NEW YORK (AP) — Andrew Benintendi launched a pinch-hit grand slam off Camilo Doval in the eighth inning Thursday night and the Chicago White Sox ended a nine-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium with a 5-1 victory over New York.
Benintendi batted for Randal Grichuk and was Chicago’s third pinch hitter of the inning. He snapped a 1-all tie by driving Doval’s first pitch, a 100 mph sinker, into the right-center seats.
It was the fourth career slam for Benintendi, who played 33 games for the Yankees in 2022, and his second pinch-hit homer.
Benintendi went deep after pinch-hitter Sam Antonacci doubled off Fernando Cruz (4-2). Tim Hill plunked pinch-hitter Jacob Gonzalez and Tristan Peters with pitches before getting an out.
The White Sox won in the Bronx for the first time since June 8, 2023. Chicago was outscored 22-7 in the first two games of the three-game series and 58-18 during its skid in the Bronx.
Colson Montgomery also homered and made a key defensive play in the seventh before Chicago went ahead.
Montgomery tagged out Anthony Volpe trying to stretch a double. Volpe hit a ball over the head of left fielder Junior Perez, but he recovered to make a strong one-hop throw to Montgomery at third base and Volpe was out by several feet.
Ryan McMahon hit a tying homer in the third off bulk reliever Sean Burke (4-4), but the Yankees had their four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 9-5 since losing captain Aaron Judge to a fractured right rib.
New York also lost Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fourth when the second baseman fouled a pitch off the area near his groin.
Yankees starter Ryan Weathers allowed one run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings. The left-hander struck out eight and walked one.
Burke followed Chicago opener Bryan Hudson and permitted one run and five hits while striking out eight over the final 7 1/3 innings.
The White Sox won for the fifth time in their last 17 road games and finished 6-5 in an 11-game stretch against the Phillies, Braves, Dodgers and Yankees.
Up next
White Sox: RHP Erick Fedde (2-5, 4.50 ERA) opposes LHP Tarik Skubal (3-3, 2.81) in the opener of a three-game series Friday at Detroit.
Yankees: RHP Cam Schlittler (7-3, 1.82 ERA) faces RHP Rhett Lowder (3-3, 4.60) in the opener of a three-game series against visiting Cincinnati on Friday.
PHILADELPHIA — Bo Bichette’s streak of multihit games ended Thursday night, but the guy batting behind him, as well as the rest of the Mets lineup, kept marching.
Juan Soto blasted two homers in the first three innings before the Mets broke out in the seventh for a 6-4 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Access the Mets beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.
“I have had some ups and downs so far, but it feels great,” Soto said of a season in which he’s posted a .980 OPS with 17 home runs. “I definitely would love to be in a different spot as a team, but I want to help as much as I can to bring them back up.”
It was a second straight win for the Mets spurred by the lineup (they scored nine runs in beating the Reds on Wednesday), and Francisco Lindor’s return looms; the shortstop is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday and could rejoin the Mets within days.
“His defense and his bat, he’s elite,” Soto said. “He’s one of the best defensive players in the game and I think he’s going to help a lot.”
Bichette, who had recorded six straight multiple-hit games, finished 0-for-5 on a night the Mets totaled 11 hits.
Sean Manaea gave the Mets a chance by limiting the Phillies to three runs, two earned, on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 5 ¹/₃ innings. The lefty’s ERA, which peaked at 6.85 on May 6, fell to 4.64.
Soto’s two-out homer in the first against Aaron Nola accounted for the Mets’ initial run. Soto crushed a 1-2 cutter into the seats in right field before Nola’s fielding error on Jared Young’s grounder gave the Mets another base runner. A.J. Ewing followed with an RBI double that widened the lead to 2-0.
But Manaea gave back one run in the bottom of the inning on Alec Bohm’s RBI single. Manaea drilled Trea Turner and allowed a single to Kyle Schwarber to begin the inning. Bryce Harper, on base on a fielder’s choice, was thrown out attempting to steal third base to conclude the inning.
Juan Soto celebrates after in the first inning after hitting his first of two home runs of the game in the Mets’ 6-4 win over the Phillies on June 18, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Soto’s second blast of the night gave the Mets a 3-1 lead in the third. It was the 30th multihomer game of Soto’s career and second this season.
“This is a guy that is more than capable of carrying a team, but he’s not trying to do too much,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s going to continue to take his walks, he’s going to hit the ball hard, he’s a really good player.”
Sloppy defense by Francisco Alvarez cost the Mets a run in the third. Alvarez was charged with a passed ball and error on strike 3 to Schwarber when he threw errantly to first base on a pitch he mishandled as Schwarber swung and missed.
Marcus Semien rounds first base on his two-run triple off José Alvarado during the seventh inning of the Mets’ win over the Phillies. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Bohm’s RBI double sliced the Mets lead to 3-2.
Bryson Stott singled and stole second in the fourth before Derek Hill stroked an RBI single that tied it 3-3. Hill took second on Ewing’s throwing error on the play, but Manaea retired Justin Crawford for the third out.
Manaea walked Harper in the fifth before getting Bohm to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Bryce Harper is tagged out by Brett Baty while trying to steal third during the Phillies’ loss to the Mets. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Pinch hitter Eric Wagaman delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh. Carson Benge singled leading off against Phillies reliever José Alvarado, stole second and reached third on a wild pitch.
After pinch hitter Mark Vientos drew a two-out walk, Wagaman’s single gave the Mets a 4-3 lead.
