PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 09: Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves hits a grand slam home run in the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 9, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Braves open up a set in St. Louis on Friday night, and have moved Mike Yastrzemski to sixth on the heels of his grand slam in Thursday’s win over the Pirates:
Yastrzemski started out hitting fifth, but quickly dropped down to the bottom of the lineup amid struggles in April. He last hit as high as sixth back on May 4. It hasn’t been a good year for him overall, as he posted sub-.300 wOBAs and xwOBAs in both April and June. He hit okay in May (.338 xwOBA) and got very fortunate (.414 wOBA), but slumped with the rest of the team the following month. That said, he’s been on a heater in July (.409 wOBA, .442 xwOBA), so him moving up in the lineup amid the ongoing struggles of Austin Riley and Dominic Smith makes sense given the way the Braves shuffle things. As a result, this is a novel lineup, the Braves’ 76th in 93 games.
The Cardinals haven’t tweeted out their lineup, with their press folks probably preparing to cover the rumored JJ Wetherholt extension.
The now-flush-with-cash Wetherholt remains in the leadoff spot — the rest of these names are familiar if you watched any of the prior series between these two teams in Atlanta. That said, it’s also a new lineup for St. Louis, who actually doesn’t shuffle things around that much (62nd in 93 games), with a bunch of righties stacked at the bottom against Chris Sale.
The Braves’ lineup has only a handful of collective PAs against Leahy, though everyone but Michael Harris II and Jim Jarvis have faced him at least once. It’s a funny collective .201 wOBA and .518 xwOBA in 15 total PAs, with that disparity driven by both Yastrzemski and Riley once crushing a ball off him that went for an out instead of an extra-base hit or whatever.
Among the entire St. Louis lineup, the only player to have ever faced Chris Sale before is Nelson Velazquez, who had a weak flyout and a walk against him back in 2023. Kinda weird.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani will miss next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia because of continued irritation in his left knee.
The Dodgers added that Ohtani would not make his scheduled start on the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, but would continue his role as the team’s designated hitter throughout the weekend.
The team says that after the series against the D-backs ends on Sunday, Ohtani will have some “interventions” done on his knee to get his ready for the second half of the season, which will cause him to miss the All-Star Game.
The four-time Most Valuable Player has once again been one of the best players in the big leagues this season and stands alone as the game’s premier two-way player.
Ohtani is batting .290 with 20 homers and 56 RBIs and is 8-2 on the mound with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings.
Ohtani’s absence will be a blow for baseball’s midsummer showcase at Citizens Bank Park. The Japanese star — who turned 32 years old earlier this week — is among the game’s most popular players and led MLB in jersey sales last year.
He hit his 300th career homer on Tuesday night, a leadoff shot against Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen that made him the first Japanese-born player in the majors to reach the milestone.
"I'm ready to play tomorrow," Young said Friday morning. "I was just seeing that last night. I mean, I'm just ready to play. Excited to be a part of this team."
Young signed a four-year, $212.8 million contract extension with the Wizards, locking him in with the team. On Friday morning, the team made it official at a press conference announcing the deal.
That contract raised a lot of eyebrows around the league. Young made $46.4 million last season, and there was no trade market for him at the deadline — Atlanta essentially salary-dumped him to Washington. The expectation around the league was that Young would sign an extension, but at a considerably lower per-year number. His value wasn't there. Instead, the Wizards gave him a raise.
Young heard all the talk and shrugged it off.
"That ain't nothing new. I mean, it isn't the first time all this has gone on…" Young said. "I don't really care about what other people think. You know what I'm saying? I only care about what the people in this organization think, my teammates think, and how we're gonna get better and how we're gonna find ways to win the game. So whatever everyone else has to say, I mean, it's all irrelevant to me."
Will Dawkins, the Wizards' general manager, talked about how well Young fits this team on and off the court. Dawkins said he wanted to build a team with multiple shot creators and decision makers so that this isn't the Trae Young show. Dybantsa will get his chances — he was impressive with the ball in his hands in Vegas — and Anthony Davis can serve as the hub of an offense for a stretch. Washington has built a balanced roster of youth and veterans.
"You have a mixture of both, that's this makes great team," Young said. "I mean, you can't have a team full of just older players that can't run. You can't have a team with just young players that don't know the game, been in those experiences. So you have a mixture of both."
These kinds of press conferences rarely yield real insights or news, but one thing that was clear from this event is that Young is excited to be in Washington and with this team.
"Will (Dawkins, Wizards GM) said it, that's the reason why you got to have guys like me and AD, because those young guys have shown that they're ready to make that next step," Young said. "And I'm just I'm just happy to be a part of it."
Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a mock pitch on the mound after the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies Wednesday. Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani is done with pitching for the unofficial first half of the season.
He will neither take the mound Friday against the Diamondbacks nor participate in the All-Star Game next week, the Dodgers announced.
