Worldwide Sports News

PORT ST. LUCIE - So the Mets are being proactive with Luis Robert Jr., drilling down on the causes for his chronic leg injuries, and intending to keep him out of games while their medical and sports performance people work to “straighten out” some of the reasons that have kept him from achieving his potential. 

It speaks to the gamble they’re taking on Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for his $20 million salary, as well as the frustration of trying to keep such a high-ceiling athlete off the injured list. 

But it’s also a good thing, especially in this day and age when there is so much science and technology applied to the cause and prevention of injuries. 

All the more so in the case of the Mets.  

It wasn’t too many years ago, remember, when the Mets were heavily criticized for their handling of injuries, either for being too slow to react or for somehow making injuries worse with treatment. 

With that in mind, after listening to Carlos Mendoza announce the “progression” plan for Robert, as well as three other players, I put in a call to Jim Duquette, the SNY analyst and former Mets GM. 

He’d seen the Robert Jr. news as well, and so when he saw I was calling, he answered his phone by saying with a laugh: 

“I know why you’re calling. Jose Reyes?”

“Sorry, Jim,” I said, laughing a bit myself. “It’s the first thing I thought of.”

Duquette, after all, was the assistant GM to Steve Phillips in 2003 when the Mets became so perplexed by Reyes’ recurring hamstring injuries and an examination revealing that one leg was shorter than the other, that they deferred to track and field experts who tried to change Reyes’ running style. 

“We were going with the experts in the field of sprinting,” Duquette recalled. “But it didn’t work. Jose wasn’t comfortable with it and eventually went back to his old style. These days, they probably would have realized it was a hip issue that was causing the difference in leg length and treated it from there. 

“I mean, as an industry, baseball is light years ahead of where we were then in terms of sports medicine and science. Actually, I like what the Mets are doing. The White Sox have not been a forward-thinking organization. They’ve been old-school, where the Mets have become very forward-thinking with this stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if they get a good result from what they’re doing. It’s smart because Robert has incredible skill when he’s right. He just hasn’t been able to stay healthy.”

Duquette, by the way, reminded me that he was gone from the Mets by the time they put Ryan Church on a cross-country flight with a concussion, another rather infamous injury of the many that seemed to become full-blown controversies over a period of several years. 

But as Duquette pointed out, this is a much different organization these days.

For that matter, as one Mets person told me, “Steve (Cohen) doesn’t just spend on players. When he took over, he invested in making every facet of the organization top-notch, and sports science and performance was a big part of that.”

That said, you can make the case that injuries are more of an issue in all sports than ever these days, though a lot of baseball people believe that’s mostly a byproduct of the modern athlete building their body to the limit and stressing it to the extreme.

And there’s probably a lot of truth to that as well. Duquette, for example, noted that what helped Reyes eventually avoid chronic hamstring injuries, and thus rack up 517 stolen bases over a 16-year career, was that “he learned how to run, and run fast, without going max effort all the time.”

More recently, the Mets’ new emphasis on injury prevention has paid off in helping keep the once-chronically injured Brandon Nimmo relatively healthy, in part by bringing him along slowly in spring training as they will now with Robert Jr.

They’re taking similar caution with Jorge Polanco, wanting him to strengthen a knee that had surgery in 2024, as well as Brett Baty, who tweaked a hamstring while working out before camp opened, and Francisco Alvarez, in hoping to avoid the various hand and wrist injuries that have plagued him the last couple of years.

But the headliner is Robert Jr., mostly because the Mets are hoping he’ll stay healthy enough to reach the potential that made him an All-Star in 2023.

“The tools are there,” Mendoza said. “He’s got a chance to do something special if he can stay healthy. When we traded for him, our trainers put their hands on him and identified some of the things, especially in the lower half, that needed to be straightened out.

“He’s going through full workouts, he’s going to be getting live at-bats, but as far as putting him in game settings when he has to full-go, whether it’s beating out a ground ball…we’re not going to put him in there out of the gate.”

