SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 23: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres slides home to score a run ahead of the tag by Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Petco Park on June 23, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Atlanta Braves (48-30) at San Diego Padres (41-37), June 24, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 23: AJ Dybantsa is drafted first overall by the Washington Wizards during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 NBA Draft continues tonight with the opening round beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT), while the second round will take place tomorrow evening. Use this open thread to follow every pick, react to trades, and discuss everything happening as the league’s newest class finds its NBA homes.
You can watch the draft live on ESPN.
Second-Round Order
Houston Rockets (via New York): Bruce Thornton, G, OSU
Memphis Grizzlies: Richie Saunders, G, BYU
Minnesota Timberwolves (via Brooklyn Nets): Isaiah Evans, G, DUKE
Sacramento Kings: Meleek Thomas, G, ARK
Denver Nuggets (via San Antonio Spurs): Trevon Brazile, F, ARK
Los Angeles Clippers: Baba Miller, F, CIN
Miami Heat (via Oklahoma City Thunder): Ryan Conwell, G, LOU
Indiana Pacers (via Chicago Bulls): Braden Smith, G, PUR
New York Knicks (via Houston Rockets): Jack Kayil, G, Germany
Boston Celtics: Dillon Mitchell, F, SJU
Miami Heat (via Oklahoma City Thunder, via . . . Miami Heat): Otega Oweh, G, UK
San Antonio Spurs: Ja’Kobi Gillespie, G, TENN
Brooklyn Nets: Tyler Bilodeau, F, UCLA
San Antonio Spurs: Maliq Brown, F, DUKE
Sacramento Kings: Emanuel Sharp, G, HOU
Orlando Magic: Felix Okpara, F, TENN
New York Knicks (via Phoenix Suns): Tyler Nickel, F, VAN
Dallas Mavericks: Tobi Lawal, F, VT
Denver Nuggets: Bryce Hopkins, F, SJU
Toronto Raptors: Jaden Bradley, G, ARIZ
Orlando Magic (via Washington Wizards): Izaiyah Nelson, F, USF
Atlanta Hawks (via Los Angeles Clippers): Henri Veesaar, C, UNC
Detroit Pistons (via New York Knicks, via Houston Rockets): Ugonna Onyenso, C, UVA
Golden State Warriors: Lajae Jones, G, FSU
Los Angeles Clippers (via Houston Rockets, via New York Knicks): Nick Martinelli, F, NU
Dallas Mavericks (via Los Angeles Lakers, via Chicago Bulls): Vsevolod Ishchenko, G, Russia
Los Angeles Clippers (via Atlanta Hawks): Narcisse Ngoy, F, France
New Orleans Pelicans (via DET via NYK, BKN, PHX, ORL and LAC): Jaron Pierre Jr., G, SMU
Minnesota Timberwolves: Trey Kaufman-Renn, F, PUR
Milwaukee Bucks (via Orlando Magic, via Washington Wizards):
First-Round Order
Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU
Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson, G, KU
Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer, F, DUKE
Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson, F, UNC
Los Angeles Clippers (via Indiana): Keaton Wagler, G, ILL
Brooklyn Nets: Mikel Brown Jr., G, LOU
Sacramento Kings: Darius Acuff Jr., G, ARK
Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans): Kingston Flemings, G, HOU
Dallas Mavericks: Morez Johnson Jr., F, MICH
Milwaukee Bucks: Brayden Burries, G, ARIZ
Golden State Warriors: Yaxel Lendeborg, F, MICH
Oklahoma City Thunder (via LA Clippers): Aday Mara, C, MICH
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 22: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of the game at Target Field on June 22, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Shohei Ohtani faces Joe Ryan as the Dodgers look to sweep the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JUNE 6: Matthew Liberatore #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Busch Stadium on June 6, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Matthew Liberatore will try to turnaround his season Wednesday night as the St. Louis Cardinals play game 3 of their 4 game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Matthew will be opposed by Mitch Britt who gets the start for the Diamondbacks. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm central time at Busch Stadium and the TV broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 23: A view of the stage after the conclusion of Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Lakers will be involved in the second round of the draft on Wednesday after all.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Lakers have traded for the No. 56 pick in the draft, sending the Bulls cash considerations in exchange.
Sources: The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring No. 56 from the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the NBA draft tonight at 8 pm ET on ESPN. Lakers sent cash to the Bulls to get a pick tonight.