Ohtani will still serve as the designated hitter through the weekend series, the team said. But the irritation in his left knee, which is aggravated by pitching, has not resolved. So, over the All-Star Break, he will undergo “some interventions,” preventing him from traveling to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game.
Those interventions will include draining his left knee, and likely an injection, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly. Because the issue lingered, the All-Star break presented an opportunity to address it before the second half. This knee injury is not believed to necessarily be connected to the bipartite patella condition that Ohtani addressed with surgery in 2019.
The Athletic was the first to report the details of the planned interventions.
Ohtani, who entered Friday with a .939 OPS, the third-best mark among qualified NL hitters, and a 1.79 ERA, the second-best mark among NL pitchers with 50-plus innings pitched, has been dealing with irritation in his knee for roughly a month.
He exited the June 11 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with inflammation in his left knee and sat out the next day. But he’s played through the issue since. Friday will mark the first time Ohtani has missed a pitching start this season for the knee injury.
Ohtani said then that he suspected issues with his pitching mechanics were to blame for the discomfort in his knee. He did not say whether he believed his previous kneecap condition was a factor.
Though this is the first time Ohtani has skipped a pitching start, the Dodgers did push back his last start on the mound by two days. Originally scheduled to pitch in Sacramento on July 1, the Dodgers cited rest for the two-way player in the midst of 13 straight days on the team’s schedule without an off day.
Ohtani then held the Padres to three runs in six innings on July 3, throwing 110 pitches. In his next at-bat, he felt tightness in his right biceps, throwing his next start into question.
His biceps ailment, however, quickly resolved with a day off. Manager Dave Roberts said it didn’t bother Ohtani throwing over the next week.
Still, with the change in rotation schedule, and Ohtani back to full-time two-way duties for the first time since 2023, he wasn’t expected to pitch in the All-Star Game or participate in the home run derby even before Friday’s news.
His new plans to address the irritation in his knee wiped out the couple All-Star at-bats he was penciled in for as the starting designated hitter for the National League squad. Ohtani claimed his sixth consecutive All-Star selection with the most Phase 1 fan votes of any player.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 29: Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees walks back to the dugout during the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium on June 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Long Time, First Time asks: As his first extended stint in the show comes to a close, what are your impressions of Spencer Jones?
That there’s a lot of work left to be done before he’s a regular in the starting lineup. The obvious worry with Jones was that he carries a high strikeout rate with him from the minors and that was certainly exacerbated in the majors, striking out a whopping 41.5 percent of the time, but despite that he managed to find some moments to contribute. A .687 OPS isn’t going to wow anybody but it was far from the worst production the Yankees were getting during his stay with the team, and his playing time was rather inconsistent as the team did not give him starts against lefties which took him out of nearly the entire Boston series among other stretches. His defense in the outfield was mostly fine, definitely better than his counterpart in Domínguez and significantly better than running José Caballero out there, but between the two options the team sees a better chance for improvement down the line with Jones getting regular reps in Triple-A and will ride with Domínguez in right field for now. Jones didn’t do enough in his time up for me to argue passionately against that assessment, but we’ll see whether Jones can muster up a couple hot weeks mashing at Scranton to push the issue.
Cisforcookie asks:Let’s say that the Snakes are six games out of the WC at the break (3.5 or so right now and a bunch of teams right ahead of them). What would it take to get them to part with Moreno and his 2.3 years left? Given that Judge is not getting any younger, whatever the ask (apart from Cam) shouldn’t NY pay it?
I don’t know if I’m on board with going all-in for Gabriel Moreno, at least not yet. The team should certainly make a swing for an upgrade at catcher, as despite his homer yesterday I have little faith in Austin Wells’ bat the rest of this season and the options below him are even less appealing. But the future of the position doesn’t have to get solved here and now so much as the position needs to be covered going into the stretch run and the postseason. So if it’s more feasible for the Yankees to trade for the short-term rental in Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers and swing other deals to improve the roster overall rather than put their eggs in the Moreno basket, I would prefer to do that. Jeffers in just 37 games this season has produced 1.7 fWAR on the back of a tremendous 165 wRC+, and while he doesn’t have a season that’s reached the peak of his offensive prowess like this one he has enough of a history that I can believe he’ll hold up. Moreno has garnered 2.1 fWAR in 66 games and has been consistently an above-average hitter while also playing his best ball this year with a 124 wRC+.
If the market develops and there’s no other significant move the Yankees can make alongside getting a catcher, then I think Moreno makes sense. He would be costly to acquire, and I won’t speculate on a specific package as there’s no current news about Arizona even considering moving him even if they fall out of the race in the NL Wild Card, but if he’s the big piece they can get then you go for it. I’ve argued in the past that Brian Cashman’s playing for longevity has cost him opportunities to strike for more ideal acquisitions, and now that the core is pushing towards the latter stages of their careers with no ring in hand yet the pressure is on to do something a bit more desperate. We’ll have to see if he’s really feeling that pressure, or if Hal Steinbrenner is content with more of the status quo.
