NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 17: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates with teammates after defeating the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on June 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: After almost a month of uncertainty, the Yankees have finally provided a return timetable. Judge indicated that he is targeting an August return, but first has to undergo follow-up imaging in a couple weeks. Judge last played on May 31st and was diagnosed with a fractured first right rib on June 4th, the team then only setting a four-to-six week timetable for re-imaging, but no indication of a return to play. The captain has not been doing any baseball activities but has gotten in lower body weight training. Hopefully the upcoming imaging reveals healing and a potential ramp-up in rehab given the way the Yankees offense has slumped in the second half of his absence.
AP News | Larry Fleisher: Max Fried faced live hitters for the first time since suffering a bone bruise in his pitching elbow. He threw 30 pitches in a 20-minute, two-inning simulated game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. Fried faced fellow IL inhabitants Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon and tallied a pair of strikeouts while throwing all the pitches in his arsenal. Fried was among the AL’s best starters at the time of his injury on May 13th against the Orioles (departing that game after three innings with his velocity noticeably down), pitching to a 3.21 ERA in his first 10 starts. The 32-year-old lefty’s return will be a huge boon to a rotation that regressed significantly in June.
Also contained within are injury updates on a trio of Yankees position players. Grisham and McMahon are both expected to be activated from the IL on Friday, Grisham out since June 12th with a strained right hamstring and McMahon absent since June 21st with a throat infection. Grisham would be a significant reinforcement to their struggling offense while McMahon would shore up what has been a defensive train wreck at third in his absence. Finally, we received confirmation that Jazz Chisholm Jr. has cleared concussion protocol and was available off the bench in their loss to the Tigers on Tuesday, Jazz departing Monday’s game in the fourth after colliding with Jasson Domínguez’s elbow on a shallow fly ball.
New York Post | Jake Nisse ($): Yovanny Cruz was called up on Tuesday to reinforce the bullpen as the corresponding move for Yerry De los Santos’ optioning to Triple-A. Cruz flashed tantalizing stuff in his two game cup of coffee in May, striking out three in 2.1 scoreless innings with a fastball that touches triple digits and a wipeout slider. However, the Yankees have opted to keep him in Triple-A to work on his strike throwing, and indeed his walk rate improved from 12.2-percent to 7.1-percent with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since getting sent back down at the end of last month.
Cruz got into last night’s blowout at the hands of the Tigers and threw two scoreless innings, striking out three.
Aaron Judge is “starting to feel better,” Aaron Boone said, though that feeling has not yet translated into concrete progress toward a return.
Thursday will mark four weeks since the Yankees announced their captain had suffered a stress fracture of a rib and would undergo additional medical imaging in “approximately four to six weeks.”
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He will not be reexamined on the shortest end of the given spectrum, Boone saying Tuesday that Judge is weeks away from a scan that would check for healing.
But in his dealings with Judge, Boone said the feedback has improved.
“He was uncomfortable there for a while,” the Yankees manager said before his team’s 9-3 blowout loss to the Tigers on Tuesday at the Stadium, their sixth consecutive defeat. “It seems like the normal stuff is starting to feel better, so hopefully that’s a good sign of hopefully some healing.”
Judge believed he suffered the stress fracture during a dive in Houston on April 26, and he struggled for weeks trying to play through it before opting for tests in early June.
Since then, the best hitter in baseball has not been “able to do much,” Boone said, “and certainly not able to do any baseball activities.” Judge has been able to work out in the weight room and strengthen his lower body.
A dejected Aaron Judge looks on during the Yankees’ ugly 9-3 loss to the Tigers on June 30, 2026 at the Stadium. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Any return timetable remains elusive.
“It does seem like this week he is starting to feel better, which is encouraging,” Boone said.
After crashing into Jasson Domínguez a day prior, Jazz Chisholm Jr. said he felt better and believed he would be available off the bench, though Boone said the second baseman only would be used in an emergency.
Chisholm believed he would be cleared from the concussion protocol. Boone said he didn’t know whether Chisholm would play Wednesday, and José Caballero started at second base Tuesday.
Chisholm left Monday’s loss in the fourth inning after he chased a shallow fly ball and was clotheslined by Domínguez, who made the catch.
“Felt like I got punched in the face,” Chisholm said.
Cody Bellinger, who had played in 83 of the first 84 games this season, sat for a second time amid a deep slump.
In his previous 12 games, Bellinger had gone 5-for-41 (.122) with a .396 OPS.
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“He’ll get corrected and get it going here,” Boone said. “Hopefully giving him at least the start off tonight kind of lets him take a step back for a second and hopefully get it going.”
Call-up Yovanny Cruz pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts.
He threw five pitches above 100 mph and maxed out at 101.5 mph.
Against lefty Tarik Skubal, Max Schuemann started in left field, Spencer Jones in center and Domínguez in right.
When LeBron James decides where he will play next season, he will not repeat the lie frequently told at introductory news conferences.
He can say, with all sincerity, that “it’s not about the money.”
Because it’s not.
That’s why the Golden State Warriors know they have a legitimate chance to sign James in free agency.