That latter trade could come up again this season. Getting a foot in the door with a second round pick is the first step and now the front office and ownership can start moving up the draft if a player they value is still on the board.
According to NBA beat writer Jake Fischer, it looks like the Lakers will try to repeat that sequence again this year.
We're expecting a ton of trade activity throughout tonight's second round.
Among that movement: I'm being told the Lakers are working to trade up even higher in the second round, after already acquiring the No. 56 pick tonight.
The Lakers are flexing their financial muscle this year, trading cash to the Knicks to move up one spot from the No. 25 pick to the No. 24 pick. There is a finite amount of money a team can trade in each league year, but the figures involved in LA’s trade with the Knicks on Tuesday, or in this trade, are not known, so it’s unclear how much money they have left to offer.
Still, this is the benefit of having an owner in Mark Walter who is willing to spend. If the team has money to spend, there’s no upside to not spending it. The Lakers are a team in need of athleticism and young talent and they’re using money to move up in the draft and acquire players.
The amount cash allowed to send or receive in a trade resets on July 1.
Teams are at their own discretion to use cash received in a trade as they please.
The maximum allotment this season was $7.96M.
A team is hard capped at the second apron if cash is sent.
The Lakers still have an obvious need at center. Teams also can never have too many wings and the Lakers still need some athleticism even after selecting Cameron Carr in the first round.
It’s always hard to project how things will play in the second round of the draft, so it’ll be hard to know who might be available with the No. 56 pick. But don’t be surprised if this is the first of a couple of deals for the Lakers on the night.
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 15: Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (7) goes up for a dunk around Vanderbilt Commodores forward Ak Okereke (10) during the SEC Tournament championship game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and Arkansas Razorbacks, March 15, 2026 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
If anyone thinks the Washington Wizards 2026 draft is now reduced to offloading picks 51 and 60, I have four words: I sure hope not.
The Wizards got the draft started by making the high-scoring, hyper-athletic AJ Dybantsa the No. 1 overall pick. That’s fine work. And there’s no reason to stop.
The Wizards should trade up in the second round to land someone like Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile. | Getty Images
As Greg Finberg wrote this morning, potentially good players are still available. According to YODA (my stat-based draft analysis tool) top remaining prospects not selected in the first round include:
Trevon Brazile | F | Arkansas
Meleek Thomas | G | Arkansas
Richie Saunders | G | BYU
Isaiah Evans | W | Duke
Izaiyah Nelson | C | South Florida
Ugonna Onyenso | C | Virginia
Tamin Lipsey | G | Iowa State
At this stage of the rebuild, the Wizards would be wise to be aggressive in acquiring additional talent. I understand concerns about players potentially blocking each other from playing time and of the possibility of creating headaches for the coach. I’m not persuaded, though.
To me, one lesson of nearly 50 years of watching and analyzing NBA basketball is that there’s no such thing as “too much” talent. As former Wizards executive Tommy Sheppard once said about finding good players, “We’re all robbing the same train.”
The current Wizards roster has theoretical depth. If young guys develop as hoped, they could end up with a logjam.
But when it comes to theoretical depth and player development, there’s an important thought to keep in mind: You never know.
As in, you never know when someone you’re counting on to play major minutes is going to land awkwardly and take an odd step and end up missing 30 games.
While you may believe in the ability of young players to improve, history says some of them won’t — or won’t improve as much as you’d like. Some might even get worse. It happens. We talk about career arcs and improvement trajectories, but those are averages across hundreds or even thousands of players. The thing about averages is there are outliers on all sides. Maybe you get lucky and an afterthought becomes a star. Or maybe you get unlucky and someone you thought would be a star becomes average or worse.
Back to the Wizards roster for a moment, they have two guys who could truly be considered proven — Anthony Davis and Trae Young. When healthy, Davis was among the best big men in the game, especially on defense. Young has more warts, but at worst has been pretty good the past few years. Both have some durability concerns, but assuming reasonable luck with health, it’s reasonable to think they’ll be good.
I’d consider Alex Sarr proven. He was terrific last season for a second-year player. Even if he doesn’t improve a bit, he could still be a good starter on a team trying to win.
After that, I get the arguments in favor of Kyshawn George, but he’s at a point where his career could go in a lot of different directions. He has plenty of strengths. He also makes a ton of mistakes — some of which (turnovers and excessive fouling) make him unreliable in high-pressure situations.
