping him to New York. Durbin then had an excellent rookie season, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .256/.326/.404 with 11 home runs, 53 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Rather than becoming attached to a player they had just developed into a valuable major-leaguer, the Brewers traded Durbin to Boston this winter for pitchers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan and infielder David Hamilton. Harrison and Drohan are now part of Milwaukee’s pitching staff, while Hamilton has contributed as a versatile infielder. In other words, the Brewers essentially turned one year of Devin Williams into a major-league closer’s replacement, a promising young starting pitcher and additional organizational depth.
Not all of these trades have produced immediate major-league value for either organization. Many of the returns consist of prospects who are still in the minors or players who have made relatively little impact in the majors. The Brewers also sold high on Isaac Collins after one surprisingly good rookie year, but they received Angel Zerpa from the Royals, and he has been hurt most of the year.
And yet the Brewers and Rays haven’t fallen apart. They have continued to win because their organizations are built to absorb the loss of established players, while building for sustainable success over the long term. In recent years, the Rays have traded away Isaac Paredes, Randy Arozarena, and Jason Adam, while the Brewers have traded away Williams and Corbin Burnes. They are constantly adding players, developing them and creating enough depth that they can afford to trade from the major-league roster when the opportunity arises.
Trading players away when their value is at its greatest takes being realistic about future projections and player evaluations of your own team. In finance, the disclaimer is “past performance is no guarantee of future results.” That applies to baseball player performance as well.
Develop a great farm system
The Rays and Brewers also demonstrate why a strong farm system is about more than finding the next superstar. Building depth gives an organization options. Both teams have been able to trade established major leaguers, graduate prospects to the big leagues and use prospects in trades to address major-league needs without exhausting their supply of talent. The Rays traded eight prospects from their Top 30 at the deadline this year to acquire Freddy Peralta, Liam Hicks, and Tyler Wells, yet MLB Pipeline still ranked their farm system second in baseball afterward. The Brewers have graduated several players to the majors this year and traded prospects while still maintaining one of baseball’s deepest systems.
How do they do it? Neither organization relies solely on high draft picks. Milwaukee hasn’t had a top-10 pick since 2017, yet MLB Pipeline ranked its system #1 entering this season. Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski, a fireballer who grew up in the Kansas City area, was selected with the 63rd pick in the 2022 draft and is already a two-time All-Star in just his second year. Cooper Pratt was a sixth-round pick out of high school in 2023, and he is already their starting shortstop. The international scouting department signed star outfielder Jackson Chourio to a $1.8 million bonus when he was just 16 and the organization has been aggressively spending in Latin America. Baseball America writes that it is “hard to find a team that has done as well as the Brewers in Latin America over the last five years” despite avoiding some of the highest price free agents in that market.
“We have to be hyper-transactional. We have to always have a pipeline of talent that we can infuse into the big league level. Every offseason brings new faces and I think that getting to know those players, it’s exciting to see them and get them acclimated in camp here.”
Organizational depth creates flexibility. The Brewers and Rays have each been hit by injuries this year. Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester have missed significant time from the Brewers’ rotation, and Chourio and Sal Frelick each missed significant time. The Rays have missed outfielder Gavin Lux and pitchers Shane McClanahan, and Ryan Pepiot. Those injuries are inevitable over the course of a 162-game season. What separates organizations is how well they can absorb them.
The Royals aren’t going to suddenly become the Yankees or Dodgers. Their payroll will always have limitations, and those limitations make it even more important that they maximize the resources they do have. There is no “one secret trick” that will lead to winning. It takes a complete organizational approach, great talent identification, and a willingness to constantly look for ways to improve. This offseason will test whether the Royals can get closer to that approach or whether they will continue to backslide into obscurity.
It raised a few eyebrows when Lonzo Ball went on the Gilbert Arenas Tells All podcast this week and talked about his career in the past tense.
"I felt like I never shortchanged the game. Like I felt like I gave everything I had to hoop, and I felt everything I got in my life is because of hoop," the eldest Ball sibling said. "So I'm grateful to even make it to the league and even be able to play for nine years...
"You see where you're supposed to be, and then you physically can't get there. So it's just like, I don't know. You gotta be comfortable with yourself, to be honest with you, like that's how I am. I feel like, to be honest, I don't think I ever got to my peak."
That may sound like a guy who doesn't expect to play in the NBA again, which became a rumor that suddenly picked up a life of its own on social media, with some accounts saying Ball had retired. Ball quickly pushed back on that — he would love to play again.
I retired? News to me lol cuz I’m still waiting for a call… NBA season long ♂️
Ball, 28, started last season with Cleveland and had the chance to step into a backup point guard role, and through 35 games averaged 4.6 points, 4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, shooting 27.2% from 3. With the Cavaliers trading for James Harden near last season's deadline, they traded him to the Utah Jazz, who waived him.
He has not been picked up on an NBA contract since. That doesn't mean he's not open to one.