James’ announcement Monday that he was ready to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, who could have paid him more than any other NBA team, is a commentary on his state of mind. A 41-year-old billionaire is exercising his power and privilege to choose his next destination. With the sun setting on his legendary career, he is granting himself the freedom to pursue his personal joy.
If LeBron decides to join the Warriors, bitter rivals a few years ago, it will satisfy his abiding curiosity about playing with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler III — three men he respects on and off the court. This would be an opportunity for James to nourish his basketball soul in ways he no longer could alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves in LA.
At this point in his career, James needs something new to chase. Something he has not already captured. Though he was professional enough in the 2025-26 NBA season with the Lakers, a new chapter with Golden State’s alluring circumstances could be invigorating.
LeBron to the Warriors would meet all the conditions for tremendous theater. They would be, depending on one’s point of view, lovable protagonists or a show limping past its expiration date. LeBron would be positioned to inject fresh energy into a franchise that, over the years, has devolved from contender, if not favorites, to a play-in tournament perennial. He could stand alongside Curry, Green and eventually Butler to face the howling crowd of doubters with a unique goal of doing something unheard of, much less realized.
No NBA team with its core four players all past their 35th birthday has won a championship. Or even reached the NBA Finals.
History tells us that very good young teams traditionally run very good mature teams off the floor and toward their epilogue.
But it is instructive to know that James, Curry and Green have built fabulous careers on their desire to silence skeptics. To prove they can do what others say they can’t. Their careers are so richly decorated that they firmly believe no feat is impossible.
The Lakers could have paid James exponentially more than what he could get from the Warriors. James could have stayed in Los Angeles, close to his family, in the nest of his various business ventures. He could have remained teammates with his son, Bronny, whose contract for the 2026-27 NBA season was guaranteed on Monday.
James can now chase everything that moves his spirit, because there is nothing left to prove. The NBA record book is an ode to his individual greatness. All-time leading scorer. Most games played. Most minutes. Most All-NBA selections. Most All-Star Games. Four MVP awards, with 10 other top-five finishes. And four NBA Finals MVP awards.
The Warriors surely realize adding James alone would not automatically vault them toward the top of the Western Conference. To even have a chance at threatening the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, they would need to support the veteran core with impact talent.
Which would further entice LeBron.
The Warriors have long admired James’ skill and, moreover, his savant-like processing of the game. Coach Steve Kerr, a longtime admirer, raves about LeBron’s basketball IQ and coachability, getting a first-hand feel during their time with Team USA. The relationship between Curry and James has evolved from testy to one of mutual appreciation. Golden State CEO Joe Lacob, an inveterate chaser of superstars, is an unabashed fan.
Then, too, no one has a better nose than Lacob for the potential financial and promotional impact of 1) adding James and 2) pairing him with Curry.
Ultimately, though, LeBron’s decision will be the one that best suits his innate desire.
What might a man who has everything want for himself? A chance to do what no one has done before — and the possibility of sharing such an astonishing achievement with people who are brothers from the same hoop generation.
“I would love to say he’s ahead of schedule, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself and make that declaration,” Green said before the Mets beat the Blue Jays 3-0 on Tuesday at Rogers Centre. “But it’s going well and we’re encouraged by that.”
Holmes, who can opt out of his contract after this season, is among the pitchers the Mets could like to deal before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Holmes was the Mets’ most effective starter before his injury, pitching to a 2.39 ERA in eight starts.
Clay Holmes throws a pitch during the Mets’ loss to the A’s on April 10, 2026 at Citi Fields. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Luis Robert Jr. began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse, where he joined rehabbing Jorge Polanco.
Green was asked what the Mets lineup could become with Robert and Polanco as options. Both players have been sidelined since April.
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“In Robert’s case it’s a right-handed bat that we have missed pretty obviously against left-handed pitching,” Green said. “It would be great to have Polanco — he really rounds out a lineup with an ability to hit from both sides, so the lineup gets lengthened.
“I think some of the at-bats we have had late in games, when you have those guys you have more options, even if they are on the bench on a given day you have got more choices that work really well and I think it’s just a longer, more diverse lineup.”
Though A.J. Ewing has taken grounders, Green downplayed the idea the rookie could shift to the infield following Robert’s return.
“You are talking about somebody adjusting to the big leagues and being locked in out in center field right now, which is where he’s been,” Green said.
The Mets signed outfielder Christopher Morel to a minor league contract, according to an industry source.
Morel, 27, had a .425 OPS in 22 games with the Marlins this season.
There are some NBA trades that, if you had brought the idea up six months earlier, it would have gotten you laughed out of the room.
Trade ideas like Kawhi Leonard returning to Toronto. If someone had said that to you at your work Christmas party last year, you would have said "sure, buddy" as you slowly started to back away. Yet here we are. Kawhi Leonard is returning to Toronto in a blockbuster trade that sends an All-NBA wing back to the place he last won a ring.
Who were the winners and losers in the Leonard trade? Actually, I'm not sure there were any losers — not everyone is a winner, and there is some "meh," but trying to find a real loser was a stretch. Let's break it all down, and we'll start with a reminder of what this trade entails.
Toronto receives: Kawhi Leonard The LA Clippers receive: Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033), a 2027 first-round pick swap, two second-rounder picks (2030 and 2033).
