PHOENIX — Aaron Judge already was running out of time to nail down his timing before the playoffs began. 

Now, a tight lower right leg threatens to disrupt that further, if not have more serious ramifications for his availability down the road. 

For now, the Yankees were hoping Thursday’s off day, during which Judge was expected to receive more treatment on his leg, would be well-timed.

His status beyond that, though, was still a question mark as they entered Friday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks. 

That the next three games are on turf is not ideal, given that the Yankees are often cautious using players who are dealing with any kind of soft-tissue leg injury on the artificial surface.

It is possible the Yankees use the weekend to make sure Judge gets healthy before deploying him for Tuesday’s showdown against the Rays, who now lead the American League East by five games with 10 to play. 

While this weekend’s games are important in that race, the Yankees much rather would ensure Judge is ready for the playoffs instead of potentially making the injury worse by playing him in hopes of chasing down the Rays for the division. 

In a hint of potential good news — or perhaps just avoiding the worst-case scenario — both Jasson Domínguez and Max Schuemann were in the lineup Thursday night at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, suggesting the Yankees at least were not immediately calling up an injury replacement for Judge, though that does not preclude them from doing so in the coming days. 

But if the Yankees believe Judge has a chance to play again before the regular season is over, it is unlikely he will go back on the injured list because doing so would keep him out through Game 161.

So if they have to play a man short over the next few days, they will, especially with rosters already expanded. 

Before leaving Wednesday’s game against the Twins in the sixth inning, Judge was batting only 4-for-23 (.174) with a .513 OPS and one home run in his first seven games back from missing three-plus months with a right rib stress fracture.

After the Yankees had eased him back in, he essentially was expected to be a full go starting Friday, meaning plenty of consistent at-bats to get locked in, at least until the leg tightness popped up. 

“I feel like you deal with this every spring training,” Judge said Wednesday. “Usually start of the season once you start ramping up again, things pop up and that’s where we’ve been — thankfully this whole time coming back, nothing’s really nagged us. So hopefully, it’s just one little thing and we’re back out there soon.”

New York Mets first baseman Jared Young was still experiencing concussion symptoms hours after he was carted off the field in the top of the sixth inning Thursday night at Citi Field after a scary collision with his pitcher. The Mets announced he was being taken to a hospital for examination and that he had feeling in his extremities and interim manager Andy Green told reporters that Young had undergone a CT scan.

Green said the CT scan was "negative," and emphasized how scary it was because Young was unconscious.

"It was a terrifying moment on the baseball field. Took him a while to come to," Green said after the 3-0 loss to the Phillies.

The collision happened when Nolan McLean inadvertently kneed a diving Young in the head as he chased a ground ball to first base. Young's head snapped back and he went down hard.

Status alert: Jared Young (head) carted off field Thursday.

Young gave a thumbs up as he was carted off the field.pic.twitter.com/bkacGRl7xI

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 18, 2026

Young laid in the infield dirt for several minutes as his teammates gathered around him and the Phillies waited quietly in their dugout. Young was attended to by Green and the Mets training staff for several minutes before being carted off. He was conscious and moving as he was carried off.

Young eventually lifted his arm and gave the crowd a thumbs-up as the cart went through the outfield.

"It is scary to see one of our brothers, one of the most respected and loved teammates that we have here, like that," Francisco Lindor said of Young.

Jared Young has been taken off the field on a stretcher after a collision with Nolan McLean near first base.

Young gave a thumbs-up to the crowd as he was carted off the field. pic.twitter.com/VsYlxza2Pt

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 18, 2026

The injury is a brutal turn for Young, who has been one of the more unlikely success stories on the Mets' roster this season. A 15th-round pick by the Cubs in 2017 out of Old Dominion, Young bounced through Chicago's system before a brief big-league cameo in 2022-23. The Cardinals claimed him off waivers in 2023, but rather than grind in their minor league system, he signed with the Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization, where he hit .326 with 10 homers in 2024 and set a foreign-player record with eight RBI in a single game.

The Mets brought him back to the U.S. on a one-year split deal in December 2024 and he spent most of 2025 buried behind Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker. Young finished 2025 as a September call-up, brought up to replace Brett Baty, who was injured.

Young made the Mets' 2026 Opening Day roster off the bench in part because Mike Tauchman suffered a knee injusy. Young tore the meniscus in his left knee in mid-April and underwent surgery, an injury that cost him roughly six weeks. He returned hot, posting a 1.018 OPS over his first nine games back, and kept hitting his way into a bigger role. He entered Thursday's game hitting .267 with a .761 OPS, nine home runs and 39 RBI.

