Thoughts on the Rangers’ 2026 draft

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 11: Commissioner of Major League Baseball Robert D. Manfred announces Gio Rojas as the 16th overall pick by the Texas Rangers during the 2026 MLB Draft presented by Nippon Express at Pennsylvania Convention Center on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

The 2026 MLB Draft is over. The Texas Rangers have made their selections and started signing players. Deals for their top few picks should be announced in the next few days, with the deadline for signing most drafted players being ten days from now, at 4 p.m. on Monday, July 27, 2026.

Its a far cry from the days of old, when first round picks didn’t sign until weeks — sometimes months — after they were drafted, when there were staring matches, games of chickens, where the deadline was when classes started for the school a drafting player would be attending in the fall if he didn’t sign (assuming that the player in question opted to set foot on campus, rather than not going to school and continuing negotiations into the fall and winter). The assumption is that, barring something extraordinary, a team is going to sign the players it picks in the first ten rounds, with the only real question being which players in rounds 11-20 will be inked to deals before the window for negotiations close.

The Rangers’ 2026 draft class is an unusual one, noted by many of the commentariat as being a boom-or-bust type draft, being top heavy, with their first three picks — who will likely consume the vast majority of the team’s draft bonus pool — being of the high-risk, high-reward variety. After years of swinging for the fences in the draft, the Rangers, in 2019, began orienting more towards lower-risk, safer college picks, with a particular focus on landing batters with a track record of success and good contact skills.

In 2025, the Rangers went in a somewhat different direction in the draft, using their first round pick on prep infielder Gavin Fien — the first high schooler they had picked in the first round since Cole Winn in 2018 — and splitting their first six picks, and the bulk of their draft pool, between three prep infielders* and three injured college pitchers. They didn’t take a college hitter until the seventh round, when they popped Penn State outfielder Paxton Kling — and Kling fit more in the toolsy, athletic category than the polished, advanced skills category.

* Or, if you prefer, two prep infielders and Josh Owens, a prep infielder who also pitches, and who was announced, and being used this season, as a two way player.

This past weekend, the Rangers seemingly came full circle, using their first three selections on high school players for the first time since 2018, including high-velocity lefty pitchers with two of their first three picks. As the industry as a whole has shifted more and more towards college players — nine of the first 11 picks in 2026 were from four year schools — and with a particular focus on college hitters with strong contact ability, the Rangers have put their eggs in a three player basket of guys who were attending high school two months ago.

I don’t know, though, if this is inherently a philosophical shift so much as the team seeing opportunities in regards to players that were on the board when they picked that didn’t necessarily fit their usual mode. The reports heading into draft day had the Rangers’ connected with a number of players prior to the draft, with various mock drafts having the Rangers going both position player and pitcher, both prep and college, with their top pick.

Gio Rojas, taken by the Rangers at #16, was the first high school pitcher selected in the draft, and one of only two high school pitchers taken in the “true” first round, versus the competitive balance pick round after the first round. He’s someone who was seen at one point as likely being off the board before the Rangers picked, a tall, athletic lefty who touches 98 and is expected to be able to hit triple digits when he fills out, a high spin guy who also has a quality slider and feel for a changeup. That profile even a few years ago would have him a lock to go in the top 10.

The flameout rate for high school pitchers has resulted in them dropping on draft boards in recent years, and with good reason. One can go back and look at the failure rate for high school pitchers taken high in the draft and see how often they don’t make it.

But while you are going to adjust where you put high school pitchers on your draft board as a result of that, you aren’t going to remove them from your board altogether. You aren’t going to want to take a high school pitcher first overall, sure…and a high school pitcher hasn’t gone first since Brady Aiken infamously was picked #1 in 2014 by the Houston Astros, who then didn’t sign him due to medical concerns. The only other high school pitchers taken first overall in the history of the draft are Brien Taylor, who went first overall in 1991 to the Yankees and never made the majors, and David Clyde, whose story you are all familiar with.

At some point, though, you’re going to reach a point in the draft where the risk of a high school pitcher is outweighed by the potential value that a particular high school pitcher offers at that point. For the Texas Rangers, this year, that point was the 16th pick the draft, with Gio Rojas.

Rojas, though, wasn’t necessarily the only prep pitcher the Rangers viewed as worthy of snagging with the 16th overall pick. They also were linked with Brody Bumila, a huge lefty out of Massachusetts who throws 100 with great extension, but who has a lot of work to do with his secondaries. The notion of taking Bumila at #16 went out the window when the pre-draft medicals showed that Bumila — who underwent internal brace surgery on his elbow 14 months ago — had a damaged UCL, likely necessitating another surgery.

The injury knocked Bumila out of the first round, and saw him drop all the way to the third round…where the Rangers grabbed him, reportedly with an agreement to pay him first round money. Going way over slot to get a first round talent in the later rounds isn’t unusual. Doing it for a high schooler who may not be ready to step on a mound until the end of 2027 because of a second elbow surgery is, however. Its the organization betting, not just on Bumila’s upside, but on his, and the team’s medical staff, being able to get him back to full strength.

If Bumila does, he’s a steal in the third round. If he doesn’t, well, you’ll be hearing comparisons to Michael Matuella.