Robert Jr. is on board, and why not? He believes, as he said in a media interview, that injuries are the primary reason his numbers have fallen off dramatically since his 38-home runs season in 2023, when he made the AL All-Star team.

“Health, that’s the No. 1 thing,” he said. “If I stay on the field as consistently as I can, I know things will go the way I want.”

He offered evidence of that last summer, when the Mets were interested in trading for him, only to be put off by the asking price.

Over 31 games in July and August, Robert slashed .298/.352/.456 with five home runs, 18 RBI, 24 runs scored and 11 stolen bases, resembling his 2023 form.

Then he suffered another hamstring injury, severe enough that it ended his season. The Mets are hoping they can change all of that, and their own injury history as well.

No offense, Jim.

With Tommy Edman opening the season on the injured list, Hyeseong Kim is a prime candidate to see an uptick in playing time at second base for the Dodgers in the coming season. On Tuesday, he further solidified his case.

With teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto throwing a live batting practice session on the backfields at Camelback Ranch, Kim took the World Series MVP on an unexpected ride. On the 16th pitch of Yamamoto’s live batting practice, Kim crushed an opposite-field home run, dazzling the hundreds of Dodgers fans gathered to watch the team ready itself for its first slate of exhibition games that begin Saturday.

Kim’s home run came after watching Yamamoto walk Teoscar Hernández, induce a groundball from Andy Pages, and strike out newcomer Kyle Tucker looking. However, Kim wasn’t finished quite yet.

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Hyeseong Kim just CRUSHED an opposite field homer off of World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto in live BP at Dodgers Spring Training camp. pic.twitter.com/g92ernHvKt

— Jack Vita (@JackVitaShow) February 17, 2026

Yamamoto took a short break, as Shohei Ohtani threw a round of batting practice himself. After Ohtani got his work in, Yamamoto returned to the mound, with Kim waiting for him in the batter’s box.

On the fifth pitch of his second at-bat versus Yamamoto, Kim ripped a base hit to right field. Yamamoto would see eight at bats on the day, logging 30 pitches. He gave up three hits, two of which came from Kim.

Kim said he tweaked his swing last year after coming over from the KBO on a three-year, $12.5-million contract, and is continuing to progress and feel more comfortable with the adjustments he’s made.

“The swing changes we made last year, I would say I felt about 70% comfortable with,” Kim said through an interpreter on Monday. “And then, this offseason and spring training, we were able to recognize some of the other stuff that we needed to work on, so I’m working very hard to make those changes again this year.”

As a rookie, he batted .280 with a .314 on base percentage, .699 OPS, three home runs and 17 RBI across 71 games. He began the season in triple A, before earning a promotion in May. A left shoulder injury would land him on the injured list, limiting his time in his first big league season — though he was healthy enough to be on the team's postseason roster primarily as a late-inning defensive replacement, playing second base when the Dodgers closed out their Game 7 World Series victory.

Read more:'Game 7 of the World Series was unbelievable': Miguel Rojas on his unexpected stardom

Kim also mixed in 17 games in the outfield to provide depth behind Pages last season, and he knew his outfield defense would be an offseason priority.

“I was aware that I needed to work on my center field and outfield defense,” Kim said. “Even without the front office telling me, I knew that it was something I needed to work on, so I was going to work on it regardless.”

As he prepped for the coming season, Kim focused on his nutrition, upping his protein intake and adding some weight.

“I noticed that I lost a little bit of weight throughout the season and I wanted to make sure that I was gaining my weight back before the season started,” Kim said. “So, I made sure to intake my proteins and my meals so that I was able to gain two-three kilograms this offseason.”

With the news that Edman is still on the mend from offseason ankle surgery, Kim stands to benefit in terms of playing time but he says he's not getting ahead of himself.

“I’m using this time — the offseason and spring training — to just get better,” Kim said. “Whether I play more or not, it doesn’t really affect me much. I’m just trying to get better every day.”

Roberts manages expectations as he addresses team

On the Dodgers’ first day of full-squad workouts, manager Dave Roberts addressed his entire team for the first time Tuesday. Roberts opened with a speech, before players took turns talking.

