ARLINGTON, Texas — Jacob deGrom told the Texas Rangers before the trade deadline that he wanted to stay and believed the team could make the playoffs.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner is doing his part down the stretch, even while pitching through mild groin tightness.
DeGrom struck out eight in five innings as the Rangers opened a series of playoff contenders with a 4-2 win over Boston to stay within a game of AL West-leading Houston with 11 games left. Texas (75-76) remained 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the third and final wild card.
“It’s what you play this game for. You play to win and go to playoffs, and hopefully win a World Series,” deGrom said. “That’s what we talked about in the spring and set goals. And we’re right here in a playoff race.”
The 38-year-old right-hander (11-9) took his regular turn in the rotation five days after 12 strikeouts and no walks in six scoreless innings of one-hit ball at Seattle — a game Texas lost. That also was when he felt his groin tighten while covering first base on a grounder.
During his bullpen session between starts, deGrom said he only threw 10 fastballs, then added it only might have been nine.
“If it was April, May, that type of deal, I’m not sure I would push it,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s like, I’m ready, give me the ball and I’ll give you everything I have, and he’s doing that. I know he doesn’t feel 100%. He’s not even going to tell me that it’s probably worse than he’s even telling me.”
On his last pitch against the Red Sox, with the bases loaded in the fifth, deGrom got Adley Rutschman on an inning-ending groundout. Boston had two runners after the first two pitches of the inning, on a hit batter and catcher’s interference, before a sacrifice bunt and then a two-out walk.
DeGrom retired the first seven batters he faced before Caleb Durbin’s solid single in the third. No. 9 batter Nick Sogard followed with a liner over the wall in right field for a homer that got the Red Sox within 4-2, on a pitch deGrom felt went where he wanted it.
“I was like, all right, that’s all they get,” said deGrom, whose groin again tightened on him throwing a fastball in the second inning but didn’t get any worse.
“I think it’ll be something we’ll be able to manage and get out there in five days,” he said.
Hours after the trade deadline on Aug. 3, the Rangers dropped a series opener at home to San Francisco. It was their season-high sixth loss in a row. They had just been swept in a three-game series at Houston, going from a half-game division lead to 2 1/2 games behind the Astros.
The Rangers then won four in a row, a streak capped by deGrom’s nine strikeouts in five innings against Baltimore in his first start after the deadline, when at least one contending team had inquired about the availability of the pitcher with a full no-trade clause.
“He’s just setting an example to the entire team, just about how he’s going about it right now. Showing up, maybe not feeling 100%, but he’s going to give you his best effort every single time and doing it how he is doing it,” first baseman Jake Burger said. “It’s impressive, and I think that signals to the whole entire team.”
Texas hasn’t reached the playoffs since winning its only World Series title in 2023, which was deGrom’s first season after signing a five-year, $185 million contract in free agency — a deal that has a conditional option for 2028. The Rangers won all six of his starts by the end of that April before elbow surgery that kept him out until the final three games of the 2024 season.
PITTSBURGH — The best pitcher in baseball on the team with the best record in baseball isn’t sure how exactly the Milwaukee Brewers keep doing this.
Asked how a team that works on the fringe of baseball’s middle class has turned Champagne celebrations into a September ritual, Jacob Misiorowski shrugged.
“I couldn’t tell you,” the 24-year-old ace said. “You know, I’ve been trying to figure it out all year.”
The search will continue into October. The Brewers (94-57) won their fourth straight NL Central title when they rode their flame-throwing star and a couple of timely hits from role players Luis Lara and Joey Ortiz for a 5-1 victory over Pittsburgh.
When Atlanta rallied past the Chicago Cubs about 30 minutes later, there was a roar that seeped through the cinderblock walls outside the visitors’ clubhouse at PNC Park. Bottles were popped. Cigars were lit. Beers — Miller Lites, of course — were chugged.
This part of the journey never gets old, not even for Christian Yelich, who has been a fixture during Milwaukee’s run of eight playoff appearances in nine years.
“We’re a good team,” the three-time All-Star and 2018 NL MVP said. “This is what we set out to do every season at the beginning of spring training. We just keep playing our game.”
Brewers win with a smart, unselfish style
Milwaukee doesn’t overwhelm opponents with power or gaudy stats — outside of Misiorowski’s stream of 100 mph-plus fastballs — and instead relies on singles, smart baseball and a selfless approach.