In between Rojas and Bumila, the Rangers went prep hitter with Connor Comeau. Like last year’s first rounder, Gavin Fien, Comeau is a high school shortstop with an advanced hit tool who will almost certainly have to move off of shortstop. Unlike Fien, Comeau is one of the youngest players in his draft class, not turning 18 until August, and is a tall, gangly fellow who lacks speed and athleticism, but whose swing, approach and build allows him to be projected as a potential impact hitter as he fills out.

None of the Rangers’ top three picks are cheap signs. Texas isn’t going underslot with them to sign guys who slid to the later rounds. The team said after the draft that Bumila unexpectedly reaching them in the third round scrambled their draft board, as signing him would necessitate them devoting most of their excess bonus pool money to him.

And so in the fourth round, took a junior reliever out of Ole Miss in Hudson Calhoun, who may be below slot, and almost certainly won’t be above slot. In the fifth, they took Michael Anderson out of Penn State, who has already signed for $172,500, significantly below slot. The team’s sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth rounders have all signed for nominal $2500 bonuses, providing savings that will go to Bumila. Their eighth rounder, Georgia shortstop Kolby Branch, is a senior, and a good enough prospect he will likely not sign for $2500, but who will not cost a lot to lock up.

We don’t know yet how much the guys taken in the top 10 rounds will cost to sign, how much pool money will be left over to apply to potential above-$150,000 bonuses for players taken after round 10. There are interesting players the Rangers picked in that range, guys who have the potential to be legitimate prospects as they develop. We will have a fuller picture of the entire draft class in ten days.

But the big bets were in the first three rounds, when the Rangers were opportunistic in grabbing high risk, high reward guys who fell in their laps.

Series Preview: Pirates at Guardians

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JULY 11: Steven Kwan #38 and Brayan Rocchio #4 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrate after defeating the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on July 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Guardians welcome one of the few teams they will see post-All-Star break who enter the schedule with a record better than .500 in the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates are 50-47 with a +44 run differential, second in team wRC+ at 111, second in baserunning runs above average at 6.3, 26th in Defense at -27.5, 11th in starting pitcher ERA at 4.20 (3.72 FIP),

The Guardians are 51-46 with a -2 run differential, 23rd in team wRC+ at 92, seventh in baserunning runs above average at 5.2, ninth in Defense at -2.6, seventh in starting pitcher ERA at 3.69 (4.04 FIP), and eighth in bullpen ERA at 3.74 (3.85 FIP).

The Pirates are good at everything… except defense. They are horrific at defense. So, please, Guardians, put the ball in play.

Matchups:

Game One, Friday 7:10PM ET, Gavin Williams, RHP 3.81 ERA (3.74 FIP) vs. Jared Jones, RHP 4.37 ERA (3.67 FIP)

Game Two, Saturday, 4:10PM ET, Joey Cantillo, LHP 3.56 ERA (4.08 FIP) vs. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP 3.49 ERA (3.32 FIP)

Game Three, Sunday, 1:40PM ET, Tanner Bibee, RHP 3.90 (4.82 FIP) vs. Paul Skenes, RHP 3.57 ERA (2.88 FIP)

The Pirates are led by Esmeryn Valdez 186 wRC+, Bryan Reynolds 143 wRC+, Endy Rodriguez 138 wRC+, Ryan O’Hearn 128 wRC+, Brandon Lowe 115 wRC+, Nick Gonzalez 113 wRC+, Tyler Callihan 110 wRC+, and Jake Mangum 109 wRC+. Spencer Horwitz, Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin are on the IL.

The Guardians are led by Chase DeLauter 123 wRC+, Austin Hedges 116 wRC+, Brayan Rocchio 113 wRC+, and Travis Bazzana 103 wRC+.

Let’s get the second half started off with a series win!

LeBron James marvels at way Knicks won championship as he figures out next team to dethrone them

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows LeBron James speaking onstage at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026, Image 2 shows New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown talks to Jalen Brunson (11) during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final
Knicks Leborn

LeBron James gave the Knicks their flowers on Thursday and pinpointed the changes that helped them win the NBA Finals.

James said that last year, the Knicks ran a lot of Jalen Brunson-centric offense, but an adjustment by first-year coach Mike Brown changed everything.

“I think they diversified their offensive portfolio. It was a lot of Jalen Brunson picks and rolls last year, and it allowed the defense to kind of key in on him,” James began during a live recording of his “Mind the Game” podcast at Fanatics Fest.

“I think what Mike Brown brought in was the little pinch post to get the ball to Karl-Anthony Towns in the pinch post area, or at the top of the key, and let him be in the hub. And yes, at the end of the day, it would still get to Jalen Brunson, but it didn’t allow you to just sit on one action.”

LeBron James gave the Knicks their flowers on his podcast. Getty Images for Fanatics

That change came after the Knicks fell into a 2-1 hole in their opening-round series against the Hawks. The Knicks went on to win the final three against Atlanta, sweep the 76ers and Cavaliers to reach the NBA Finals before slaying the Spurs in five games to win the franchise’s first championship since 1973.

Brunson was surely the Knicks’ best player last season, leading the team through a long regular season in which they mostly stayed healthy, unlike in years past.

“We know the glue guys like [Jose] Alvarado, Josh Hart, and Mikail Bridges, but obviously the unsung hero of the whole finals run was OG Anunoby,” James said.

