Mar 1, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates a basket against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images | William Navarro-Imagn Images
His future is going to be not just the biggest question of the Lakers’ offseason, but one of the biggest in the league as a whole. He’s already broken basically every record in terms of longevity while still showing he can perform at a high level this season.
But with the Lakers looking to move into the Luka Dončić era, does it make sense to also take part in the LeBron retirement tour?
Let’s dive into that debate with your questions.
SirTuppy
Is Lebron’s return truly a good and desirable thing or not?
I am aware that this might be a “baiting” topic. So I want to elaborate a bit on this. The question is more… “Can we look at the pros and cons both short term and longer term and do an analysis?”
I think there are fair arguments to be made in each direction, but that this is a hot subject that isn’t always approached with the, um, most gentile nature.
Now, I don’t mean the “no brainer” sorts of stuff. OF COURSE if Lebron decides, “eff it! I’m coming back on the vet minimum!” then, duh, the Lakers want him back. I also don’t mean the “Give me a max contract or I’m out of here!” takes. Because, of course, the Lakers DON’T want him back (or shouldn’t IMO) on that salary.
I want to see the writers of SS&R go deeper. (Yeah, yeah, insert your juvenile puns here on that phrasing.) Because I think there are good, valid arguments to be made for either making a clean, sharp break and moving on…and bringing him back, hoping for better injury luck, and rolling the dice.
But it really also depends a lot on what Lebron is going to push for as conditions. I personally don’t want to see the Lakers do some sort of lopsided, short term trade for some desperate long shot chance at one more title for Bron that leaves us with a long rebuild afterward…but I also don’t want to just assume that the Lakers with Bron back might not have a puncher’s chance either.
So…no clickbait. No ragebait. Give us the good stuff.
So, let’s try to have that conversation with nuance, because I agree that there are multiple ways to come at this from both sides of the argument.
Depending on when you asked the Lakers during the season, their thoughts on LeBron’s future with the franchise would have been different. For much of the first half of the season, all the signs pointed to the two sides going their separate ways this summer.
Then, the team figured some things out heading into March, LeBron looked great as a willing third fiddle and the Lakers played their best basketball of the season. They legitimately looked like a contender for most of the month, including beating the team that is currently up in the NBA Finals in a rout.
For LeBron, when everything else went awry for the Lakers heading into the playoffs, he stepped up in a way that should also provide some encouragement that he has something to offer for a title-contending team.
Now, even taking that into account, there are other things that come with having LeBron on the team. No matter if he’s the best player on the team or the third option, he’s always going to be a focal point. Conversations will revolve around him.
He also brings pressure that will stress-test a team throughout the year. Whether it’s due to reasons on the court or off of it, there will be multiple times during the campaign where the team’s resolve will be tested.
You also have to account for a regular season in which he’s not going to be going all out throughout. He paces himself, which means you’re likely going to lose games in December and January because LeBron is pacing himself for the postseason.
It is also impossible to fully move into the Luka era with LeBron still on the team. Everyone can acknowledge that this is Luka’s team and Luka’s franchise, but with LeBron on the roster, it won’t fully feel like that.
And yet, even with all those qualifiers, he led the team to a playoff series win as the central figure with Luka and Austin Reaves. It truly can’t be understated, even if it came against an underwhelming Houston side, that LeBron still has enough juice to carry a team in the playoffs.
This is not an easy decision. There are pros and cons, as suggested in the comment/question, about parting with LeBron. Is it worth moving on and into the Luka era if it means moving on from a player who is still capable of contributing at a high level?
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 21: LeBron James #23 celebrates with Luke Kennard #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers following a game against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on March 21, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 105-104. 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. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A WorthyGreenJohnson, ScottJabbar
Even at his age, if LBJ doesn’t come back, the team is going to need to replace him as best as possible. No one has more experience, in the regular season or playoffs. He’s provided a steady leadership role for the team as well, one Luka doesn’t match. His all-around play may not be at the level it used to be, but losing him will leave a significant gap on the team’s talent pool.
Replacing LBJ, upgrading the bench, and picking up a good starting wing defender should be our priorities. Secondary should be finding another decent center.
I think one aspect that hasn’t been discussed enough is that, if the Lakers should and do move on from LeBron, there is a huge statistical void that will have to be filled.
Last season, he averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game. If you take that off the team, that’s big, big numbers they have to replace. And that’s to speak nothing of the ways he impacts the team outside of the stat line. The knowledge and experience he has is invaluable and irreplaceable.
No one player can replace LeBron statistically. Even if the Lakers replace him in the aggregate, which is how they’ll have to approach things, and are able to find nearly 21 points and over seven assists and six rebounds per game, there are still ways they’re not going to be able to replace him.
And needing to do all that this summer with a free agent market that isn’t exactly brimming with top-end talent makes it more difficult. They could find solutions via trade, but that will be difficult given the other needs the team will also have.
Can they replace LeBron’s production while also finding athleticism on the perimeter while also finding a center option for the future? One player could fill multiple of those needs, but it makes a tough offseason even more difficult.
The Lakers may be better in the long run by parting ways with LeBron and entering the Luka era, but it will also likely hurt them in the short term.
JeffinBranson
I know this is coming straight from Fantasy-land, but if LeBron wants to win one more Championship before he retires, and wants to bring the trophy to the City of Angels, he needs to take a massive pay cut. He already has more money than Bronny’s grandchildren will ever be able to spend. There comes a time when money should be second, behind winning. This is that time. Sign a FA to bring aboard a fix to the biggest team weakness, whether it be center or wing, or maybe both. If not, than don’t look at the Lakers FO like they didn’t try…they are handcuffed by the salary cap and you’re a very big part of that.
