Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks the ball during the Bucks' November 2025 game against the Knicks.
As trade rumors continued to swirl, Giannis Antetokounmpo took to social media Monday night.
The NBA superstar posted a cryptic message on X, along with a black-and-white photo of himself walking off the court in a Bucks jersey.
“GOD, I trusted you at the beginning, and I will continue to trust you throughout,” he wrote on the social media platform, with a praying hands emoji and a 100 emoji.
GOD, I trusted you at the beginning, and I will continue to trust you throughout. pic.twitter.com/BuRHnQS2NQ
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) June 22, 2026
Antetokounmpo is expected to be traded by the Bucks before the NBA draft begins on Tuesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Things have heated up recently, with the Heat and the Celtics emerging as finalists for Antetokounmpo, according to ESPN.
Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks the ball during the Bucks’ November 2025 game against the Knicks. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
The Celtics are reportedly centering their offer around star Jaylen Brown, and the Heat’s offer includes plenty of draft capital, with Miami holding the No. 13 pick in this year’s draft.
Both teams are among Antetokounmpo’s preferred destinations if he’s traded from the Bucks.
Brown appeared to break his silence on the trade speculation during a Twitch livestream.
“To all the people that’s doubted me, that want me to do this, or want me [traded], you’re turning me into a monster,” Brown said during the stream.
Giannis Antetokounmpo drives to the basket during the Bucks’ November 2025 game against the Knicks. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
The saga involving Antetokounmpo has been going on for some time, and it may finally come to an end after a bizarre season for the Bucks, which was overshadowed by questions about the 31-year-old’s future in Milwaukee.
The team finished 32-50, and Antetokounmpo played a mere 36 games due to issues with his groin, calf and knees.
The relationship between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks clearly became fractured during the course of the season.
Trade speculation started in May 2025 and now has led to Antetokounmpo being on the verge of ending a 13-season run in Milwaukee, where he helped the franchise win an NBA title in 2021 and owns every major franchise statistical record.
Mar 2, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) shoots during pregame warmups before a game against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
With the draft looming, trade rumours are flying once again. By the looks of things, Milwaukee may be the first team to start an “everything must go” sale. After an underwhelming season that ended 11 games behind even play-in contention, the era of Giannis in the Cream City could very well be over.
If he departs, it’s likely the Bucks will try to unload as many older players as they can, starting their rebuild with a stockpile of assets. Picks, young players, and space in the salary book will be at a premium for them.
Inevitably, other teams are now waiting to see what they can scavenge from this roster to bolster their own. The good news is Toronto might be one of those teams.
Toronto’s need at center was made abundantly clear with a first round exit caused by Jarrett Allen who put Cleveland on his back in game 7. Who better than to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Allen and the league’s other big men than Myles Turner?
Myles is 11 years into his career. He’s pretty solid, playing at least 60 games every season except for two. In his best year, he averaged almost 18 points and 8 rebounds with over 2 blocks a game. He’s a great 3-point shooter, cashing in over 38% on 5.4 attempts per game last season. He’s also a good rim protector and lob threat, and moves well in pick and roll situations:
MYLES TURNER UNLOADS WITH TWO HANDS 😳
🏀 Pacers/Bucks on ESPN 🏆 Winner advances to Championship in Las Vegas on Saturday pic.twitter.com/9ZFVCMP1qr
His stint in Milwaukee didn’t do him any favors, as he dropped across pretty much every statistical category in his sole year there. Largely due to the players he had around him and lower usage, but he definitely didn’t look like he did with the pacers, especially with a polished guard like Tyrese Haliburton setting him up.
He fits our timeline, would have solid guards to set him up, and would likely fill one of the most significant gaps that currently exists. The real question is what we have to offer to Milwaukee. Turner is owed almost 84 million over the next three years, so matching it while still providing value is the biggest hurdle.
Trade Proposal: Jakob Poeltl, Gradey Dick, and a first round pick
Poeltl needs to be a part of the deal to match salary. He’s solid, but his contract isn’t and he doesn’t match the timeline for the Bucks at all. A straight one-to-one doesn’t make sense for Milwaukee. He could be moved, but there isn’t really anyone in the league that would want him for the money he’s being paid.
Gradey’s year hurt his stock badly, and while it’s more than possible he could bounce back from this, especially with the lack of opportunity he had this year, he is young and fits the timeline and could develop into a solid piece.
Still, not the most alluring for the Bucks.
Hence the pick. Mikal Bridges pulled five first rounders (but they got a championship so honestly who cares). Harden garnered three, and Gobert was four. Myles is not the caliber of some of those guys, so I would hope one would be the most we’d have to part with. Ideally, it’s next year’s pick though so Toronto is able to shore up other needs in the draft tomorrow.
Only time will tell, but this would definitely be a step in the right direction for the Raptors.
TURN ON YOUR TELEVISION on any given night and retire to the barcalounger and you’re bound to see a 21-year-old Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews do something so incredible that it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Is that a 22-year-old Mikko Rantanen we see leading the whole freakin’ league in scoring? And what about that 21-year-old Thomas Chabot kid in Ottawa? Ain’t he something special?
Everything we’ve heard and everything we’ve seen keeps pounding at the notion that the NHL is now a young man’s league. Like the late Whitney Houston, the NHL believes that children are the future. And it’s right. What were once thought to be “generational talents” are now being churned out every couple of years. And if you go to your local youth hockey arena and watch the kids, chances are you’re going to see some young boys and girls who can do some very special things on the ice.
But take a dive into the most important position in the game and you find that the goaltending fraternity has clearly not received the memo. While the rest of the league is having trouble developing a duster in the month of November, the goaltenders are at the point where they’re applying Grecian Formula and getting two minutes for looking so good.