Bilal Coulibaly might be a starter or valued reserve. He might also remain so limited on the offensive end that he’s relegated to a defensive specialist role.
Tre Johnson showed promise as a shooter, but he also needs to improve his skills, conditioning, strength, defense, and all-around awareness.
Bub Carrington shot well, but struggled to handle the ball against pressure, played smaller than his measured height, and struggled to get by any but the weakest defenders.
Will Riley flashed potential, but deeper analysis of his last-season surge indicated there was less there than met the eye.
The point is not to trash these guys — none of them are bad players. Any of them could possibly become All-Stars or better if they put in the work and get lucky. But any of them could also get hurt, regress, focus offseason work time on the wrong things, or get derailed by personal issues.
Since none of the youngsters — except perhaps Dybantsa and Sarr — could be considered “sure things,” (and Dybantsa hasn’t stepped on an NBA floor yet), the Wizards front office should continue bringing in talented youngsters who can create some competition for minutes and roles.
Worst case, some talented players might get out-competed for a role and be relegated to the bench. At least until someone ahead of him gets hurt or doesn’t perform as hoped. Over a long NBA season, teams need guys who are chomping at the bit for minutes and are working for playing time. They need guys who stay ready for when their chance comes.
And, if there’s a problem at some point that the team has “too many” good players (a challenge the Wizards have never faced and probably never will), someone can be traded.
In other words, Will Dawkins should see if there’s a way to trade up to add someone like Brazile or Thomas or another youngster who just might have a chance to be a good NBA player. They’re going to need guys like that. Probably sooner than they think.
The Vancouver Canucks have started an interesting tradition regarding the NHL Entry Draft. Over the last decade, Vancouver has drafted a total of zero players from the QMJHL. In total, the Canucks have drafted 67 players since they last selected a prospect from the Q.
The last player from the QMJHL drafted by Vancouver was Sherbrooke Phoenix's defenceman Carl Neill in 2015. That year, the Canucks actually drafted two Q defenders, with the other being Acadie-Bathurst Titan's Guillaume Brisebois. While Brisebois played last year in the AHL and is currently an unrestricted free agent, Neill spent last season with the Laval Pétroliers of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey.
As for this year, there are a few QMJHL prospects that Vancouver could select. Xavier Villeneuve and Tommy Bleyl are projected to be available at 24, while Maddox Dagenais and Yegor Shilov could drop to 33rd overall. There are also some late-round options, including Charlie Morrison, Liam Lefebvre and Olivers Murnieks.
Overall, it is a little perplexing how the Canucks could go a decade without drafting a player from the QMJHL. The Q is considered one of the best development leagues in hockey that continues to produce high-end talent. With 10 picks in the 2026 draft, it would be surprising if Vancouver goes another year without selecting a player from the QMJHL.
Chicoutimi Saguenéens at the 2026 Memorial Cup (Photo Credit: Steve Dunsmoor/CHL)
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Man looks out window at top of Gateway Arch over St. Louis, MO. (Photo by: Visions of America/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
CARDINALS
Ketel Marte – DH
JJ Wetherholt – SS
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Ivan Herrera – DH
Corbin Carroll – RF
Jordan Walker – RF
Gabriel Moreno – C
Nelson Velazquez – LF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Lars Nootbaar – CF
Tommy Troy – CF
Jose Fermin – 3B
Lourdes Gurriel – LF
Blaze Jordan – 1B
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Bryan Torres – 2B
LuJames Groover – 1B
Pedro Pages – C
Mitch Bratt – LHP
M. Liberatore – LHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.
Recalled from Triple-A Reno: LHP Mitch Bratt (No. 60)
Optioned to Triple-A Reno following last night’s game: LHP Kohl Drake
Reinstated from the 60-day injured list and designated for assignment: INF Carlos Santana (strained right adductor)
If we do not get a “Bratt Summer” headline for the recap tonight, I will want to know why. Mitch will be making his major-league debut, having come over from Texas in the Merrill Kelly deal at the deadline last year. His numbers in Reno have been pretty impressive: a 2.84 ERA over 11 starts and 44.1 innings is close to the PCL best. However, you’ll see he has only averaged four frames per start, which is why he has only one W. Bratt also came back off the IL recently, and has only one outing under his belt there. He allowed two runs over four innings, and threw 48 pitches, so I’d not expect much more than about sixty from him tonight.