Hankflorida asks:Since Boone has to dance with who he brought, he is limited to what he can do, and Cashman may not have the cards to greatly improve this team; my question is what do you think that Boone can do with shaking up this lineup while he waits for Judge to come back and what are his choices with his starting and relief pitchers? Is Boone just limited to whatever will be will be and has to just continue to follow his analytics and wait and see with hope that things turn around?
There are moments you could argue that Aaron Boone has let things play out with a lack of urgency, or that his team’s general lazy defensive over the years (this one included) is a reflection on him and his staff, but by and large I don’t have a ton of criticism to levy on Boone right now. The injuries that piled onto the lineup were significant, and without their biggest boppers in the mix the rest of the team suffered as a result. As Bradford Willaim Davis put it the other day, at a certain point the Yankees simply have to play better. A full third of the offense can’t be playing like they’re overwhelmed minor leaguers on a regular basis and expect to compete, and thankfully they broke out of their reverie for a bit with this recent Rays series dropping five runs in the opener for just the second time in nearly three weeks and then ending it on a 12-run blowout. Will that carry on? They have one more series before the All-Star break to prove it and then get some much-needed rest, but with Trent Grisham back in the fold and Ben Rice heating back up the floor at least raises to a more competent team than we’ve seen during their week-long losing streak.
Jun 30, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Casey Schmitt against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
We may never find out what Casey Schmitt thinks about his aversion to walks. Is it a philosophical thing? Instinct? Last night, he finally drew a walk for the first time since May 24th. In his post-game interview with NBC Sports Bay Area, there was an opportunity for a question about his approach to hitting that could’ve addressed the walk situation in a positive way, but instead, the broadcast went in a different direction:
KYLEN HILLS: Casey, gotta ask about a unique stat that you probably haven’t heard yet, but, you’ve hit seven first inning home runs, which is the most of any Giant in the last 50 years through this point in the season not named Barry Bonds. What is it about the first inning? Can you give us any insight?
CASEY SCHMITT: You know, honestly, I thought this was gonna go a different way. I thought you were gonna say the at bats until I got a walk again [laughs]
KYLEN HILLS: [laughs] Come on. We wouldn’t do that to you. We’ve got your back.
CASEY SCHMITT: Yeah, I didn’t know that. That’s pretty cool. That’s a cool thing to know. But, uh, yeah, I mean, I’m just trying to get on base. I’m not trying to swing for the fences or anything. I’m trying to stay within myself every single at bat.
A wonderful moment that tells us everything and nothing at the same time. What does Casey Schmitt think about drawing a walk? Or, at the very least, why does he try to avoid them? I have some theories:
His favorite TV show is Hacks
Sure, the title could be a reference to hacking at pitches, but the spirit of the show is being your unapologetic self no matter what the world throws your way. A comedy about two women from different generations trying to understand each other just enough to get what they want. Maybe Schmitt really likes Jean Smart or her chemistry with co-lead Hannah Einbinder. But the message of getting what you want by going after it, well, yeah, that would certainly diminish the value of a walk in the eyes of a hitter.
Threats
At the beginning of Spring Training, Buster Posey brought into the clubhouse those items or people most important to the players. Casey was all, “Wait, what’s my dad doing here?” before Buster calmly explained that he was only going to allot a certain number of walks this season and that players who go over their allotments would be forced to watch something terrible happen to someone they love.
Instinct
When Casey Schmitt sees a baseball coming right at him, his internal monologue sounds like comedian Tim Robinson’s screaming voice and all he can think is “F**K, F**K, F**K — A BASEBALL’S COMING AT ME!“ And later he explains, ”It was coming right at me — like, RIGHT at me — 110, 120 miles per hour. It could’ve taken my head clean off.“
Hunter Mense
Okay, seriously, it’s got to be the approach the team imported from Canada’s Toronto Blue Jays in the form of the World Series team’s assistant hitting coach. Mense has brought a swing-first approach to the roster, it seems and it’s clear that it’s working. Since May 1st, the Giants are fourth in wRC+ (110) and fifth in batting average (.259). What’s interesting to note about him is that he’s a huge advocate of swing decisions, an obsession over which got the last President of Baseball Operations fired from the Giants. So, has he instilled something in Schmitt or given him a permission structure for giving into his baser swing instincts?
I guess we’ll never know! The team-owned media has his back! Walks are taboo? We can’t talk about them? Yeah, I guess that home run stat is pretty cool because being mentioned in the same breath as Barry Bonds is extraordinarily notable…
But, bro. Bros…
As Steven mentioned in his recap, “Schmitt worked a walk for the first time since May 24th — the longest span by a Giants player since Hal Lanier in 1964.” And, if you tweak that search to be any Giant of the Oracle Park era, you find that in the Oracle Park era, Schmitt’s 169 PA walk-less streak is second only to pinch hitter extraordinaire Shawon Dunston’s 246 PA streak (105 games!) that stretched from May 2001 to July 2002.