Winner: Kawhi Leonard
More than staying home in Southern California, what Kawhi Leonard really wanted was to get paid. The Los Angeles Clippers would not give the 35-year-old with a lengthy injury history the extension he wanted. Part of that was the Clippers were looking to pivot to a younger team, James Harden and Ivica Zubac were traded at the deadline. So if Leonard wanted to stay with the Clippers, he was going to do it on their terms. The sides were well apart.
Leonard went out and found someone who wanted to pay him. The Raptors and Leonard will work out a two-year contract extension, but at a number he likes a lot more than what the Clippers offered.
Toronto also is somewhere he can compete at a high level — if he stays healthy and everything goes right.
Winner*: Toronto Raptors
* = Leonard is healthy.
On paper, there's a lot to like about the Raptors' roll of the dice on Leonard.
Defensively, pairing Leonard and Scottie Barnes gives the Raptors two perimeter players who can match up with nearly anyone in the league. On offense, the Raptors struggled with consistent shot creation last season, especially in the halfcourt, which was particularly evident when they ran into the Cavaliers in the playoffs. Leonard fixes that. He is almost impossible to keep off his spots and never seems to miss once he gets there. He is a genuine three-level scorer. Last season, he averaged a career-best 27.9 points per game, shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc. As he draws defenders to him, shooting space and driving lanes open up for Barnes, RJ Barrett and everyone else. Leonard fits with what the Raptors need.
But there is the asterisk.
This only works if Kawhi Leonard is healthy, and that has been very hit-and-miss in recent years. He played 65 games last season, but in his seven seasons in Los Angeles, he reached that number twice. That is the big risk the Raptors are taking, that he will stay healthy and play, making everything else worth it.
If Leonard can't stay healthy, the Raptors' big swing misses, and they strike out as losers in the deal.
It's a risk, but one worth taking for a good but not great Raptors team that needs what Leonard can offer.
Beige Flag: LA Clippers
How I feel about the Clippers in this trade is how I felt about Memphis in the Ja Morant deal: It's not a great haul in return, but it was a move that needed to be made. It was time for the Clippers to move on from the Leonard/Paul George era.
The reason I almost made this a win for the Clippers is the draft pick haul. Two unprotected firsts are a very good return for a 35-year-old (although part of it was for taking on those contracts the Raptors wanted off their books). Those picks especially matter to a team that very well may lose some of their own future draft picks as part of the punishment in the Aspiration/cap circumvention investigation, whenever that lands (the Clippers deny any wrongdoing, but in league circles the sense is the investigators found something and Adam Silver will bring the hammer down, although on the team, not really Leonard).
On the court, Ingram, paired with Darius Garland, gives the team some shot creation and will make the Clippers respectable, even in the deep West.
(As a side note, I am not tagging the Clippers as losers in this because the Leonard/George era didn't result in a ring or even a trip to the Finals — you take that swing 10 times out of 10. Bringing in Leonard and George made a former laughing stock franchise relevant. The Clippers made good moves, it just did not work out.)
Winner: Sam Presti and the Thunder
Guess who controls the Clippers' first-round pick next year? You guessed it, the team that seems to own every pick, the OKC Thunder.
With a solid Clippers' roster in a deep West, there is a reasonable chance the Clippers are headed to the lottery, but not likely the bottom three — they have too much talent — and so Oklahoma City could well have an 8.1% chance of getting the No. 1 pick next year, the best odds any team can get under the new lottery system. You know, the system that is supposed to keep the rich from getting richer.
Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) reacts on the mound after giving up a two-run home run to Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) during the first inning,
Cam Schlittler’s night started off badly, and it quickly got even worse.
The Yankees ace coughed up three home runs in a nightmare first inning, and another in the third, as he was ultimately charged with six earned runs and put his team in a hole against Detroit’s reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
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“It’s my job to come in here and try and stop that bleeding, and I couldn’t get that done,” Schlittler said as the Yankees slumped to a sixth consecutive defeat and nearly had a franchise record fifth straight game with three or fewer hits before a pair of ninth-inning singles spared them that infamy.
“So [to] put the team down four [runs] in the first — it’s not encouraging, especially against a guy like that [Skubal].”
Schlittler retired the first two batters he faced but saw an attempted home run robbery by Spencer Jones on Kerry Carpenter bounce off the outfielder’s glove and over the center field wall.
From there, Schlittler unraveled, even if manager Aaron Boone later insisted there was no mental letdown from the slightly unlucky start.
Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler Bill Kostroun/New York Post
Homers by Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson followed despite Schlittler getting them both to two strikes, and the normally steady arm looked deflated after finally getting out of the inning.
He was taken deep again by Greene in the third inning and was finally removed from the firing line in the fifth after a double off the center field wall by Dillon Dingler.
“If he’s not good with his location, he doesn’t usually necessarily pay like that,” Boone said, as he also credited Torkelson for battling during a long at-bat prior to his bomb. “Confident that with Cam, he’ll grow from this, and this will be something that kind of fuels him and allows him to see where he can make adjustments, too, moving forward.”