The Brewers gave Pittsburgh a glimpse in the second inning. Jake Bauers led off with a single to right field, advanced to second on a groundout and sprinted to third on a wild pitch. Lara followed with a fly ball to center field deep enough to allow Bauers to dash home.
Just like that, Milwaukee was up 1-0 with the NL Cy Young favorite on the mound. While Misiorowski didn’t think he had his best stuff on a night he tossed five scoreless innings to drop his ERA to an MLB-best 1.89, it hardly mattered.
“It’s just the boys grinding, them doing their jobs and putting a run across the board,” Misiorowski said. “So that’s all I can ask for.”
A lot of times, it’s all he needs. The Brewers don’t just, as Ortiz put it, “single you to death.” They largely avoid the mental mistakes that can make all the difference during the 162-game regular season.
The proof came in the fourth when the Pirates put together their only significant rally. Pittsburgh had runners on first and second with one out when Rafael Flores hit a sharp grounder that glanced off Milwaukee third baseman David Hamilton’s glove and rolled into the outfield. Pittsburgh’s Nick Gonzales stayed at third rather than race home after a mix-up with third base coach Tony Beasley.
In the chaos, the Brewers caught Pirates designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn in a rundown between second and third for the second out. Misiorowski got Spencer Horwitz to fly out and end the threat.
It’s been like that all year. It’s been like that most of the last decade.
“I think we do a really good job of knowing how to win, creating a winning culture and everybody knows, like, every night it’s time to win,” Yelich said.
Yelich believes that culture starts with the ownership group headed by Mark Attanasio and trickles down to general manager Matt Arnold to manager Pat Murphy to a roster whose payroll of around $140 million is 19th highest in the majors.
The other National League teams that began the day in playoff position — the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Diego and the Chicago Cubs — all are inside the top 10.
Brewers no longer are overlooked around the majors
Given the Brewers’ success since their renaissance began in 2018, it’s hard to paint them as underdogs.
“I wouldn’t say they underestimate us anymore,” Misiorowski said. “I think we’ve gotten to a spot where they kind of see it.”
The Pirates, who are on the cusp of having their playoff drought hit 11 years, certainly have.
“Other teams are definitely looking at what (the Brewers are) doing ... because they haven’t spent the money that the Dodgers have,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. “Money doesn’t always buy wins or championships. It’s a game that we’re playing. You have to go out there and play good baseball, and the Brewers have done that consistently over the last few years.”
When Ortiz was a rookie in Baltimore in 2023, he remembers sitting around with teammates wondering “how was Milwaukee winning these games?”
Now he knows. And no, there is no secret sauce. Just good baseball.
“It’s just competing, focusing on the stuff we can control, worrying about today and nothing else,” he said. “I feel like we just have a bunch of competitors on the team who want to do what we can to win. I don’t really think we think too much.”
While the Brewers have locked up the division, they’re hardly finished. The next step is trying to hold off the Dodgers for the No. 1 seed in the National League and the home-field advantage that comes with it.
For all of Milwaukee’s success, one thing the club hasn’t done is translate it into an extended October stay. The Brewers are still searching for their first World Series appearance since 1982. Yet they keep giving themselves a chance. They’ll take it.
“I think we stick to our plan and stick to who we are,” Ortiz said, “and try and be the best at what we can do.”
Chuck Fletcher's long NHL executive career continues as the former Minnesota Wild GM has agreed to join the Seattle Kraken as a senior advisor.
Fletcher spent nine seasons with the Wild as the GM and five as the executive vice president of hockey operations. During his time with the Wild, Fletcher negotiated the now-infamous 13-year contracts for defenseman Ryan Suter and winger Zach Parise.
Although those signings never resulted in a Stanley Cup, the Wild made the playoffs six times during Fletcher's tenure in Minnesota.
Minnesota was Fletcher's first chance to be an NHL GM, but he had multiple stops with different NHL franchises before that. He first worked as an assistant GM of the Florida Panthers from 1993 to 2002 before moving to the Anaheim Ducks and then to the Pittsburgh Penguins, both as an assistant GM. After his time in Minnesota, he worked as a senior advisor for the New Jersey Devils, then took the GM job with the Philadelphia Flyers before returning to his senior advisor role with the Devils.