So, on the one hand, Schmitt can hang with a Barry Bonds stat. On the other hand, he’s in the same group as career .529 OPS Hal Lanier and career .712 OPS Shawon Dunston. And these players of recent vintage:
But then you see Jung Hoo Lee on this list with Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence and even Marquis Grissom, and suddenly the lack of walks doesn’t feel quite so dire. Even Donovan Solano. I would not deprive a Giants fan of their Donnie Barrels love.
The career walk rates of everybody I just mentioned: 6.4%, 7.1%, 7.4%, 6.2%, 6.2%, and all of them with sub-20% strikeout rates (some greatly under that). Schmitt’s career rate of 4.7% and 22.1% strikeout rate check in as higher than this group, but this season, he’s at 2.2 BB% and 19.3 K%.
The reason why it’s worth pointing out is that this simply isn’t sustainable. The reason why walks matter is because it increases the rate by which a batter does not make an out. The lower the “out” rate, the higher the rate of runs scored. Yes, hits are more valuable, but treating on base as zero sum is foolish. The value of not making an out is greater than making an out, after all.
Schmitt has drawn 8 walks in 357 plate appearances. Let’s just say he gets to 600 plate appearances and ups the walk rate a bit to 2.5%; so, 15 walks to end the season. According to Baseball Reference, that’s only happened 27 times in the history of Major League Baseball (unless I’m entering the filtering options wrong).
The most interesting part is that the most recent 10 range from 1966-2017, but between the most recent 10 and the remaining 17, there’s a 31-year gap. Anyway, if Schmitt is able to pull this off, he’ll join these players:
It’s an interesting group. Alcides Escobar was 30 and would play just 3 more seasons. Tim Anderson was at the beginning of his career, and would have a great run after his 606 PA & 13-walk season from 2018-2022 without drawing many walks (.297/.329/.455 — 4.0 BB%, 21.5 K%), but he’d play just 3 more seasons after this run (.232/.269/.270 in 855 PA). Ben Revere played just 3 more seasons, too. Deivi Cruz played five more, but this was his last good season (.264/.293/.384, 3.5 BB%, 9.7 K%). So, let’s hope that this is more Tim Anderson than any other player worth comparing him to on this list.
It’s really tough to compare eras, too, but except for 2013-2015, the league walk rate since 2000 has been consistently around 8.5%. This season, it’s 9%. If you step back to last century and look at 1966-1990, it’s still around 8.5%, with the exception of a 3-year run when it was about 7.7%. So, historically, Schmitt is an outlier, and not in a way that typically signals long-term success.
But we have other measures, too. He’s making contact as frequently as Mike Trout and Junior Caminero (79.7%), for instance. It helps that he’s swinging more than average (54.6% — 12th-most in MLB), but he’s also swinging out of the strike zone more than average (39.9% — 13th-worst in MLB, 11th percentile), which isn’t great and evidence that he’s still probably guessing or still trying to do something at the plate rather than “stay within himself.” Still, he’s not swinging and missing a lot (11.1% — between James Wood at 11% and Ohtani at 11.2%) and he’s seen the fourth-most rate of pitches (44.4%) in the strike zone compared to any other hitter in the sport.
The batted ball results are undeniable…
So, I’d say he’s confident that he can get to a lot of pitches right now and confident he can do damage — because he is — but maybe over time he’ll start recognizing which pitches are actually worth the swing.
In his minor league and college careers, he walked around 8.5% of the time, which would be the league average if he could bring that sort of discipline to the major leagues. It’s entirely possible this season is motivated by some tricky psychologically: he knew he needed to hit to stick and he’s done exactly that. Once he settles into a position, will that consistency allow him to give himself the power to lay off some pitches?
On the other hand… if it’s working, why not keep doing it? The theory of why I’m engaging in any concern here is simply that plate discipline and swing decisions have been historical drivers of future success and if Schmitt will be sticking around for a while, I think I’d like to have some sense that he might be one of the players who makes the team better in the future. But for now, all of this is working for him, so, I guess I need to sit back and appreciate this breakout season.
The Mets have once again made a bunch of roster moves, as the team has called up Tobias Myers and Zack Short, placed Mark Vientos on the injured list with a right hand fracture, and designated Dan Hammer for assignment.
Myers was just optioned to the minors following his latest appearance with the Mets, but thanks to the injury that Vientos suffered, the Mets can call him back up much sooner than they would’ve been able to without someone hitting the injured list. After starting the season pretty well, Myers has struggled mightily since the Mets started sending him to Syracuse and bringing him back, and he now has a 6.14 ERA and a 4.86 FIP at the major league level this season.