Bryce Harper is tagged out by Brett Baty while trying to steal third during the Phillies’ loss to the Mets. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Marcus Semien’s ensuing triple — his first of the season — brought in two runs to put the Phillies in a 6-3 hole. Semien appeared struck out to end the inning, but as the Phillies attempted to leave the field, plate umpire Brian Walsh ruled his foul tip hit the dirt. Semien capitalized on his extended at-bat.
Huascar Brazobán, A.J. Minter and Luke Weaver combined for 2 ²/₃ innings of scoreless relief.
MEts merch shop
47 Brand logo cap
1986 eco tote bag
Mets fiber beach towel
14-ounce sculpted relief mug
Customizable jersey
Color block logo backpack
New York Post receives revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and when you make a purchase.
Weaver struck out the side in the eighth. Devin Williams allowed one run in the ninth on a Justin Crawford RBI single before retiring Schwarber on a line drive to right for the final out with the tying runs on base.
Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tate Southisene is drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the 22nd pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
As part of the current collective bargaining agreement talks, Major League Baseball has proposed a radical overhaul of the MLB Draft. The changes include not only the introduction of an international draft (which MLB has been advocating for a while) but the end of draft eligibility for high school players and the ability to trade picks. The proposal would also reduce the number of rounds in the draft from 20 to 12 and come with major restrictions on the amount of money teams could give out in amateur bonuses.
Let’s go through the changes one by one to see what MLB is proposing.
Reducing the number of rounds in the draft
MLB has been slowly chipping away at the number of rounds in the draft for years. Up until 1986, there were two separate drafts, one in June and one in January. Then for years the draft in June would continue as long as teams still wanted to make picks. Then it became a 50-round draft, which was reduced to a 40-round draft that was once again reduced to the current 20 rounds in 2021.
MLB is now proposing that the draft be reduced to 12 rounds. They are also proposing that any undrafted player be limited to a $10,000 signing bonus. Currently, MLB teams are allowed to give up to $125,000 to any undrafted amateur without it counting against their bonus pool. They can even give a player more if they have leftover bonus pool money.
The obvious impact of this is that it would disincentivize marginal prospects from starting a professional career. While most baseball players don’t get the kinds of NIL money in college that football and basketball players get and sometimes they don’t even get full scholarships, ten thousand dollars is not much of an incentive to give up the chance to play in college.
I think it’s a fair question as to how many rounds the draft should last, but the hard cap of $10,000 on amateur free agents is clearly punitive. You can argue that players not taken in the first 12 rounds don’t have much of a chance at making the majors anyway, but Cubs catching prospect Owen Ayers was a 19th-round pick in 2024 and signed for $50,000. He’s now listed on several Top 100 prospect lists. Would Ayers have signed if he hadn’t been drafted and only offered 10k? Who knows? But this system would certainly save the owners a lot of money, even if it might cost MLB some talented players.
International Draft
This one is the least surprising because MLB has been proposing it for a long time. The last CBA had an agreement that the owners and the players would discuss adopting an international draft, but they were unable to come to an agreement. To be fair, everyone agrees that the current system of talent acquisition in (mostly) Latin America is broken. Teams are coming to “handshake” agreements for millions of dollars with 12- and 13-year-old kids from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. No one thinks that’s a good thing. The question has always been whether an international draft is a cure worse than the disease.
So MLB is proposing two 12-round drafts, one for players from the US and Canada and one for international players. There would be an equal bonus pool for both the international and domestic draft.
The argument in favor of the international draft is that everyone realizes that it’s insane to offer 12-year-olds a million dollars (to be paid, maybe, in four years) under the table. The argument against it is that under the current system, the buscones who identify and train Latin American players and the teams that offer them money under the table have a real incentive to develop those players into the best players they can be. Those incentives would go away (or at least greatly lessen) under a draft, where any team could scoop up another team’s hard work with an earlier pick.
Bonus pool money
With this draft, the owners are proposing a massive reduction in the amount of money that could be offered in amateur bonuses. Currently, the 30 MLB teams spend around a collective $600 million a year on player signing bonuses. Under this proposal, there would be $200 million (split 30 ways) for domestic bonuses and $200 million (again split) for international bonuses. This money would also count against any salary cap that would be agreed to in the collective bargaining talks.
Hard draft slot
No longer would teams negotiate with players over what their signing bonus would be. Players would be required to accept the MLB mandates slot bonus for their pick. This would end some players holding out for more money and teams drafting several players who agree to sign for cheap in the later rounds to even things out. Since most players who want overslot bonuses are high school players, this might not have a big impact because of the next proposal.
Age restrictions
Here’s the big one. Currently, there are several points where players become eligible to sign with a major league team. International players become eligible at 16. An American player becomes eligible when they graduate from high school, which is usually at age 18 but sometimes as young as 17. If they don’t sign out of high school and enroll in a four-year college, they they have to wait until after their junior year until they are eligible to be drafted again. Which is usually at age 21. There are a few draft-eligible sophomores, which we don’t need to go into here.
However, if they sign with a junior college out of high school, they become eligible for the draft after every season. So a player can be eligible to be signed at 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 years old, depending on their circumstances.
What MLB is proposing is that international players become eligible for the draft at 18 and US/Canada players become eligible at 20. So high school players would no longer be eligible to be drafted and almost all college players could be drafted after their sophomore seasons.
This move would be a major boon for college baseball. Instead of Pete Crow-Armstrong being drafted by the Mets in the first round, he would have gone to Vanderbilt for two years. Current Cubs top prospect Josiah Hartshorn would have just finished up his freshman season at Texas A&M.