Now, Fletcher has taken another senior advisor role with the Kraken. The Kraken are in a difficult situation. They feel pressure to be competitive, but they lack the high-end talent to do so. They haven't committed to rebuilding with their young pieces, but haven't been able to go all in either.
They've tried to blend young prospects and veterans, but it's amounted to just one playoff appearance in five seasons. Current Kraken GM Jason Boterill has been tasked with developing his prospects and fighting for the playoffs, but so far it's proven to be too tall an order.
With Fletcher's resume, Boterill hopes he can help him and the Kraken get to where they want to be.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source.Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Following the 2026 NHL Prospects Tournament, the Detroit Red Wings are ready to focus on the beginning of Training Camp, which officially begins on Thursday, Sept. 17.
One player who participated in two of the tournament's three games was 2023 first-round (ninth overall) pick Nate Danielson, who began last season with the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins before eventually being called up to the Red Wings.
Danielson, who appeared in 28 NHL games last season, recorded two goals and five assists before being returned to the AHL. However, he suffered a stress fracture in mid-February that sidelined him for the remainder of the Griffins' season.
This time around, Danielson has his sights set on earning a spot on the Red Wings' roster out of Training Camp.
"For sure," he said of his goal to make the Red Wings' roster. "I mean, I want to come into Camp and definitely earn a spot. I mean, ultimately my goal is to be an impact player in the League this year and be someone who contributes. That's kind of my goal for the year."
Danielson got his first taste of NHL action with the Red Wings last season, and while he viewed the experience positively overall, he believes he can improve his ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
"I feel like there's a lot of different things you can work on," he said. "I think finishing is definitely something I kind of need to bear down on. I felt like last year, I lacked that at times."
Griffins head coach Dan Watson, who coached Detroit during the Prospects Tournament, believes Danielson is almost overly focused on his defensive responsibilities to the point where it hinders his offensive abilities.
“His vision, the way he thinks the game, he’s very responsible, maybe sometimes too responsible," Watson said of Danielson's attributes. "And that sometimes can hurt you, but I just think his willingness to go to the net, his willingness to create some more offense around the net; that’s what he was asked to do last year, and he started to do that with us before he got injured.
"So, hopefully he’s been able to rehab himself, to feel stronger, get stronger, and have the ability to do that."
Danielson appeared in 18 games with Grand Rapids last season, recording three goals and 12 assists. The previous season, his first full campaign with the Griffins, he posted 12 goals and 27 assists in 71 games.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 13: Ray Kerr #58 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on September 13, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There were a few overarching themes in play in the first half of September for the Braves:
They are still great at accumulating more wins than warranted by their production
They are also great at beating the Phillies
The two things above have made them overwhelmingly likely to win the division for the first time since 2023
The schedule was very tough, and they did okay-ish
But, this team still isn’t playing well by an objective measure
Put the above together, and the Braves went 7-7 in September’s first half. That 7-7, though, was well-scattered, as they went 4-3 against the Phillies, capturing the tiebreaker and more or less cementing their spot atop the division unless they suffer a late September collapse and the Phillies actually get it together enough to win a bunch of their remaining games. Still, as I describe below, this hasn’t exactly been a triumphant ride to the division title. Yeah, the schedule has been a gauntlet, but the Braves are once again winning games moreso than doing a bunch of stuff that leads to winning games.
How did the Braves do recently?
As noted, they went 7-7. 12 of those 14 games were against contenders, but they went 6-6 in those games while also going 1-1 against the Nationals. In terms of game-by-game odds, yeah, they should’ve gone 7-7. One thing this stretch featured was their two lowest-win odds games of the years, both in Philadelphia. They did indeed lose both of those games. To date, the Braves have lost all four of their games where their pre-game odds were below 40 percent, and have gone 11-5 in games where their pre-game odds were above 60 percent. In some ways, this feels intuitively “right” to me, even if there’s no real reason why that shuld be the case.
Production-wise, it’s more or less the same story. The Braves finished 23rd in position player fWAR in the first half of September, including 22nd in offensive inputs and 21st in offensive inputs. They finished 17th in pitching fWAR, with relative ranks of 11th, 21st, and 21s in ERA-, FIP-, and xFIP-, respectively. Both the rotation and the bullpen were basically in that same place. With their total of 1.0 fWAR each in the position player and pitching buckets over these 14 games, the Braves “should have” gone 6-8. They went 7-7. Surprise, surprise, they did it again.