Drake goes back to the minors, having not thrown a pitch during his brief stay. Probably inevitable, given the tight nature of last night’s contest, which didn’t really offer an opportunity for the B-bullpen. Though I note it did get Paul Sewald’s ERA (4.03) almost exactly in line with his FIP (4.00), so we got all that pesky regression out of the way without it costing a win. 🙂 It’s the first time since May 13th his ERA has been higher than his FIP, the gap being as high as 0.80 as recently as June 15th. Last night’s wobbly outing also jacked Sewald’s BABIP for the season by 52 points, though at .185, it feels there may be some more regression to come there.
Finally, Carlos Santana never made it back off the injured list, the team opting to DFA him rather than require a 40-man roster move to make room for him. After seventeen years in the majors, it’s quite possible that may be the end for Santana. He is currently third for games played by an active player, with 2,212. That trails just Freddie Freeman (2,256) and Andrew McCutchen (2,299), so it has certainly been quite the career for Carlos. He’s only three degrees of separation from Bob Feller, whose career started ninety years ago. Santana > Jim Thome > Harold Baines > Minnie Monoso > Bob Feller. If this is it, may your retirement be enjoyable, Carlos.
Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver under the board showing the 2026 NBA draft first round results at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The Nets got their man. After losing in the Lottery, the Nets fixed on doing the best they could at No. 6 which despite the disappointment last month was the highest pick by the franchise since before they moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn. That was 2010!
So how’d they do? Early reads is that draftniks generally liked what the Nets did up top with Mikel Brown Jr. of Cincinnati but had some disagreements on the 28th pick, Joshua Jefferson of Iowa State.
We chose five sites that graded the whole 30 picks in the first round. NBC Sports graded the Draft by team, giving a combined grade. ESPN
As one of the bigger risk-reward prospects in this class, Brown has both fascinating peaks and worrisome valleys. If everything breaks right, he might be a perfect conductor for a modern attack. Deep pull-up threes and full-speed, live-dribble passes are key parts of his arsenal, meaning he can create space and then promptly make the most of it.
But he was often injured in college and pretty inefficient when he stepped inside the lines. Professional gamblers would probably label his decision-making as bold, both with his shot selection and his tiny-window pass attempts. He also has to get stronger, or he could get skewered defensively.
Joshua Jefferson – D+
Jefferson is tricky. There’s a size-skill blend pointing toward do-everything potential, especially if he keeps improving as a shooter. He rebounds, he creates for others, he scores in a variety of ways and he defends across multiple positions.
But what if he’s your prototypical jack of all trades, master of none? That can be a glue guy, but it can also be someone who never finds their NBA niche. And he’ll already be racing against the clock with his 23rd birthday arriving in November.
On-ball players this skinny who have entered the NBA recently have struggled. The NBA is a man’s league. There’s no other way to put it. Brown is going to have to keep filling out now that he has grown to 6 feet 4. On one hand, I tend to be hard on smaller guards — and despite Brown’s height, he plays like a smaller guard. On the other hand, I tend to value skill, high IQ and shooting ability as much as anything. Brown possesses those skills in an immense quantity for such a young player. – Sam Vecenie
This feels like a bit of a reach, and the Nets’ recent draft history doesn’t inspire confidence that they know more than the wisdom of crowds on this one. Brown’s back issues at Louisville are also a concern, but the Nets have never shied away from a medical case and have frequently profited from this under Sean Marks. – John Hollinger
Joshua Jefferson – B
Jefferson was one of my favorite players in college basketball this past season. He’s probably the closest thing I’ve seen to an Oso Ighodaro- and Kyle Anderson-type hybrid as a connective-tissue passer since Anderson entered the draft in 2014. – Sam Vecenie
I didn’t have a first-round grade on Jefferson, but the Nets may have inadvertently made a solid draft pick. He can read the game and pass, and if he can work on his body and improve the shooting a bit, he has a chance to be a plus rotation player. The Nets are also basically devoid of his player archetype – John Hollinger.
The Nets took four guard-ish players in last year’s draft, but Egor Dёmin looks like the only true keeper and that hit shouldn’t necessarily stop them from taking an even better guard prospect here. When Brown is in the zone, he has an unstoppable pull-up jumper, an ambidextrous finishing ability, and the quick reads to rifle passes before the defense has time to react.