Short, an infielder who had a very brief stint with the Mets in 2024 and and even briefer one earlier this season, gives the team a capable defender at shortstop. He’s hit just .200/.287/.275 in Triple-A this season across time with the affiliates of multiple organizations.
Vientos has been one of the worst regular players in baseball this year, as he’s been worth -1.1 fWAR, the third-worst mark in baseball among players who’ve made at least 100 plate appearances this year. On top of his shoddy defense, he’s hit just .211/.256/.388 with 11 home runs and a 77 wRC+.
Hammer was just the latest in an ever-rotating group of pitchers to get churned by the Mets’ front office. He was called up yesterday, having spent his season up to that point with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. Should he clear waivers, he figures to return to Syracuse.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 04: Tommy Nance #45 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 04, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Blue Jays have traded right handed reliever Tommy Nance to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for A+ catcher Ryan Sprock:
Nance has been with the organization for two years, after being acquired from the Padres in the middle of the 2024 season. He filled innings capably down the stretch in that lost season, and was a key part of the bullpen last year when he pitched 31.2 innings with a 1.99 ERA. This season he’s been more solid, posting a 3.82 ERA and striking out 34 against 13 walks in 33.0 innings.
Sprock was an 8th round pick out of Elon University last season. He was a two way player in college, splitting his junior season between third base and the bullpen. Naturally the Twins drafted him as a catcher, a position he hadn’t played in college. He seems to have taken to it, though, with some positive reviews on his early glove work. Fangraphs believes he could get to average there. Offensively, he’s shown a strong eye and excellent contact rate so far as a pro, with 64 walks to 52 strikeouts over 374 PA. He’s only managed 7 home runs in that time, but 21 total extra base hits shows that there’s a little pop there.
In terms of what this means for the Blue Jays, I wouldn’t take it to be all that much. Nance is 35 and missed time with a forearm issue this season. He’s a decent reliever, but not one any team is likely to have long term plans for. He’s also already been DFA’d and brought back onto the roster once this year, and Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Jeff Hoffman and Braydon Fisher are ahead of him on the right handed relief depth chart, with Spencer Miles possibly entering that mix if/when the rotation gets healthy. Sprock, meanwhile, is extremely the Jays’ kind of guy, a plus contact hitter with a plan at the plate who hit with wood bats in the Northwoods League as an amateur. My interpretation is that they were offered a guy they like for a pitcher who was somewhat on the roster bubble anyway and took it. I don’t see this as any meaningful move towards being sellers at the deadline. With three weeks to go and (with respect to the Rays recent hot streak) a soft schedule for the rest of July, 2.5 games out of a wildcard, I can’t seem them having made a buy/sell decision yet.
On the Twins’ side, Nance is probably instantly the third or fourth best guy in an awful bullpen with a league-worst 5.28 ERA. They have some offence and a Cy Young candidate in Joe Ryan, and they’re two games out of a very bad AL Central. Nance fills a need and could be a small but meaningful part of trying to win a very tight division.
Best of luck to Tommy in that endeavour, and welcome to the organization Ryan.
Update:
MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson confirms that international bonus pool space is going to Minnesota in the deal, although how much does not seem to have been publicly confirmed yet.
Update 2:
Ben Nicholson-Smith reporting it’s $250,000 in bonus pool money. That’s a meaningful amount, which as Ben says shows that the Jays were motivated to acquire Sprock, but doesn’t hugely change the shape of the overall deal.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 06: Tyler Bilodeau #34 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots a three point shot over David Green #44 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half of the California Claasic at Golden 1 Center on July 06, 2026 in Sacramento, 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 Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Back on June 24, the second night of the NBA Draft, fans were aghast that the Nets, who picked at No. 43 weren’t going for a big man, preferably one who can protect the rim. Why didn’t they use their cache of 21 second rounders to take Trevon Brazile of Arkansas, taken by the San Antonio Spurs at No. 35, or Baba Miller of Cincinnati taken by the Los Angeles Clippers one pick later?
Then when the Nets selected 6’9” power forward and sharp shooter Tyler Bilodeau of UCLA and Billings, Montana, at 43, there were more questions, starting with “Who?!?” and “Why?!?” Fans wanted to know “Why Not Henri Veesar?” the Estonian seven-footer who played at North Carolina and was still on the board (and would be till No. 52) or Ugonna Onyenso of Virginia and Nigeria, who lasted till No. 53.
Bilodeau was unknown to a lot of fans. Until ESPN’s Jeremy Woo listed him at No. 60 and last in his final mock draft two days earlier, he had not made any of the major media’s mocks despite being the top 3-point shooter in the Class of 2026. After he was selected, the Nets moved to sign him to a two-way deal, as they often do with mid-second round picks.
Now, after two games in Sacramento’s California Classic, outrage has subsided a bit and some fans are calling Bilodeau, the next Joe Harris or a taller Joe Harris (by three inches.) We should be so lucky. Harris was taken at No. 33 in the 2014 draft and finished his career with the third best 3-point shooting percentage of all time, having twice led the NBA in 3-point percentage, even beating Steph Curry in the 3-point contest in 2018.