Anunoby had the NBA Finals-changing play when he tipped home the game-winner in the final seconds of Game 4 after the Knicks rallied from 29 points down.

The Knicks put together an incredible run to the NBA Finals, and James points out that they had the best point differential in NBA Playoff history, at 14.9 points per game.

James is still trying to figure out which team he is going to play for during the upcoming season as he hopes to compete for a title in his age-42 season.

His agent, Rich Paul, had previously said that if the Knicks hadn’t won the title, James wouldn’t be looking at a board of teams to play for.

Mike Brown had different ideas for the Knicks’ offense. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“He’d be going to the Knicks,” Paul said on his “Game Over” podcast earlier this month.

With the Knicks appearing uninterested in a James-Knicks union, the team has done a good job of bringing the band back together, having lost only backup center Mitchell Robinson to the rival Celtics thus far in free agency.

Yankees Birthday of the Day: Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston

Tillinghast "Cap" Huston, owner of the Yanks.

“Gentleman. American. Sportsman. Through whose vision and courage this imposing edifice, destined to become the home of champions, was erected and dedicated to the American game of baseball.”

So reads the second plaque erected at the old Yankee Stadium to recognize a figure of organizational significance. The plaque predates Monument Park itself, having been installed upon the center field bleacher fence in 1940, the year after the death of the man it honors.

While the ballpark was informally christened “The House that Ruth Built,” of course the Yankees’ ownership was directly responsible for its construction. The plaque in question honors Jacob Ruppert, the renaissance man who owned the Yankees for 24 years. He’s received the lion’s share of the credit for shepherding the Yankees’ franchise from afterthought to behemoth, with Yankee Stadium serving as the physical embodiment of this ascent.

But it was not Ruppert who oversaw construction at East 161st Street and River Avenue. It was his co-owner, a civil engineer by trade whose attention to detail led him to spend two weeks deciding on the perfect seats for the grandstand and whose legacy as one of the most pivotal figures in Yankees history has been largely papered over.

Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston
Born: July 17, 1867 (Buffalo, NY)
Died: March 29, 1938 (Darien, GA)
Yankees Tenure: 1914-23 (co-owner)

Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio as a diehard Reds fan. He followed in the footsteps of his father, a civil engineer from Ireland, with the two working together on the Louisville and Nashville railroads. The younger Huston joined the Army during the Spanish American War, serving as a captain in the 16th Regiment of Engineers in Cuba. He stuck around for 15 years after hostilities ended, building his fortune developing infrastructure for the fledgling nation.

Despite his physical distance from his homeland, Huston remained connected to the game he loved as a child, getting American newspapers so he could follow box scores. “Neither tropic heat nor tropic rain could drive thoughts of the old game from my head,” he’d say years later of this period.

Upon his return, he hatched a plan to purchase the Chicago Cubs in 1914 and install his good friend John McGraw as manager. While McGraw was keen on the idea, he had to back out after being unable to withdraw from his contract with the Giants. A few months later, Huston linked up with Ruppert to purchase a moribund Yankees franchise. The two split the roughly $460,000 cost evenly, with Ruppert serving as team president and Huston as secretary and treasurer.

Turning the Yankees around would be no small task. The new co-owners employed a strategy familiar to more recent owners of the club: spend early and often. Ruppert and Huston reportedly told their staff to “go to the limit” in procuring talent, later relaying to manager Bill Donovan that “no sum of money would stand in the way” of whatever acquisitions he requested. Their resulting bounty, which included Hall of Famer Home Run Baker and Bob Shawkey, who’d win 168 games in 13 years in New York, served notice to the rest of the league and helped the Yankees start climbing up in the standings.

The crowning achievement of this talent influx came in December 1919. Fresh off their best finish since they were known as the Highlanders in 1910, the Yankees purchased Babe Ruth’s contract from the Red Sox. By 1921, they’d be playing in their first World Series.

Throughout this period, there was one snag in the Yankees’ rise. Since 1913, they had had played second fiddle at the Giants’ Polo Grounds in Manhattan. As the Yankees’ fortunes improved, they began to wear out their welcome. The Giants first attempted to evict them, then settled on vastly increasing their rent. Huston, leveraging his civil engineering background, led the search for a new site, surveying plots of land across Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. He and Ruppert settled on a 10-acre plot of land just across the Macombs Dam Bridge from the Polo Grounds in the Bronx.

Work began in 1922, with Huston a regular presence at the site. As construction drew to a close, he expressed his desire to sell his half of the club to Ruppert. “I’m old and tired,” he said of the decision. “The Yankees are a good team and the stadium is nearly finished. It looks as if my work is about done.” In reality, the move to sell was also sparked by years of tension between the two co-owners, chiefly over the hiring of eventual Hall of Famer Miller Huggins as manager.

Huston sold his stake in the team in May 1923, weeks after his beloved stadium first opened its doors. He left the team he helped purchase less than 10 years earlier with a new ballpark of its own and on the doorstep of its first of 27 world championships and counting. Huston moved to Georgia after his retirement from baseball before making one last attempt to buy back in. In the mid-1930s, he made an offer to purchase the Brooklyn Dodgers with a plan to install Ruth as manager, though his bid was not accepted.