It seems that once teams find a reliable goaltender, and it often takes a while, they hang onto him and ride him well into his 30s. That’s certainly the case these days, which leaves us wondering from where their replacements are going to come.
Consider this: the 31 No. 1 goalies in the NHL have an average age of 31.3. Last year, the average age of an NHL player was 27.1. Twenty-two of these starting goalies (or co-No. 1s) have already blown out 30 candles on their birthday cakes, and just two – Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning – are younger than 25. Pekka Rinne, who became the oldest first-time Vezina Trophy winner since the league began awarding it to the best goalie as chosen by the NHL’s GMs in 1982, just signed a two-year extension with the Nashville Predators that will take him past his 38th birthday, despite the fact the Preds have a top-notch 23-year-old backup in Juuse Saros patiently waiting his turn.
In The Hockey News’ annual Future Watch edition in 2018, we had only eight goaltenders in our top 100 NHL-affiliated prospects. Only 12 teams had a future goaltender among its top five prospects, and six teams – the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, Nashville and the San Jose Sharks – did not have a single stopper among their top 10.
When THN prospect savant Ryan Kennedy produced the top 100 players aged 21-and-under in the world, which included non-drafted players, just four goalies appeared on the list, and only one – Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers – ranked in the top 25. Only one goalie, Jake Oettinger by the Dallas Stars, has been selected in the first round of the past three NHL drafts.
We realize that some of this is due to the fact goaltenders are notorious for taking longer to develop than skaters, and they often only do it with their second or third organizations. And there are probably some young men out there toiling in the minors who have yet to blossom. But with the greying of the goaltending position and the prospect of a good number of them aging out in the next few years, you have to wonder where teams are going to find their replacements.
By the end of this season, five No. 1 goalies will have eclipsed their 35th birthdays, and within five years, 11 of them will be at least 38. It’s been clearly established that it takes about five years for a goaltender to develop from the day he’s drafted, so either some of the backups in the NHL are going to have to step up or the league might be looking at a dearth of quality goaltending – which, when combined with the talent that is on the way, might not be a bad thing for hockey fans who prefer offense.
Ask any amateur scout how easy it is to find good goalies these days and he or she will tell you a tale of woe. Part of that is because Canada, which was once a place where you shook a tree and good goalies would fall out, has lagged in producing elite netminders.
One scout had a theory that it might be because from the time kids are seven until they’re 14 or 15, they’re sharing the goaltending duties and it doesn’t allow them to develop quickly enough. In fact, the Canadian Hockey League, tired of seeing the best European netminders go to the USHL, opened its doors once again to European goalies this season.
And these things tend to ebb and flow. Finland was once the country producing all the talent, and now Russia – with top prospects Ilya Samsonov, Igor Shestyorkin, Ilya Sorokin and Daniil Tarasov – seems to be providing the pipeline.
The top players on a good number of teams would have trouble getting into a bar where the drinking age is 21. But the goalies? They’d have a 31-seat table all to themselves. And it doesn’t look as though they’re going to be giving up their comfortable spots anytime soon.
Julius Randle was traded to the Nets on Monday night.
The Nets — who always seem to deal right before draft night — have been looking to add a second first-round pick and another veteran scorer. They pulled off both, landing Julius Randle and the 28th pick for Nic Claxton and No. 33 in a three-team swap.
The Nets — one of the few teams in the league with ample cap space — used it to acquire Randle, a two-time All-NBA forward and three-time All-Star. They also moved up from the top of the second round into the bottom of the first in a loaded draft, and potentially opened a starting spot for Day’Ron Sharpe.
GM Sean Marks shipped Claxton to Chicago, and since the Bulls are acquiring the center with cap space, the deal — first reported by ESPN and confirmed by The Post — can’t be finalized until July 6. The Nets will keep the No. 6 overall pick — likely to be used on a lead guard — and also have Nos. 28 and 43.
Julius Randle was traded to the Nets on Monday night. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Randle was just one year into a three-year, $100 million deal with Minnesota, but the Timberwolves were desperate to free up cap space to re-sign guard Ayo Dosunmu (and a starting spot for Naz Reid). Now the former Knick — who spent five years in the Garden — comes back to New York.
Michael Porter Jr. shouldered the burden of being Brooklyn’s lone reliable scorer last season. Randle averaged 21.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 79 games.
With Randle earning $33.3 million this season and having a player option of $35.8 million next season, Brooklyn increased its payroll by $13 million. They’ll still maintain $20.2 million in room left, per cap guru Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron, and have the $9.4 million room mid-level to spend afterward.
Brooklyn now has 15 first-round picks through 2033, including two Tuesday.
Two among Louisville’s Mikel Brown, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler and Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. should still be on the board at No. 6. But with Wagler likely to be off the board, Brown — with deep range, an elite passing bag and a risk-taking mentality that must get reined in — has had at least three meetings and one workout with the Nets.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a relationship built there,” Brown said. “Talking with them constantly, with Mr. Marks and Coach Jordi [Fernández], the biggest thing that he emphasized — if I get selected to go there — is building that relationship with Jordi.
Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets drives down court during the first half when the Nets played the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday, February 24, 2026 Robert Sabo for NY Post
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to have a great connection from point guard to point guard. [Fernández] played point guard as well. So to be able to pick his brain on a lot of things and learn his system and to be able to come in and make an impact right away was big.”
Ex-Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks — now an ESPN insider — told The Post that taking three first-round guards last year shouldn’t deter them from taking another, because that’s where the value sits at No. 6. He also said they might be best suited using cap space in trades rather than signings, and that’s exactly what they did.