The big change of opinion came in the third game in Sacramento when he scored 18 points, grabbed five rebounds, handed out two assists and hit 4-of-6 from deep. So far, so good. Bilodeau who may not be athletic but has a 7’1” wingspan and big frame is averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds while shooting 55.6% overall and 58.3% from deep, that latter figure the beneficiary of some no-long passes from Brown Jr.
“Yeah, you don’t find dudes at 6-9, 6-8, they could shoot it like that. You don’t. Those are rare. And he’s very versatile on both ends of the floor,” Brown Jr. told The Post. “[He’s] definitely one of those guys that once he sees one or two go through the basket, let’s try to find him. Because once he’s hot, he’s hot.”
Similarly, Egor Demin liked what he saw in Sacto.
“It’s very encouraging. He’s a very big target, first of all; that’s his main advantage. His shot is very quick. That’s something I noticed…that’s one of the main emphasis for me when I’m working out my shot, was how fast can I shoot in a non-game situation to translate it better. His shot, it’s incredible,” Dëmin told the Post. “It’s going to be great for him to make this transition, and benefit the team with his shot. It’s obviously amazing.”
Bilodeau told ND’s Shara Talia Taylor he enjoyed himself…
Tyler Bilodeau contributed 18 points, 2 assists, and 5 total rebounds in the Nets’ win against the Golden State Warriors.
Bilodeau on how it felt playing :
“Great. It’s always fun to get out there. Still learning and doing all that. But I think we started off not so great.” pic.twitter.com/KK20IwwxuZ
His head coach, Dutch Gaitley, the defensive specialist on Jordi Fernandez staff, was balanced, starting with his D. He could be hunted by opposing teams at the next level.
“He’s going to guard 4s or 3s, but we switch so much, eventually teams will (say), ‘Hey, let’s test this guy’s footwork,’ ” Gaitley told The Post. “Can he guard? Switch on the ball and hold his own?
“Then the next level is hold his own, but also be able to dictate to them, ‘Hey, I may be fearful I’m going to get beat, but if I get beat, I’m going to get beat in this direction because I know my help is going to be there.’ Know right-hand, left-hand dominant, our help is baseline or help’s middle. If he can lock into those things, he’ll be able to be successful.”
Then, said Gaitley, it’ll be learning the Nets system mostly in the G League which opens November 13. There will be a lot of work including how he can contribute when that shot isn’t falling.
Bilodeau will have an opportunity. As a two-way, he can be active in Brooklyn for up to 50 games before the Nets will have to make a decision on whether to convert him to a standard deal. In the meantime, expect him to light up the G League.
So why did the Nets take Bilodeau. They didn’t say but one factor you have to think played into their thinking. When you have great passers like Demin and Brown Jr., they enhance the value of a sharp shooter. Joe Harris knew that too.
PHILADELPHIA – Shohei Ohtani, baseball’s biggest star, will not participate in the All-Star Game after being scratched Friday, July 10, from his scheduled start on the mound with an inflamed knee.
Ohtani will still be the Los Angeles Dodgers’ designated hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks this weekend, but will not travel to Philadelphia to participate in the All-Star Game or festivities. He was scheduled to be the National League’s starting DH.
It leaves the game without the defending MVPs and leading vote-getters in New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge and Ohtani. The St. Louis Cardinals' Iván Herrera will replace Ohtani on the NL roster.
Ohtani, the four-time MVP, was scheduled to pitch Friday night against the Diamondbacks but was scratched in the afternoon with an inflamed left knee. The news comes just three days after Ohtani hit his 300th career homer in the fewest games in baseball history.
Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start on the mound this evening against the D-backs due to continued irritation in his left knee. He will serve as the designated hitter the rest of the weekend, but following the series against the D-backs he will have some interventions…
It’s a huge blow to the All-Star Game, and a setback for Ohtani’s Cy Young hopes. It’s unknown how long he will be sidelined as a pitcher.
Ohtani, who turned 32 last week, is certainly in the running for his first Cy Young award. He is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA this season with 95 strikeouts in 85.2 innings. And he’s still considered the finest hitter in the National League, hitting .290 with 20 homers, 56 RBI and a .939 OPS.
Ohtani was not expected to pitch in the All-Star Game, with the starting nod expected to go to Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez, but he was scheduled to be the starting DH. That now will fall to Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber, who leads baseball with 32 homers.
Ohtani also rejected an invitation to be in the Home Run Derby, but MLB officials are hopeful that Chicago White Sox star Muneteka Murakami, who hit 20 homers before missing the last 35 games on the injured list, will be the final participant in the derby. He was activated on Friday.
The St. Louis Cardinals and JJ Wetherholt have agreed to an eight-year, $112.5 million extension that buys out the rookie second baseman’s first several years of free agency, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the club had not announced the extension.