For MLB, this would push a lot of the costs of development onto the NCAA. It would also mean an end to elite players making their major-league debut at 19 and 20 and then becoming free agents at 26 or 27, when they get the massive contracts. The Pirates’ Konnor Griffith, rather than being a Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, would have just finished up his sophomore year at LSU and would be a likely candidate for the first pick in the draft this July.
But the goal of NCAA programs isn’t to develop players. It’s to win ballgames. As one unnamed scouting director was quoted as saying in Nightengale’s article, most college freshmen don’t even play. Sure, they get training and coaching outside of games, but for all but the most elite prospects, such a proposal would mean players missing at least a year of development. MLB probably doesn’t have a problem with the elite players being drafted at 20, the solid prospects drafted at 21 and the rest at 22. The union likely does.
It’s also been noted that it seems unfair that international players can sign at 18 and US/Canada players have to wait until they’re 20. International players could still make the majors at 20 and 21 while American players could not.
Trading draft picks
Currently, only competitive balance picks are eligible to be traded. MLB is proposing that all draft picks are eligible to be dealt with some limitations.
A pick could not be traded more than a year in advance. So a team could not trade a 2027 draft pick until after the 2026 draft was concluded.
Teams could “trade up” or “down” during the first round, and first round only, of the draft as it is underway. It wouldn’t have to be only first-round picks involved in deals, but the ability to trade picks would end after the first round ended.
No team could trade away their first-round pick two years in a row, and no team could acquire more than three extra picks in the first three rounds of any draft.
Competitive balance picks would be eliminated.
The draft lottery, established in the last CBA, would be reduced from the first six picks to the first four picks.
No team could get a lottery (top four) pick three years in a row. Other current restrictions would be eliminated.
Medical evaluations at the MLB Draft combines would go from optional to mandatory for all draft-eligible players. Currently a player can opt out of a physical, but then the team that drafts him is not required to make them a minimum bonus offer.
There’s also a weird rule designed to increased the watchability of the MLB Draft on television. Ten players designated by MLB would be required to attend the draft in person. They would be paid $50,000 for their troubles.
These rules aren’t really pro or anti-player. They seem mostly designed to increase interest in the draft. Should interest in college baseball increase because of MLB’s new age limits, that could have a positive impact on public interest in the draft as well.
The Minor Leagues?
With the draft dropping back to 12 rounds and severe restrictions on the non-drafted players that often fill out every minor league roster, there is some suspicion that MLB would like to eliminate yet another level of minor league baseball in this provision. They insist that they will keep the number of teams in affiliated baseball at 120, at least through 2040. MLB feels confident that they can fill out their 165 minor league roster spots under this new system.
There’s a lot to digest here. Pretty much all of it is, other than trading draft picks, beneficial to the owners and against the players’ interests. There is no way the union accepts this proposal as offered and the owners likely know that. It’s an opening bid. But it is a sign that the owners want to radically restructure the way baseball talent is identified, signed and developed in the years to come.
The Lakers sent shockwaves through the NBA when the organization traded Anthony Davis for Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
The move signaled the Lakers’ desire to find their next generational star as the organization shifted its focus to the future of the franchise.
A rumored blockbuster trade could bring current Wizards player Anthony Davis back to the Lakers, reuniting him with LeBron James. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Over a year later, there have been rumblings about a potential reunion between the Lakers and Davis. The team has a clear need for an A-list big man, and the 33-year-old fits the bill.
It would be costly for the Lakers to acquire Davis, but NBA reporter Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson proposed a wild three-team mega deal that would get the 10-time All-Star back in the purple and gold.
Lakers could acquire Anthony Davis in wild 3-team mega deal
Robinson’s trade idea involves the Lakers, Jazz and Wizards.
The Lakers would receive Davis, Utah’s young star Ace Bailey, two Jazz second-round picks (2027) and two Wizards second-round picks (2026).
Washington would acquire the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft along with Lauri Markkanen, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, a Lakers unprotected 2030 first-round pick, a Lakers unprotected 2032 pick and a portion of LA’s future pick swaps and additional draft assets.
Will LeBron James (above) get to team again with Anthony Davis? Getty Images
As for the Jazz, the team would receive the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Trae Young, Jake LaRavia, the Lakers’ No. 25 overall pick in this year’s draft, a portion of the Lakers’ future pick swaps and a Lakers 2033 second-round pick.
The trade would have to be executed prior to Tuesday’s NBA draft, but the massive deal would immediately launch the Lakers into title contention.
There have also been rumors about Davis’ activity on social media, which includes the big man liking multiple posts about when he was initially traded to the Lakers in 2019.
The Lakers are in desperate need of a reliable lob threat big man this summer…
Imagine if the Lakers try and bring back AD from Washington to coincide with Luka while resigning LeBron to a team-friendly deal.
However, the trade is unrealistic for a number of reasons.
It is highly unlikely the Jazz would give Bailey to the Lakers. Danny Ainge, CEO of the Jazz, would be reluctant to aid LA in any shape or form. Giving up Utah’s brightest young star seems all the more far-fetched for the Jazz.
Additionally, the odds of Davis getting traded are actually higher nearer the trade deadline because the Wizards would be able to increase his value throughout the first half of the season.
Luka Doncic has expressed a desire for the Lakers to acquire a premier big man this offseason. Corey Sipkin for NY Post
Doncic and Davis in LA? It seems too good to be true, but the organization has a storied history of star-studded teams. If the blockbuster trade transpires, it would be a deal that gives the Lakers a strong chance of winning their first championship since 2020.
PHILADELPHIA – Mets slugger Juan Soto muttered and looked away in disgust when he hit a fly ball to right field in the third inning of Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. He had just missed Aaron Nola’s middle-middle sinker, or so he thought. When a hearty wind nudged the ball over the right field fence, he could not help but smile. Somehow, he had hit it just enough.