Acuff has both visited with and worked out for the Nets and is the most polished offensive guard in the class, but his defense is a concern. Wagler worked out for the Bulls (who have the fourth pick) and the Clippers (who’ll select fifth), then canceled a scheduled workout for Brooklyn.
Julius Randle #30 of the Minnesota Timberwolves dribbles the ball during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Round Two Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 15, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NBAE via Getty Images
“Just hearing from them and kind of just knowing where I stood, I kind of knew I didn’t need to work out,” said Wagler.
Brown said he would be excited to land with the Nets.
“It’d mean a lot. Big city. It’s the big city, bright lights. A lot of big-time names come out of Brooklyn, so to be able to represent that means a lot,” said Brown.
“I would handle it. I’m very calm and down to earth. I’m about this basketball stuff. I keep the main thing the main thing. The focus is to try to win a championship.”
St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor, Texas wing Dailyn Swain or Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr. — who said of joining the Nets, “I think it would be great, I love New York City” — could be targets at No. 28.
MINNEAPOLIS – When Eric Lauer was on the Toronto Blue Jays, he said he “hated” pitching behind an opener.
So what did the Dodgers have him do on Monday?
You guess it: They had him pitch behind an opener.
Only this time, the results were different.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer delivers against the Minnesota Twins. AP Photo/Matt Krohn
They were better.
Replacing opener Will Klein after one inning, Lauer pitched six no-hit innings in a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
Pitching through the seventh inning, Lauer departed the game with a 2-1 lead the Dodgers built on solo home runs by Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
Shohei Ohtani celebrates as he runs the bases on his solo home run. AP Photo/Matt Krohn
Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Lauer was “all-in’” on the plan to deploy him behind reliever Will Klein.
Roberts made it a point to alert Lauer about how he would be used after the Dodgers’ series finale against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday in Los Angeles.
“I just laid it out there,” Roberts said. “He received it very well.
“All players want, they want some clarity. I think for us he’s going to go into the game in the second inning, so he can do his preparation and be consistent with that.”
Ironically, the only problem with the plan turned out to be the inning pitch by the opener. The second hitter of the game, Byron Buxton, homered off him to tie the game, 1-1.
Freddie Freeman runs the bases after hitting a solo home run. AP Photo/Matt Krohn
What it means
This was potentially a costly game for the Dodgers.
Kyle Tucker drew a walk in the second inning and advanced on a single by Tommy Edman, only to appear to be in obvious discomfort once he reached second base.
The Dodgers later announced Tucker was removed from the game with lower back spasms. The injury could be a major blow for Tucker, who is batting .234 in his first 75 games with the Dodgers.
But Tucker wasn’t the only player to go down.
An inning later, catcher Dalton Rushing was replaced by rookie Chuckie Robinson. Rushing left the game to rule out a concussion, according to the Dodgers.
Rushing was hit on his mask by a foul ball on the first pitch of the first inning.
Who’s hot
Right-hander Brock Stewart was activated from the injured list, a move that could help a bullpen that recently lost Blake Treinen to elbow inflammation.
The 34-year-old Stewart has pitched in only 5 ⅔ innings since he was acquired from the Twins last year in a trade for outfielder James Outman.
Stewart pitched only two innings this season before he was placed on the injured list with bone spurs.
Who’s not
A day after Roberts ripped his team’s hitting approach, Ohtani led off the game with a home run – his 17th of the season.
But the Dodgers didn’t score again until the sixth inning when Freeman homered to center against Twins starter Zebby Matthews.
Matthews entered the game with a 4.78 earned-run average, but the right-hander limited the Dodgers to six hits and two runs over six innings. He struck out five.
Up next
On Tuesday, the Dodgers and Twins will play the second game of their three-game series at Target Field, with Justin Wrobleski (8-2, 2.72) starting for the Dodgers and Joe Ryan (5-3, 2.99) pitching for the Twins.
NEW YORK (AP) — MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a letter to Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley that the San Francisco Giants failed to properly explain to players that they were allowed to decline to wear rainbow-themed caps during the club’s annual Pride Night earlier this month.
Several members of the Giants, including starting pitcher Landen Roupp, added Bible verses to the themed cap, prompting a warning from the league that writing on the caps is a violation of league policy.
Hawley penned a letter to Manfred in which he expressed “grave concern” over the warning to the players. Hawley called the warning “dubious” because he feels MLB is already promoting a political viewpoint by having Pride-themed uniforms.
In it, Manfred noted that because some players aren’t comfortable wearing Pride-themed uniforms or caps, the league adopted a policy in 2023 of prohibiting clubs from using special uniforms, caps or equipment in their celebration days except under very narrow circumstances, such as special patches honoring deceased members of the baseball community.
That same year, the Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have some of the largest LGBTQ+ communities in the U.S., were granted an exemption from the new rule and were permitted use of pride emblems on caps and uniforms on Pride Night “provided that no players or uniformed staff would be required to wear them, and that the team would speak to the players to make sure they were comfortable with the apparel.”
“Unfortunately, this year the Giants’ communication with players was inadequate and not clear,” Manfred wrote in his letter to Hawley. “Some players apparently did not understand that they had the option to wear their normal uniform and elected to add messages to their hats bearing the pride logo as a result.
“The Giants players were allowed to wear the hats with biblical references for the entire game. After the game had concluded, my office issued a routine oral warning about the uniform policy violation — unfortunately, it was issued before we became aware of the Giants’ lapse in communication,” Manfred added. “The players were neither fined nor disciplined, nor will they ever be.”
The Nets are acquiring Julius Randle from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade that will see Brooklyn send Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls.
The deal, as first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, will see Brooklyn send a second-round pick (No. 33 overall) in Tuesday's NBA Draft to Minnesota, in exchange for Randle and a first-round selection (No. 28 overall).