Ranks aside, the September numbers are underwhelming so far: a 91 wRC+ with a marginal xwOBA overperformance, and a 93/106/107 (again, ERA-/FIP-/xFIP-) pitching line. That doesn’t feel like a team that has largely survived a September gauntlet to nearly sew up a division crown, but here we are, as we have been.
How are the Braves doing on the season?
Well, again, they have MLB’s fourth-best record. It looks like they’ll finish with 94-95 wins, unless something strange happens. They are almost certain to win the division, but very unlikely to catch the Dodgers or Brewers. Right now, though, they’re 20th in position player fWAR, though they’re at least 13th in xwOBA and seventh in team defense (park effects ding their offense, while xwOBA isn’t park-adjusted). It’ll feel strange if/when they win the division with a sub-100 wRC+, but again, here’s where we are.
Amusingly, for all the droning and hand-wringing about the pitching both in the offseason and at the Trade Deadline, it’s actually been pretty good. The Braves are up to tenth in pitching fWAR, with an average rotation and top-ten bullpen. The rotation’s line is 89/102/98; the bullpen’s line is 81/93/97. Perhaps one reason the Braves win a lot of games relative to production is that bullpen ERA-x/FIP gap: it’s easier to win when you allow relatively few runs, and fewer runs than you “should,” late in the game.
The Braves do have the league’s fifth-best run differential, but are only ninth in BaseRuns. Only three teams have outperformed their BaseRuns more than the Braves, but one of those is the Phillies, so ha ha ha, I guess. The disparity with WAR-wins is a currently-insane 12. There’s more to say about the wins versus WAR-wins and BaseRuns versus WAR-wins differentials, but not here.
How are the hitters doing?
At this point, I don’t really even know how to say anything new.
These last 14 games were a stars-and-scrubs effort. Mike Yastrzemski and Ronald Acuña Jr. did some great stuff and got fortunate. Drake Baldwin was solid. Mauricio Dubon and Ha-Seong Kim were also there. Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies basically went full-on tire fire. Michael Harris II and Sean Murphy didn’t help. That’s the team, and that’s not great.
For the season as a whole, you basically have the team’s front four doing stuff, and everyone else…not doing doing stuff. Dubon has at least provided value via defense and versatility, but the back half of the starting crew has been pretty damaging to the team’s production. It’s still kind of amazing the Braves are where they are given the table above.
The wOBAs and xwOBAs have largely normalized for everyone. There’s a bit of “Albies has stolen the mojos of Baldwin and Acuña” but not much.
That said, and totally in keeping with this season as whole, guess who led the team in WPA for these 14 games among position players? First, Murphy, and then Kim just 0.01 WPA behind. Both guys had two huge games as part-time players. The Braves will take it.
How are the pitchers doing?
It was a good two weeks for HR/FB for the starters. Grant Holmes and Martin Perez were big beneficiaries despite problematic peripherals. Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle were worse than they have been peripherals-wise, but the lack of homers helped. The less said about AJ Smith-Shawver and Reynaldo Lopez at this point, the better.
The season-long stats are largely familiar to y’all at this point. Sale and Mahle rule, Perez has been decent, Holmes still doesn’t really have the juice to be an average-y starter, and so on and so forth.
Reliever-wise, Didier Fuentes was a beast these two weeks, but when is he not? Ray Kerr also reappeared and was surprisingly really good in a longer relief role. Kerr, in particular, managed three multi-inning outings, and earned shutdowns in two of them despite them being medium-leverage appearances. Between Kerr and Suter, the Braves seem very wealthy in “lefties who can avoid having to use multiple relievers to mop the game up,” which is not a super-useful thing to be wealthy in, but will probably help give guys rest that they may or may not desperately need down the stretch.
See you at the end of the season. Hopefully there’s no reason to skip one of these, though the short turnaround to the Wild Card round is awkward.
If you have any thoughts on how to amend these for next year, or do something different as a check-in, I’m all ears. These were in some ways easier to do than my old monthly recaps, but somewhat less fun though maybe more informative. That said, I don’t know if I have the time to do the old monthly recaps anymore, but maybe next year will be a lot easier than this year.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 15: Gabriel Moreno #14 of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at Chase Field on September 15, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Marlins defeated the Diamondbacks 4-2 in 11 innings. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Cardinals Made Right Move Trading Nootbar So far, this has been a win-win sort of trade. Arizona has benefitted from an improved Nootbar. St. Louis has benefitted from the promotion of Baez to fill Nootbar’s place on the roster and the pitching prospects have picked up right where they left off at the deadline.