The 25-year-old has admittedly fared slightly worse against lefties this season (which Carpenter and Greene both are), but this blowup was plain uncharacteristic for Schlittler, who has generally been dominant dating back to his days in college and in the minors.
That success has translated to the majors, where he still has a 2.08 ERA this year even after Tuesday’s blip.
Schlittler was unsurprisingly critical of his performance but found a positive spin — he established his curveball in his second time through the Tigers’ order.
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“It’s taken a while to experience an outing like that,” he said. “So I just got to take what I can from it and get ready for next week.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 08: Steph and Ayesha Curry arrive at the 2022 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards at The Regency Ballroom on December 08, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Steph Curry has watched the NBA rearrange itself like furniture in someone else’s house. Meanwhile he didn’t move; he didn’t have to. While the whole league has been playing musical chairs at the superstar table, the guy with four rings has been right where you left him. Golden State. The Bay. His throne built from splash, from suffering, from seventeen years of institutional trust that almost nobody in professional basketball has ever matched. LeBron packed up Los Angeles. Kawhi circled back to Toronto. Giannis headed to Miami. LaMelo came west. Ja is now in Portland. Somewhere along the way the NBA woke up looking like somebody had shaken a snow globe. But Steph never changed his address.
Here’s the thing about watching someone stay put while everything moves around them: it can look passive until you understand what it costs. Patience through chaos with a mind to solve it is what Curry exhibits year after year, and it produces a different kind of player, and a different kind of legacy. Loyalty at this level isn’t sentimental. It’s sacrificing optionality when optionality is the most valuable currency in the sport. It means absorbing rebuilding years without manufacturing drama to speed up the timeline. It means watching Klay Thompson leave, watching Draymond Green keep his options open, and trusting the foundation anyway. That’s a foundation he helped build after all, something that translates off the court as well.
That’s why it’s pretty cool that Curry has been nominated as a finalist for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. renamed in 2017 to honor Ali’s legacy of using his platform for principle. Steph and his wife Ayesha Curry have been building their own way to that since founding “Eat. Learn. Play.” in Oakland since 2019.
Steph Curry has been named a finalist for the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award, an incredibly special honor https://t.co/AKwTuc6RPM
We’re talking thirty-five million nutritious meals delivered to children and families facing food insecurity. Also, more than $20 million committed to literacy programs across Oakland public schools, including high-impact tutoring, teacher coaching, restocked libraries, and free book fairs at 47 elementary schools. Additionally, that’s over one million books placed directly into the hands of Oakland students. And before I forget, I gotta mention there’s also twenty-four schoolyards and six gyms physically transformed into safe spaces where kids can move, compete, and just be kids.
And the detail that separates “Eat. Learn. Play.” from the average celebrity foundation: Steph and Ayesha personally cover every operating expense. Every donated dollar goes directly to Oakland’s kids.
We’ve spent all summer talking about Steph as the fixed point while the NBA reshuffled itself around him. Turns out basketball was only part of the story. The same instinct that kept him anchored to one franchise also kept him anchored to one community. Oakland didn’t get the version of Steph Curry who was passing through. It got the version who decided this place was worth investing in long after the cameras stopped rolling.
Jun 30, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) reacts after a run scored on an error by left fielder Cooper Ingle (not pictured) during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
✅ Cleveland Guardians score runs in just 1 of 9 innings ✅ Tanner Bibee gives up the exact number of earned runs he leads by ✅ Bibee gets ridiculous and completely undeserved Loss ✅ Shawn Armstrong enters and allows home run
It was another infuriating game of baseball for Guardians fans to watch last night. 2 runs for Grant Fink’s offense. Both in the 1st inning. Bibee gave them back in the third. Cooper Ingle blew the lead in the 7th by not knowing how many outs there were. And Armstrong gave up the dinger in the 8th.
On the bright side, Chase DeLauter looked awesome against Jacob deGrom.
And Braylon Doughty got promoted to AA. My favorite pitching prospect since Biebs.
How bad is that Guardians offense?
• The pitcher who shut them down on Monday night, Chris Paddack, was immediately DFA’d after he completed the only task Texas signed him for. They know Paddack sucks—he has an ERA near 10 against the rest of baseball—but he consistently dominates Cleveland because Grant Fink’s offense never adjusts to anything.
I expect another team to employ this same strategy before the season ends. Could the White Sox do it this weekend?
An unexpected option may have just emerged for the Colorado Avalanche as they continue navigating NHL free agency.
Veteran forward Jonathan Drouin is once again available after the St. Louis Blues placed him on unconditional waivers Tuesday for the purpose of buying out the final season of his contract. With the NHL's buyout window now officially closed, Drouin becomes one of the more intriguing unrestricted veterans still on the market—and a familiar name for Colorado.
Drouin's stint in St. Louis proved to be brief. Acquired from the New York Islanders in a March trade that sent Blues captain Brayden Schenn to New York, the 31-year-old appeared in just nine games, recording one goal and two assists before the organization elected to move on. He had one year remaining on a contract carrying a $4 million cap hit.
Before arriving in St. Louis, Drouin spent two productive seasons with the Avalanche, where he revitalized his NHL career alongside longtime friend Nathan MacKinnon. The pair first became teammates with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL before reaching the NHL together years later, and their chemistry translated immediately in Denver.