Elgin2Luka
I regret that I am not at all optimistic about this off-season. I fear that Pelinka sold us beach front property in Riverside with his talk of “optionality” for this summer. There in is no optionality unless Le Bron walks, and perhaps even AR must be traded. Otherwise, if those things do not happen, which I think they will not, we are not a cap team and optionality is a dead letter. Everyone knows that LeBron will get at least $ 30-35M, and we will be just like last year–hard capped at the first apron with only one of the MLEs. In fact, we’ll be lucky to get our top seven players back, and we may even end up worse off than last year. So LeBron, with apologies, will he stay or will he go? If he stays there will be trouble, as in no cap space. If he goes it will be double, as in what, $100M plus hit to ownership? Guess which door he’s behind. I certainly know which one I fear it will be. And AR’s upcoming contract, with a huge salary increase, exacerbates the situation after this year. So we can’t solve our problems this year if LeBron stays. And even if LeBron only stays one more year, we can’t solve them next year if AR gets a massive new deal.
Stay tuned boys and girls. Will Walter really have the guts to make the hard calls this summer and to make this Luka’s team, right now? Or will he succumb to the LeCashCow? Well, we’ve all got front row seats, and I’ll be back as soon as I get my popcorn.
I’m going to ignore all of the doom and gloom of the second comment because I want to focus a bit on LeBron’s upcoming contract and both of these questions commented on that.
I don’t think LeBron is under any illusion that he’s a massive contract guy anymore. Even if he is, the free agent market is going to let him know that’s the case. The only contending team that could offer him that type of money is the Lakers and they’d be bidding against themselves for that matter.
It’s hard to see a scenario where LeBron’s contract is much more than the mid-level exception — which will be roughly $15 million this year — because that’s what the market is going to dictate. Again, if you think he’s getting more than that, it’s because you think the Lakers are going to cave and just give him a bunch of money.
You can point to how the team handled the end of Kobe Bryant’s career, but I’d argue that…
That was a different front office
That was different ownership
That was a Lakers team set for a rebuild and not one set to contend
I don’t disagree that giving LeBron a deal around $30-35 million basically dooms the rest of their free agency plans. I also don’t think that he is getting that deal.
Now, on the flip side of that, I’m not ever going to criticize someone for taking money. If the Lakers offer LeBron $30 million, my anger would be at the front office, not LeBron. By the same token, I’m not going to tell or expect a player to take less money to be competitive.
It’s nice if a player does take a discount to help the team win, but it’s not their job to take less money and if I was in their shoes, I can’t say I’d be willing to take less money to compete. This is life-changing money, even if LeBron is a billionaire. He came from nothing. I’m not going to criticize or expect him to take less.
Having said that, it is substantially easier to build a title-contending team if LeBron takes significantly less money, obviously. I’d question how much he wants to bring a title to Los Angeles on his way out, since he already brought the city a title. I doubt those are his motivations.
There was also the comment LeBron made about when he would decide his future. He gave a timeline of late June through August where he would make his decision. The Lakers aren’t going to wait on him, so if he wants to make a decision after the beginning of July, then he’s returning to the Lakers on a minimum. I’m not reading too much into that for now, but it did pique my interest.
If you want to make the case for why he would stay in Los Angeles, I think a more compelling argument would focus on the family roots he has in the city. Does he really want to relocate his family again for what will likely be a one-year retirement tour? Does he want to live alone during that time if they remain in LA?
Considering how much he speaks about his family and how close he is to them, I venture to think neither of those are options desires.
If I were to guess, I think LeBron is back in Los Angeles for one more season next year. I genuinely do not know what the contract will be. I don’t expect it to be north of $20-25 million because that really starts to handicap the Lakers this summer.
What I do know, though, is that moving on from LeBron this summer is going to create even more holes for the Lakers to plug in an offseason with plenty of them already.
It’s safe to say Air Corgi’s NBA Finals appearance didn’t go the way Spurs fans probably hoped.
Air Corgi — real name Lilo — is a dog with 1.6 million followers on TikTok who predicts the outcome of several sports games by pushing a ball down stairs into a basket, was in the building for Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs in San Antonio on Wednesday night.
But after the Knicks downed San Antonio 105-95 in thrilling fashion Wednesday night, Lilo is 0-for-1 on her NBA Finals prediction after picking the Spurs to win the opener and ultimately the series in seven games.
Viral sensation and TikTok-famous dog Air Corgi made an appearance at NBA Finals Game 1 Wednesday night. Corgi incorrectly predicted the Spurs to win Game 1.
Corgi’s prediction ruffled some feathers on X, with some even joking the dog was fraudulent and mentioning how she incorrectly predicted the 2025 NBA Finals by picking the Pacers to win in six games.
Despite her prediction, Corgi still received a standing ovation from fans in the second quarter Wednesday night and was lifted in the air.
San Antonio’s video scoreboard even showed a dog bouncing a ball into a basket, mimicking what Corgi does on TikTok.
Even with some calling her a fraud, Corgi pulled off a remarkable feat last month.
She not only correctly predicted the Spurs would beat the Thunder in seven games in the Western Conference finals, but correctly predicted the outcome of every single game.
The dog also correctly picked the Knicks to beat the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, though she predicted a six-game series instead of the eventual sweep.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 30: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals and teammate James Wood #29 celebrate a win over the New York Mets after the ninth inning of a game at Citi Field on April 30, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Heather Khalifa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yesterday voting opened for the All-Star game. It is insane that we are already this far into the season, but here we are. The Nationals have two players who deserve to start in Philly next month. Through the first two months and change, CJ Abrams and James Wood have done enough to earn a starting nod.
With the Nats on the upswing, our fans need to have their voices heard. We need to stuff the ballot box to make sure our guys get in. In the past, we have seen Nats players get robbed of starting this event due to players from bigger market teams. This year we need to vote! Here is where you can go vote.