The good news there is Crisantes hitting his third home run since joining the Reno Aces. The bad news is, they lost the game anyway. The worse news is, the Diamondbacks organization has probably seen Drey Jameson play his last game for them.
Drey Jameson appeared to intentionally hit Sterlin Thompson in the 8th inning, causing both benches to clear.
Jameson and Reno manager Jeff Gardner have been ejected.@Aces | #Dbacks
Additional note to that. Jameson missed Thompson with a 98 mph fastball that went behind the hitter. But, Jameson isn’t a quitter, so he went back to the well and threw another 98 mph heater at Thompson. Jameson has reportedly already been suspended.
Other Baseball News
Pete Alonso Hits 300th HR in Victory Over Mets Alonso, the longtime Met, launched his 300th career home run against his former club. That did nothing to dampen the standing ovation the Citi Field crowd gave him for achieving the feat.
MLB Teams with Potential 2026 Managerial, Front Office Changes The consensus seems to be that Mike Hazen is probably safe, given his multi-year contract and the fact that Arizona is still in contention for the playoffs. There is less certainty about Lovullo, whose contract expires at the end of the season. The looming 2027 lockout is likely to play a major part in some decisions, including potentially the retention of Hazen and Lovullo.
The Seattle Kraken are adding a familiar name with decades of NHL front-office experience to their hockey operations department.
Seattle announced Wednesday that Chuck Fletcher has joined the organization as a senior advisor to general manager Jason Botterill, bringing the veteran executive to the Pacific Northwest after two seasons in a similar role with the New Jersey Devils.
Fletcher’s arrival gives Botterill another experienced voice to lean on as the Kraken continue shaping their hockey operations department and searching for the right formula to establish themselves as a consistent force in the NHL.
The move also represents another chapter in a front-office career that has taken Fletcher through some of the league’s most prominent organizations.
The Montreal native entered the NHL in the early 1990s with the expansion Florida Panthers, where he worked as an assistant general manager alongside Bobby Clarke. Fletcher spent nearly a decade in Florida and briefly assumed interim general manager duties during the 2001-02 season before moving to Anaheim.
With the once-Mighty Ducks, Fletcher served as assistant general manager and director of hockey operations. He was part of the organization during its run to the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, gaining valuable experience with a franchise that was beginning to establish itself on the NHL stage.
Fletcher’s next stop came in Pittsburgh, where he joined the Penguins in 2006 as Ray Shero’s assistant general manager.
That stint ultimately brought the biggest team accomplishment of his early executive career. Pittsburgh captured the Stanley Cup in 2009, giving Fletcher a championship on his résumé before he received an opportunity to run an NHL franchise himself.
That opportunity came with the Minnesota Wild in 2009.
Fletcher spent nine seasons as Minnesota’s general manager, overseeing a team that reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs six times during his tenure. The Wild won two playoff series during that span, while Fletcher became closely associated with the organization’s decision to sign Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to matching 13-year contracts in 2012.
Minnesota did not renew Fletcher’s contract following the 2017-18 season, bringing his first lengthy run as an NHL general manager to an end.
He soon returned to an advisory role with New Jersey before landing his next major opportunity.
In December 2018, the Philadelphia Flyers hired Fletcher as their general manager, placing him in charge of an organization looking to regain its footing in the Eastern Conference.
His time in Philadelphia lasted just over four seasons. The Flyers reached the playoffs once during Fletcher’s tenure, and the organization dismissed him in March 2023.
Rather than remaining away from the NHL, Fletcher returned to the advisory side of hockey operations.
He joined the Devils for the 2024-25 season as a senior advisor to general manager Tom Fitzgerald, a role he maintained for the following two seasons. When Fitzgerald departed New Jersey before the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign, Fletcher’s future with the organization became uncertain.
That uncertainty has now led him to Seattle.
Fletcher, the son of longtime NHL executive Cliff Fletcher, arrives in the Emerald City with more than three decades of experience across the league. His career has included front-office positions with expansion teams, Stanley Cup contenders and organizations undergoing major transitions.
Now, he will work alongside Botterill as the Kraken continue their effort to build a sustainable hockey operation.
For Seattle, Fletcher’s arrival adds another experienced voice to a front office focused on building the foundation of a team capable of competing for the Stanley Cup.