“I was just kind of talking a little bit about last year and what we accomplished and how we got there, and talking about this year and expectations,” Roberts said. “And a lot of it is the same, continuing to focus on the right things, the little things, and how we go about practicing and playing. Keeping that enthusiasm and buckling up for the long season ahead and we expect to play through October. So, a lot of the same values that we believe in just reiterated.”

Once Roberts finished, his players shared some thoughts of their own. Veterans Miguel Rojas, Will Smith and Mookie Betts were among those to give a speech. Recently acquired stars Tucker and Edwin Díaz also chimed in, discussing why they each made Los Angeles their new home.

Read more:Photos: Shohei Ohtani and World Series champion Dodgers work out at spring training

“It was more just about what made the Dodgers attractive to them,” Roberts said. “I think it’s powerful for our guys to hear it from the other side, from somebody who hasn’t been here. It was a great message from each of those guys. It’s important. It’s powerful for our players to hear from each other.”

And thus, the quest for a three-peat has begun.

“I feel good,” Roberts said. “I’m excited. Our players are excited, coaches are excited. It’s good to get everyone together and start our journey for 2026. I think there’s always optimism early, like every camp. So now, it’s just trying to sustain that energy, that focus every day. Just put those blinders on and stay focused."

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Guardians have spent the offseason not doing much; will they pull off a late-Spring Training trade as they did last year for Nolan Jones?

I would say the general – and sensible – conclusion among Guardians fans is that the team will enter the season with their roster as is, with an eye to improve as needed at the August trade deadline. However, the Guardians did surprise us by acquiring Nolan Jones for Tyler Freeman as Spring Training closed last season. Perhaps they will have an eye to something similar if the right name comes available in the next six weeks.

Conveniently, Jayson Stark of the Athletic interviewed MLB executives to ask for their guesses of which players will be traded this spring. Let’s take a look at the answers execs gave and see which players may or may not interest the Guardians:

High Interest:

Nico Hoerner, 2B/SS, Cubs – Because Hoerner can play an excellent shortstop (and the Cubs have Dansby Swanson and Matt Shaw on hand), trading for Hoerner and his career 120 wRC+ vs. LHP and then immediately attempting to extend him as your shortstop would be a fun, aggressive move that I have no hope of the Guardians making.

Alec Bohm, 1B/3B, Phillies – Bohm would just be a much surer option for 1B/DH partner with Manzardo than David Fry and can play third on Jose’s DH days. But, the Guardians seem set on going with Fry for now.

Yandy Diaz, DH, Rays – I really don’t care about Diaz being DH-only. He remains an elite bat and crushes lefties. He transforms the order immediately and there are few guys out there like that.

James Wood, OF, Nationals – Make no mistake… Wood would cost A LOT for a 23 year-old under control through 2030. But that’s a middle of the order hitter who probably DH’s and replaces Kwan in left when Kwan is traded this offseason and immediately shows us how much we will miss Kwan’s gold glove. A 112/131 wRC+ vs LHP/RHP works for me, though.

Moderate Interest:

Lars Nootbaar, OF, Cardinals – Nolan Jones x2.0 but it works this time? I don’t know…

CJ Abrams, SS, Nationals – I wouls be interested in Abrams in theory, but given his public issue with staying out all night at a casino… it seems a bit untenable given other PR issues the Guardians face.

Nick Pivetta, RHP, Padres – I would love this. Pivetta is under team control through 2028 (unless he opts out) and it’s not an expensive deal. Plus, there seems to be a need for a veteran presence like this on a young staff. But I have trouble seeing the Guardians go outside their top 6 starters.

Jaren Duran, CF, Red Sox or Wilyer Abreu, OF, Red Sox – Duran and Abreu would cost a lot and can’t hit lefties. Would I take either in centerfield here? Absolutely. Will the Guardians acquire either? No.

Jake Cronenworth, Utility, Padres – He upgrades Daniel Schneemann at the plate but may not be able to play SS. Meh.

Matt Shaw, 2B/3B, Cubs – Not sure he is better than any of our up and coming second base options. Maybe?