Ball, the No. 2 pick of the Lakers in 2017, played a couple of seasons in Los Angeles before being traded to New Orleans as part of the Anthony Davis deal. He spent a couple of years with the Pelicans before a sign-and-trade to Chicago, where he looked like a great fit with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine on a team that started 24-10 — and then the knee injuries hit. It started with a torn meniscus, but that surgery didn't solve the problem and Ball missed all of the next two seasons undergoing a series of surgeries, and eventually underwent a cartilage transplant surgery in 2023 to help fix a "bone-on-bone" knee at that point.
Ball played for Chicago and last season with Cleveland after that major surgery, but he did not stick. He may not get another shot in the NBA, and he sounds good with where he is in life, but that doesn't mean he's giving up entirely.
Sep 2, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; General view outside of Coors Field before the game between the Baltimore Orioles Colorado Rockies. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I figured this would be Max Scherzer’s last MLB start, but the Jays are talking about having him start (on short rest). I don’t see the point. Why would that be an idea? Is it some idea he can pass Justin Verlander for eighth on the all-time strikeout list. Verlander is 10 ahead of Max.
I guess it doesn’t matter, Max will have long rest before his next start. I wonder if he is thinking of another season?
Vlad is out for game one, but apparently might play in game two. Again I don’t see why, give him an extra day.
Well…..cross that out, Vlad is now in the lineup for game one batting second.
Yohendrick Pinango, Chase Lee, CJ Van Eyk and John Klein are all with the team. One or some of them could be active for game two. I’d imagine Pinango would be dependent on Bateman’s status. Van Eyk would be the one who could give them the most innings, so I’d say he’s the most likely to be active for game two.
Alberts Smits is doing everything he can to make sure that he sticks with the Rangers to start the season.
While the team has emphasized that their main focus will be on his long-term development, they are giving him every opportunity to earn himself a spot.
Smits has been tremendous throughout rookie and training camp, and he carried that right into his first preseason showing Tuesday night against the Islanders.
“I thought he played really well,” head coach Mike Sullivan said.
The youngster looked more than comfortable skating in his first unofficial NHL game, holding his own across 15:31 of ice time against the crosstown rivals.
He even found his way onto the scorers’ sheet for the first time with a blocked shot, a pair of hits, and a beauty of an assist on the Rangers’ third goal of the night.
Though it was just one game, Sullivan was again left impressed by the d-man’s play.
“We’re really encouraged by what we’ve seen from him,” he said. “One of the biggest challenges for young players is the physical size and strength of the guys in this league, and you can see it, he’s a man as an 18-year-old.
"He’s big and strong, he has the ability to battle on pucks -- he’s big enough and strong enough to compete in this league -- that’s one challenge I think he’s already met during his brief time with us.”
The high praise and quick success certainly doesn’t come as a surprise, as Smits was viewed by many around the game as one of the most NHL-ready prospects in this draft class.
If he continues to show he’s good enough, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be skating alongside Braden Schneider on the Rangers’ third defensive pairing come Opening Night in Boston.
Parekh’s ability to move the puck was on display throughout the night.
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
He consistently used his skating and edgework to create space, whether that meant escaping pressure in his own zone, joining the rush or getting himself into the offensive zone.
That’s the part of Parekh’s game that has always stood out.
The Flames selected him ninth overall because of his ability to make things happen with the puck. During his final season with the Saginaw Spirit, he posted 107 points in 61 games.
The next step has been rounding out the rest of his game.
That has been a focus for Parekh since he was drafted, and it was something he spoke about extensively during his pre-draft process. He has talked about becoming more responsible away from the puck, defending harder and making better decisions rather than always looking to create offence.
There was a different level of confidence to his game Tuesday.
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Parekh was willing to jump into the rush and get deep in the offensive zone, but he also showed the skating ability to recover when the play went the other way.
That mobility is a big part of what makes his game so intriguing.
“It feels like everything’s different this time around, I don’t want to get too high or too low, just trying to build my game and make plays.”
That mindset has been an important part of Parekh’s development.
The Flames have been patient with the 20-year-old defenceman, who played 37 NHL games last season and also spent time with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. He enters this season expected to push for a full-time NHL role.
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
For Parekh, the confidence appears to be coming from a better understanding of what he needs to do to succeed at this level.
“It is nice to feel good going in,” admitted Parekh. “The last two years I’ve been here it hasn’t clicked for me. I remember, last preseason, it was a bit of a grind. I feel like my head’s in a good space and I’m playing good hockey.”
That’s perhaps the biggest difference early in this year’s camp.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 16: Chris Bassitt #40 of the Baltimore Orioles in action during the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today is almost certainly going to be the day that the Orioles are mathematically eliminated from the postseason. It could happen as soon as this first game of their doubleheader. The tragic number is one. Next time the Orioles lose, it’s over. Next time the White Sox win, it’s over. Chicago doesn’t play until 7:40. The Orioles could lose twice before the White Sox game finishes. Maybe they will surprise us and win both games, which would be fun because then they will have eliminated the Blue Jays, whose tragic number is also 1.