The Nets will send Claxton to Chicago, who will use cap space to add the center, meaning the deal can not be made official until July 6. The Bulls are also sending Mouhamadou Gueye, a 27-year-old forward out of Staten Island and the University of Pittsburgh, to Minnesota.
Randle, 31, spent the past two seasons in Minnesota after he was acquired in a three-team deal with the Knicks and Hornets that saw Karl-Anthony Towns join New York in late September 2024.
In 79 games last season with the Wolves, Randle averaged 21.1 points on 48.1 percent shooting with 6.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.1 steals in 33 minutes.
He played five seasons with the Knicks, making three All-Star teams and two All-NBA Teams (second in 2021 and third in 2023). He was the league's Most Improved Player in 2021, when he averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while playing 37.6 minutes.
Claxton, 27, was the 31st overall pick (Round 2) by Brooklyn in the 2019 draft. He appeared in 69 games for the Nets last season and averaged 11.7 points on 57.1 percent shooting with 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 27.8 minutes. In total, Claxton played 380 games (297 starts) with the club over the first seven seasons of his career.
Brooklyn now has two selections to make in the first round, No. 6 and No. 28. Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr.are seen as possibilities for the first of those two picks. The Nets also have the No. 43 selection for Round 2 on Wednesday.
Jun 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (2) reacts after receiving a strikeout call during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Tony Vitello has put together 60 different batting orders in 77 games with 8 different lead-off hitters so far this season. The Giants have had four different players log at least 40 plate appearances at the top of the order, which along with the Seattle Mariners, is the most across the Majors. There are plenty of teams with three, and Washington, Toronto, and both LA squads have really one true lead-off man.
Mostly gone are the light-power-but-high-average speedsters, it’s all about getting your best hitter the most chances to swing the game’s outcome. The Nationals’ James Wood (362 PA) and Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (324 PA) are the prototypical number-1 hitters now. They’re the cherry on top, the tip of the spear: Intimidating power with an impressive ability to get on base and be athletic and threatening once they get there. Their job is to immediately make the opposing pitcher regret becoming a pitcher. Both Woods and Ohtani have this effect. They step into the box and the diamond’s center of gravity shifts towards the plate.
Luis Arraez doesn’t create that same imbalance. He’s entertaining to watch for sure, and he can be a headache for pitchers, but he’s not nearly as dynamic. Arraez has served as the Giants lead-off man ten times so far: twice to start the season, and seven times over the last 8 games. He’s an intuitive, if a little “old school,” option. He’s certainly got the experience, topping a batting order in 431 games (427 games started), adding up nearly 2000 plate appearances in which he’s batted .321/ .363/ .418.
But is he the best option for the Giants? If he isn’t, than who? One has to ask considering how little production this team has got out of their lead-off man. Their 93 wRC+ is tied for 24th in the Majors. Their low batting average and bottom of the barrel base-on-balls rate has their number-1 hitter getting on base less than any other team. Their .277 OBP is 17 points separated from the Reds, the next lowest average, and more than 100 points lower than the top-3 teams’ marks (Dodgers, Nationals, and Athletics).
Being handed the lead-off spot on this team is as cursed as being handed a black spot. Players who have thrived in various pockets and slots in the order have become worse versions of themselves serving in the lead-off role. In 71 plate appearances, Jung Hoo Lee has posted a 90 wRC+ — 39 points below his 129 wRC+ mark. Casey Schmitt is hitting like an all-star with a 136 wRC+, but over the eleven game experiment as a lead-off man at the beginning of June, he couldn’t function. The already swing-happy Schmitt didn’t work a walk in 56 plate appearances. His .232 batting average is actually higher than his on-base percentage, while his 70 wRC+ is nearly half of what he’s posted on the year so far. Since Vitello mercifully pulled him from the top of the order, Schmitt has hit .452 (14-for-31) with a streak of six consecutive multi-hit games.
Of the four players with 40 or more PA batting first, only Willy Adames, who owns the lion share of lead-off plate appearances, has “better” overall numbers hitting lead-off. Note my snarky quotation marks. Punctuation matters. Better is relative and extremely generous here. The difference between Adames’s season 89 wRC+ and his batting order split of 93 wRC+ is nominal. His struggles have been the role’s struggles overall: low walk rate, low average, somewhat decent power. 5 of his 13 homers, and 13 of his 18 doubles have come hitting in the leadoff spot. So far he’s bagged an extra base hit every 7 at-bats; when he’s placed somewhere further down the order, his power is coming through at a much slower clip, knocking an extra-bagger about every 14 at-bats.
Batting lead-off isn’t that different from any other place in the order once a game moves past the first inning. Admittedly you are a bit exposed there as the guinea pig, the scout, the first one out of the space capsule. No one knows if the pitcher’s stuff stuffs until you step up to the plate and have it zip by you. It’s also a unique opportunity in which a batter can lie in-wait and ambush, look for one-pitch in one-location, capitalize on a starter struggling to grow into the game.
The lead-off hitters of LA and Seattle have an OPS over 1.000 in the 1st inning. The numbers for San Francisco’s lead-off men at the start of a game…do not. Both Adames and Schmitt have homered in the opening frame, but overall, this group is setting the wrong tone, batting .197 with .612 OPS and a 71 wRC+.
As much as the spot feels jinxed, these problems have to be more correlation than causation. It’s just another disappointing quirk. There might still be solutions. When you’re this far down, the only direction to go is up, and it stands to reason that Luis Arraez ‘s production will rise to match his career numbers if Vitello sticks with him at the top. The return of Heliot Ramos could be a boost as well. He batted first in 82 games in 2025. While his overall kead-off numbers were pretty average, in the first inning, he was much better, slashing .299/ .341/ .518 with 5 homers.