For Fletcher, it marks another chapter in a long NHL career — one that has taken him from assistant general manager roles to the general manager’s chair and now back into an advisory position, where his experience can help shape Seattle’s next steps.
OMAHA, NE - JUNE 26: Paxton Kling #28 of the LSU Tigers reacts towards the end of the game against the Florida Gators during the Division I Men’s Baseball Championship held at Charles Schwab Field on June 26, 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images
The participants in the Arizona Fall League from the Texas Rangers’ organization were announced yesterday. The are Rangers farmhands who will be playing for the Surprise Saguaros are:
C Julian Brock
RHP Alejandro Chiquillo
IF Casey Cook
RHP J’Briell Easley
RHP Jesus Gamez
RHP Jacob Johnson
OF Paxton Kling
RHP Mason McConnaughey
It is a collection of players that is light on big time prospects and heavy on guys who missed a decent chunk of the season.
Johnson was the team’s 11th round pick out of Pearl River Community College in 2025, Johnson split the 2026 season between the complex league and low-A Hickory, though he went over a month without pitching in June and July. The 20 year old put up a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings over 14 appearances, striking out 48 and walking 12. He is ranked #22 on the Baseball America top 30 Rangers list.
Kling, a 7th rounder who spent two seasons at LSU before transferring to Penn State for the 2025 season, was the Rangers’ 7th round pick in 2025. A righthanded hitting center fielder with speed, Kling was slashing .261/.400/404 for high-A Hub City before a broken wrist landed him on the injured list for over six weeks. After struggling initially upon his return, Kling slashed .412/.574/.441 in his final 10 games at Hub City, and was promoted to Frisco last week, where he’s playing center field for them in the playoffs. For the season he slashed .243/.383/.361 with 57 walks and 102 Ks in 401 plate appearances, and is #19 on the BA Rangers list.
McConnaughey, a 22 year old righthander, was the Rangers fourth round pick out of the University of Nebraska in 2025, but didn’t make an appearance in game action until the end of June due to recovery from Tommy John surgery. McConnaughey put up a 3.48 ERA in 20.2 innings over 8 appearances between the complex league and low-A.
Cook, the Rangers’ third round pick in 2024 out of the University of North Carolina, missed the bulk of the 2026 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in February. In 47 games between the complex league and Hub City, he slashed .181/.310/.349.
Easley, 24, is a righthanded pitcher signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Kansas who the Rangers signed in March, 2025. He pitched mostly for Hub City but moved up to Frisco for the final week of the season and the playoffs. Easley was used as a reliever in the second half of the season, and for the year had a 5.43 ERA in 58 innings over 32 appearances.
Brock, 25, was the team’s 8th round pick in 2023 out of Louisiana-Lafayette. He split the season between Frisco and Round Rock, putting up a .197/.312/.332 slash line in 68 games.
Chiquillo, 23, split the season between the complex league and Hickory, putting up a 4.79 ERA in 56.1 innings over 17 appearances.
Gamez, 23, made 42 appearances for Hub City this year, with a 3.74 ERA in 43.1 innings, striking out 69 and walking 47.
Single-game tickets to watch the new-look Sixers will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 17.
Following a tumultuous offseason that included signing superstar LeBron James and trading for former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, there’s more excitement around the Sixers in Philadelphia than there has been in a long time.
James and Brown playing alongside the young backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe plus franchise stalwart Joel Embiid gives the Sixers one of the most complete starting fives in basketball.
After joining the franchise in May, president of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey also acquired notable depth pieces Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade via free agency and drafted guard Labaron Philon Jr. 22nd overall in June’s NBA draft.
The team will debut on the road against the reigning champion New York Knicks on Oct. 20 before coming back to Philly to host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Sixers’ home opener on Oct. 22.
Sixers fans can purchase single game tickets here starting Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.
New Celtics big man Mitchell Robinson's brother, Zeek, was hit by a car while out for a job on Tuesday, according to the victim's grandfather, who shared the news in a Facebook post.
New Celtics big man Mitchell Robinson’s brother, Zeek, was hit by a car while out for a jog Tuesday, according to the victim’s grandfather, who shared the news in a Facebook post.
Robinson, who was absent from the Celtics’ press conference Tuesday introducing their new players, reshared the Facebook post and wrote, “Prayers for my little brother my dawg can’t catch a break” with a cross emoji and a somber face emoji.