Joshua Jefferson – C
At almost 23 years old already, it felt like he’d be a better fit on a contender, rather than a Brooklyn team that’s trying to build something up. Jefferson does a lot of the little things very well, but he needs to improve his jumper and his off-the-dribble game. His lack of shooting ability is worrisome for a guy who figures to be a complementary player.
Brown gives Brooklyn a naturally skilled, high-upside, late-blooming lead guard, whose athleticism is catching up. He’s incredibly skilled, naturally ambidextrous, has complete control of the ball, is a pinpoint passer, and a much better shooter than his numbers showed at Louisville. Brown Makes deep shots in bunches when he gets hot. Excellent left hand too. Very good floor-vision, passing, and ability to make reads coming off of ball-screens. Ranked in the 89th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. Grown into having positional size at 6-3.5 without shoes, long arms, and newfound athleticism. The concerns are Brown’s lack of strength and physicality. He can hunt high-level plays instead of making the easy one, and he has a history of injuries
Joshua Jefferson – B
Brooklyn showed a clear affinity for high-feel passers in last year’s draft cycle, and Jefferson checks those boxes. Jefferson is a strong-bodied four-man who was one of the best frontcourt passers in college basketball this year. He has terrific vision, dexterity, and uncommon feel for the game from the forward position. He has an NBA-ready frame and good defensive playmaking metrics. Jefferson should be, at minimum, a valuable connector at the next level.
I’ll admit my bias here, I am higher on Brown than most, I think his combination of pace, shooting and vision is built for the more open game in the NBA. He’s got to get stronger and make better decisions at points, but Brooklyn is a great fit. Having Brown running pick-and-rolls with just-acquired Julius Randle, that is going to be a tough play to stop. Jefferson is also a nice late-round pick. There is a lot to like about Jefferson’s feel for the game and the way he can do a little bit of everything — he can defend, he can pass, he can do whatever is called for.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 20: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run in the first inning during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Yuichi Masuda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers open a weekend series against the San Diego Padres on Friday at Petco Park. Roki Sasaki starts for the Dodgers, with right-hander Randy Vásquez on the mound for the Padres.
After these two teams met in San Diego from May 18-20, the Dodgers led the Padres by a game and a half. Entering Wednesday the gap between first and second place in the National League West is nine games.
Friday’s game will be exclusively televised by Apple TV, with Wayne Randazzo and Dontrelle Willis on the call along with reporter Heidi Watney.
BOSTON, MA - MAY 28: Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday, May 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Natalie Reid/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The lineup isn’t the only place where Walt Weiss and the Atlanta Braves are now throwing throwing things at the wall and trying to figure out what sticks during this rough patch. The rotation has been the heart of the issue, as even when the Braves do score runs, their starters have gotten hit too hard on a somewhat regular basis while struggling in recent times.
As such, there’s also room in the rotation after JR Ritchie got sent down to Triple-A earlier today. As such, Reynaldo López will now be getting another chance in the rotation. Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported the news on social media.
Reynaldo Lopez just gone done playing long toss and will now throw a side session. He'll start Friday's series opener in San Francisco. Elder is going Saturday and Sale on Sunday.
López last pitched on this past Sunday, which is when he provided three innings of relief in what ended up being a loss for the Braves. In fact, this’ll be López’s first start since April 21, which is when he got blown up for four runs on five hits and three walks in just one inning of work against the Washington Nationals.
Ever since then, López has been serving as a reliever where he’s actually been pretty solid. Ever since moving to the ‘pen on a full-time basis, López has thrown 22 innings and produced an ERA of 3.27 (78 ERA-) and a FIP of 3.92 (96 FIP-) — numbers that aren’t spectacular but would be sorely needed for the rotation if he can translate that into starts.
Nine of López’s 13 starts saw him go further than just one inning and as.I mentioned earlier, he actually went three innings not too long ago. He’ll be on a somewhat normal cycle of rest ahead of this start and it’s clear that the Braves are hoping that he’ll be able to give them something solid against the Giants. Assuming he does well (or well enough), he’ll likely be slotting into the rotation since the Braves are in pretty dire need of rotation help at the moment. Hopefully he’ll be able to harness what he found during the 2024 season where he produced the best year of his career as a starter. Let’s see what happens with this one.