Even after the sweep against the Marlins, the Nats have still scored the most runs in all of baseball. Abrams and Wood have been the drivers of this well oiled machine. Interestingly, Wood has been the man at the top of the order, while Abrams has been the run producer in the middle. Abrams is more of your traditional leadoff type, while Wood is your prototypical middle of the order bat. However, with their roles reversed, both have excelled. Wood is first in baseball in runs scored, while Abrams is second in RBI’s.
I actually made a ballot myself, which had Wood and Abrams starting. Curtis Mead also made my lineup, but if I put my bias aside, Max Muncy probably deserves it over him. If I had a re-do, Matt Olson would also be at first base over Bryce Harper. With the game being in Philly, I wanted to put someone on the Phillies in there, but Olson is the more deserving candidate.
When you look at the offensive metrics, it is clear that Wood and Abrams are deserving. Wood is 8th in baseball with a 158 wRC+, while Abrams is 11th, with a 152 mark. While Abrams is behind Elly De La Cruz and Otto Lopez in WAR, I still think he deserves a starting nod for a couple reasons. The first is that De La Cruz is going to miss time with an injury, which should help Abrams. In the case of Lopez, Abrams is just 0.1 wins behind him, and I prefer the explosiveness Abrams provides at the plate.
For Wood, the case is very straightforward. He is third among outfielders in WAR, and has been one of the best hitters in all of baseball. I also believe that Wood can be a star attraction in the game. His freakish size, power and athleticism is breathtaking at his best. He is the kind of player you want in an All-Star game. Who doesn’t love to see a giant hit balls 115 MPH.
James Wood hits an absolute rocket to the stands 😮
Wood and Abrams are not the only candidates the Nats have, but they are the only ones who I think will end up getting in. Curtis Mead has had an incredible breakout season, and he is certainly a name who should receive some consideration. However, his lack of name brand value and the fact he was not playing every day until recently is likely to hold him back.
A couple other players who deserve shoutouts are Brad Lord, Keibert Ruiz and Cade Cavalli. All three are long shots, but have been excellent this season. Ruiz had a monster month of May, and if he has another great month, his name could be in consideration. Lord does not have a flashy job in the Nats pitching staff, but he has been amazing in his multi-inning relief role. Cavalli is certainly a long shot, but if he catches fire in June, he could have a chance due to his strikeout numbers and low FIP.
At the end of the day, I think Wood and Abrams get in, and at least one will start. Both have put up ridiculous numbers, and have put the league on notice. Abrams has taken his game to another level this season. He is on pace for 32 home runs and 125 RBI’s as the Nats cleanup man. That is an All-Star shortstop if I have ever seen one.
Outside of this past series against the Marlins, the Nats have provided fans with more joy than anticipated. We need to repay them for their hot start. James Wood and CJ Abrams should not be overshadowed by players from bigger markets that are not as deserving. Make sure to make your voices heard and vote!
Former Florida Panthers AHL goaltending coach Sylvain Rodrigue has been hired by the Minnesota Wild.
Rodrigue will serve as the goaltending coach for both the Wild’s NHL team and their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. Rodrigue will also assist in amateur and professional player evaluation and work with drafted and signed goaltenders in a developmental capacity.
The 52-year-old had spent the past two seasons working with the Charlotte Checkers as the goaltending coach. He worked in close contact with young netminders like Cooper Black and Kirill Gerasimyuk, both of whom had strong 2025-26 campaigns.
Prior to working with the Panthers, Rodrigue spent 11 seasons working in various goaltending roles with the Edmonton Oilers. He served as the goaltending coach at the NHL and AHL levels, while also serving as a goaltending consultant and development coach.
Dating even further back, Rodrigue was a goaltending coach in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and in the QMJHL.
Although the Montreal, Que., native never played in the NHL, he did play four seasons in the QMJHL, where he recorded an .863 save percentage and a 4.38 goals-against average.
Joining the Wild, Rodrigue will now have the opportunity to work closely with Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson, two of the top goaltenders last season. While there are some reports that one of the backstoppers could be on the move this off-season, he’ll still have plenty of talent to work with.
In the AHL, Rodrigue will work with Samuel Hlavaj, a top performer at multiple international events with Team Slovakia.
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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 26: Cesar Perdomo #57 of the Richmond Flying Squirrels pitches during the game between the Somerset Patriots and the Richmond Flying Squirrels at CarMax Park on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Matthew Mitrani/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
The rookie ball teams were off on Wednesday, but the San Francisco Giants quartet of A-ball teams were all in action. So let’s dive into the Minor League baseball results!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Just a tiny bit of news. AA Richmond activated LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) off the Injured List, while placing recently-signed RHP Christian Alvarado on the Development List.
AAA Sacramento (33-24)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 5-1 Box score
Not a very good game for the River Cats, who are scuffling through their roster churn. They’ve lost 4 of their last 5 games, and have opened this series by getting held to 1 run in each of the 2 games thus far.
The big news for Sacramento is that LHP Matt Wilkinson made his AAA debut. Wilkinson, a burly 23-year old who was taken in the 10th round of the 2023 draft, came to the Giants in the Patrick Bailey trade, and was promoted to AAA after just 9 starts in AA (and just 3 in the Giants’ system).
Unfortunately, Wilkinson, as happens with most Sacramento prospects, reminded the Giants that there is a cavernous gap in talent between AA and AAA, which makes it all the more confounding that they opted to have Jonah Cox skip the level entirely (but that’s a rant for another day).
After thoroughly dominating the Eastern League, Tugboat ran into some issues with the hitters in the Pacific Coast League. More specifically, he ran into some issues with the strike zone in the Pacific Coast League, and with the hitters’ ability to stay within it.
Wilkinson threw just 26 of 49 pitches for strikes, and had as many walks (4) as outs recorded. He wasn’t particularly hittable — he gave up just a single, while striking out 2 — but walking 4 of the 9 batters you face is no way to make a living, and so he gave up 2 runs while getting pulled after just 1.1 innings. That will be an adjustment for the southpaw, who only had 4 walks in 15 innings with AA Richmond. But adjustments are why AAA exists … except, again, for Cox apparently.