The Cardinals picked Wetherholt seventh overall out of West Virginia two years ago in the first-year player draft, and he rocketed through their farm system. The 23-year-old made his major league debut on opening day and is hitting .267 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
The advanced metrics also have graded Wetherholt as one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball this season.
The emergence of Wetherholt in the middle of the St. Louis infield is a big reason the club has been one of the surprises of the first half of the season. The Cardinals are 48-44 and three games out of an NL wild-card spot heading into the weekend.
The deal is one of the first big signings for St. Louis since significant changes were made to the top of the organizational ladder.
Last September, Chaim Bloom took over as the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, replacing longtime general manager John Mozeliak. Then, Bill DeWitt III took over as chief executive officer, though Bill DeWitt Jr. has continued as its chairman and principal owner with a hand in baseball and business matters.
Mets first baseman Mark Vientos is set to miss 6-8 weeks with a fracture in his right hand, but will not undergo surgery, per SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes.
Vientos was hit by a pitch on his throwing hand in the second inning of Thursday night's 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field.
Mark Vientos has been removed from the game after being hit in the hand
Talking to reporters prior to Friday night's series opener with the Boston Red Sox, Vientos expressed his disappointment on being sidelined long-term.
"I definitely want to be with the team, definitely want to play with the guys and I love playing baseball at the same time," said the first baseman. "It sucks, for sure."
With Vientos being moved to the IL, the Mets have called up infielder Zack Short. The 31-year-old has appeared in three games for the Mets this season, all at shortstop.
Players on the Mets active roster who could fill the void left at first base include Jared Young, Eric Wagaman, Brett Baty, and Jorge Polanco.
Vientos has hit 11 home runs and tallied 35 RBI in 73 games for the Mets this season, but has also recorded a dismal .644 OPS and 61:12 K:BB in that time.
ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 30: Jonathan Kuminga #0 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots the ball during the game against the New York Knicks during Round One Game Six of the...
And at this point, it’s clear that Kuminga would like to be a Laker.
But the two sides aren’t close on an agreement because the Lakers’ lastest offer isn’t what Kuminga’s side is seeking from L.A.
It’s no secret that the Lakers are pursuing unrestricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga. NBAE via Getty ImagesAnd at this point, it’s clear that Kuminga would like to be a Laker. NBAE via Getty Images
The Lakers’ latest offer, a source told the California Post, would have Kuminga earning an average annual salary around $10 million.
At this point in the league’s calendar – almost 1 ½ weeks into the start of free agency – the number of double digit salary deals are becoming less common.
But the vision the Lakers have pitched Kuminga on – being the team’s starting wing who completes the puzzle of the team’s offseason of building around superstar Luka Doncic – doesn’t match the offers the Lakers have made to Kuminga at this point.
The Lakers would have to shed a little over $10 million in salary to create enough cap space to outright sign Kuminga – and that’s before factoring in the deals for Sexton and Looney, which aren’t official yet, or the re-signing of Austin Reaves (four years, $185 million).
Once the signings of Sexton and Looney are official, the Lakers would have to shed around $20.8 million of salary to offer Kuminga a $10 million per season deal.
And that clearly won’t be enough to get the 23-year-old athletic forward in the Purple and Gold.
As the Post reported on Wednesday, the main avenue for the Lakers to acquire Kuminga would be in a sign and trade with the Hawks.
The Hawks, a source to the Post, are willing to execute a sign-and-trade with the Lakers around the framework of Kuminga going to L.A. and the Hawks receiving Jarred Vanderbilt and the Lakers’ 2032 first-round pick swap – the lone option the Lakers have of trading a first-round pick this summer. Los Angeles also has three second-round picks (Wizards two picks and its own 2033 pick) available to trade.
They’ve already used up the $52-plus million in cap space they entered the offseason with on Grimes, Mamukelashvili, Walker Kessler (four years, $130 million), Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million) and Kevon Looney (one year, $3.9 million). NBAE via Getty Images
Kuminga’s contract would have to be for at least three or four seasons (not including option seasons), and the first season must be fully guaranteed, if the Lakers acquired him in a sign and trade.
A sign-and-trade would allow for the Lakers to pay Kuminga a higher salary and retain his Bird Rights without having to sacrifice depth from their roster.
And if the framework of the sign-and-trade for Kuminga is still on the table beyond Thursday, the Lakers should jump on it.
Vanderbilt has two years and $25.7 million left on his four-year, $48 million contract extension he signed with the Lakers in September 2023. He has a $12.4 million salary for 2026-27 and a $13.3 million player option for 2027-28.
The Lakers have been willing to trade Vanderbilt, according to multiple sources who spoke with the Post who were granted anonymity so they could speak freely, as well as other players on the roster in order to create more roster-building optionality.