As lucky as that gust might have been, Soto does not leave much to chance when it comes to his swings. He is as attuned with his swing as he is with the strike zone, which is why, when he wanted to feel a little quicker to the ball with two strikes in late May, he started experimenting with a small change to his bat.
Against the Marlins in Miami last month, Soto tested a bat with a thicker, more prominent nob that pushed his bottom hand up from the bottom more than a traditional one. The result is a more evenly weighted bat with the mass spread more from top to bottom, as opposed to the end-weighted one Soto used early in the season.
“I feel like I can be quicker, especially on two strikes,” Soto said, punching his left hand in the air to an imagined inside pitch, pitch up the middle, then pitch away.
Even though he feels he can swing it more quickly, Soto said this new bat is actually “a tick heavier” than his previous model; though somewhat counterintuitive, players sometimes find end-weighted bats actually drag more than more evenly weighted bats, in which more of the mass is closer to their hands.
When he first started using the bat regularly on May 22, Soto was hitting .301 with a .965 OPS. At the end of Thursday’s two-homer night, he is hitting .300 with a .980 OPS and has seven home runs in those 22 games after hitting 10 in his first 36.
Who knows whether an end-weighted bat would have given Soto’s windswept homer a few more feet of wiggle room Thursday. With the fourth-highest OPS in baseball, after his two-homer performance, Soto seems to be calibrated just fine.
Jun 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) watches his two RBI triple against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher José Alvarado (46) during the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
As Bichette stepped into the right-handed batter’s box at Citizens Bank Park, the fans rained boos for each of his five hitless at-bats.
For the Mets offense, who entered Thursday night’s game ranked third worst in wRC+ at 89 and have the third worst on-base percentage in the sport at .298. Like the Phillies, they have not been able to score consistent runs but haven’t had the pitching health and results to go on a run.
None of that mattered when Juan Soto took a down-the-middle cutter to the right-field seats to give the Mets an early lead.
Two out damage followed when Jared Young hit a dribbler that Nola could not handle. AJ Ewing, one of the Mets best prospects heading into the season, then followed by taking a fastball to the right-center field gap to them a two-nothing lead.
Kyle Schwarber singled then Bryce Harper grounded into a forceout that put runners on first and third with one out. Alec Bohm then lined a sharp single into center field to cut the Mets lead in half.
In the third, Nola had to face Soto again and threw another fastball down the middle. And once again, the same result happened, a solo home run to give the Mets a three-one lead.
In the bottom of the third, every fan was reminded that this is a Phillies-Mets series and the weirdest was yet to come. Schwarber struck out on a sweeper but landed on first because Francisco Alvarez couldn’t handle the pitch. He threw the ball right through Jared Young at first base that went into foul territory in right field, allowing Schwarber to take second base.
Bohm then crushed a line-drive down the right field line that Carson Benge could not handle, once again cutting the Mets lead down to one.
In the fourth, the Phillies once again got to Manaea with a Bryson Stott single and stole second base before a JT Realmuto lineout. Derek Hill then slapped a single into center field and Ewing’s throw hit the mound and the game was tied.
Fast forward to the seventh inning, José Alvarado entered to face the top of the Mets order. Carson Benge, another one of the Mets top outfield prospects, lined a sinker into center field for a leadoff single. After a Bichette lineout and Soto pop out, Carlos Mendoza went to his bench to bring out Mark Vientos. After a Vientos walk, Mendoza then hit for Ewing with Eric Wagaman, who smacked a hard single into right field to drive in a run and give the Mets the lead.
Marcus Semien stepped in with two outs and two runners on against the hard-throwing Alvarado. He initially looked overmatched on Alvarado’s fastball but then finally got one he liked on the eighth pitch of the at bat, crushing a ball to Monty’s Angle that brought two more runs home to give the Mets a three-run lead.
The Phillies and Mets offenses slogged into Devin Williams entered for New York. The shaky closer was in to protect a three run ninth inning lead but nearly blew it.
After an Edmundo Sosa strikeout, Stott worked a walk and then Realmuto hit into a forceout. Gabriel Rincones jr stepped up to the plate and looked overmatched on the first two Williams fastballs but was able to poke an infield hit to put the tying run on base.
Justin Crawford had looked overmatched all night against tough left-handed pitching but against a right hander, was able to poke a changeup into center field that he probably shouldn’t be swinging at consistently.
Kyle Schwarber then stepped into the left-handed batters box with the game on the line. Williams got ahead nothing-and-two on fastball but couldn’t put him away. Schwarber didn’t offer at the down-and-away changeup and Williams threw an uncompetitive fastball for ball two.
Not looking to make the count full, Williams gives Schwarber a fastball he’s looking for and Schwarber crushed it, 104.6 mph off the bat but the line drive ended in the glove of Carson Benge in right field and the game was over.
There is an off-day Friday because of some little thing called the World Cup and apparently there is a game in Philadelphia. No one said anything until now!
So, Cristopher Sánchez will get the ball Saturday night against Freddy Peralta when the two teams resume their three-game series. Weird to have an off-day on Friday. Really weird.
If the Yankees were looking for any more clarity about the weak parts on a roster that’s looked mostly dominant even without Aaron Judge, they got it Thursday in The Bronx.
What had been a tight game against a White Sox team they’d hammered the previous two games turned on its head with one pitch from Camilo Doval, the right-hander who’s been unreliable since he was acquired from the Giants nearly a year ago.