Rehabbing RHP Jason Foley also pitched, which was a big deal because it was his 1st time pitching in back-to-back games. That’s a critical part of the rehab process for a reliever, and while he didn’t pitch particularly well (he gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 unearned run in an inning of work, without a strikeout), it’s a big milestone to reach. Foley is now 9 games into his rehab assignment, and about a week away from maxing out his 30-day rehab window. He should be making his Giants debut very soon.
RHP Braxton Roxby pitched well, tossing 2.2 shutout innings with just 1 hit allowed, while striking out 3. Those numbers are good as is, but underscore his performance, as he replaced Wilkinson in the 2nd inning and inherited a bases loaded, 1-out situation. Tugboat’s ERA could have been disastrously ugly, but Roxby didn’t allow any of the inherited runners to score, which included striking out MLB veteran Miles Mastrobuoni with just 1 out.
Roxby, who came to the Giants in the Taylor Rogers trade, is starting to settle in following a tough beginning to his 1st full season in AAA. Through his 1st 9 appearances of the year, Roxby allowed 11 earned runs in just 9 innings; in 7 games since, he’s given up just 1 earned run in 11.2 innings.
The hitters did very little. Second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) had a nice game, hitting 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a strikeout. Furman’s really been hitting the ball lately, and the 24-year old lefty has an 11-game hitting streak going on. Over his last 14 games, the 2022 4th-round pick (by the Guardians) is 22-61 with 3 home runs, 1 triple, 5 doubles, 4 walks, and 9 strikeouts. He’s up to an .802 OPS and a 116 wRC+, with just a 12.3% strikeout rate … assuming the Giants trade Luis Arráez this summer, I expect we’ll see Furman in the Majors at some point this year.
Designated hitter Jared Oliva continued his rehab assignment, and hit 1-4 with a stolen base. Recently-optioned Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) hit 0-4 with 2 strikeouts, but made his season debut at third base, the position he played most when he 1st came up through the Minors. The Giants still view him primarily as a catcher, but it seems they’re happy to let him develop into a super-utility player, which would have a ton of value (not many utility players can catch!).
AA Richmond (35-17)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 4-2 Box score
This game was all about the starting pitcher, LHP Cesar Perdomo. With Matt Wilkinson and Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) promoted to AAA, Perdomo takes over the title of staff ace. And he did a damn good impression of that pair of more well-known prospects on Wednesday, with one of the top pitching performances on the farm this year.
Perdomo, a 24-year old who signed in 2021 out of Venezuela, was nearly unhittable against Erie. He threw 6 scoreless innings, and gave up just 2 hits (both singles) and 2 walks. And best of all? He struck out 9 batters.
That’s been the story of his season so far, which is always exciting. You expect players to lose some strikeouts as they climb the Minor League ranks, but Perdomo — who has some nasty pitches — has done the opposite. He had a strong 2025 with High-A Eugene, but it featured just 8.3 strikeouts per 9 innings … this year, at a higher level? 10.6!
And while you expect an increase in strikeouts to be accompanied by an increase in walks, it hasn’t been a huge raise for Perdomo, whose BB/9 number has gone from 2.7 to 3.5. Room for improvement, to be sure, but not exactly a concerning figure.
In all, the strikeouts — and the fact that he’s ceded just 1 home run in 46.2 innings — have given Perdomo a nice ERA (3.86) and a stellar FIP (2.86). That latter figure is 2nd among the 49 Eastern League pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown this year, trailing only his (now former) teammate Whitman. All of that is to say: we should probably be talking about Perdomo more!
No one else on the team, however, really deserves to be talked about in this game. RHP Ryan Vanderhei made his AA debut and struggled, giving up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run in 1.2 innings, with 1 strikeout. RHP Manuel Mercedes struck out the side in a scoreless inning, but also allowed a hit and a walk.
Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) and catcher Ty Hanchey both hit 2-4 with a double. Velasquez has been quietly chugging along in his 3rd year in AA, where he has a .764 OPS and a 108 wRC+. Critically for the 22-year old switch-hitter, who has always been a all-contact, no-power hitter, his isolated slugging mark of .133 is higher than it was in his 1st 2 AA stints combined. He probably deserves to be in AA, but with Nate Furman there, it doesn’t really work logistically.
Hanchey has been a player that the Giants send wherever they need a roster hole filled this year, as he’s seen time with Eugene, Richmond, and Sacramento. The 26-year old UDFA has done quite well with the Squirrels, posting a .987 OPS and a 163 wRC+ in 50 plate appearances.
Center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) had his 2nd consecutive multi-hit game, as he went 2-4 with a strikeout, while also showing off his tremendous athleticisim.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 4, 2026
High-A Eugene (37-16)
Eugene Emeralds lost to the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) 5-3 Box score
Eugene is the most talent-stacked team in the Giants system right now, but all eyes are on one player: Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL). The just-turned 19-year old switch-hitter earned a quick promotion from Low-A to High-A, and now he’s even more of a must-watch and must-follow prospect, as we all want to see how he’ll handle higher competition.
So far, so good. After going 2-5 in his High-A debut on Tuesday, Level one-upped himself on Wednesday, hitting 2-4, getting hit by a pitch, and stealing a base, though he struck out twice. We’ll have to wait to see the power play — he had 26 extra-base hits in 44 Low-A games this year — but reaching base 5 times in 2 games, with a stolen base, is quite an introduction to the Northwest League. So far it sure doesn’t seem like he’s fazed by the better pitching at the level.
Interestingly, Level has now played second base in both of these games, with Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) playing shortstop. I still think that they’re likely to fairly evenly split time between the 2 positions, but it’s something to keep an eye on. Maybe instead of having them rotate game by game, they give the pair a few games at each position before making the switch. Or maybe they’ll just keep Level at second for a while. Stay tuned to find out!