Vanderbilt hasn’t been a consistent top-nine rotation player for the Lakers when the roster is healthy. And even when healthy, Kuminga has been a better and more dynamic player than Vanderbilt.
And if the framework of the sign-and-trade for Kuminga is still on the table beyond Thursday, the Lakers should jump on it. Getty Images
And the pick swap would simply be the price of doing business. And if the Lakers are better than the Hawks in six years – which they expect to be with Doncic on the roster – the pick swap becomes less of a factor.
But then there’s the matter of how much the Lakers should pay Kuminga.
If the Lakers acquire Kuminga in a sign-and-trade including Vanderbilt and the pick swap, the most they’d be allowed to pay Kuminga for 2026-27 would be around $21.5 million, which would also keep the Lakers below the first apron threshold they’re hard-capped at.
This is a salary range around Kyle Kuzma ($20.5 million), Dillon Brooks ($20.9 million), Christian Braun ($21.5 million), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($21.6 million), Norman Powell ($22.5 million), and Miles Bridges ($22.8 million). But outside of Braun, every other player in that salary range is either on an expiring deal or has a team option for the 2027-28 season.
But on a three- or four-year deal, which the Lakers would be required to sign Kuminga to in a sign-and-trade, they should stick to a salary range between $16-19 million. Duncan Robinson ($15.9 million), Nikola Jovic ($16.2 million) and Patrick Williams ($18 million) are among wings/forwards who are in this salary range for next season.
Kuminga is not only better than most of these players, but also has higher upside because of his youth, athleticism and skillset.
Kuminga would be worth that salary range for the Lakers before even factoring in the fact he fits exactly what they need around Doncic and Reaves because of his physical profile, youth, skill and athleticism.
They’d be paying not just for what he is not, but the player he could develop into. Especially playing off of Doncic and Reaves.
Or that their options for a starting-level wing/forward who could be a long-term fit are limited.
The Lakers must get a deal done for Kuminga.
Their offseason is already a success without Kuminga, but would be an overwhelming success with him.
And they don’t have to break the bank to get Kuminga. But it’s time for the Lakers to back up the sentiments and vision for Kuminga with their offer.
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Steph Curry has heard the debate about the superstar whistle. He still is not interested in joining it.
The four-time NBA champion addressed the long-running conversation around his lack of preferential foul treatment during an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole — and his response was as unbothered as his on-court demeanor suggests.
“Conversations that I don’t need to be a part of,” Curry told Poole on “Dubs Talk” at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe. “I play basketball; figure it out as I go. I try my best not to complain out there on the court and just figure out whatever the challenge is. That’s my mindset.”
The debate Poole referenced still is a genuine one in NBA circles. Despite being the greatest shooter in league history and one of the most decorated players of his generation, Curry has averaged just 4.3 free throw attempts per game over his career — a figure that still is remarkably low for a player who commands as much defensive attention as anyone in the sport. This past season, he averaged 5.1 attempts, still well below the marks posted by players of comparable offensive impact.
We really need to talk about how Steph Curry has more career 3-pointers than free throws.
It makes zero sense when you actually think about it. Most superstars in NBA history live at the line to get their points, but Steph is out here doing the opposite.
The explanation, as analysts have long noted, still is rooted in how Curry plays rather than how officials treat him. He still is one of the least physical drivers in the league — his game still is built around creating space and shooting rather than drawing contact — and he still is, by most accounts, one of the worst in the league at selling contact when it does occur. He does not flail. He does not sell. He finishes, misses, or moves on.
In a league where stars routinely work officials and complain after non-calls, Curry still is the exception — not because he does not notice, but because he genuinely does not seem to care.
That might be the most Steph Curry answer he has ever given.
PHILADELPHIA — St. Louis Cardinals rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt may have been snubbed by not being selected to the All-Star game, but certainly no one is having a greater weekend.
Wetherholt agreed Friday, July 10 to an eight-year, $112.5 million contract extension, a person familiar with the deal told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity since the Cardinals have yet to announce the contract.
It’s the largest contract extension given to a Cardinals’ player since first baseman Paul Goldschmidt’s five-year, $130 million deal in 2019.
Wetherholt, the Cardinals’ first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, is hitting .267 with 13 homers and 36 RBI with a .773 OPS this season. The 23-year-old is ranked as the top defensive second baseman in baseball this season, leading the majors with 249 assists and ranking second with 16 outs above average.
Wetherholt also leads all rookies in WAR (3.8), runs (56), and times on base (140). The only National League players with a higher WAR are Crow-Armstrong (5.6), Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (4.6) and Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (4.2).
He has 39 hits leading off an inning, including four homers, the second-most behind James Wood of the Washngton Nationals (54) this season, and the most by a Cardinals rookie since Vince Coleman in 1985. He is bidding to become the first Cardinals rookie to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in a season.
Wetherholt is the first player signed to a multi-year contract extension since Chaim Bloom became president of baseball operations in October, 2025.