Phillies slugger Bryce Harper began his postgame remarks by saying "I hope he's OK, may God be with him and his family."

Lindor also thanked the medical professionals that helped his teammate.

"Respect for the paramedics and our training staff, they did a really good job, as well," Lindor said.

This story has been updated with new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jared Young injury update: Mets first baseman taken to hospital after scary collision

A terrible Mets season got even worse Thursday, as Jared Young suffered a frightening injury when he collided with Nolan McLean while attempting to make a play at first base during a 3-0 loss to the Phillies. 

The first baseman was knocked unconscious and had to be stretchered off the field during the top of the sixth inning after he and McLean awkwardly went after a Justin Crawford chopper down the first base line. 

Young first looked ready to field the ball but went back towards the bag as McLean also charged it. 

With both players off-balance, McLean’s knee slammed into Young’s head. 

Young immediately went to the ground and stayed there for several minutes as trainers rushed to his assistance. 

Paramedics quickly tended to Young, who was stretchered off the field in front of stunned players. 

Young gave a thumbs up as he was carted off the field and received an ovation from the Citi Field crowd. The Mets announced Young was taken to a hospital and had feeling in his extremities. 

After the game, interim manager Andy Green said a CT scan was negative. 

“He’s still experiencing real concussion symptoms right now,’’ Green said. “At this point in time, it looks like he avoided the scariest outcome. … There are really good signs.” 

McLean managed to finish the inning, while Young was replaced at first base by Mark Vientos. 

“It’s scary to see one of our brothers, one of the most respected and loved teammates we have here, like that,’’ Francisco Lindor said. 

McLean, too shaken by the play to speak after the game, knew how serious Young’s injury could be, according to Lindor. 

“Seeing another great teammate [McLean] saying, ‘This is not good. I hit him with my knee,’ somebody that played football, that knows hits,” Lindor said of McLean’s reaction. “Life is bigger than this game, for sure, and seeing [Young] not reacting [and] then seeing the trainer holding his neck, it was a scary moment. You can only think about how quick life can get out of your hands and think about his family. It was a tough moment. Respect for Nolan to gather himself and finish the inning.” 

It was after the inning that the players were able to find out more about Young’s injury. 

The 31-year-old has taken over the first base job thanks to Jorge Polanco’s season-long struggles with both his bat and health, as well as Vientos’ slump. 

Lindor said of Young, “He’s always happy. He posts up. He’s somebody we all respect and appreciate. He’s been a big part of our team the whole year [and] probably one of the better hitters on the team. I can only imagine what he’s going through. … We’re all praying for the best.” 

On the field, the Mets were held without a hit by right-hander Aaron Nola before rookie Nick Morabito singled to left with one out in the sixth, as they lost their fifth straight and sixth in their last seven games.

FIRST PITCH: 838p Central
TELEVISION: Twins.TV, still presented by Progressive
RADIO: W-C-C-O 830 AM, KMNB 102.9 FM “The Wolf, rawr”, Danny Gladden Radio Network, Audacy Application
KNOW YOUR FOE: none from SB Nation (Why? James tells us here.); alternatively, try Crashing the Pearly Gates

I thought the Minnesota Twins started this road trip in San Francisco, so I was going to put Scott McKenzie’s song “San Francisco” in and say the Twins should wear flowers in their hair and blah blah blah because the Giants are not doing well either and I dunno, man. But no, the Twins are going to Anaheim to play the Angels, another California team that is not doing well. I don’t know what you wear to Los Angeles though. Sequins?

It’s a meaningless late-season West Coast road trip against two teams that are also in the cellars of their respective divisions. What a party! The first series is a four-gamer against the Angels of Anaheim.

Walbert Ureña will get the ball for Los Angeles (A. L.) and he’s been pretty good this year. The rookie has put up a 2.88 ERA/3.68 FIP in 27 games (25 starts), does not give up many homers (nine on the season!), and strikes out two batters for every walk he issues. Also he has a cool name.

Taj Bradley gets the call for the Twins (A. L.) and he’s also been pretty good this year. He faced the Agnels on July 12 of this season, throwing seven innings of two-run baseball, both runs coming on homers – and both those hits were the only ones he allowed. He also struck out six and walked two batters. The Twins ended up winning 4-2 and he was awarded the W.

Put on the coffeepot. It’s TTAD!

Lineups:

In a scary scene at Citi Field on Thursday night, Mets first baseman Jared Young was taken off the field on a stretcher after being kneed in the head by Nolan McLeanon a play at first base in the sixth inning against the Phillies. 