Or just say “screw it,” and try something totally new. Though he’s never hit lead-off before, Rafael Devers could work — or at least, a Devers producing near his pre-2026 offensive numbers could work. As far as this season goes, Devers has been kind of a lone wolf anyway. 12 of his 23 doubles have come with the bases empty. 9 of his 11 homers have been solo shots, and 7 of those 9 have led off an inning. Suggest it, Tony! We all know how much he likes trying new things!
And if we’re thinking about the player we want to see get the most plate appearances then Bryce Eldridge should be in the conversation. His 13 BB%, .389 OBP, .905 OPS, and 153 wRC+ lead the team, while his .516 SLG is second to Schmitt. He’s been hitting second behind Arraez as of late, why not throw him up at the top?
Jun 22, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (44) catches a fly ball against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Out-homering the opposition paved the way for the Dodgers to narrowly beat the Twins 2-1 in a game in which stringing hits together proved to be quite the challenge for either side. While no one can quite match Shohei Ohtani when it comes to mesmerizing displays of power with the bat, among those who come close to it, Byron Buxton is one of the names to be mentioned. For the first half of this game, all of the scoring came courtesy of Ohtani and Buxton, each hitting solo shots in the first inning, Buxton’s tying him with Yordan Alvarez at 25 for the American League lead.
Buxton’s home run came against Will Klein, who opened the game as the Dodgers surely wanted to limit Eric Lauer’s exposure to the American League leader in long balls. Unfortunately, Klein not only gave up the long ball but also struggled enough in the first inning that Dave Roberts almost had to turn to Lauer to get out of a jam. Eventually, Klein retired Victor Caratini with two on to end the threat, even if it cost him over 30 pitches to wrap up that first inning.
While the opening frame didn’t turn out as expected, the Dodgers can’t be too upset about their decision to have Lauer as the follower, given the quality of his performance. The veteran left-hander, who now has the Dodgers 5-0 in his starts, kept the Twins at bay with six scoreless innings in which the only time that Minnesota had someone on base was via a walk (three of them total). Forget getting a hit; the Twins had a hard time even launching the ball in the air against Lauer, piling on groundout after groundout to go hitless after a scary first inning.
As great as he was, for the better part of Lauer’s performance, those zeroes on the board were strictly keeping the Dodgers in the game, but the reigning back-to-back champs had yet to fully take advantage of them—their offense also struggled to stack together a rally against Zebby Matthews. And you know what they say: if you can’t string a rally together, hit one over the wall. The decisive hit of this game came in the sixth inning, when Freddie Freeman hit the longest of the game’s three home runs to hand the Dodgers a 2-1 lead, with the ball traveling 423 ft.
Right on cue, as soon as Lauer left the game, the threat loomed a bit larger as the Dodgers defended this one-run lead. Kyle Hurt allowed the leadoff hitter to get on in front of Buxton in the eighth, but then struck out the Twins’ most dangerous hitter. Miguel Rojas made a bold choice to go for the out at second as the following hitter grounded to second, and lastly, Josh Bell got just enough air under a sinking liner for it to be caught in right field. Tanner Scott’s save came without a hassle, retiring the Twins in order.
In the process of securing this win, though, the Dodgers had to not once but twice turn to their bench early on. Firstly, after reaching via a walk in the second, Kyle Tucker felt something running the bases and left the game early with low back spasms. Tucker was replaced by Alex Call, who went 2 for 3 despite being stranded both times and not driving in a run. Another position player to take an early exit was catcher Dalton Rushing, entering the concussion protocol after being hit by a Twins foul ball, with Chuckie Robinson finishing things off behind the dish.
As great as Justin Wrobleski has been this season, Tuesday’s pitching matchup will favor the Twins with the left-hander facing their ace in Joe Ryan. It’s the same start time at 4:40 p.m. PT.
Jun 22, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Andre Pallante gave the St. Louis Cardinals the quality start their bullpen so badly needed as he throttled the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium Monday night.
The St. Louis Cardinals threatened to break the game open early as they loaded the bases in the bottom of the 1st inning. JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera singled along with Alec Burleson‘s walk started what looked to be a big inning of crooked numbers for St. Louis. Wrong. Jordan Walker‘s weak line-out to the shortstop and Lars Nootbaar hitting into a double-play ruined any chances the Cardinals had at jumping on Arizona quick. The lack of taking advantage of this 1st inning opportunity would make the latter innings nerve-racking.
Nolan Arenado‘s return to St. Louis was, as expected, welcomed by a nice ovation from the Busch Stadium crowd as he led off the bottom of the 2nd inning. Nolan would follow this with a single that fortunately did not lead to an Arizona run.
The St. Louis Cardinals would score first, but it wouldn’t happen until the bottom of the 3rd inning when Nathan Church led off with a single and then stole second. JJ Wetherholt moved him over with a smart groundout to second advancing Church to third. After Iván Herrera walked, Alec Burleson bounced a seeing-eye single over first base which second baseman Marte couldn’t handle scoring Church giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
St. Louis would triple their lead in the bottom of the 4th inning which sounds better than it actually was. Lars Nootbaar led off with a walk followed by a Masyn Winn single. Jimmy Crooks moved both of them up a base when he grounded out to first. Blaze Jordan knocked in Nootbaar with a deep sacrifice fly to center giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead which would become 3-0 when Nathan Church singled in Masyn Winn.
The Arizona Diamondbacks would start to chip away at the St. Louis Cardinals lead starting in the top of the 6th inning. Carroll led off with a double to right. He would advance to third on a ground ball from Smith to JJ Wetherholt. Nolan Arenado would show that he has transitioned from former teammate to arch enemy as he grounded out to Masyn Winn scoring Carroll making it 3-1 Cardinals. That would end Andre Pallante’s night as he exited after the 6th inning with a respectable start. Over those 6 innings, Andre allowed 6 hits with just 1 earned run while striking out two and walking no one.