The Celtics said Robinson was absent due to personal reasons.
Mitchell Robinson was originally selected by New York with the 36th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. NBAE via Getty Images
The Celtics moved forward with the introductory press conference, which included Paul George and Mike Conley Jr., and said they “look forward to introducing [Robinson] soon.”
Taking to his Instagram Story later that day, Robinson shared a video edit of him getting shots up at his alma mater, Chalmette High School in Louisiana, and a clip of country singer Megan Moroney in her music video for the song, “Wedding Dress.”
Robinson, fresh off a 2026 NBA title run with the Knicks, signed a three-year, $47.4 million contract with Boston in July after spending his first eight seasons with the Knicks.
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) puts up a shot during the third quarter of Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at Frost Bank Center. Jason Szenes for NY PostMitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks celebrates after winning the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
Robinson played a key role in the Knicks’ road to their first championship in 53 years, when they beat the Spurs in five games in June.
The 7-footer averaged 5.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 60 games (16 starts) last season.
He shot 72.3 percent from the field and averaged 4.2 offensive rebounds per game, the latter ranking second in the NBA.
CINCINNATI — Shohei Ohtani hit off a tee in Los Angeles and remains on track to return before the end of the regular season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“Shohei hit off the tee and felt good, too,” Roberts said. “Don’t know what’s in store for tomorrow, but I know that there’s going to be a consistent build-up. Don’t know when the time of return to play is, but today was positive, and hopefully we can just keep building towards that.”
Ohtani has been on the 15-day injured list since Sept. 8 with right biceps inflammation. His swings were his first since going on the IL.
The four-time MVP is not traveling with the team, but has been working out and getting treatment.
Roberts hopes Ohtani will play in a few more regular-season games. The Dodgers already have clinched a playoff spot.
“Whether it happens or not is to be determined, but I do expect him to be back to play in some regular season games,” Roberts said. “I don’t know how many.”
The magic number for the two-time defending World Series champions to clinch their 13th NL West title in 14 years is down to one.
Sacramento is still looking for the right veteran point guard to back up their star rookie, Darius Acuff.
Elfrid Payton is going to get that chance after signing a one-year, non-guaranteed contract to come to the Kings' training camp, reports Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.
Payton has nine seasons of NBA experience, but has played just 24 games in the league over the past four seasons and was not in the NBA last season. The 32-year-old point guard last played in the 2024-25 NBA season, splitting 24 games between New Orleans and Charlotte, and averaging 3.5 points and 6.9 assists a game, but he was never an elite scorer and shot just 32.8% from the floor that season.
That said, he's getting a chance as the Kings look for the right fit.
Sacramento has just 13 standard contracts on the roster and will bring in someone as a backup point guard to fill the 14th roster spot. Theoretically, they could keep both Simmons and Payton (or another player) on the roster to get to 15 players, but that would leave the team less than half a million below the luxury tax and with less flexibility to approach trades. The Kings will likely enter the season with a 14-man roster.
The Phillies on Wednesday announced opportunities for fans to acquire tickets to potentially watch playoff baseball at Citizens Bank Park.
“The energy at Citizens Bank Park during Red October is unlike anything else in sports, and it’s all thanks to the best fans in baseball,” Phillies senior vice president of ticket operations John Weber said in a release.
Tickets to a possible Wild Card series will go on sale on Sept. 18 with tickets for the National League Divisional Series going on sale a week later on Sept. 25.
Additionally, fans can register for a chance to buy tickets to see the Phillies should they make it to the National League Championship Series or the World Series.
The Phillies are currently 5.5 games back of the Braves in the NL East, but they’re second in the Wild Card standings and just a half-game behind the Cubs as of Wednesday afternoon.
However, the Phils’ 5-8 start to September has the team just a half-game up on the Padres for the third Wild Card spot and 2.5 games ahead of the rest of the field. With 11 games left on the schedule, it’s all to play for.
With Clarke Schmidt being activated off the 60-day IL as he returns from Tommy John surgery, the Yankees are creating room on the 40-man roster by designating utility player Oswaldo Cabrera for assignment.
Cabrera played just three games for the Yanks this season as he spent the majority of the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, where he was hitting .288/.345/.444 in 122 games while getting starts at all four infield positions and both corner outfield spots.