Kilen, on that note, went 0-5, and he’s in a bit of a slump at the moment. In his last 9 games, the 2025 1st-rounder is 4-36 with 2 doubles and 4 walks, though he only has 4 strikeouts in that time. I’m guessing the Giants were hoping that Kilen would be ready for a promotion at the same time as Level, but with just a .762 OPS and a 109 wRC+, they’ll probably keep him in Eugene for a while.
Left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) had the team’s only extra-base hit, as he went 2-4 with a double. The 21-year old lefty continues to show a massive power improvement, as he’s boosted his year-over-year isolated slugging from .101 in Low-A to .186 in High-A. The quality of contact is way up, though the rate of contact is way down: his average has dropped from .351 to .256, while his strikeout rate has risen from 13.7% to 18.0%, and his swinging strike rate from 6.9% to 10.4%. Still, a fabulous year for Gutierrez, who has an .803 OPS and a 121 wRC+, with 13 stolen bases in as many attempts and some strong defense. And a reminder that he’s only played 127 games in his professional career!
Eugene’s other top hitting prospects had pretty nice days, as designated hitter Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) went 1-3 with a walk, while center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) hit 2-5 with a stolen base and 2 strikeouts. Jordan now has an .806 OPS and a 119 wRC+, while Cohen has a .766 OPS and a 115 wRC+, with 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts.
But a day to forget for third baseman Walker Martin, who struck out in all 4 plate appearances, while committing his 14th error of the year. Martin has shown some flashes this year on both sides of the ball, but ultimately is hitting below league average (.696 OPS, 92 wRC+), striking out a ton (31.1% rate), and committing a lot of errors.
Unfortunately, it was also a day to forget for Eugene’s starting pitcher, LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL). Like Wilkinson in AAA, Bresnahan struggled to find the strike zone, with just 33 of 59 pitches going for strikes. The soon-to-turn 21-year old issued 5 walks on the day (and hit a batter), while recording just 6 outs.
That said, Bresnahan was utterly dominant for 2 innings, before falling apart in a 3rd inning in which he failed to record an out. He hit the 1st batter he faced in the game, but that batter was then thrown out by catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL), and Bresnahan responded by striking out the next 2 batters. He issued a leadoff walk in the 2nd, then struck out the next 3 batters. Elite!
But he walked 4 consecutive batters to open the 3rd inning, and then gave up a grand slam, ending his night and tattooing him for 5 earned runs in just 2 innings. It’s a brutal part of being a pitcher: sometimes everything is going great, until it all goes awful.
Bresnahan, who missed the start of the season with an injury, is still trying to find his rhythm in High-A, and his numbers (4.97 ERA, 5.53 FIP) don’t resemble the guy who won Pitcher of the Year honors in his league in each of the last 2 seasons. But there sure are some reminders as to his talent, most notably the 11.4 strikeouts per 9 innings.
LHP Esmerlin Vinicio had an awesome game, pitching 3 shutout innings with 5 strikeouts. Vinicio didn’t allow a hit or a walk, with Martin’s error being the only thing that kept him from perfecting in his 3 innings. It’s go time for the 23-year old, who is in his 3rd High-A season, and so far he’s going all right: he has a staggering 0.35 ERA on the year, and a very nice 2.58 FIP. Vinicio remains one of the best groundball pitchers in system, with a 53.8% rate this year. That, combined with his 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings, has resulted in allowing only 10 hits all year, in 25.2 innings pitched. What a great season he’s having!
Low-A San Jose (31-22)
San Jose Giants beat the Inland Empire 66ers (Mariners) 10-3 Box score
Finally, a win!
This was a hitfest for the Baby Giants, who had 13 knocks and 4 walks on the day, en route to 10 runs. The biggest day belonged to third baseman Dario Reynoso, who just refuses to slow down. A day after bopping a pair of home runs, Reynoso was back at it on Wednesday, hitting 2-4 with a 2-run blast and a strikeout.
Yesterday I wrote about Reynoso’s power surge, so let’s update it: after hitting 0 home runs in his 1st 30 games with San Jose (spanning the end of last year and the start of this year), Reynoso has bopped 9 dingers in just 26 games. He’s figuring it out, folks!
If you read this space often, you probably know the scouting report on Reynoso, a recently-turned 21-year old from the Dominican Republic who signed with the Giants almost 3 years ago to the day. He gets a ton of hits, a lot of extra-base knocks, and a kajillion walks … and also strikes out like it’s going out of style. To wit: of the 84 California League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year, Reynoso is 14th in batting average (.306), 4th in isolated slugging percentage (.272), 18th in walk rate (16.0%), and 66th in strikeout rate (29.8%).
At higher levels he’ll probably have to improve the swing-and-miss to have success, but in Low-A it’s a mighty fine equation, as he has a 1.006 OPS and a 147 wRC+. Just an awesome season for the right-hander.
Also putting a ball over the fence was catcher Fernando Gonzalez, who hit 2-4 and smashed a solo home run, his 1st big fly of the year. We haven’t talked much about Gonzalez, a 24-year old righty who was taken in the 20th (and final) round of the 2024 draft. The Giants are using him fairly sparingly, as this was just his 16th game of the year. He has a .704 OPS and a 75 wRC+, a year after having a .726 OPS and a 104 wRC+ in his debut season at the same level. He doesn’t do a lot of damage with the bat, but he has just a 6.5% strikeout rate this season.
More nice games for second baseman Isaiah Barkett, who hit 2-5 with a double and was caught stealing, and first baseman Hayden Jatczak, who went 2-3 with a double and a walk. Barkett, a 22-year old taken in the 10th round last year, has a .901 OPS and a 131 wRC+; Jatczak, a 24-year old UDFA, has a .947 OPS and a 135 wRC+. It’s the 1st season of pro ball for both players.