Huston died of natural causes in Darien, GA at the age of 70. Unlike Ruppert, he has yet to receive enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame or much of a formal acknowledgement at the stadium he helped built. But through the conviviality, connections, expertise, and purse he brought to the New York Yankees, he deserves no less credit for the team’s historic turnaround.


See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Pirates acquire former top prospect Robert Hassell III from the Nationals

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired one-time top prospect Robert Hassell III from the Washington Nationals for cash or a player to be named later.

The 24-year-old outfielder has hit .215 with two homers and 21 RBIs for Triple-A Rochester this year. Hassell made his big league debut with the Nationals last season, batting .223 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 70 games.

Hassell was a first-round draft choice in 2020 by the San Diego Padres. He was a top-40 prospect according to MLB Pipeline in 2022 and 2023, and he was part of the 2022 deal that sent Juan Soto to the Padres.

Other players who went from San Diego to Washington in that trade — James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore — have been productive, but Hassell has yet to establish himself in the big leagues.

How MLB’s ABS challenge system works, and why it’s successful

Major League Baseball introduced a new innovation for the 2026 season by implementing the ABS Challenge System. The All-Star break provided an opportunity to reflect on how the Automatic ball-strike system has changed the game and overall, the reception has been positive. 

It is impossible to discuss the ABS system without talking about the technology behind it. T-Mobile has played a huge role in the system. Go to a baseball game or watch one from home and you will instantly see all of the T-Mobile branding throughout the ballpark. However, it is important to point out that T-Mobile’s partnership with Major League Baseball simply isn’t branding. They are powering the technology behind the ABS system. 

“We have been a partner with Major League Baseball for over a decade now and I think one of the things and the reasons it’s worked so well is we’ve kept innovating together,” T-Mobile Vice President of Sponsorships Amy Azzi said during All-Star festivities at Citizens Bank Park. 

Major League Baseball began testing the ABS system back in 2022 in the minor leagues. A priority was of course that it needed to be accurate but it also had to be fast so that it wouldn’t take away from the game experience. The system is powered by Hawkeye Cameras that have been installed in every Major League park. The data is transferred over a private 5G network that is provided by T-Mobile. That leads to an almost instantaneous result.  

“All of that data is transmitted into a software system that we’ve developed via the T-Mobile network,” said Morgan Sword who is the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations at MLB. “That software system determines whether the trajectory of the ball matches with the strike zone we’ve loaded in. Then if it’s challenged, that produces a call.” 

“That’s the call you see on the big board and then also on the broadcast. It’s a lot of technology that has to happen very quickly to keep that pace and rhythm going in the game.” 

So far there have been over 6,000 challenges during the first half of the regular season. Teams start with two challenges each and lose one for every unsuccessful attempt. Sword said that the number of challenges was something that the league had tested in the minors and listened to feedback from fans. Two felt like the sweet spot. 

“We decided on two challenges per team because that was the overwhelming fan feedback in the minor leagues that we started out at three. Fans told us that, you know, ABS challenges are great and exciting to a point. If you have games where there’s 12, 15 challenges, then it starts to feel a little like it’s disrupting the game a little bit. So we dialed it back to two and that’s produced about four challenges per game, which we think is kind of right on the money and fans have responded well to that.”

The overwhelming reaction to ABS from fans has been positive, but what about the players? Brewers’ Cy Young candidate Jacob Misiorowski talked about the ABS system at T-Mobile’s Club Magenta. Misiorowski said that he thinks that the system gives an advantage to the hitters. 

“I mean, sure, yes, there’s an advantage for pitchers to get a corner call, but I think you have a bigger advantage to get a call reversed to a ball over a strike.” 

While he thinks that ABS is tipped slightly in hitters favor, he is a fan of all of the technology that has made its way into baseball. 

“All the technology that you’re getting, all the information that they throw up on the scoreboard, all that stuff is really cool. The tech comes back to us and we get that information and stuff like that to tweak pitches, tweak everything around it. There’s Hawkeye, stuff like that is huge.”

Phillies legends Ryan Howard and Chase Utley both agreed that they would have benefitted from having the ABS system.  

“I think we both had a pretty good knowledge of the strike zone and I think that guys now, pitchers, catchers, and hitters are starting to get a better understanding of what that strike zone is,” Howard said. “We’ve seen pitches that are this far off, that are a ball, and then just a hair on, that are strikes.”

“Yeah, I think it would have helped. I think, right now, what we’re seeing is, calls are getting right,” said Utley. “At the end of the day, it’s about getting the calls correct. 

While the ABS system looks like a success, Major League Baseball is currently looking for other ways that they can use technology to improve the game. They are testing a check swing system in the minors. 

“It is the same Hawkeye tracking system. It actually tracks the bat, when a hitter swings. So you can finally, for the first time in the history of baseball, decide what a swing is,” Sword said. “We actually don’t really define that for anybody. So, we’ve made up a definition for the purpose of Triple-A  just to see how it goes. But, we may tweak that.”

A lot of thought has gone into developing these systems and how they would impact the fan experience. 

“It’s been really fun to watch it in the stadium, and I think I was telling Morgan before this, that some of the loudest moments in the stadium, you’d think someone hit a home run,” Azzi said of the ABS system. 

“It’s really fun to see the impact it’s had on getting people to engage in even more. It supports the great momentum that the sport has right now.”