Over 122 regular-season games with Colorado, Drouin totaled 30 goals and 63 assists for 93 points, becoming a reliable top-six contributor and an important part of one of the league's highest-scoring offenses. His playmaking ability and familiarity with head coach Jared Bednar's system made him a seamless fit throughout his time with the Avalanche.
Following the 2025-26 season, Drouin made it no secret that he hoped to remain in Colorado, expressing a desire to continue his career with the organization. Instead, he ultimately landed in St. Louis, where his stay lasted less than three months before ending with Tuesday's buyout.
Originally selected third overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2013 NHL Draft, Drouin has appeared in 671 NHL games, compiling 111 goals and 287 assists over his career.
Colorado's offseason priorities remain centered on improving its roster, with the front office still expected to explore additional help up front and potentially add another defenseman. But with Drouin suddenly back on the open market—and his history with both the organization and MacKinnon well established—the circumstances have changed.
Whether that opens the door for a reunion is another question entirely, but one that has suddenly become much more interesting.
Monday’s ABC Four Corners episode looked at the life and death of Nick Lowden, who at 23 was the youngest footballer to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE affects participants in collision and combat sports – having been first identified in boxers nearly a century ago – as well as soldiers and domestic violence victims. “Why am I like this?” Lowden asked his mother. “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with my brain?”
The worst of these stories end up in the flat, neutral tone of coroner’s reports. In 408 subheadings, John Cain’s inquest into the death of Shane Tuck documented what CTE does to the brain, the lives of athletes and their loved ones. The Tuck and Lowden families spoke of young men who didn’t understand what was happening to them, who drew on their athlete’s instinct to fight, and who eventually retreated. Nothing I have read about a footballer has been so crushing as Cain’s detached description of the final 24 hours of Tuck’s life.
The Utah Mammoth have made it clear that their trade for Sebastian Cossa was about more than adding organizational depth.
Just days after acquiring the former first-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for the 23rd overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, Utah announced Wednesday that the 23-year-old goaltender has signed a two-year contract carrying an average annual value of $2 million. The deal immediately solidifies Cossa as a central piece of the organization's long-term plans between the pipes.
Cossa arrives in Utah after spending the past four seasons developing with the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins, where he established himself as one of the league's top young goaltenders. He owns a career 70-33-19 record with a 2.46 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and eight shutouts across 123 regular-season appearances.
His strongest campaign came in 2025-26, when he posted a 26-8-4 record, a 2.33 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage while recording five shutouts in 39 games. The performance earned him his second consecutive selection to the AHL All-Star Game after also receiving the honor in 2025.
Although most of his professional experience has come in the AHL, Cossa has already made his NHL debut. He appeared in his first game with the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 9, 2024, stopping 12 of 14 shots to earn his first career victory against the Buffalo Sabres.
Before beginning his professional career, Cossa emerged as one of the premier goaltending prospects in junior hockey with the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings. He compiled a 71-16-7 record with a 2.12 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and 14 shutouts over 98 games from 2019 through 2022.
His dominance was particularly evident during the 2020-21 season, when he led the WHL with a 1.57 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. One season later, he backstopped the Oil Kings to a league championship, finishing the postseason with a 16-3 record, a 1.93 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and five shutouts in 19 playoff appearances.
That championship run also carries a familiar connection for Utah. Cossa spent all three of his WHL seasons alongside current Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther, giving the two an opportunity to reunite as teammates at the NHL level.
Internationally, the Hamilton, Ontario, native captured a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship after previously representing Team Canada White at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Originally selected 15th overall by the Red Wings in the 2021 NHL Draft, Cossa now joins the Mammoth with a proven track record of success at every level he has played. By following last week's trade with a new contract, Utah has made an early statement that it views the towering netminder as an important part of the franchise's future.
Baseball great and former Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez weighed in on the current state of affairs of the Amazins’, who have been in a free fall this season even after grabbing a 3-0 win on Tuesday over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night in Toronto.
While the Hall of Fame hurler was optimistic the Mets still could turn their season around, he said the biggest issue for his former ballclub was that it lacks any sort of identity. He also believes there’s no leadership among the group.
“The Mets lack personality, they lack identity, they lack leadership. The Mets must find their identity,” Martinez said on TNT on Tuesday. “It gets me mad, because when I was there from 05 to 08…our team was recognized by probably unity, and that’s what made us be successful. We did not achieve our goal, which was to win the World Series, but we were pretty good.
“We were giving the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves a lot to think about every time we took the mound, whether we were hurt — a little bit hurt — or a little banged up, but we were all together, and we played together.”
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Martinez’s tenure with the Mets produced just one playoff appearance, which was the team’s run to the NLCS in 2006.
The Mets famously lost to the Cardinals in seven games in the NLCS and fell out of the playoff race on the final day in each of the next two seasons after squandering division leads.
“We were going at it in the best way possible,” Martinez continued. “You don’t see that with the Mets. It’s like everybody’s playing their own game on their own. They need to be together in order for them to be successful. Everybody can achieve a little bit, anybody can give a little bit of something positive for the next guy coming up.”