A strong, if unconventional, outing for LHP Jordan Gottesman, who started the game. The team’s 6th-round pick in 2025 tossed 5 shutout innings, and struck out 5 batters, while allowing just 3 hits. That’s excellent! He also walked 3 batters and hit another, which is less excellent. It’s been a very solid debut season for Gottesman, and it’s only been getting better: he’s tossed 5 shutout innings with at least 5 strikeouts in 4 of his last 5 starts, and that’s phenomenal. The primary stain on Gottesman’s debut resume is that he’s allowed 5 home runs, but we can give him a little bit of a pass there, as 4 of those 5 occurred in April as he was getting his feet wet. Those dingers are the primary reason why his FIP is a not-very-good 5.23, but his 2.45 ERA sure is glistening. He’s allowed just 32 hits in 44 innings, with 46 strikeouts, and the Giants are surely pleased with those numbers.
RHP Alix Hernandez pitched well in relief, with 3 strikeouts in 2.1 no-hit innings, with 1 walk allowed. I’ve always been a fan of Hernandez’s stuff, and he’s shown it off this year with 29 strikeouts in just 23.2 innings … though 11 walks and 3 homers allowed have given the 21-year old a 3.80 ERA and a 5.52 FIP.
On Thursday, the USHL announced plans to partner with stakeholders, including the NHL and USA Hockey, to establish member clubs in California, Arizona, and Nevada, marking the league's first major expansion into the western United States.
Los Angeles Kings President Luc Robitaille on what USHL expansion means for the future of player development in the West.
"This will create a whole new competitive layer to the western region that will allow junior-level players to develop and compete closer to home," Robitaille said Thursday morning.
THE USHL IS HEADED WEST! More opportunity. More access. More pathways for the next generation of players.
"This expansion is about more than adding teams. It is about expanding opportunity." — USHL President and Commissioner Glenn Hefferan
The USHL currently operates 16 teams, all in Midwestern markets, and is now considering expanding to 19 franchises, moving beyond its traditional Midwestern footprint.
Thursday's announcement brings major excitement for junior players, who will increase their chances of making it to the NHL, providing the right opportunities and mentorship to play in their home country.
More details regarding club ownership, markets, and timelines for when the teams will begin play will be announced on June 24.
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CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 05: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks chats with referee Scott Foster #48 during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on April 5, 2024 in Chicago. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Blaming officiating is something every fanbase in every sport has done. A lot of times, it’s overblown or unreasonable. Sometimes, it’s not. A lot of Knicks fans would argue that last night’s Game 1 would be categorized as the latter. And they may have a very good case.
At one point in the game, the Spurs had taken seven free throws to the Knicks’ zero. Not too long after, the attempt discrepancy ballooned to 10-1 Spurs. And at halftime, the Spurs had 12 attempts, while the Knicks had managed to scrape together a paltry three attempts. Thanks to a few calls in the second half and some garbage time free throws, the Knicks did end up taking 18 free throws, while the Spurs took 25 in total. Now, looking at free-throw attempts alone as a way of judging the quality of officiating can be a slippery slope.
Every team is different, which means shot diet, physicality, and pace can all play factors in how many free throws a team deserves to get, or doesn’t deserve to get. But in general, players, coaches, and fans alike ask for one thing- consistency. And that’s where the Knicks have a justifiable argument.
On one end of the floor, Victor Wembanyama was getting to the free-throw line for some marginal contact and ticky-tack fouls. As you can see below, Wembanyama benefited from some soft calls considering it’s the Finals.
UNWATCHABLE 🤯
Wembanyama flops onto the ground for no reason, so refs reward him two free-throws!!
Now, yes, some of the calls Wembanyama got were warranted. By the books, they are fouls. But what fans didn’t understand was that the same kind of calls were not going the other way. Below, you can argue that Landry Shamet tries to sell the call. And if the refs were allowing the Knicks to play with the same kind of physicality, I don’t think there’d be as much of an uproar. But those seem like odd no-calls considering the whistle Wembanyama was getting. But that wasn’t even the worst parts.
Wembanyama wasn’t paying attention, so Shamet planted his feet, he runs through him — No whistle 😂
— That’s A Bad Call (@BadCallOfficial) June 4, 2026
It’s one thing for Shamet not to get a call, because as good as he’s been, and as beloved as he’s become, he’s just not a star. Brunson, on the other hand, is. A multiple-time All-Star and All-NBA player, while being the face of one of the most popular franchises in the league. What’s his reward? A measly four free throw attempts. And it’s not like he was taking only three-point shots.
Brunson spent much of the first half driving to the rim and taking contact. I think fans understood that the whistle may be Spurs-friendly due to the location of the game. But some of the no-calls were just too egregious. In the play below, Dylan Harper gets a handful of Brunson’s jersey, and it’s clear as day. Somehow, this resulted in a no-call.
NBA Finals Refs were looking at the Spurs grabbing Brunson’s Jersey, no whistle.
And the play below was almost just as bad. While this one hasn’t been talked about as much because it did result in a call, Scott Foster misses a clear swipe across the arm, and only calls it when Brunson is fouled a second time on the shot.
Jalen Brunson is fouled by Julian Champagnie, gets two free throws, and he has some words for Scott Foster (with a replay) pic.twitter.com/GHmTR16Ec2
If anything, the 25-18 free-throw discrepancy doesn’t do the one-sided officiating job justice. While things did balance out a bit in the second half, it was one of the more egregiously biased whistles in recent memory. Again, all the Knicks want is some consistency. San Antonio should not be allowed to shove, grab, and step on players if they are getting to the line for marginal contact.