The Mets announced shortly after Young was injured that he had feeling in his extremities and was being taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

On the play, the ball -- which was hit by Justin Crawford -- rolled slowly up the first base line with both Young and McLean pursuing it. As it got close to the bag, Young lunged to his right to attempt to field it as McLean arrived near first base, with McLean's right knee hitting Young in the head/face, resulting in Young lying face down and motionless.

Young was down for several minutes while being attended to by the medical staff. Young, who was surrounded by McLean and every starting position player while lying on the field, was eventually placed on a stretcher and removed from the field on a cart.

As Young was being taken through the opening in the left center field fence, he gave fans a thumbs-up. 

“It was really scary," interim manager Andy Green said after the game. "Since he’s got to the hospital, he’s had a CT scan and the results have come back negative. Still experiencing real concussion symptoms right now. Likely avoided the scariest outcome. It was a terrifying moment on the baseball field."

McLean, who was visibly shaken as Young was being taken care of, returned to the mound after Young was removed from the field and recorded the final out of the inning. 

Young was replaced at first base by Mark Vientos.

The 31-year-old Young, who has become the Mets' regular first baseman this season, is hitting .268/.332/.431 (.764 OPS) in 102 games this season. It has been a breakout year for him after playing just 44 games for the Mets and Cubs between his big league debut in 2022 and 2025.

The San Diego Padres’ Low-A affiliate, Lake Elsinore Storm, pummeled their way to the California League Championship on the backs of their newest players, with some assistance from some of their other highly ranked young prospects.

After struggling through most of the second half of the season, the Storm put on a postseason surge after suffering an 11-game losing streak during the last three weeks of the season. There was a hint of the turnaround during the last week of the regular season when Lake Elsinore finished with a winning series against Inland Empire, showing increased effectiveness on both offense and with their pitching.

After going 39-30 in the first half of the year, winning a spot in the playoffs, the Storm finished the second half with a 27-35 record and barely had a winning season at 66-65. Their first-half success was fueled by multiple players who earned themselves promotion to Single-A Fort Wayne. The Storm players that were promoted to Lake Elsinore from the Arizona Complex League were not able to sustain that success.

On Aug. 4, the Padres organization started adding the newly signed 2026 draft picks to the Lake Elsinore roster. Over the course of the month, outfielder Alex Conover (4th round), infielder Nu’u Contrades (6th round), infielder Elliot Lascelles (2nd round), C/1B/DH Augie Lopez (10th round), and infielder Joe Tiroly (7th round) all made their professional debuts.

They joined infielder Dawson Willis, who was promoted from the ACL when that league finished but had been injured and was activated shortly before their arrival. It took most of August and into September for the new Storm teammates to adjust to the major changes in the roster. Their prolonged and frequent losses attest to the time it took for them all to become a cohesive team.

Divisional playoffs

The Ontario Tower Buzzers (Dodgers) were the first to discover the Storm had found their footing. After dominating the second half, Ontario finished 10 games over .500. Playing a divisional playoff series, the Storm swept the best-of-three by winning the first two games. 

RHP Jesus Castro, 19, had a stellar start in the first game, with six innings of two-hit and one-run ball. The pitching staff had been reinforced at the beginning of September with some more 2026 signees, including lefty relievers Rob Evans (12th round) and Andrew Wright (UDFA), both contributing. LF Conover went 4-for-5 with two RBI, and DH Contrades had three hits in four at-bats. 1B Joe Tiroly went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

In their clinching game on Sept. 10, LHP Kruz Schoolcraft had his best outing of the year. Finishing five innings, Schoolcraft allowed two hits and no runs with eight strikeouts. He was followed by 2026 first-rounder Coleman Borthwick, whom the Padres sent to Lake Elsinore from their Bridge League to pitch in the playoffs. The 18-year-old, who tops out his fastball in the high-90’s, threw two innings of two-hit ball, allowing a run with two walks and four strikeouts, making his professional debut in a playoff atmosphere. The last two innings were covered by 19-year-old Lan-Hong Su, who registered his first professional save by shutting out Ontario on a walk and three strikeouts. 

DH Nu’u Contrades had two hits in three at-bats with two RBI while CF Dawson Willis hit 2-for-4, upping his average to .375. Canadian SS/2B Elliot Lascelles, 18, hit a double, drove in a run, and had an RBI. 

Using all starters to cover nine innings, the Storm allowed only four hits and recorded 15 strikeouts in their 6-1 win. 

Winning a Championship 

Advancing to the Championship series, the Storm had to face off against the team with the best record in the league. 

The San Jose Giants (SF Giants) finished their season at 80-52, 11 games up on the second-place Fresno Grizzlies. They led the league in both hitting and pitching stats for the regular season.