Francisco Alvarez (left) and Francisco Lindor (12) celebrate after the Mets’ 3-0 win over the Blue Jays on June 30, 2026 in Toronto. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP
The baseball great did add that the Mets have the talent that should make them a competitive team, but again pointed to the need for accountability.
“They need to find their own identity, and they need to be accountable and responsible for the money they’re being paid,” he added.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 30: Julio Rodríguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates an 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park on June 30, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Like a rollercoaster built by a particularly unimaginative person, tonight’s Mariners game was slow and boring for the first two-thirds, then suddenly rocketed into being fun late. By the time it was over the score was 8-3 and the Mariners offense had somehow not only blown past their former three-run-per-game cap (Rest in Pieces, hopefully never to be seen again), but managed to score all those runs without a homer for the first time in four years. For a team that’s built on on-base and slug, tonight was a lot of death by papercuts inflicted on the Angels bullpen, appropriately ending what’s been a weird June in a weird way – and yet also not, because with this win the Mariners end June at 13-14 for the month, the exact same way they ended June of 2025. Could this boring back-loaded rollercoaster metaphor bear out over the whole season? Reader, we shall see.
Bryan Woo turned in another solid start in what’s been a fairly uneven season for him so far, bobbing and weaving through some bad-luck BABIP hits and fielding miscues behind him; he didn’t have to deal with more than one baserunner until the fifth, when perpetual thorn in Mariners side Jo Adell reached on a throwing error from Colt Emerson and then Woo , maybe shaken, walked his next hitter, Josh Lowe, who is currently running a robust 4% walk rate. Woo rebounded to get out of trouble, getting three straight weakly-hit outs, and then roared through the sixth with a quick 1-2-3 inning against the top of the Angels lineup.
But the Mariners offense limped through those first five innings, tonight missing both Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone, both getting in an extra day of rest before tomorrow’s off-day. The Mariners couldn’t get anything going off Jose Soriano, putting him in a time machine and transporting him back to his early dominant days of the 2026 season despite some wandering command. Soriano struck out nine Mariners over five innings, as they chased after both cutters up and curveballs down, scattering just three hits across the first five frames.
The Mariners finally broke the deadlock in the sixth, finally stringing together some hits against Soriano, and we’re saying finally twice (thrice!) because that’s how finally it felt. Julio Rodríguez, leading off the inning, jumped on the first pitch he saw, a slider, for a single. Josh Naylor then worked a slightly longer at-bat before getting a fastball he could dump up the middle for a single of his own. The Mariners got their first run of the day – and the first run of the game – on a third consecutive single from Randy Arozarena, who took Soriano’s splitter and scorched it into left field, bringing in Julio from second easily.
That * explosion of offense * caused Angels manager Kurt Suzuki (curséd sentence) to call upon Chase Silseth, who sounds like if a Star Wars character went to a fancy boarding school, to face Cal Raleigh. It’s been a struggle for the Big Dumper, and while we would have loved to see a refreshing rainmaking Dump in the form of a home run, Cal’s smug face here on an overturned strike three that flipped to a walk – a challenge that risked what would have been the Mariners’ last challenge of the day after an ill-considered challenge by Naylor in the first – is pretty sweet succor.
Cole Young was the hero of last night’s game with his two-homer effort and he continued to produce at the plate today, smoking a splitter from Silseth (say that three times fast) at 101 mph into right field, bringing in Naylor from third. A wild pitch brought home another run and suddenly the Mariners had hit their three-run cap. After the next two batters made outs – Colt Emerson struck out on a borderline pitch challenged by Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe, and Victor Robles struck out on seven pitches, nary a one of which approached the plate – it seemed like that’s where the inning, and possibly the run-scoring, would grind to a halt, with Weston Wilson – owner of two strikeouts already on the day – due up. But Wilson got a sinker on the plate and was able to just knock it over the head of a leaping Nolan Schanuel to bring in another pair of runs.
It’s a good thing the Mariners did add on, because the Angels did their own version of breaking the game open in the seventh after Bryan Woo exited the game with one out, having given up another bad-luck leadoff single on a changeup to Wade Meckler and, a batter later, losing a nine-pitch battle to pesky Josh Lowe that ended in a single on the slider.
Eduard Bazardo was called upon to stop the bleeding and he did not, giving up an RBI single to the first batter he saw, Logan O’Hoppe, on a poorly-located sinker. Bazardo then worsened the situation by walking nine-hole hitter and former Mariner Donovan Walton, bringing up Zach Neto, who tattooed a sinker right back up the middle for a two-RBI single, drawing the game to 5-3. Sinkers? More like stinkers on this part of the rollercoaster (bad, pejorative, creaky).
Things could have gotten worse from there, as Vaughn Grissom dunked a pitch shallowly into right field that Weston/Wilson – who has played some outfield but almost exclusively in left field – couldn’t quite get to, diving but having the ball pop out of his glove. WesWil smartly came up firing, though, and was able to get the ball in for a force on Neto, caught between second and third as Walton remained at second, having to hold up to see if the ball was caught. Bazardo was able to get Schanuel to fly out harmlessly to end the inning, but things were considerably tighter than they had been, with just two runs left to ensure that another strong start from a Mariners starter wouldn’t be squandered.