Access the Yankees beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
Faced with the unenviable task of entering with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the eighth of a tie game after Tim Hill drilled back-to-back hitters, Doval faced pinch hitter Andrew Benintendi and gave up a grand slam on his first pitch in a 5-1 loss.
“It’s not the result you want there,’’ Doval said through an interpreter. “With the bases loaded, you try to throw strikes and get ahead. It was a good sinker with movement, but he was able to hit it very well.”
Doval was far from the only reason the Yankees had their four-game winning streak snapped, losing for just the second time in 10 games.
A lineup that had piled up 30 runs in its previous three games couldn’t get anything going against lefty opener Bryan Hudson or right-hander Sean Burke, who had been knocked around by the Dodgers and Phillies in his previous two appearances but limited the Yankees to one run in 7 ¹/₃ innings to finish the game.
The Yankees brought a season-high 3½-game lead in the AL East over the idle Rays, who were just swept by the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Despite a solid start by lefty Ryan Weathers, who gave up just one run in 6¹/₃ innings, the Yankees were unable to finish off a sweep of Chicago.
Weathers had allowed at least five runs in each of his previous three starts — and four of his last five — but struck out the side in order in the top of the first, an indication of how powerful his stuff was on Thursday.
Andrew Benintendi (right) celebrates with teammates after hitting a grand slam in the eighth inning of the Yankees’ 5-1 loss to the White Sox on June 18, 2026 at the Stadium. Robert Sabo for New York Post
He began the second by giving up a leadoff homer to Colson Montgomery after allowing seven homers in those three previous starts. It was Montgomery’s third homer in two games.
That would be all Weathers would give up to the White Sox on this night.
He responded to the Montgomery homer by facing one batter over the minimum until he walked Montgomery with one out in the seventh to end Weathers’ outing.
Camilo Doval gave up a grand slam to Andrew Benintendi in the eighth inning of the Yankees’ loss to the White Sox. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Ryan McMahon got to Burke to open the bottom of the third with an opposite-field homer to left-center that tied the game at 1-1.
José Caballero gave the Yankees a brief scoring chance against Burke in the fifth, as he reached second on a single and an error by center fielder Tristan Peters.
But Caballero was picked off second and McMahon whiffed.
Anthony Volpe is tagged out trying to stretch a double into a triple during the seventh inning of the Yankees’ loss to the White Sox. Robert Sabo for New York Post
As Junior Pérez chased down the ricochet, Volpe tried to get to third and was thrown out — an aggressive play of which Boone said he approved.
In the eighth, Fernando Cruz gave up a leadoff double to pinch-hitter Luisangel Acuña before Hill entered and hit pinch-hitter Sam Antonacci, as well as Tristan Peters — Peters on an 0-2 pitch — to load the bases with no one out.
Hill struck out Chase Meidroth before Doval entered to face Benintendi, who tagged Doval with a shot out to right on a 99 mph sinker that wasn’t low enough.
Doval has been ineffective against lefties this season and bad in high-leverage spots since getting to the Yankees, but Boone said he remained confident Doval could pitch under the bright lights of New York.
“I don’t think it’s a situation where he’s overwhelmed by a bigger situation,” Boone said. “It comes down to execution.”
Yankees Merch Shop
WinCraft insulated can coolers
Team Effort driver head cover
47 Brand adjustable cap
Customizable jersey
Logo fleece blanket
14-ounce sculpted relief coffee mug
New York Post receives revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and when you make a purchase.
There have been too many times, though, when the execution hasn’t been there.
“I’m not getting the results I expect from myself at this moment,” Doval said. “But I know they’re coming.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 14: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning during a regular season game against the Athletics at Las Vegas Ballpark on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Earlier this week, we asked you to vote on one of four position players to keep and build a team around: OF Jordan Beck, OF Brenton Doyle, C Hunter Goodman and SS Ezequiel Tovar. And the results were not very surprising.
The overwhelming majority of folks voted that Goodman should be the one retained to build a team around:
Ezequiel Tovar received the second-highest vote total — likely because he is at a premium position like Goodman — while Doyle and Beck split the remaining 6% of votes.
Do you agree with the results? Do you still agree with your vote? Let us know in the comments!
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Andrew Benintendi #23 of the Chicago White Sox celebrates hitting a grand slam during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 18, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s never fun when a former Yankee comes back and punishes you in the Bronx, even if there wasn’t bad blood or anything that would cause a sort of “revenge game”.
Andrew Benintendi opened this series with a solo shot with a homer off Gerrit Cole on Tuesday, but started tonight’s game on the bench against the lefty Ryan Weathers. Unfortunately, he got a lane to pinch-hit with the bases loaded in the eighth and absolutely punished a ball for a go-ahead grand slam, lifting the White Sox to a 5-1 win over the Yankees on Thursday to deny them the series sweep.
Much earlier on, Ryan Weathers got the ball to start and went right to work, striking out the top of the White Sox’s lineup in order. Chicago’s opener, Bryan Hudson, put up a sharp 1-2-3 inning of his own in the bottom half.
That strong first inning for Weathers was quickly erased on his first pitch of the second, as Colson Montgomery clobbered a sinker at the bottom of the zone for a long home run into the Yankees’ bullpen for his third home run of the series and 20th of the season to make it 1-0 White Sox.
Hudson got two quick outs in the bottom half before being chased by a bloop double to Spencer Jones. Sean Burke, the bulk reliever, struck out José Caballero to end the inning.
Weathers pitched around a two-out single in the third and would be quickly picked up by his offense, as Ryan McMahon led off the third with a booming, 430-foot opposite-field shot into the White Sox bullpen to tie the game at one. Not often you’ll see a lefty at Yankee Stadium hit more bombs to the opposite field, but that’s what we’re getting in McMahon, I guess.