The best-of-three series kicked off on Sept. 13 in Lake Elsinore with a rout by the Storm. Scoring 12 runs to the Giants’ one run, the Storm had 13 hits, with 2B Lascelles going 3-for-6 with three RBI, including a double. 1B Joe Tiroly had three hits in five at-bats, with a run scored and an RBI. He also hit a double as part of his offensive effort. LF Conover went 2-for-4 with four RBI, including a two-run home run.

The game was started by RHP Tyler Schmitt, who went 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and no runs with three walks and three strikeouts. He was followed by RHP Jack Pineau, a 22-year-old Canadian who was signed as an undrafted free agent (UDFA) in July. Pineau completed the fifth inning with no hits and a strikeout. LHP Adler Cecil got the win with three innings of two-hit pitching, issuing two walks and striking out five.

LHP Ben Stubbs (2026, ninth round) finished off the game, allowing the only run on two hits with two walks. Overall, the pitchers issued seven walks and had nine strikeouts.

After an off day, the second game was played in San Jose, with the Giants showing why they were the best team in the league. Their pitching staff no-hit the Storm over nine innings, with the Storm scoring a run on a Dawson Willis walk followed by a balk and then a passed ball, scoring on a double steal (with Lascelles).

RHP Jesus Castro threw 4.2 innings of two-hit, two-run baseball with a walk and three strikeouts. The effort by the bullpen included UDFA RHP Tyler Pitzer, who allowed three runs in 0.1 innings, and 2026 12th-rounder Rob Evans, who pitched 1.1 innings with two hits and a run allowed.

Besides being no-hit, the Storm hitters only managed two walks while striking out 11 times.

The deciding game of the series was played the next day, Sept. 16, in San Jose. Lake Elsinore liked the effort made by first-rounder RHP Coleman Borthwick so much in the Ontario series that they started him in the deciding game for the championship. 

Shutting out the Giants over two innings, Borthwick struck out two while using his fastball/slider combo, proving effective in four innings of playoff pitching, while leading the Storm to a 13-2 decisive clincher and a championship.

Borthwick was followed by RHP Lan-Hong Su for three innings of work. He gave up four hits and a run but struck out eight hitters. The last four innings were finished by Jack Pineau, Andrew Wright and LHP Sean Fitzpatrick, who combined to limit San Jose to one run on six hits with a combined 15 strikeouts.

The offense went to town on Giants pitching, amassing 13 runs on 13 hits while the pitching staff held the Giants to two runs.

Second baseman Lascelles was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. 1B Tiroly went 2-for-4 with two RBI, including a double. DH Contrades had two hits in four at-bats with three RBI, including a double and a home run. RF Qrey Lott, 21, who had a good season with a .272 average and a .805 OPS, went off in the postseason. In the five games, Lott had 18 ABs while hitting .444/.524/.944 with two doubles, two triples, a home run, and five RBI. 

The surprising turnaround for the Lake Elsinore Storm shows what a team can do when talented players start playing together. I watched all three of the championship series games, and the Storm played at an intensity not seen in prior games. The Storm won their last California League Championship in 2021.

PHOENIX — There always was the understanding that there would be some bumps along the road in Gerrit Cole’s first season back from Tommy John surgery, as there are with any pitcher returning from major elbow surgery. Yet, for most of his first 20 starts back, he looked like the Cole of old. 

The last two, however, have started to ring some moderate alarm bells at an inopportune time — or, if viewed through the Yankees’ pinstriped glasses, a decent time so that he can get himself straightened out over his final two starts before the playoffs. 

That quest begins Friday, when Cole will take the mound against the Diamondbacks having allowed seven home runs over his last two starts, the most in any two-start span of his career. 

“I expect him to be right next time,” manager Aaron Boone said after Cole’s last start against the Mets. 

Cole has insisted throughout that he is feeling good physically, 115 ¹/₃ innings into the season after missing all of last year.

The metrics on his pitches over the last two starts against the Mets and Padres have mostly stayed in line with where they have been over the course of the full season, including his fastball velocity, which averaged 97.1 mph and 96.9 mph in those two starts (both faster than his season average in 2024). 

Except all of a sudden, that four-seam fastball has become a lot more hittable. Dating back to Cole’s last four starts, hitters are batting 16-for-48 (.333) against the pitch, compared to 32-for-173 (.185) across his first 16 starts. Perhaps even more concerning is that hitters are not just hitting the fastball — they are hardly even missing it.

Over his last three starts, Cole has generated just eight whiffs on 69 swings against his fastball (11.6 percent), including zero on 16 swings last time out against the Mets, compared to a 22.8 percent whiff rate on the pitch in his first 17 starts (which is still down from the rest of his career). 