However, here’s where the rollercoaster (fun, complimentary, whoo-hoo-hands) gets cranking again. The Mariners were able to open up the lead again the seventh against veteran lefty Brent Suter. Julio led off with a hard-struck single up the middle, moving to third on a one-out double by Arozarena. But Cal had a tough at-bat against Suter, going down on three pitches for the second out, putting the onus on the two young lefties at the bottom of the lineup – Cole and Colt, whose ages combined are a mere six years older than Suter. Cole started off by working an excellent ten-pitch plate appearance culminating in a walk, fouling off pitch after pitch and refusing to expand against the veteran. Hooray for Cole. Then Colt, not to be outdone, parachuted a little fly-ball single on the first pitch he saw into left field for another two runs of insurance.
It was a particularly nice moment for Emerson, who struggled yesterday, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. But Emerson immediately gave all the credit to his teammate Young for working a long at-bat and forcing Suter to show his hand.
“Cole Young having the 10-pitch at-bat against Suter – that’s a really great pitcher, and seeing him do that gave me all the confidence in the world to go up there and be myself,” Emerson said. “Kind of saw everything Suter had to throw at that point – Cole got multiple changeups, you know no one practices lefty-lefty changeups, so seeing that fitght was just outstanding. I’m so happy for him.”
With a five-run lead, Dan Wilson opted to give Michael Rucker a chance at redemption against the middle part of the Angels order. Rucker walked the first hitter he saw, Jorge Soler, and then fell behind his next hitter 1-0, but was able to get Meckler to ground into a double play on the second pitch, a well-located four-seamer at the top of the zone, and then got another ground ball out off the bat of Adell for a scoreless inning. Andrés Muñoz, in to get a little work before the off-day, shut the door in the ninth with authority, and that was that. A solid team win, and they didn’t even have to homer about it. Now the calendar flips to July, and the All-Star Break, and hopefully some hotter Mariners hitting to go with the warmer temperatures.
WEST SACRAMENTO –– The cheers began with the final out, continued through the Dodgers’ postgame handshake line, and didn’t end until the man of the night had walked all the way off the field.
With the Dodgers’ 9-3 win over the Athletics on Tuesday night, Dave Roberts became the 69th manager in MLB history to win 1,000 career games, and reached the mark faster than anyone else to previously enter the club.
A grand accomplishment. An historic milestone. And a moment not lost on the Dodger-heavy crowd of 12,387 at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento –– many of whom stuck around to serenade the skipper as he smiled and waved on his way back to the left field clubhouse.
“I know people say the word surreal a lot, but it is surreal,” Roberts said once he arrived back in his office, following a champagne toast with his players and celebratory embraces with practically all of the team’s traveling party. “Because you take a step back and look at the body of work, it’s been a fun ride. It really has.”
This, of course, wasn’t the setting Roberts would have been expecting his landmark moment to come in, on a nondescript Tuesday night at the triple-A ballpark the Athletics are temporarily calling home.
Then again, reaching 1,000 wins was not something Roberts foresaw when he was hired as a first-time manager by the Dodgers before the 2016 season, either, unable to imagine the run of success that has followed.
“That’s a long time of consistent winning, let alone keeping a job for 11 years,” he said jokingly. “That’s just kind of the life I chose. But yeah, to kind of put your head down and look back and go, ‘Oh my god, I’m here,’ it’s mind-blowing. I still feel like I’m getting better, and I still enjoy it.”
In his 11th season helming the Dodgers, and only his 1,606th at the top step of the dugout, Roberts watched his team record career win No. 1,000 in relative easy fashion Tuesday, getting to kick back and relax as he added another accolade to his future Hall of Fame resume.
The Dodgers removed the pretense of drama early, jumping to a two-run lead in the top of the first inning. They broke the game on a three-run home run from Tommy Edman in the third (part of his four-hit, four-RBI night) and a solo blast from Miguel Rojas in the sixth (the first of his two RBIs). And they kept piling on from there, providing Justin Wrobleski plenty of support in his seven-inning, three-run start –– which included a career-high 11 strikeouts –– while cruising to a series-clinching win that continues their push for a third-straight World Series.
“What makes a good coach? You have good players,” Roberts quipped.
Dave Roberts tips his cap to the fans as he walks off the field after recording his 1,000th victory as a manager after the Dodgers’ 9-3 win over the A’s on June 30, 2026 in West Sacramento, Calif. Getty Images
Still, for all the star-studded talent that has populated his rosters over the years, Roberts’ upbeat and ever-positive touch has been equally important in bringing it all together.
“He’s a special person,” shortstop Mookie Betts said before the game. “He is my manager, but I just don’t really see him that way. I see him more as like a baseball dad, to be honest. He’s always there … He’s so much more than just a manager.”
During his tenure with the club, the 54-year-old Roberts has overseen nine division titles, five National League pennants and three World Series titles.
That track record is nearly unmatched in Dodgers history. Only Walter Alston won more World Series with four. Only Alston, Tommy Lasorda and Walter Robinson racked up more wins.