Chicago went down in order in the fourth on a bunch of soft contact. With two outs and two strikes in the bottom half, Jazz Chisholm Jr. fouled a ball off his… groin. While we’re used to these just temporarily taking the wind out of players, this one actually resulted in the second baseman leaving the game. Anthony Volpe took the remainder of the at-bat and walked before being thrown out trying to steal second by Edgar Quero.
Luisangel Acuña beat out a lackadaisical effort from Caballero at second base for an infield single with one out in the fifth, but he was quickly erased on a strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play to end the inning. Caballero atoned for his sins with a single in the bottom half, but then got picked off. Not the best inning for the fundies.
It was more of the same in the sixth for both Weathers and Burke, with the latter only giving up a one-out single to Ben Rice. Two batters into the seventh, one of them finally blinked, as Weathers was removed after walking Colson Montgomery. Fernando Cruz came on and did what he does best, getting out of the inning to preserve a 1-1 tie.
That concluded a terrific outing for Weathers after three consecutive poor ones, going 6.1 innings of efficient one-run ball. Aaron Boone elected to be rather aggressive with the hook, pulling him on just 88 pitches with a relatively rested bullpen off two blowouts, which might not be a bad idea with how Weathers has struggled third time through of late. It’s a no-decision, but a step in the right direction.
Burke stayed out there after the seventh-inning stretch and gave up a laced one-out double to Volpe, but got an assist from some overaggressive baserunning and the first major league outfield assist by Junior Perez as Volpe was gunned out at third base. Jones struck out to end the inning.
The bullpen’s recent effectiveness came to a sudden end in the eighth. Cruz allowed a leadoff double to Sam Antonacci, prompting Boone to utilize Tim Hill with two soft-hitting lefties due up. Naturally, the team’s best lefty neutralizer plunked both of them to load the bases. After he struck out Chase Meidroth, Boone inserted Camilo Doval to force Will Venable to his bench, successfully deploying the former Yankee Benintendi. The lefty promptly blasted Doval’s first pitch deep in the right-field seats.
That was a certifiable no-win scenario for Boone and the Yankees. With one out and the bases loaded, your options were Hill vs. Randal Grichuk, which is possibly the worst platoon matchup possible in this game, or hoping that Doval’s propensity to groove pitches didn’t show up. The latter was chosen, and it was immediately punished.
Doval mopped up the ninth, but on the other side, Burke chugged all the way through 7.2 very strong innings, finishing the game without needing to deploy another reliever. He was two ticks up on his fastball all night long and put together one of the best starts of his young career against a team that, while hitting a lot in the last few days, finished the day without four Opening Day starters due to injury.
The Yankees will welcome the Cincinnati Reds to town tomorrow night for just the team’s third interleague series of the year, with the opener kicking off at 7:05 pm. It’ll be Cam Schlittler up against Rhett Lowder.
Juan Soto launched two home runs and the Mets used a three-run seventh to hold on and defeat the Phillies, 6-4, on Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Here are the takeaways...
-New York got off to a fast start against Aaron Nola with Soto launching a solo shot with two outs in the opening frame. Jared Young reached on a fielding error by Nolan and A.J. Ewing made the Phillies starter pay with an RBI double.
Soto would launch his second homer of the game to lead off the third. The Mets slugger thought he flew out, but the wind carried it over the wall.
-Sean Manaea, making his second start this season, had a tough start, allowing one run on two hits and a hit batter, but got out of it, allowing just the one run, thanks to a strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play when Francisco Alvarez caught Bryce Harper trying to steal third base. After allowing a leadoff triple in the second, the southpaw escaped without allowing that run to score thanks to a groundout from Bryson Stott, a pop-up by J.T. Realmuto, and a groundout by Derek Hill -- pinch-hitting for Trea Turner after the shortstop was hit in the calf by a Manaea pitch in the first.
In the third, Manaea was betrayed by his defense. Kyle Schwarber struck out, but a passed ball allowed him to reach first and an Alvarez throwing error allowed the slugger to reach second. Then, after a tremendous sliding catch by Soto to rob Harper of a double, Carson Benge tried to do the same to Alec Bohm's flyball in right field, but the ball hit the heel of his glove as he slid toward the foul line, allowing Schwarber to score on the double.
Manaea allowed a run on a two-out single from Hill in the fourth but otherwise gutted through five innings for the Mets. He's get one out into the sixth before being pulled. The final line for the lefty saw him toss 95 pitches (63 balls), allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters.
-The Mets would get to the Phillies bullpen. In the seventh, Eric Wagaman broke the 3-3 tie with a pinch-hit single, scoring Benge before Marcus Semien tripled to drive in two more.
The Mets bullpen did its job, allowing just one base runner (one walk) in their 2.2 innings pitched. Here's how the bullpen broke down:
Huascar Brazoban: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K
AJ Minter: 0.2 IP
Luke Weaver: 1.0 IP, 3 K
But it got interesting in the ninth. Devin Williams allowed a one-out walk, but picked up two outs when the pinch-hitting Gabriel Rincones Jr. hit a chopper to Bo Bichette at third. Bichette threw the ball offline to allow the infield hit. Justin Crawford looped a single to push across the Phillies' fourth run and bringing up Kyle Schwarber as the winning run.
Schwarber hit a missile to right, but right at Brett Baty as Williams got the save.
Veteran prop out of retirement for Nations Championship Tests
Three uncapped players in line for potential debuts against Ireland
Veteran prop James Slipper and uncapped trio Declan Meredith, Lachlan Shaw and Miles Amatosero have all been included in the Wallabies squad for next month’s Nations Championship Tests in Australia.