The 27-year-old spent parts of five seasons in the Bronx, posting a .635 OPS.
As far as Schmidt, he has been out since July 3 of last season, when he was diagnosed with a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery that also included an internal brace procedure.
Schmidt had a 3.32 ERA (3.95 FIP) and 1.09 WHIP in 14 starts last season before going down with his injury.
In another notable move on Wednesday, hard-throwing pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange was activated off the IL in Triple-A.
Lagrange, who had been dealing with a right shoulder sprain, last pitched on June 28.
NEW YORK — Pete Alonso hit plenty of memorable home runs for the New York Mets.
This one came at their expense — and still earned him a curtain call in Queens.
Alonso launched his 300th career homer, a tying shot in the ninth inning against his former team, and Coby Mayo’s inside-the-park homer in the 11th sent the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-5 victory at Citi Field.
“There’s a lot of history here with me,” Alonso said after receiving a beer shower from his Baltimore teammates. “It doesn’t matter where and when, I just want to help the team win. I’m just really, really happy for us to come back the way we did.”
The Orioles were two outs from a defeat that would have dropped them four games behind Cleveland for the last American League playoff spot when Alonso hit a 414-foot solo drive off Kodai Senga to tie the score 3-all.
A pumped-up Alonso, who hit a club-record 264 homers for the Mets before signing with the Orioles last December, fired his bat toward the Baltimore dugout and shouted in excitement. He rounded the bases as the Citi Field crowd of 28,097 — down from 35,800 for the slugger’s return — roared.
Fans chanted his name until Alonso emerged from the dugout for a curtain call. Then chants of “Fire Stearns” began, aimed at Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.
“Everyone in the dugout was saying go out there,” Alonso said. “And they were right.”
Said Orioles manager Craig Albernaz: “The dugout was fired up for Pete for a lot of different reasons. It was cool to get an acknowledgment from the crowd.”
The rare curtain call on the road continued an outpouring of support from Mets fans for Alonso over the past two nights — and apparently annoyed at least one of his former teammates.
“As the 2026 Mets, I know we have definitely underperformed. But we are — the guys in here work their (tails) off every single day and to have that kind of reaction to an opposing player — could be anybody — is crazy to me,” said New York pitcher Sean Manaea, who started the game. “Again, I’ve got nothing but respect for Pete. But yeah, just never seen anything like that before.
“Pete’s not here,” the veteran left-hander added. “He’s just not here. So, I know everybody loves him. He’s the man. But, yeah, he’s not here. So, to see the reaction from the fans like that, I don’t know, it’s just different.”
Alonso became the third player to hit his 300th home run against a team for whom he played in 1,000 or more games. Willie Horton hit No. 300 with Seattle against the Detroit Tigers in 1979, and Torii Hunter did so for the Tigers against the Minnesota Twins in 2013.
Alonso received a two-minute tribute video before the Orioles’ 2-1 at Citi Field. He was showered with a thunderous ovation before his first at-bat minutes later, when he was accompanied to the plate by “Layla,” one of his walk-up songs, as “Welcome Back, Pete!” flashed next to his picture on the scoreboard.
He got standing ovations before each of his final three plate appearances as well, when rookie pitcher Jonah Tong was booed after walking Alonso in the third, and warm receptions prior to his first three at-bats.
“I appreciate all the support for all the years I’ve been here, all the life I’ve lived here,” Alonso said. “Obviously, they’re recognizing that and they appreciate that. It’s a two-way street. Really appreciate it.”
Alonso was given his home run ball by the trio of Long Islanders — Michael Shaw, Nick Maldarella and Chris Makarius — who teamed up to catch the milestone drive, which caromed off the second deck of stands in left field and fell into the first deck.
“On the way here, we were saying we’re going to catch his 300th home run,” Maldarella said. “And sure enough, man. It’s crazy.”
Maldarella and Makarius said they each got a hand on it before sharing it with Shaw.
“Never leave a man behind,” Shaw said.
Alonso signed a bat and a ball for each fan in return. He also signed the shirts they were wearing — an Alonso Mets jersey for Shaw and Makarius and a Carlos Delgado shirt for Maldarella — and offered them tickets and batting-practice access at Camden Yards in Baltimore next season.
“Thank you, guys,” Alonso said to the trio outside the visitors’ clubhouse. “You guys are so kind. Thank you so much.”
Alonso also posed for a group picture and for photos with each person individually.