Ryne Stanek started, but did not finish the 7th inning. He successfully got Gurriel Jr. to fly out to right for the first out, but the second batter he faced fared better against him as Tommy Troy absolutely destroyed a 97 mph four-seam fastball to dead center as his home run traveled 444 feet reducing the Cardinals lead to just one at 3-2. Stanek was able to get Tawa out on a line-out, but he was then removed for JoJo Romero who came in and got Perdomo to ground out to Blaze Jordan at third maintaining the narrow St. Louis lead after 7 innings.
What kind of confidence do we Cardinals fans have in the St. Louis bullpen? Well, I’m pretty sure I didn’t breathe (well) for the final two innings. JoJo Romero kept the Cardinals lead intact through the first two outs of the 8th inning although the ball that Vargas cracked to deep center field sure looked like we might be tied soon. George Soriano was brought in to face Nolan Arenado for the final out of the 8th inning and he was fortunately successful getting Nado out on a popup to Burleson at first.
The St. Louis Cardinals bottom of the 9th inning again was in the hands of Riley O’Brien. Did we finally get a no-drama 9th? I’m happy to report that Riley took care of the bottom of the Diamondbacks order to seal the Cardinals victory with no baserunners allowed.
The St. Louis Cardinals continue their streak of 7 home games-in-a-row with game 2 against the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday night. Kyle Leahy gets the start for the Cardinals while the Diamondbacks are scheduled to start LHP Eduardo Rodriguez. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm central time at Busch Stadium and the broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv.
Malte Gustafsson is a name that’s starting to come up more and more ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.
He’s 6-foot-4, 201 pounds, so the size is already there, and that’s usually what gets teams interested early. But it’s not just the frame. He actually moves pretty well for a defenseman that size, which is part of why he’s been able to handle tougher competition in Sweden.
Most of his game is built in his own zone. He stays on top of plays, uses his reach to break things up, and makes it hard for forwards to get comfortable once they enter the zone. It’s not the type of game that stands out every shift, but you notice it over time.
Offensively, there’s something to work with, just not much flash. He can make a first pass, move the puck out cleanly, and keep things simple when he needs to. That’s probably where it ends, at least for now.
Scout's Takes:
Here are some of the scouting reports put out by the most notable scouts/hockey writers in the NHL.
"His skating is good for his size, allowing him to play a very mobile game. Gustafsson rarely struggles to get the puck out of his zone. A lack of flash and high-end offensive instinct likely won’t help his draft projection, but there’s still a ton to like about the way he defends and takes up space."
- Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
"Gustafsson’s game isn't about his offense despite having some elements (above-average skating and respectable handling for a big man). He’s a big, rangy, strong, sturdy defender who plays a physical, competitive brand and moves well. He projects as a solid two-way NHL D, and his profile is the coveted one in the league these days."
- Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
"He has a presence to his game. Gustafsson isn’t shy about engaging physically and pushing opponents off his crease to clear shooting lanes for his goaltender to see pucks clearly. He’s also capable of occasionally rushing the puck and pulling up to make plays in the offensive zone."
- Jason Bukala, Sportsnet
"On top of having excellent positional play with a great stick, he's added a physical element that helps him win battles in the corners. His passing on the breakout has always been solid, but he's added a layer of puck carrying to his transition game."
- Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News
Draft Projection:
As we enter NHL Draft week, Gustafsson finds himself in a very unique spot. He is projected to go anywhere from 10-15, which depends on what the team's picking in the 10-15 range decides to do. Obviously, with the Predators picking at number 10, if he is available, there's a good chance they could call his name. Especially with some scouting reports comparing him to former Predators' defensemen Mattias Ekholm.
Mets Francisco Lindor sits in the dugout in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, Friday, June 12, 2026.
The Mets-Cubs game wasn’t the only rainout Monday night.
Francisco Lindor’s chance at a simulated game was washed away, as well, but the Mets haven’t ruled out the shortstop returning to the lineup on Wednesday, Carlos Mendoza said.
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Lindor, rehabbing a left calf strain that has kept him sidelined since April 22, played a full minor league game for Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday and was supposed to go through a simulated game at Citi Field on Monday before the Mets opened a series against the Cubs.
Inclement weather limited Lindor to working out indoors and he’s scheduled to play again for Syracuse on Tuesday at Lehigh Valley.
If that goes well, Mendoza said the team would “reassess” Lindor’s status and “see what’s next for him.”
“We’ll see whether he needs a day off or if he’s ready to come back,” the manager said. “We just have to get through [Tuesday] and we’ll have those discussions.”
Mets Francisco Lindor sits in the dugout in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, Friday, June 12, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Lindor also played a rehab game for Double-A Binghamton on Friday before receiving a day off Saturday.
The Mets have had Bo Bichette mostly at shortstop without Lindor and have seen their season disintegrate with Lindor out after he was injured on the same day Juan Soto returned from his own calf injury in April.
Monday’s game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Wednesday at Citi Field.
The first game is scheduled to begin at 1:10 p.m. followed by the originally scheduled game at 7:10 p.m. Fans with paid tickets for the game originally scheduled to be played Monday may use them for the rescheduled game on Wednesday.
It feels like the Mets have been waiting for decades for Mark Vientos and Brett Baty to reach their respective potentials.
And now, they can’t get the two corner infielders to get going at the same time.
Just as Vientos shook off an ugly 17 at-bat hitless skid with a solid six-game stretch in which he’s gone 6-for-17 with a pair of homers, Baty finds himself in an 0-for-12 rut.