With the Knicks’ odds of winning it all at -132 on FanDuel now, it will be interesting to see if the officiating continues to be a topic of discussion. A more Knicks-friendly whistle could sway the odds even more in their favor, while the continuation of last night’s whistle could swing the odds back in favor of the Spurs, who do currently have a -235 odds to win tomorrow night’s Game 2.
Boston, MA - November 3: Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks with assistant coach Tony Dobbins in the third quarter at TD Garden on November 3, 2025. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Celtics assistant coaches Tony Dobbins and Tyler Lashbrook could both become NBA head coaches next season. Lashbrook is a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers head coach position, while Dobbins is in the mix for the Dallas Mavericks head coach position.
Dobbins has been with the Celtics since 2017 and is one of Joe Mazzulla’s four front-of-bench assistant coaches, while Lashbrook has been with the team since 2023 and works primarily on the offensive (and player development) side.
What Tony Dobbins brings to the Celtics
Tony Dobbins is one of the Celtics’ longest-tenured assistants and an important member of the defensive team. He is a former professional basketball player who went undrafted after an illustrious career at Virginia Tech (1999-2000) and Richmond (2001-2004) as a defensive specialist. Dobbins spent a few years in the G League, but the majority of his 13-year pro career took place overseas, where he laced up for professional clubs in Italy, Greece, France, and Spain.
Dobbins has been a Celtics assistant coach since 2017, beginning in the film room and rising through the ranks over the past decade. Dobbins was the Celtics’ Summer League head coach in 2023. This past year, he was the assistant coach who worked most closely with Jayson Tatum as he rehabbed his Achilles injury.
“He’s one of the best people you’ll ever be around,” Jayson Tatum told CelticsBlog last year.
“I can’t thank him enough for his selflessness and just really being engaged with me every single day,” Tatum said after making his return from his Achilles injury.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 12: Head coach Tony Dobbins of the Boston Celtics looks on in the first half of a 2023 NBA Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 12, 2023 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. The Celtics defeat the Lakers 95-90. (Photo by Louis Grasse/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Before that, Dobbins worked most closely as Jaylen Brown’s lead coach. He’s widely known as one of the most patient and even-keeled people on the Celtics’ sidelines.
“Tony is always keeping everybody level-headed – reminding me, and reminding our team just to breathe,” Brown said in February. “Managing the emotions of the game is what he speaks to a lot, because the better players — the better professionals — can manage their stress levels and their emotions during the game, so that they can see the game clearly.”
Marc Stein reported on Thursday that the Mavericks are expected to interview a dozen or so prospects to replace Jason Kidd as head coach. In addition to Dobbins, that list includes Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, Toronto Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, and Miami consultant Noah LaRoche.
What Tyler Lashbrook brings to the Celtics
Tyler Lashbrook is one of the lead voices in the Celtics’ offense team and a key part of the team’s player development. He was the head coach of the Maine Celtics during the 2024-2025 season before returning to the parent club this year.
DETROIT, MI DECEMBER 29: Maine Celtics head coach Tyler Lashbrook talks with Ron Harper Jr. #24 during the first half of the game against the Motor City Cruise on December 29, 2024 at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit, Michigan. 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 2024 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Before joining the Celtics in 2023, Lashbrook was with the Philadelphia 76ers since 2014. He began as an intern in the film room and worked his way to becoming a video coordinator and player development coach.
Lashbrook was a player development coach in Boston during the championship season before becoming a head coach in the G League for the first time last year.
Lashbrook is reportedly one of three finalists for the Trail Blazers head coach position, a list that also includes interim head coach Tiago Splitter and longtime Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, per Marc Stein.
If either Dobbins or Lashbrook is selected for their respective head coach roles, they’ll become the latest in a long line of former Celtics assistants to land head coach positions. Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee and Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy were both recently Celtics assistants, while Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was the Celtics’ head coach in 2022.
The Jalen Brunson-Spurs fan mystery that stemmed from Game 1 continues.
After the Knicks’ 105-95 series-opening win at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, the ESPN broadcast caught the three-time All-Star in a spat with fans near the scorer’s table.
Referee Scott Foster quickly noticed and tried to turn Brunson’s attention elsewhere before his Knicks teammates came over to do the same.
The NBA is reportedly investigating a pair of “vulgar” courtside fans, though the San Antonio crowd offered a lot of potential persons of interest.
X account New York Basketball posted a series of clips from the final minutes of the ESPN game broadcast, with the incident beginning in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
The video begins with 20.6 seconds left on the clock while OG Anunoby is at the foul line and Brunson wandering toward the scoring table and seemingly hearing chirping from the sidelines.
The video shows Brunson appearing to have words with a fan in a white hat.
Jalen Brunson #11 speaks with referee Scott Foster during an interaction with a fan in the fourth quarter of Game 1. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The two seemingly went back and forth for a bit before Foster took notice and the woman next to the fan in the white hat seemingly chimed in.
Later, Brunson dribbled the ball over to the same sideline as the scoring table as the final buzzer rang out. Foster stood between the guard and the fans Brunson appeared to be conversing with.
Jalen Brunson has words with a San Antonio Spurs fan at the end of the game. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
The Post’s photographers snapped pictures as a heated Brunson chatted with Foster, gesturing behind the official, as Jose Alvarado and Miles McBride made their way over to the fuss.
It’s unclear what was said in the brief exchange with Foster.
Jalen Brunson gets into a spat with a Spurs fan at the end of Game 1. Jason Szenes for The New York PostJalen Brunson has words with a San Antonio Spurs fan at the end of the game. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
Alvarado tried to pull Brunson away twice before pushing him along to the Knicks’ sideline area to talk with ESPN’s Lisa Salters for the broadcast.
While walking away, Brunson looked back as he walked with McBride, and as Karl-Anthony Towns passed them to head toward the fans, the backup guard seemingly said, “Hey, don’t.”
Additionally, before Brunson started his interview with Salters, Alvarado came by to say something in Brunson’s ear.