Dodgers vs. Yankees prediction: Odds, recent stats, trends, and best bets for July 17

Yankee Stadium is the scene of a potential World Series preview as the Bronx Bombers (54-42) take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (61-36) in the first of a three-game series beginning tonight. The Dodgers enter the second half with the best record in baseball and a commanding lead in the NL West, while the Yankees sit second in the AL East, three games behind the Rays.

 

After a dismal extended stretch in late June and the first few days of July, the Yankees rebounded and went in the All-Star break winning four in a row taking the final game of a four-game series against the Rays before sweeping the Nationals in a three-game set. Over their last 10 games, the Yankees are 6-4 with a .248 team batting average, a 3.48 ERA, and a +4 run differential. It is important to note the Yankees continue to be without the services of MVP Aaron Judge.

 

The Dodgers, meanwhile, stumbled into the break. Los Angeles lost three straight to Arizona and four of their final five games overall. Over their last 10 games, the Dodgers are 5-5 with a .235 team batting average and a 4.21 ERA. Despite that recent slide, they still lead the NL West by 11.5 games over the Diamondbacks.

 

Gerrit Cole (3-4, 4.04 ERA) takes the ball for New York tonight looking to build on a pair of encouraging outings before the break. Across his last two starts, the veteran right-hander allowed just five runs over 11.1 innings while striking out 13 and walking only one batter. While his overall season numbers remain below his usual Cy Young-caliber standards, he appeared to be rounding into form heading into the break.

 

Roki Sasaki (3-5, 5.33 ERA) is on the bump for the Dodgers. His season has been uneven to put it kindly. After lowering his ERA to 4.03 following seven scoreless innings on June 5, he struggled badly over his final five starts before the break, surrendering 22 earned runs across 23 innings. Opponents have consistently squared him up, and he enters Friday with a 5.33 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.

 

Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.

 

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

 

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

 

Game Details and How to Watch: Dodgers vs. Yankees

 

  • Date: Friday, July 17, 2026
  • Time: 7:05PM EST
  • Site: Yankee Stadium
  • City: New York, NY
  • Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, Sportsnet Los Angeles, YES

 

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

 

The Latest Odds: Dodgers vs. Yankees

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

  • Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers (-111), New York Yankees (-108)
  • Spread: Dodgers -1.5 (+141), Yankees +1.5 (-171)
  • Total: 9.0 runs

 

Probable Starting Pitchers – Dodgers vs. Yankees for July 17

  • Dodgers: Roki Sasaki
    Season Totals: 81.0 IP, 3-5, 5.33 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 80K, 33 BB
  • Yankees: Gerrit Cole
    Season Totals: 49.0 IP, 3-4, 4.04 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 47K, 11 BB

 

Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Dodgers vs. Yankees

  • Jasson Dominguez is 11-for-38 (.289) with 2 home runs over his last 10 games
  • Kyle Tucker is batting 10-for-35 (.286) over his last 10 games, but his overall season OPS (.716) has fallen far short of expectations
  • The Dodgers scored 3 or fewer runs in 4 of their last 5 games heading into the break
  • Jose Caballero is 9-31 (.290) in July
  • Cody Bellinger is riding a 5-game hitting streak (8-19)
  • Mookie Betts is 3-13 over his last 4 games
  • Teoscar Hernandez is hitless in his last 4 games (0-14)
  • Freddie Freeman is 9-26 (.346) in his career against Gerrit Cole

 

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

 

Top Betting Trends & Insights: Dodgers vs. Yankees

 

  • The Dodgers are 44-53 on the Run Line this season
  • The Yankees are 45-51 on the Run Line this season
  • The OVER has cashed 45 times in Los Angeles’ 97 games this season (45-52)
  • The OVER has cashed 42 times in New York’s 96 games this season (42-50-4)

 

Expert picks & predictions: Dodgers vs. Yankees

 

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

 
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

 

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s game between the Dodgers and the Yankees:

  • Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Yankees on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Yankees on the Run Line.
  • Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 9.0

 

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Lakers viral Summer League star is an old dude who celebrated by rubbing his bald head

The Los Angeles Lakers might be on the verge of losing LeBron James, but it’s okay, because they might have found another old man hooper in Summer League and it’s breaking everyone’s brain.

Don’t worry, because I can tell you exactly who this is. The mystery old man suiting up for the Lakers is 30-year-old Jon Elmore, who played for Marshall until 2019 and has been a basketball nomad since leaving college. The journeyman has played in Italy, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Turkey and Canasa — as well as bouncing between three different G-League teams.

Now he’s getting a run with the Lakers and got people’s attention on Thursday night by scoring 11 points and registering five assists, while shooting a tidy 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The jokes might be flowing freely, but Elmore had major game at Marshall where he averaged over 20 points-per-game, was three-time All Conference USA, and won the C-USA Tournament MVP in 2018.

Now he’s just out here on one of the brightest stages rubbing his bald head and living his best life. You gotta love the guy. If you have jokes, don’t feel bad — we do as well. Please share them over here.

Langer leads shortlist to become next England Test coach after Flower rules himself out

  • Zimbabwean informed ECB this week he is not interested

  • Langer due to lead Manchester Super Giants in Hundred

Justin Langer is believed to have moved to the top of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s shortlist of potential coaches of the men’s Test team, after Andy Flower ruled himself out of the running for the position on Friday.