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Vientos’ ability to hit lefty pitching — and inability to do anything against righties — has been an issue throughout his career and it’s been even more pronounced this season.
He has an OPS of .830 against lefties, compared to .776 for his career, but his struggles with right-handers on the mound have been even more pronounced: .543 OPS this season and .692 in his career.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 22: Brandon Woodruff #53 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 22, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When Brandon Woodruff’s velocity suddenly nosedived during his last big-league start on April 30th, there was real concern. It was fair to wonder that, given Woodruff’s age and injury history, he was facing a career-ending injury.
Instead, he’s back in the big leagues less than two months later. And in a start that echoed his triumphant return to the mound after over a year off in Miami last July, Woodruff didn’t just pitch: he pitched great. The franchise legend was nearly perfect and hit double digit strikeouts in six innings his return before he handed it off to his bullpen. But the Brewer offense didn’t have any better luck against Cincinnati starter Brady Singer, and this game finished regulation with no score. But the Brewers epitomized the term “manufactured offense” in the 10th and got a save from an unlikely source on the way to an ugly yet encouraging victory.
Milwaukee’s bats didn’t look very good in the top of the first; Christian Yelich struck out, Jackson Chourio popped out, and Brice Turang struck out by swinging through a 92 mph fastball right in the middle of the strike zone.
Woodruff was throwing 89-91 in the bottom of the first, and while he started each of the first two batters with 3-0 counts, he worked back against both and ended up with a 1-2-3 inning, including a strikeout.
Singer lost the strike zone at the beginning of the second inning. William Contreras became the game’s first baserunner when he walked, Jake Bauers walked, too, and Garrett Mitchell got ahead 3-0. But Singer came back to strike out Mitchell looking, and Sal Frelick grounded out back to the mound, which left Joey Ortiz as the Brewers’ last chance in what started as a promising inning. Ortiz grounded one back up the middle and almost hit Singer in the process, but Spencer Steer had no trouble making the play and threw to first to end the inning.
Woodruff was painting corners in the second, and struck out Nathaniel Lowe and Spencer Steer looking with perfect two-strike pitches. Eugenio Suárez jumped on the first pitch and hit a fly ball to fairly deep center, but Mitchell caught it with his feet still on the grass and the inning was over.
David Hamilton battled for nine pitches to start the third and hit a line drive, but it was right to Matt McLain for the first out. Yelich followed with a groundout to second, and Chourio struck out swinging at a high fastball, and Singer was through three scoreless. Noelvi Marte started the bottom of the inning by hitting a hard line drive on the first pitch, but it was right at Hamilton for the first out. Tyler Stephenson also swung at the first pitch and hit it pretty hard, but Chourio made the catch on the warning track in left field. Woodruff got his fastball up to 93 against Matt McLain, who he struck out on three pitches. Three outs on five pitches? That’ll do.
The first hit of the game came right away in the fourth inning, and maybe shouldn’t have been a hit. Turang hit a ball directly at first baseman Sal Stewart at about 94 mph. A great first baseman probably would’ve made the play, but Turang’s ball got past Stewart and into the right-field corner for a double. But just like the second inning, the Brewers squandered a good opportunity. Contreras flew out harmlessly to right on the first pitch, Bauers hit a pop-up, and Mitchell flew out to center. Turang never got past second base.
Woodruff picked up two more strikeouts in another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth. After Blake Dunn lined out to Turang at second base, JJ Bleday and Stewart became Woodruff’s fifth and sixth strikeout victims, and the Brewer hurler was perfect through four. But the Brewers were having nearly as much trouble with Singer as the Reds were with Woodruff, and that continued in the top of the fifth: Frelick, Ortiz, and Hamilton went down in order.
Woodruff’s dream return to the mound continued in the bottom of the fifth. Lowe popped out, Steer struck out swinging, and after a bit of a battle, Suárez struck out looking. Five perfect innings with eight strikeouts.
The Brewers continued to struggle in the sixth. Yelich hit a weak grounder to first base, Chourio struck out swinging at a sweeper way outside the zone. Turang at least made good contact on a fly ball to deep center, but it held up just enough for Dunn to catch it against the wall for the third out.
Woodruff kept the perfect game going for one more batter when he came back from a 3-0 count to strike Marte out with a 3-2 fastball above the zone. Stephenson was next, though, and he jumped at the first pitch and lined a single into center for the Reds’ first hit. Woodruff’s velocity continued to improve as the game went on: he hit 95 for the first time (technically 94.9) on his 72nd pitch of the game, during an at-bat in which McLain struck out swinging at a change-up. That was Woodruff’s 10th strikeout, and Dunn flew out to right to end Woodruff’s sixth scoreless inning.
Woodruff had only thrown 79 pitches, fewer than he’d thrown in his last rehab start, but given that he’s still working his way back, the Brewers chose to end his night there. The final numbers were staggering: Woodruff allowed one single and no walks in six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. What a way to make his return.
Contreras started the seventh with the Brewers’ hardest-hit ball of the day, but he hit it right at Bleday in left field for the first out. After Bauers struck out looking, Mitchell gave the Brewers a two-out baserunner with an infield single, but Frelick flew out to right to end the inning. That was also the end of Singer’s night, as he’d crossed 100 pitches during Mitchell’s at-bat; after struggling all season, Singer had thrown seven shutout innings with just two hits and two walks allowed while striking out seven.
Aaron Ashby relieved Woodruff, and needed a good outing after a rough week. He started with strikeouts of Bleday and Stewart, and then faced a pinch-hitter when Dane Myers came in for Lowe. Myers looped a lazy line drive toward center field, but Turang was able to make a leaping catch to end the inning.