Low Interest:

Isaac Parades, 1B/3B, Astros – His bat becomes so much less valuable at Progressive Field. Not worth the price.

Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Marlins – I’d like to see the Guardians work with Alcantara but there are questions here and they aren’t going to take on his contract.

Mark Vientos, 1B/3B, Mets – I don’t see a great roster fit here and I am not at all sure he is better than Fry.

N/A – Division targets who aren’t being traded to Cleveland.

Tarik Skubal, LHP, Tigers

Joe Ryan, RHP, Twins

Kris Bubic, LHP, Royals

Byron Buxton, OF, Twins

Bottom line, I do not expect the Guardians to be involved in trading for any of these players. But, should they be discontent with what they see from Fry, from Brito and from Arias/Rocchio this spring – there are some options!

In addition to announcing its spring training broadcast schedule, SportsNet LA on Tuesday announced the bulk of its broadcast plans for the regular season in 2026.

With the Dodgers’ opening day battle against the Arizona Diamondbacks exclusively televised by NBC and streamed on Peacock, the first regular season game for SportsNet LA will be Friday, March 27, the second game of the season. That’s also the night of the championship ring ceremony before the game, which will be part of the SportsNet LA broadcast. For that March 27 broadcast, the pre-game Access SportsNet: Dodgers will be expanded to run for 90 minutes, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PT.

The full exclusive national broadcast schedule for the season hasn’t yet been revealed. Apple TV+ hasn’t yet announced its first half schedule, and usually unveiled each successive month during the season. There are also a few other weeknight ESPN games that haven’t yet been finalized. Last year there were 17 Dodgers games exclusively on national television, leaving 145 for SportsNet LA. In 2024, the split was 16 national games and 146 SportsNet LA contests. Expect a similar number for this season.

Joe Davis and Stephen Nelson will handle the regular season play-by-play duties on SportsNet LA. The split of games hasn’t been revealed, but Davis — who is also the lead national MLB announcer for Fox Sports — has called 87 games for SportsNet LA in each of the last three years.

Orel Hershiser is back as the lead television analyst, in his 11th season calling Dodgers games. Eric Karros and Jessica Mendoza will also continue to call games on SportsNet LA.

Of news this year is the return of Dontrelle Willis to the booth as a game analyst for SportsNet LA, which he did from 2022-23 as well. Willis, who also works nationally as a Fox Sports studio analyst and Apple TV+ game analyst, was hired by the Dodgers to broadcast in 2022 and has been a studio analyst in each of his first four seasons, and will do the same in addition to calling some games as well in 2026. Three years ago, Willis called 12 games for SportsNet LA.

Other studio analysts for SportsNet LA this season are all returning faces — Nomar Garciaparra, Adrián González, Jerry Hairston Jr., Orel Hershiser, and James Loney — along with host John Hartung.

Game reporter Kirsten Watson is back for her sixth season on SportsNet LA, which also includes studio programming. David Vassegh will occasionally fill in as field reporter for some television broadcasts, as he has in years past, cast or not.

Opinion: Stop Trying to Trade Isaac Paredes. The Astros Need Him.

There, I said it.

I don’t want the Houston Astros to trade Isaac Paredes.

And every time I hear another expert, another national analyst, or even another Astros fan casually toss his name into trade proposals like he’s some expendable spare part, it makes less and less sense to me.

If this franchise is serious about extending its Golden Era and not just surviving it, then Paredes should be part of the foundation, not trade bait.

Isaac Paredes Is Not the Problem

Let’s start with the obvious.

Paredes was one of this team’s best offensive players a year ago. That’s not narrative, that’s production.

Yes, he missed time down the stretch with a hamstring injury. And yes, recency bias is real. But when you zoom out and actually look at what he did in just 102 games, the numbers tell a very different story.

He hit .254 with 20 home runs, 53 RBIs, and an .810 OPS.

Now compare that to the farewell tour numbers from Alex Bregman in his final season in Houston:

.260 average.
18 home runs.
62 RBIs.
.821 OPS.
145 games played.