After retiring last November, 37-year-old Slipper could surpass All Blacks great Sam Whitelock as rugby’s second most-capped player in history after answering an SOS call from coach Joe Schmidt.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is back on the injured list.
The team announced before Thursday night’s game against the Athletics that the 11-time All-Star was placed on the 10-day IL due to a right hamstring strain. The Angels recalled infielder Christian Moore from Triple-A Salt Lake among a flurry of moves.
Injuries have hindered Trout for much of this decade. Since winning his third AL MVP award in 2019, Trout has played more than 82 games in a season just twice – 119 in 2022 and 130 in 2025.
The 34-year-old Trout had played in 74 of 75 games this year in a resurgent season. He’s batting .234 with an .866 OPS, 17 homers, 36 RBIs and seven steals.
He entered Thursday with an AL-leading 54 runs, a total that was tied for second in the majors behind Washington’s James Wood. Trout’s 66 walks also ranked second in the big leagues, behind the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz.
Trout had the second-highest vote count of any AL outfielder in the All-Star Game balloting totals that were released this week. He grew up near Philadelphia, where this year’s All-Star Game will take place next month.
The injury to Trout created an opportunity for Moore, who was hitting .333 with a .468 on-base percentage, nine homers, 45 RBIs and 10 steals in 51 games at Salt Lake while playing second base, third base and the outfield.
Moore hit .198 with a .284 on-base percentage, seven homers, 16 RBIs and three steals in 53 games with the Angels last season.
In other moves, the Angels recalled right-hander Ryan Johnson from Double-A Rocket City, released left-hander Drew Pomeranz and optioned right-hander Brett Kerry and catcher Logan Porter to Salt Lake.
The 2026 NBA Draft will begin with the first round on Tuesday, June 23 and conclude with the second round on Wednesday, June 24. The event will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with both nights starting at 8 p.m. ET.
1. Washington 2. Utah 3. Memphis 4. Chicago 5. LA Clippers (from Indiana) 6. Brooklyn 7. Sacramento 8. Atlanta (from New Orleans) 9. Dallas 10. Milwaukee 11. Golden State 12. Oklahoma City (from the LA Clippers) 13. Miami 14. Charlotte 15. Chicago (from Portland) 16. Memphis (from Phoenix via Orlando) 17. Oklahoma City (from Philadelphia) 18. Charlotte (from Orlando via Phoenix) 19. Toronto 20. San Antonio (from Atlanta) 21. Detroit (from Minnesota) 22. Philadelphia (from Houston via Oklahoma City) 23. Atlanta (from Cleveland) 24. New York 25. Los Angeles Lakers 26. Denver 27. Boston 28. Minnesota (from Detroit) 29. Cleveland (from San Antonio via Atlanta) 30. Dallas (from Oklahoma City via Washington and Philadelphia)
Second Round
31. New York (from Washington via Oklahoma City and Houston) 32. Memphis (from Indiana via Milwaukee) 33. Brooklyn 34. Sacramento 35. San Antonio (from Utah via Minnesota) 36. LA Clippers (from Memphis via Atlanta and Utah) 37. Oklahoma City (from Dallas) 38. Chicago (from New Orleans via Boston, Detroit, and Portland) 39. Houston (from Chicago via Washington) 40. Boston (from Milwaukee via Orlando) 41. Miami (from Golden State via Charlotte, New York, Oklahoma City and Atlanta) 42. San Antonio (from Portland via New Orleans) 43. Brooklyn (from the LA Clippers via Houston) 44. San Antonio (from Miami via Indiana) 45. Sacramento (from Charlotte via San Antonio, Atlanta and New York) 46. Orlando 47. Phoenix (from Philadelphia via Houston and Oklahoma City) 48. Dallas (from Phoenix via Washington) 49. Denver (from Atlanta via Brooklyn and Golden State) 50. Toronto 51. Washington (from Minnesota via Detroit and New York) 52. LA Clippers (from Cleveland) 53. Houston 54. Golden State (from the Los Angeles Lakers via Toronto, Miami and Cleveland) 55. New York 56. Chicago (from Denver via Minnesota, Phoeinx, Charlotte and Phoenix) 57. Atlanta (from Boston) 58. New Orleans (from Detroit via New York, Brooklyn, Phoenix, Orlando and Los Angeles Clippers) 59. Minnesota (from San Antonio via Indiana) 60. Washington (from Oklahoma City via San Antonio and Miami)
How do they determine the NBA Draft order?
The first four picks are determined by a lottery involving the 14 teams that missed the NBA playoffs.
The three teams with the worst regular-season records each have a 14% chance of getting the No. 1 pick. The odds decrease for the remaining teams (in propotion to their records).
After the top four picks, the remaining 10 lottery teams are slotted in according to their records (meaning that the worst team is guaranteed at least the fifth pick). The remaining 15 picks of the first round are ordered in reverse of the teams' regular-season records.
The 30 picks in the second round are ordered entirely by regular-season records, with the worst team picking 31st and the best picking 60th.
When is the 2026 NBA Draft?
The draft will be held on June 23-24 with each round on a separate night.
How can I watch the 2026 NBA Draft?
The first round will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN. The second round will be on ESPN.
2026 NBA Draft schedule
Tuesday, June 23: First round at 8 p.m. ET; teams have five minutes per draft pick
Wednesday, June 24: Second round at 8 p.m. ET; teams have four minutes per draft pick.
The Phillies will be without one of their major offseason acquisitions for the rest of the year.
Outfielder Adolis Garcia will undergo right latissimus dorsi repair surgery on June 24, which comes with a six-to-eight-month recovery, the team announced Thursday.