Less than a week after Brendon McCullum was sacked as red-ball coach Rob Key, the managing director of men’s cricket who is leading the ECB’s recruitment process, has made significant progress in his search for a replacement.

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Pogacar has discovered Tour de France fans love heroic defeat more than crushing victory | William Fotheringham

This year’s dominant leader shouldn’t take the boos personally – even Eddy Merckx didn’t always get red carpet treatment

Enduring the ire of French cycling fans is a rite of passage for a majority of the select group of prolific Tour de France winners, as Tadej Pogacar seems be finding out. The first catcalls came on Tuesday’s stage to Le Lioran in the Cantal, and unfortunately, although we can hope for a little courtesy, there is no reason to assume we won’t see more of the same in the Alps next week, because there are zero grounds for assuming the Slovene and his UAE team’s dominance of the race will slip. In fact, given the mountains that await, Pogi and co will probably up the ante.

Chris Froome has been there and Eddy Merckx went there. The American We Do Not Name spent two Julys hoping no one would bung urine at him, while Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil had their moments too. To understand why the big winners don’t always get red carpet treatment, let’s fly back to the 60s, to the rivalry between Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor. Master Jacques and PouPou, a simple – simplistically pantomimic – duality: cold, clinical Jacques, who based his Tours on the time-trial stages, and warm-hearted PouPou, the noble peasant who tried his utmost but couldn’t quite land the big one, although he became the most popular athlete in France and the hallmark for valiant failure in every walk of French life. Let’s call it the MJPP principle.

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NBA Summer League Predictions & Parlay for Today, July 17: Cavs Conquer Bulls

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There are six games on the NBA Summer League slate this evening, with the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks all in action. 

My predictions for tonight's schedule include the Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Cavaliers all grabbing wins.

Check out my NBA Summer League picks for Friday, July 17. 

NBA Summer League predictions for July 17

PickKalshi
Mavericks Mavericks moneyline-175
Blazers Blazers moneyline+109
Cavaliers Cavaliers moneyline-154
💰 All three parlayed+472

Today's Summer League picks

Mavericks moneyline (-175 at Kalshi)

The New York Knicks may be the defending NBA champions, but their Summer League roster doesn't have much talent. New York has gone just 1-3 in Vegas, scoring only 69.3 PPG while allowing an average of 80.8.

The Dallas Mavericks are riding a two-game winning streak, grabbing a 97-87 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. First-round pick Sergio De Larrea dished out 14 assists, and the Mavs drained 13 threes.

Six different players finished in double figures in points. Dallas is starting to find a rhythm offensively, and the Knicks have shown little ability to truly compete in Summer League.

Blazers moneyline (+109 at Kalshi)

After starting off Summer League with two losses, the Portland Trail Blazers have responded with back-to-back wins. They've been one of the best offensive teams in Vegas, averaging 100.8 points per game.

Portland's entire starting five finished in double figures in their last victory over the Denver Nuggets, and another two bench players also had 15+ points.

The Utah Jazz are coming off a steep loss to the San Antonio Spurs where they allowed 94 points. The Blazers have great depth, and they will overwhelm Utah tonight.

Cavaliers moneyline (-154 at Kalshi)

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won back-to-back contests after losing their first two games of Summer League. Second-round pick Meleek Thomas has been balling out for Cleveland, averaging 28.3 PPG in just 30.1 minutes per contest across three appearances. That leads the tournament. 

He'll spearhead the Cavs' offense tonight against a Chicago Bulls team that has been very poor defensively. They're allowing 92.3 PPG, and have gone 1-3 so far in Vegas.

Malaki Branham has been a perfect co-star alongside Thomas in Summer League as well, averaging 15.8 points. Cleveland will take this one. 

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Friday’s NBA Summer League parlay

Kalshi

Mavericks moneyline

Blazers moneyline

Cavaliers moneyline

+472 at Kalshi

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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How Arizona Wildcats have fared in NBA Summer League

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: Brayden Burries #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns on July 13, 2026 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Greathouse/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Six former Arizona Wildcats players competed at NBA Summer League, which wraps up this weekend in Las Vegas. As was to be expected, Arizona’s two first round picks in this year’s NBA Draft made the greatest first impression.

Arizona’s Brayden Burries and Koa Peat had two of the better Summer League runs of this year’s draft class.

Burries, the No. 10 overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks, averaged 22.9 points over three games. He shot 50% from the field, including 8-18 (44.4%) from three-point range. Burries had 12 assists to just one turnover and also came up with seven steals.

His player efficiency rating was highest among all newcomers at 32.8. If not for an elite rookie class, Burries would be getting even more recognition heading into the rest of the NBA offseason. Even so, Burries made a positive impression on the Bucks, who are in need of a new face of the franchise following the departure of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

It’s only Summer League, but Burries showed he could be that guy one day.

Meanwhile, Peat put to rest some concerns about his shooting ability by averaging 16.8 points on 51% from the field across four games. Peat, the No. 30 overall pick to the Phoenix Suns, played arguably his best game in a win over Burries’ Bucks, scoring 19 points to go with six rebounds and two steals.

Perhaps the most impressive part about Peat’s Summer League performance was his consistency. He scored double digits in each game he played and never shot below 46%.