Former American League Cy Young Award winner and current YES Network analyst David Cone, speaking this week on “The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman,” theorized that Cole often has been in between on which secondary pitch to use, which has allowed hitters to wait and attack his fastball. 

“To me, that just leans back to they’re not respecting your secondary stuff, they’re sitting on your fastball,” Cone said. “You got to get some protection for your fastball, and you got to do something about your secondary pitches and get your slider tunneling again on that same plane off of that fastball. That will give you what you’re looking for.” 

Of the seven home runs Cole has given up in his last two starts, four have come on his fastball.

During those two starts, hitters have put 22 fastballs in play, with 15 of them registering as hard-hit balls, meaning they have come off the bat at exit velocities north of 95 mph. The average exit velocity on Cole’s fastballs during those two starts has been 98.3, compared to 92.7 in his first 18 starts. 

All of that suggests that hitters are seeing Cole’s fastball well. Whether that is because of a lack of deception, he is not getting it to the spots he wants, or they simply are sitting fastball and unleashing their best swings when they get it is a matter of opinion. 

Now, it is on Cole to adjust back in his final two starts of the regular season (lined up to come against the Diamondbacks and Rays). Prior to the clunkers against the Padres and Mets, he had pitched to 3.29 ERA across 18 starts, looking very much like the kind of pitcher the Yankees would want to start in a potential AL wild-card series along with Cam Schlittler and Max Fried. 

While the concerning last two starts probably still are not enough to make the Yankees change course and start Carlos Rodón over him, Cole could go a long way in offering some reassurance by solving his home run and fastball problem before the postseason arrives.

The Los Angeles Dodgerscelebrated another National League West Division crown after defeating the Cincinnati Reds 8-2 on Thursday, Sept. 17.

It's the Dodgers' fifth straight NL West title and 13th in the last 14 years. 

The San Francisco Giants are the only team to interrupt the streak, winning the division title in 2021.

“There are a lot of unforeseen things, but I'm proud of all the contributors,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told SportsNet LA after the game. “… It's another box that’s checked, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

The Dodgers' 14 straight playoff appearances is tied for the most in MLB history with the Atlanta Braves (1991-2005). The magic number to clinch a first-round bye is six.

“(We) just keep going and eliminate distractions,” Roberts said. “(We have to) keep the blinders on.”

The Springfield Cardinals are playing game 2 of their playoff series vs the Tulsa Drillers Thursday night. Liam Doyle is on the mound for the Cardinals. You can watch the game for free here.

Detroit Tigers (72-79) vs. Chicago White Sox (77-75)

Time/Place: 7:40 p.m., Rate Field
SB Nation Site:South Side Sox
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (10-10, 4.01 ERA) vs. RHP Erick Fedde (8-9, 3.97 ERA)

After a 2-1 series loss in Cleveland against the Guardians (78-75), the White Sox (77-75) are trying to recover in Chicago against the Tigers (72-80). This will be the series opener of a four-game series, and it is crucial in terms of the South Siders’ playoff chances.

Right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde will start on the mound for the South Siders. Fedde, 33, enters this game with a 3.97 ERA and a 5.12 FIP in 133 2/3 innings. Since FanGraphs bases its pitcher WAR totals on FIP, Fedde has still been below replacement level (-0.2 fWAR), although he has looked much better recently. In his past five games, Fedde has posted a 1.50 ERA and a 3.47 FIP in 24 innings.

The White Sox will go up against left-handed starter Framber Valdez, a two-time All-Star. Valdez, 32, has a 4.01 ERA and a 4.17 FIP, accumulating 1.8 fWAR in 163 2/3 innings. This will be his 12th career game against the White Sox, and in the first 11, he posted a 3.25 ERA in 63 2/3 innings.

Here are tonight’s starting lineups:

Interestingly, Tommy Pham will bat second. Granted, Pham homered yesterday, and he has the platoon advantage over the left-handed Valdez, but he is only slashing .056/.105/.222 (-13 wRC+) in 19 MLB plate appearances this season.

Returning to the stadium tonight is Tim Anderson, who received a warm ovation during pregame festivities. Anderson, who recently retired, is being honored, and rightfully so. We expressed our gratitude for the All-Star shortstop earlier.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on CHSN, and ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM will have the radio coverage. We look forward to discussing this matchup with you. With the Guardians off today, a win would move the White Sox back into first place, as they hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland.

The White Sox and Tigers are playing tonight and Ron Y. Asked for a game thread. Ask and ye shall receive. Geaux Tigs