Lefty Sam Moll relieved Singer in the eighth. Ortiz struck out looking at a strike three that had to be overturned on a Reds challenge. Hamilton was removed from the game for pinch-hitter Andrew Vaughn, who got a chance against a lefty; he hit a hard grounder to short that McLain didn’t initially field cleanly, but with Vaughn running, McLain was able to recover and throw him out at first. That brought up Yelich, whose bad night continued as he watched three strikes (er, a missed call and two strikes) go by.
Abner Uribe replaced Ashby in the bottom of the eighth, and Cooper Pratt came in to replace the pinch-hitter, Vaughn, with Ortiz moving from shortstop to third. Uribe worked through an easy three-up, three-down inning, and the Brewers and Reds were locked at 0 through eight innings.
The new Cincinnati hurler was righty Tejay Antone. Chourio was fooled by a 3-2 sweeper, a shame, as it ended up middle-middle but Chourio just watched it go by. Turang, one of the only Brewers to show life at the plate tonight, lined a solid single into left with one out, and it looked like the Brewers might have something when Contreras hit a line drive into the gap in right. But Contreras didn’t quite barrel it, and Dunn made a running catch for the second out. The Reds went lefty-lefty by bringing in Brock Burke to face Bauers, who got ahead 3-1 but looked at the next two pitches, both strikes, and the inning was over.
Bauers had burned one of the Brewer challenges on the last pitch of the top of the ninth, and Contreras lost the other, albeit on a pitch that was less than 0.1 inches out of the zone, to start the bottom of the inning on the first pitch from Trevor Megill. Stephenson hit a hard fly ball to left later in the at-bat, but Chourio, playing deep, didn’t have any trouble tracking it down. Megill then struck out McLain on a foul tip, and with two outs Dunn lined a ball into the right-field corner but Frelick was also playing deep and made a nice catch to end the inning.
Nine innings wasn’t enough for either of these teams to muster a run tonight, so we kept going. Bauers was the ghost runner in the tenth as righty Tony Santillan entered for the Reds. Mitchell started the inning nicely by drawing an eight-pitch walk in front of Frelick, who laid down a good sacrifice bunt to advance Bauers and Mitchell. Ortiz was next, and he hit a solid fly ball to right that was plenty deep to score Bauers from third (and advanced Mitchell to third). With two outs, Pratt, who’d entered defensively, had a chance to get a huge add-on run, but it turned out Pratt didn’t even need to do anything; Santillan’s first pitch to Pratt was in the dirt and bounced away, allowing Mitchell to score. Pratt flew out, but the Brewers had built a 2-0 lead without getting a hit in the 10th.
Brewers carry a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the 10th
That was especially important, as the pitcher the Brewers chose to use in the 10th, given that they’d use their three best leverage guys already, was Joel Kuhnel, not exactly a pick that inspired great confidence. The Brewers got the first out when Bleday grounded out to second; Dunn, who started on second, advanced to third, but that second run in the top of the inning afforded the Brewers the luxury of not caring. Another ground ball from Stewart scored Dunn, but it was also the second out, so the Reds had the bases empty and were down to their last out in the form of Myers. Myers hit a line drive toward Turang that should’ve ended the game, but Kuhnel couldn’t help his reaction of reaching up, and he knocked it down, which resulted in an infield single. The Reds were given an extra chance, and Steer jumped at the first pitch and hit a hard grounder, but Ortiz, now over at third base, made a nice sliding play and threw him out to end the game.
Brewers 2, Reds 1 in 10 innings.
Joey Ortiz drove in the game's first run in the top of the 10th and ended the game by teaming with Jake Bauers to make this play in the bottom of the 10th.
The story tonight was Woodruff, who was so good in his return, and a return to form by the three leverage arms in the Brewer bullpen, Ashby, Uribe, and Megill. But Ortiz was also a late hero for the Brewers, as it was his sac fly that finally got a run on the board and his nice defensive play that ended the ballgame. Milwaukee was fortunate to earn the win: the offense was objectively bad, as the team managed only three hits. Two of those belonged to Turang, who was the one exception on the “bad offense” front; the other, an infield hit, was Mitchell’s.
The Brewers will look for a better offensive showing in the second game of the series on Tuesday, but they’ll be happy to escape with a win tonight. More importantly, Woodruff looked like someone who the Brewers might be able to rely on down the stretch, and from a pure fan perspective, it was just nice to see him pitching well for the Brewers again.
That second game of the series comes tomorrow evening at 6:10, when two talented but struggling hurlers face off in Brandon Sproat and Nick Lodolo.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 16: Grant Holmes #66 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Truist Park on June 16, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are coming off a series win against the Brewers in which in the two wins were one run games. Tonight they will face another tough test where they have to travel out west and face a Padres team that is two games over .500 looking to prove that they are a legitimate playoff caliber team.
In the month of June the Braves are dead last in MLB with sixty-one runs scored, but the Padres have not done much better having scored sixty-nine which places them twenty-fifth. The difference will likely come down to the pitching. Grant Holmes who has an ERA over nine in his last two starts will be facing Michael King who currently has a 3.60 ERA but an xERA in the bottom 25.0 percent of pitchers.
Follow along in the comments below while you are sipping your coffee. First pitch is at 10:10 pm EDT.
After the ball got lodged behind the backboard with 8:22 remaining in the first quarter, Haliburton used a Fever court mop to poke it free so play could resume. After successfully completing the task, Haliburton gave a triumphant fist pump as the crowd applauded his efforts.
Haliburton is just returning the favor. Caitlin Clark and several Fever players, including Lexie Hull and Aliyah Boston, attended multiple NBA playoff games in support of the Pacers' run to the 2025 NBA Finals. Haliburton suffered a right Achilles tear in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals and subsequently missed the 2025-26 season.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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