Paredes produced nearly identical power numbers in 43 fewer games.

Who’s to say that over a full 145-game season he doesn’t surpass that line?

A year ago, fans were outraged over losing Bregman. How could you replace a cornerstone third baseman who had been part of the entire championship core?

Well, the Astros replaced him. And they did it without missing much offensively.

But now we’re acting like that replacement is disposable?

The Strike Zone Matters

One thing that gets overlooked in the trade chatter: Paredes has one of the best eyes for the strike zone on this roster.

On a team that has occasionally chased too much and gone cold in October because of it, that matters.

Plate discipline translates. It travels. It holds up under pressure.

That’s not something you just “throw into a Pirates deal” because you’re chasing roster balance.

And speaking of those trade proposals involving Pittsburgh — unless the Astros are getting a return that clearly makes them better both now and in the future, why are we even entertaining the idea?

You don’t move one of your best assets just because you can.

Team Control and Long-Term Value

There’s another key factor: control.

Paredes isn’t a one-year rental. He’s under team control for the next two seasons. In an era where payroll flexibility matters and extensions for stars aren’t automatic, that’s a competitive advantage.

You build around cost-controlled production. You don’t shop it out of convenience or an assumed necessity.

Fix the Logjam Without Breaking the Offense

Yes, the Astros have an infield surplus. Yes, roster construction is tricky.

Yordan Alvarez wants to play more outfield. And the numbers do suggest he’s more engaged offensively when he’s not locked into the DH role. That’s fair.

But instead of bending over backward trying to reposition everyone else, here’s a thought:

Play Paredes at second base.
Let Jose Altuve transition into more of a designated hitter role.

Load the lineup. Prioritize offense. Adjust defensively as needed.

If the Astros are still chasing another left-handed outfield bat and a left-handed starter and they probably should be, there are ways to address those needs without subtracting one of your most consistent right-handed power bats.

This offense has carried this organization for nearly a decade. Weakening it to patch another area or two feels like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Don’t Trade Good Just to Chase “Better”

General manager Dana Brown has work to do. No one disputes that. The roster isn’t perfect. It needs pitching depth and bats in the outfield. It could use balance.

But urgency should not create recklessness.

The only scenario where trading Paredes makes sense is if the offer coming back is overwhelming, the kind that clearly improves the team today and fortifies it tomorrow.

Short of that? Hold him.

Sometimes the smartest move isn’t the splashy one. It’s recognizing the value already in your clubhouse.

Spring training is here. Opening Day is coming. There’s still time to shape this roster.

But if the Astros are serious about contending, not just competing, they should stop dangling Isaac Paredes and start building with him.

Maybe I’m in the minority.

But that’s my column. What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below.

Spencer Miles is a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher. The Blue Jays picked him up in the Rule 5 draft on December 10th, 2025 from the Giants.

Miles was a fourth-round draft pick in 2022. He missed the 2023 season after back surgery and made just four appearances in 2024 because of a flexor strain, which ended up with him getting Tommy John surgery. So he’s pitched just 14.2 innings in the minors, with a 4.30 ERA, 5 walks and 22 strikeouts.

You can see why the Giants figured he would make it through the Rule 5 draft.

What the Jays saw was a pitcher who throws 95 mph and has touch 99. Scouts say it sinks and they he gets a lot of ground balls. He also throws a curve, slider and changeup. Spencer pitched in the Arizona Fall League last year, with 12 strikeouts in 8.2 innings.

If the Jays feel they want to keep Miles, they would have to keep him on the active roster all season. Angel Bastardo, a Rule 5 pick in 2024, who missed all of last season, would also have to stay on the roster all season. There is no chance that the team would keep both of them. So, they will have a head-to-head competition and also try to prove they are valuable enough to make the team.

The cost of a Rule 5 pick is just $100,000, which is pretty cheap to get a chance at looking at a guy who throws as hard as Miles. I’m looking forward to getting to see him pitch this spring. I’d imagine we’ll see a fair bit of him in the first couple of weeks of spring games.

There is some video of him from the AFL.

Steamer doesn’t have a projection for him.