Garcia, 33, initially suffered the injury on a throw from right field in a game versus the Blue Jays in Toronto on June 10.
Philadelphia Phillies’ Adolis Garcia receives treatment before being helped off the field against the Toronto Blue Jays. Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP
After third baseman Kazuma Okamoto lifted a fly ball toward Garcia, the right fielder unleashed a strong throw in an attempt to nab George Springer at home plate, hurting his shoulder in the process.
He was immediately removed from the game and later placed on the 60-day injured list with a torn right lat, but the team did not immediately rule him out for the season.
“We have not finalized his plans moving forward,” Phillies interim skipper Don Mattingly told reporters last week. “It’s an important one for him and his career, so everybody wants to get it right.”
The procedure marks the end of a disappointing 2026 for Garcia, who was brought on a one-year, $10 million deal in an attempt to recapture his prior All-Star form after the team moved on from the mercurial Nick Castellanos.
While Garcia provided solid defense, his offense left much to be desired as he posted a .195/.270/.329 slash line with seven home runs in 21 RBIs across 67 games.
Garcia’s 2026 is over after just 67 games with the Phillies. Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Three of those homers had come in the week before the injury, but Garcia nonetheless registered a -0.8 WAR on the season.
Garcia spent time in Japan and with the Cardinals during his career before enjoying a breakout season with the Rangers in 2021.
The Cuban slugger hit 31 homers and made his first All-Star team that season, solidifying himself in the middle of Texas’ lineup.
He enjoyed an even better 2023 with the Rangers, making his second All-Star team, winning a Gold Glove and playing a pivotal role in the organization’s first World Series championship.
ATLANTA — Here, a new number for all the statheads out there: innings pitched per hour of sleep.
In Carson Whisenhunt’s case, the ratio on Wednesday was something like 5:2. Even counting the short nap after his crack-of-dawn flight to make it on time for his spot start, Whisenhunt barely cracked four hours of shuteye.
Giants pitcher Carson Whisenhunt fared well in his spot start against the Braves. Getty Images
He didn’t look bleary-eyed in his first major-league start of the season, keeping the Braves off the scoreboard for five innings and finishing with two earned runs over five-plus.
His reward: one full night’s sleep in the posh team hotel before boarding another flight back to rough it in Triple-A. Whisenhunt, the 27th man for the second game of the Giants’ doubleheader against the Braves, was sent back out after the 7-5 win.
But he showed enough to convince manager Tony Vitello he’ll be back.
“He’s got the ability to be at this level,” Vitello said. “It wasn’t just about what he did today. You see the incline of improvement. He’ll have more days like this.”
For now, though, the Giants will continue to roll with Adrian Houser, Landen Roupp and Trevor McDonald behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. Tyler Mahle is also on a rehab assignment, though he was shaky in his first outing Tuesday, walking five in three innings.
Ray, on the last year of his contract, is one of the likeliest candidates to be dealt if the Giants maintain their posture as sellers. Mahle, with a few strong starts under his belt, could also give a contender a low-cost option to boost their pitching depth.
The Giants aren’t exactly swimming in major-league arms themselves, but without much hope of making the playoffs, trading from the relative position of weakness would at least give them a chance to see if they can count on any of their internal options heading into next season.
Whisenhunt started for the Giants on short rest after leaving Triple-A Sacramento’s game in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
Whisenhunt, as Vitello declared two weeks ago, would be the “next man up.”
“I just meant he’s doing well enough to get the call-up if circumstances come up,” Vitello said before Wednesday’s game. “Circumstances have come up, so here we are.”
Whisenhunt was with Triple-A Sacramento in Oklahoma City when he got word that he was getting the call late in their game Tuesday night. He packed his things and got to bed around 1 or 2 a.m. for a 7 a.m. flight to Atlanta, where he started on short rest about 12 hours later.
His evaluation: “Not the best it could have been, but for what I had to work with, I felt pretty solid.”
It went better than just about any of the five starts Whisenhunt made in his big-league debut last summer, when he struggled with his command and batters punished him for lacking a second offspeed pitch. For the most part, it’s why he has been stuck at Triple-A for three years after rising quickly through the Giants’ system with a major league-ready changeup.
This time around, Whisenhunt still struggled to put away hitters, finishing with only two strikeouts, but settled in to retire 11 of 12 until allowing the first three batters of the sixth to reach. He issued two walks but left them both stranded on first base.
“He put on a clinic for how to handle traffic,” Vitello said. “Because there weren’t very many moments in the game where it was easy, or he just breezed. …
“To come in on a flight and all that stuff, I think it’s pretty commendable how well he pitched on the road against a great team, and then you add in all the circumstances, too.”
Vitello noticed a difference from the pitcher he watched for the first time in spring training.
“I thought [his] composure was at a high level,” Vitello said. “Whereas in spring training … composure got away and he kind of just went harder and madder and faster. There was a lot of poise out there today.”
At Triple-A, he has been working on a slider that he admitted was “still a work in progress,” particularly against right-handed hitters. Still, he said having the breaking ball to go with a fastball that sits 92-94 mph and his signature changeup is “definitely a lot of help.”
He gave a different explanation for what allowed him to earn the Pacific Coast League’s Pitcher of the Month award for May and post a 2.76 ERA in 10 starts since April 28.
“Just trusting my stuff in the zone,” he said. “Not trying to punch everybody out. If it happens, it happens. But just trying to get early contact and go further into the game.”
Now, on his way back to Triple-A, he knows that mindset can translate to The Show.
“It definitely makes it mentally better,” he said.