May 15, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; General view of the of the first opening of the roof at at Rogers Centre during a MLB game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Back from a bike ride. I think I’m as ready for the MS Ride as I’m going to get, which is good as it is happening this weekend.
Today’s lineups. Ernie Clement is out with a hip issue, so new Blue Jay Luis Urias gets the start at second base.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 08: Cristian Javier #53 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game between the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Houston Astros are set for a 4 game series in Detroit starting tomorrow against the Tigers.
Currently, the Astros have listed Tatsuya Imai as their Thursday starter and Spencer Arrighetti as their Friday starter.
As for Saturday and Sunday, their starter is listed as TBD.
Could Cristian Javier be getting one of those starts?
Cristian Javier is a candidate to start one of the weekend games but the Astros are “not ready to make that announcement yet,” Joe Espada said. Javier would be on five days’ rest Saturday since his last rehab start. https://t.co/z6prXysoJv
Carson Benge – LF Francisco Lindor – SS Bo Bichette – 3B Mark Vientos – 1B Marcus Semien – 2B Francisco Alvarez – C Eric Wagaman – DH A.J. Ewing – CF Brett Baty – RF
SP: Sean Manaea – LHP
lineup
Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF Matt Shaw – LF Seiya Suzuki – RF Alex Bregman – 3B Michael Busch – 1B Nico Hoerner – 2B Carson Kelly – C Pedro Ramirez – DH Dansby Swanson – SS
SP: Shota Imanaga – LHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:10 PM EDT TV: Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
DENVER, COLORADO - MARCH 10: Jack Drury #18 of the Colorado Avalanche warms up prior to the game against the Edmonton Oilers at Ball Arena on March 10, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After an unprecedented day of trades in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche got in on the action completing another transaction with their former GM Chris MacFarland in Nashville. The deal sends Jack Drury, Chase Bradley and their 2029 third round pick to the Predators for a pair of 23-year-old former first round pick forwards in Fyodor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux.
🚨Trade
To #Smashville Jack Drury, 26 y/o C, RFA (1 year from UFA elig) Chase Bradley, 24 y/o F, RFA, 12P in 42 AHL GP '29 3rd
To #GoAvsGo Fyodor Svechkov, 23 y/o F, Yr 1/2 @ $1.25M, 17P in 70 GP Zachary L'Heureux, 23 y/o F, Yr 1/2 @$825K, 5P in 25 GPhttps://t.co/AoKAQLTMBO
It’s been rumored for a while that Jack Drury wanted a hefty payday and the writing was on the wall when Colorado acquired Nicolas Roy at the trade deadline that Colorado wasn’t going to pay 3 million dollars to two bottom six players. Both Sakic and MacFarland should have been aware of Drury’s ask and value on the market as well as his Restricted Free Agent arbitration eligible status. Parting with a third round pick so far in the future seems unnecessary in this transaction but it doesn’t touch Colorado’s upcoming nine-pick draft class. Including Chase Bradley is just an expiring contract moved to even out the deal with Colorado taking on two contracts.
Incoming to Colorado is a pair of Nashville Predators 2021 first round draft selections in center Fydor Svechkov and winger Zachary L’Hereaux. Both are in the same situation in a lot of ways as the two just signed two-year extensions that expire as RFA in 2028. They each have a notable amount of NHL experience but have played in the AHL as recent as this year. The other kicker is both are no longer waiver exempt so pencil them into the Avalanche opening night lineup in the fall.
Svechkov is a 6-foot left shot center and comes with the higher pedigree of being a former 19th overall pick and spent the majority of the 2025-26 season in the NHL at 70 games played with 17 points and 122 career NHL games overall. He spent 10 games in the AHL, mostly over the Olympic break, and scored eight points including five goals. Svechkov is signed the next two seasons at $1.25M, which sounds like the right price for Colorado in their search for the next fourth line center.
L’Heureux was the 27th overall selection in the 2021 draft and has 87 career NHL games. The majority of it was in the 2024-25 season while he split time in the NHL and AHL last season. The 5-foot-11 left shot left wing scored five points for Nashville and 28 for Milwaukee. L’Heureux is a controversial player who not only plays with an edge but goes over the line sometimes. He pretty much averages a penalty minute per game and set a record for 198 hits his rookie season. He is also signed at a very reasonable $875k (one way) for the next two seasons.
What do you think of the trade? Let us know in the comments!