While Burries and Peat will leave Las Vegas feeling good about their situations heading into the rest of summer, Jaden Bradley may feel like he left something to prove.

The No. 50 overall pick to the Toronto Raptors, Bradley has averaged 6 points, 2.8 assists and 3.3 turnovers through four games. Bradley could play one more game in Toronto’s consolation matchup Saturday vs. Denver.

Bradley is shooting just 29.6% from the floor and has yet to make a 3-pointer. He just hasn’t looked comfortable.

Tobe Awaka, who signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls as an undrafted free agent, put together his best performance on Wednesday with a 14-point, 10-rebound double double. Awaka also had three blocks and three steals in the game.

Through four games, Awaka is averaging 7 points on 75% shooting to go with 3.8 rebounds.

The last member of the 2025-26 Arizona squad to compete in Las Vegas is Anthony Dell’Orso, who is on a Summer League deal with the Sacramento Kings.

ADO shot 3-3 from the field on Tuesday, including a three-pointer. The 11 minutes played were his most in a Summer League game.

Dell’Orso will have one more opportunity when the Kings play New Orleans on Friday afternoon.

San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant made a short appearance at Summer League, playing in two games. After a tough opener, Bryant bounced back with a 19-point outing versus the New York Knicks. He made 7 of 10 field goal attempts including a pair of three-pointers.

Bryant is entering a big sophomore year after averaging 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds as a rookie.

Boozer, Memphis Dominate Atlanta In Summer League Play

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 16: Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2026 NBA Summer League game on July 16, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies have shown they are a force to be reckoned with in NBA Summer League play, but what they did to Atlanta on Thursday night was exceptional.

Memphis went up 21-0 and outscored Atlanta 32-2 in the first quarter. They went on to win 96-64.

Yes, it’s summer league, but these are all talented players. The Showtime Lakers held the Kings to 4 points in the first quarter in a 1987 game, but other than that, we’ve never heard of such a thing in professional basketball.

For his part, Boozer had an exceptional game, with 24 points, shooting 10-13/1-1. He also had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in 29 minutes.

The one part of his game that we think he could improve, offensively anyway, is turnovers, and he had 4 here. Part of that though is because he is willing to take chances, and in winning time, he becomes more conservative.

Former UNC star Henri Veesaar started for the Hawks, and scored 5 points in 20 minutes.

Former Virginia and Louisville guard Isaac McKneely also started, scoring 2 points in 9 minutes.

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Sizing up the impact from forgotten or unexpected players

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 23: Caleb Jones #82 of the Pittsburg Penguins skates for position against the Florida Panthers at the Amerant Bank Arena on October 23, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

The Penguins have loaded up on players this offseason, losing a few but gaining even more via trades and free agency. That’s even before getting to their young crop of players from the AHL that have NHL aspirations. That leaves a level of players lost in the shuffle that not too many are penciling into their expected starting lineups right now.

Some or most of this group might hit waivers coming out of training camp but even that won’t close the door on playing in the NHL again. The Penguins dressed 40 different skaters last season for at least one game and the prospects of going deep down the organizational depth chart in the upcoming season remains high. So let’s check in on where some somewhat forgotten players may come in.

Caleb Jones

Jones had a season out of some kind of twisted game of Mad Libs last season. He started out with the Pens, dressing for seven of the first eight games of the season, before he broke an ankle in October to cost him a significant amount of time. When he was rehabbing that issue in the AHL in January, Jones suffered a shoulder injury in the minor leagues. Then he got popped with a performance enhancing violation and suspended for 20 games, which he cited from being involved in his shoulder rehab. In April, once that suspension ended, it was announced Jones would have to undergo a shoulder surgery to address that issue after all. Thus ended one of the more wild and unexpected journeys of a season.

So where does that leave Jones now? The Pens aren’t strong at left defense but they have plenty of options. Jones was said to have a 4-6 month recovery from the April surgery, so he might not even be available for training camp or coming off a normal offseason of training, which surely won’t be helping his cause to win a spot on the roster.

Looking at last season, Jones played seven NHL games and had one assist. That seems like a good over/under for the future. Is he a player that can get healthy and get a stint of games in during the midseason? Sounds like a possibility. Then again, coming off the bum shoulder, he might fade away into being an NHL non-factor. Put this one under ‘might play 0 games, might just play 15-20’ with a reasonable chance of either outcome.

Filip Hallander

Much like Jones, Hallander was a fringe free agent signing last season that found a way onto the opening night lineup, only to miss the majority of last season due to medical reasons. Hallander came out of camp on the Sidney Crosby line, though he performed poorly enough to get demoted after only two games. Hallander still managed to find a spot on a lower line for much of the beginning of the season before a puck striking his leg caused a clot in November. Hallander went through his treatments and even played some AHL rehab games before being shutdown and iced away for the rest of the year without much fanfare or notice about the reasoning behind the decision.

Usually by now, you would think a Swedish media outlet would have a story about Hallander’s current status and outlook for the future, but not much has been said about his current situation. Last year’s stat line of 13 games, one goal and four points presents an interesting setting with an over/under. Could Hallander exceed any of those numbers in 2026-27? At this point it doesn’t look very likely, but those aren’t too high of hurdles to clear. Ideally for Hallander’s sake, his health condition is good and worries are in the rear view mirror so that he can play somewhere. Not sure that will be too much in Pittsburgh and the NHL, but just having a full season of play would be an improvement from last year.