Separate from anything that’s going on with this game itself, I think it’s a real insult to fans to pull a split doubleheader on the last home date of the season. They should have just done a single admission. It’s not like these are two sellouts where they would have a hard time squeezing everyone in. Paid attendance for both games might barely reach half capacity of the stadium; Monday’s game had 12,067 tickets sold. Alas, here we are.
There is not much that the Orioles can do over their final five games to make this season feel like anything other than a failure. That cake is baked. They have to run the table just to reach .500. That sucks, relative to preseason expectations.
This doesn’t mean they can’t play fun games in these five games and make us happy we watched that game. If Pete Alonso hits a couple more homers, Gunnar Henderson and Coby Mayo continue hot streaks to end their seasons, and so on, that could make the idea of next year feel a tiny bit better than it did after the team flopped at the beginning of this month.
The Orioles snuck one more roster move in ahead of the doubleheader. Samuel Basallo is now on the concussion injured list. Heston Kjerstad is back on the active roster.
News unrelated to this starting lineup: Jackson Holliday told reporters that he is having surgery on his left wrist next week. According to manager Craig Albernaz, it’s a TFCC tear. That stands for (I just Googled and learned this) a triangular fibrocartilage complex tear.
Orioles lineup
Dylan Beavers – LF
Pete Alonso – 1B
Gunnar Henderson – SS
Coby Mayo – DH
Christian Encarnacion-Strand – 3B
Colton Cowser – CF
Jeremiah Jackson – 2B
Leody Taveras – RF
Carlos Narváez – C
Chris Bassitt is the starting pitcher for the first game of the doubleheader. That means it’ll be another old guy starting pitching matchup: The Jays are starting Max Scherzer.
Sep 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Max Clark (15) hits s single against the Washington Nationals in the sixth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Detroit Tigers (74-84) vs. Washington Nationals (74-84)
Time/Place: 1:10 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site:Federal Baseball Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (10-11, 4.06 ERA) vs. LHP Richard Lovelady (3-4, 3.86 ERA)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 18: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees walks in the dugout during the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 18, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Yankees defeated the Diamondbacks 9-2. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Aaron Judge will not play in the Wild Card Series next week. The Yankees spent a good chunk of Monday laying cloud cover for the announcement that was all but confirmed Tuesday morning. Aaron Boone told us the superstar has a moderate grade — which is not a medical term — strain of his calf, in particular the now-infamous soleus muscle, and a PPP injection would leave Judge off his feet for the next couple of days.
Judge himself had been far more coy than the inner circle of journos was willing to be, swearing he would be available for the team in the postseason. Maybe he genuinely believed that; pro athletes aren’t necessarily known for their introspection. Maybe he’s just incredibly canny with his responses; we’ve seen before that he’s perfected the non-answer to the degree that he could be a US Senator upon retirement. Either way, it’s become clear that Judge gets to operate under a different set of rules than the other guys on the roster.
It wasn’t long before we learned that Max Fried didn’t have any tendon damage, but instead a bone bruise in his elbow. We knew that Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s thumb sprain was reasonably minor almost immediately, and indeed Jazz was activated from the IL while I wrote this. We get detailed info dumps on the physical health of men we’ve never met seemingly on demand, except from Aaron Judge.
I’m not sure we should fault him for that either. It’s always been a little weird that we know so much about these people’s bodies. If I call out sick from my day job, my boss is not allowed to ask what’s wrong with me unless there’s reasonable evidence that I’m abusing the system. Even if I need to go on short-term disability there are rules and regulations around what exactly is shared with my employer. Professional athletes are not regular boring employees like me, of course, but then again the reasons often trotted out for why we know the intimate details of a stranger’s anatomy so well are folly too.
Michael Kay on his radio show Monday lamented the gambler, which is ironic because he does a pretty good job in the YES booth of downplaying the DraftKings ad reads he’s compelled to give. People are going to be betting on these games and they deserve to know the exact medical diagnosis of players we were all pretty sure weren’t going to be playing anyway, the Voice of the Yankees says. I don’t care about the gambler, and any moral hazard caused by someone within the Yankee org taking advantage of insider information would be resolved by not letting people bet on every single pitch thrown in an MLB season.
As to the fanbase and general interest in the last week of the season, as well as a Wild Card Series that is shaping up to be more of a whimper than a bang, the compelling factor is whether Aaron Judge will play or not. We know he won’t. Having the exact grade is irrelevant, Judge ain’t gonna be there. The exact grade of the strain will determine whether or not the Captain is back for a potential ALDS showdown with the Rays, but if you lose two of three to Boston next week, the grade of the strain becomes irrelevant again.
This isn’t to downplay the annoyance people can find in Judge’s coyness, but rather to encourage other players to adopt it. We need to know someone is hurt, and how long to reasonably expect them to be unavailable, since that informs whether someone might buy a ticket or tune into a given game. It’s probably a good idea to schedule out possible rehab assignments, as MiLB teams rely on those attendance boosts from a big-leaguer making appearances. That’s about it. I don’t need to know about the exact degree of testicular torsion from the backup catcher.