None of them, of course, matched Roberts’ MLB-record .622 winning percentage. And none of them have racked up as many rings as quickly as he has over the last six years, helping the Dodgers cement their modern-day dynasty while burnishing his future Hall of Fame resume.
Tommy Edman belts a three-run homer in the third inning of the Dodgers win over the A’s. Scott Marshall-Imagn Images
“You play this game for so long, you coach it, you think you know a lot, but I’ve learned a lot more coaching than I ever thought I did before taking this job of manager,” Roberts said. “And yeah, it’s fleeting. You just never know when it could be taken away. So every day, I love being the manager of the Dodgers.”
What it means
Roberts had tried to downplay his pursuit of history leading up to Tuesday’s accomplishment.
His players, however, had offered plenty of anticipatory praise.
Before Tuesday’s game, Betts described Roberts’ ability to connect to players and manage personalities and relationships as his biggest strength.
“Again, it’s not like a coach-to-player thing. It’s more like a dad-to-son type thing,” he said. “So I think it resonates a lot more. I think we all appreciate it.”
Dave Roberts, who picked up his 1,000th win, acknowledges the fans after the Dodgers’ victory over the A’s. Scott Marshall-Imagn Images
Rojas echoed those sentiments, arguing that Roberts has gone underappreciated, if anything, during the Dodgers’ rise to dynasty status.
“I think people will realize when he retires, and when he doesn’t want to manage anymore, how good of a manager he was for one of the best teams of this generation,” Rojas said.
Who’s hot
Roberts claimed he doesn’t “do great with being celebrated.”
But he soaked up the scene Tuesday after the final out was recorded.
First, he exchanged hugs with the entirety of his coaching staff, going down a line with each one in the dugout. Then, he did the same with all of his players as they went through a line of high fives out on the field.
Dave Roberts looks on from the dugout during the Dodgers’ win over the A’s. Getty Images
“There was just so many people that are a part of this whole ride, that it’s a team kind of accomplishment, milestone,” Roberts said. “And I truly believe that. I’ve been very fortunate to be around a lot of great people.”
As Roberts turned back toward the dugout, a raucous ovation from the crowd was awaiting him, prompting him to doff his cap several times and wave it with a smile.
“It seemed like a home game tonight and last night here,” Roberts said. “Everyone in the stands knew about it, which was great. And it’s a good feeling. Happy it’s over. Happy we got it done.”
During the clubhouse toast, both Rojas and Freddie Freeman stood up to address the room, delivering what Roberts described as “heartfelt” speeches in recognition of his accomplishment.
The thing they said that will stick with him the most?
“That I care more about them as people than I do as players,” he said.
Added Rojas: “This guy is a human being that cares about everybody, and it shows every single day.”
Who’s not
No answer here.
Roberts’ 1,000th win came amid one of the Dodgers’ best stretches of the season, with the club winning its fourth-straight game and 11th out of the last 14, improving its MLB-best record to 56-30.
The Dodgers also finished June with a season-best 18-9 record, maintaining a double-digit game lead in the National League West division.
Up next
Roberts will begin his march for another 1,000 wins on Wednesday, when the Dodgers will employ a bullpen game –– after pushing back Shohei Ohtani’s originally scheduled start –– as they go for a series sweep of the Athletics, who will turn to right-hander JT Ginn (6-4, 3.25 ERA).
The Los Angeles Kings could be preparing to address one of their offseason priorities as NHL free agency approaches.
With veteran forward Scott Laughton widely expected to move on when the market opens July 1, Los Angeles is expected to explore options to reinforce its forward depth. One name that has already surfaced is veteran winger Erik Haula, whom NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes could be headed to the Kings.
Speaking on The Game Nashville, Friedman was asked whether he had heard of any potential free-agent destinations before the market officially opens. Haula was the first player he mentioned.
"The one name I did hear is that Erik Haula might end up in LA," Friedman said.
Haula would bring experience, versatility, and secondary offense to a Kings roster looking to add reliable depth under new head coach Peter Laviolette. The 35-year-old has spent parts of 14 NHL seasons with seven different organizations and has built a reputation as a dependable two-way forward capable of contributing throughout the lineup.
He spent the 2025-26 season with the Nashville Predators, recording 14 goals and 38 points in 81 games. Across 840 career NHL contests, Haula has totaled 147 goals and 375 points while logging minutes in a variety of offensive and defensive roles.
For Los Angeles, the fit makes sense beyond the production. If Laughton leaves as expected, the Kings will have another opening among their veteran forwards, making an experienced player like Haula a logical target. He offers lineup flexibility, playoff experience, and should come at a manageable price compared to some of the higher-profile options available in free agency.
Haula is coming off a three-year, $9.45 million contract and is expected to command a similar annual salary on a shorter-term deal. A one- or two-year contract in the $3 million to $4 million average annual value range appears to be a realistic projection despite the NHL's rising salary cap.
Because Haula is 35 years old, he is also eligible to sign a one-year contract that includes performance bonuses. That structure could provide additional flexibility for the Kings, who have roughly $11 million in available salary cap space entering free agency. A deal with a lower guaranteed salary and attainable performance incentives could allow Los Angeles to maximize its cap flexibility while adding another proven veteran to its forward group.