Ryan Graves

Graves is going into season four with the Penguins and at this point there’s no illusions or reasons to dream about a bounce back. There’s no new coach or other situation to help offer any hope that Graves will re-find the form he last had in 2022-23 with the Devils. To make matters worse, 2025-26 was the worst season in Graves’ ignominious stint in Pittsburgh. Graves was waived on two separate occasions last year and only appeared in 22 games – only three of which after December 15th (aside from two of the games at the end of the season when the playoff berth was clinched). Prior to last year he was struggling but at least a fairly regular member of the team before taking a turn far away from that status.

That makes Graves in 2026-27 into an interesting footnote. Will Graves remain on the NHL roster? Will he get waived again? He still has three seasons left on his contract, and it doesn’t look like the team is going to find a way to part with him. It could make for another awkward season of sending an NHL-sized salary down to the minor leagues. At this point it’s hard to see Graves matching the 22 NHL games he played last season, though stranger things have happened than to imagine a situation where due to injuries to others that he might find himself playing for the Penguins at times once again this year.

Joel Blomqvist

Last year’s third string goalie in the organization played five NHL games. Would you go over or under 5.5 games this upcoming year for Blomqvist, who most figure will be in that spot as the third goalie this year? It’s an interesting question. From coaches to management and fans, all are certainly hoping and expecting big things from Sergei Murashov next year. He’s also a 22-year old goalie who still needs to prove he is an NHL goalie. From Devon Levi to Spencer Knight and Yaroslav Askarov, there are certainly plenty of examples for top young goalies not always making nice steady, smooth incremental steps in their developments. Blomqvist and Murashov both can be assigned to the AHL without needing waivers in 2026-27, the Penguins won’t want to yo-yo goalies back and forth from Wilkes if they can help it, but circumstances might dictate that Murashov needs more AHL time. There could also be an injury to an NHL goalie that opens the door for Blomqvist to get an opportunity for NHL appearances, it would be rare for two goalies to both remain healthy over a long season.

There’s a chance and scenario where Blomqvist plays as much in the NHL in 2026-27 as he did in 2025-26 (which is to say, no games). He himself has been the injured goalie at times in recent years, so injury fate would have to break in his favor. Seeing Blomqvist in the NHL isn’t a pleasant thought due to the underlying cause likely being that Murashov or Arturs Silovs is either hurt or not playing well, though it isn’t outside of the range of possibilities that Blomqvist could have the chance for some sort of role in the Pens’ season this year.

The Rockets can’t be afraid of a “strategic step back”

It’s rumor season.

The dog days of summer. Always liked that expression. Life is probably pretty good as a dog.

The word takes a different meaning when it comes to the Houston Rockets. You’re not in the rotation if you don’t “have that dog in you”. Dogs are anthropomorphized as both lazy and hardworking. English is funny? Dogs are funny?

Basketball. It’s rumor season. Yet, Houston Rockets rumors are few and far between. At this juncture, it seems clear that we’re “running it back”. Marcus Smart is the blockbuster acquisition. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a reasonable flyer.

Earlier in the summer (before the dog days?), there were rumors. Both Fred VanVleet and Kevin Durant were the main subjects.

Would Rafael Stone really have the audacity to move either?

Rockets must keep an open mind

Frankly, I think there are several worlds in which trading Durant is beneficial.

The only suitor who seems marginally serious is the Pistons. The deal would presumably be Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert, Ron Holland, and a first-rounder.

There’s an awkwardness here. Holland is a recent lottery pick, and he has the prerequisite Ime Udoka Canis lupus familiaris (dog) qualities. He’s the centerpiece of this deal in theory, but he’s probably the least useful piece from the Rockets’ perspective. He’s a defense-first wing who can’t shoot:

So Udoka will probably start him at the two and call it a day.

Jokes aside (and let me be clear that, contrary to the entire comments section, I like our identity and Udoka while recognizing his flaws), Robinson would be a great addition to this roster. The first-round pick is necessary for the Rockets to get fair value. Yet, I’m advocating for this deal for a broader reason:

The Rockets can’t be afraid to reset.

The Rockets can afford a step back

There was a comment during Rafael Stone’s end-of-season presser where he alluded to “a strategic step back”.

Stone, of course, is beholden to the stakeholders. Owners do not like temporary regression. Ime Udoka signed up for a gradual but steady progression to championship viability.

Yet, linear upward progression cannot be this organization’s impetus. If the right superstar trade presents itself, yes, you take the deal. Anthony Edwards. Jayson Tatum (however unlikely).

Not Jaylen Brown (thankfully) or an aging Kawhi “Aspiration” Leonard. Being hasty to stimulate the rate of improvement would be a potential disaster.

Losing five extra games in service of the future would be perfectly fine.

That could mean trading Durant. It could even mean trading one of the “young core” for assets if fit issues result in another first-round exit next year. Whatever it means, winning 45 games in 2027-28 shouldn’t be viewed as an unacceptable outcome if the team has more future picks, and more potential via their 2027 draft selections.

Got to close this one by return. Something about dogs, or summer, or rumors. Or maybe not. We don’t have to progress linearly to our objective:

As long as we get where we’re going.