Karl-Anthony Towns turned away from Foster and the fan incident after Jalen Brunson already walked away following the Knicks’ Game 1 win. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
He delievered as the Knicks crawled out of a 14-point third-quarter deficit and tallied 30 points on 12-of-31 shooting across 37 minutes.
The Spurs host Game 2 on Friday before the series heads to New York, and it seems some courtside seats for the second go-round may have just opened up.
Oct 4, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Former Seattle Sonics Gary Payton hypes up the crowd before the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers during game one of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Hooting, hollering, things of that nature. These activities have found fertile ground at T-Mobile Park this spring, whether the tarps have been off, on, or unnecessary thanks to Seattle’s most beloved roof. If it’s seemed particularly packed at the park so far, you’d be correct.
The Seattle Mariners have drawn 1,158,012 fans to the stadium thus far through a league-leading 35 home games. That’s nearly half 2025’s total of 2,538,053 attendees with 46 games here to go. But contrasting those numbers undersells things a bit.
As Seattle heads out for an extended East Coast road trip, they leave home averaging 33,086 fans per game at home. It’s expected for a team that just had a deep playoff run and a competitive offseason, to see a bump in attendance the coming season, and that sum exceeds 2025’s overall numbers, when the eventual AL West champions drew 31,334 fans per game. It’s a jump of 1,752 tickets sold per game that’d already be one of the top 10 growths in MLB this year.
But that undersells the waves of Salish Sea Supporters who’ve flooded T-Mobile Park. Seattle is up a massive 6,163 fans per game against this point last year, when, helpfully, they’d also hosted 35 home games. That’s over 200,000 more butts in seats so far, the second-largest gain by any club in MLB this year trailing only the Toronto Blue Jays. Understandably, the top three clubs are Toronto and Seattle, whose best seasons in a generation have spurred excitement and trust, along with the Tampa Bay Rays who are both playing brilliantly and, more importantly, back in Tropicana Field where they are physically capable of filling more than 10-12,000 seats.
And it’s still June 4th. That 1,752 per game number over 2025’s final attendance total would still represent growth, but it’s likely to be outpaced even faster. Most local public schools conclude in mid-to-late June, representing one of several milestones that conspire with summer weather to swell attendance nationwide as the season progresses. At this stage, uncompetitive clubs see lesser bumps, or even full degradation. But Seattle, even if they maintain their flirtation with mediocrity for a longer period, is likely to remain a first place team or right amidst the race. The Jerry Dipoto era has been all-but-exclusively a variation on #StillInIt in September. For the first time this early, they are in the driver’s seat by roster quality AND playoff odds, in addition to the actual divisional standings at press time.
Add that with the hotter than usual spring and it’s a recipe for the highest attended Mariners season in more than 20 years. Every season’s attendance from 1997-2004 except 1998 (2,651,511) exceeded 2,900,000, and three eclipsed three million. My preseason bold prediction was Seattle would set their attendance record, the 3,542,938 welcomed for the 2002 season. That’s not likely to occur, but they are drawing like a team who might actually reach the three million mark for the fifth time in franchise history.
To get there, they’d need to be bringing in 37,037 fans a night. A year ago, Seattle saw their per game attendance improve from June 3rd to the season’s end by 4,411 folks. It’s hardly plug and play to expect identical results in 2026, but if Seattle saw that same increase in attendees from now through summertime and the stretch run, they’d be at 37,497 each game. That’s 3,037,257 for the year, which would’ve been 6th-most in MLB a season ago.
The factors involved go beyond just wins and losses, although they are typically most impactful. Seattle had Randy Johnson’s number retirement this May, which drove up attendance for the usually-chillier early games. The weather has been a boon thus far, but the El Niño conditions are likely to bring a heat wave and likely the return of smoke season, which has innumerable more important impacts but would also likely hurt Mariners attendance. The club could completely nosedive, rendering this and much more moot. But as it stands, Seattle is packing out T-Mobile Park, and looks poised to continue doing so all season long.
Sylvain Rodrigue was hired by the Wild on Monday as the Director of Goaltending.
Rodrigue, 52, will work with the organization's goalie coaches in both the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) while assisting in amateur and professional player evaluation and working with drafted and signed goaltenders in a development capacity.
He joins the Wild after most recently working two seasons (2024-26) in the Florida Panthers organization as a goaltending coach for the Charlotte Checkers (AHL).
The native of Montreal, Quebec, Rodrigue previously spent 11 seasons (2013-24) holding various roles within the Oilers organization, including goaltending consultant, goaltending development coach, and assistant goaltending coach, as well as serving as goaltending coach for the Bakersfield Condors, the team's AHL affiliate.
He played four seasons in the QMJHL and recorded a 4.38 goals-against average (GAA) and a .863 save percentage (SV%) in 167 career games.
In the last two seasons, the Wild rank first in the NHL in save percentage. Under Rodrigue, the Panthers rank 27th.
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BOSTON, MA - MAY 28: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves looks on prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday, May 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Natalie Reid/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
There will be no rubber match this time for the Braves, with the series already in hand entering Thursday’s home finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Instead, Atlanta is going for its first sweep since early May. And it’ll be doing it with its ace on the mound.
Chris Sale (8-3, 2.01 ERA) gets the start for the Braves as they turn the page from Toronto to the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend.
Just past a third of the way through the season, Sale isn’t really in the conversation at the moment to win his second Cy Young in three seasons with the Braves.
However, that has much more to do with what other pitchers (Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Sanchez, Shohei Ohtani) are doing than what he isn’t. His ERA and hits/nine are lower than they were in 2024 — although his FIP is higher (2.91 to 2.09) — and he continues to be a stabilizing force on the mound for Atlanta.
He’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight straight starts, finishing May with a 1.69 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone what his Statcast profile looks like:
While Toronto hasn’t formally announced its starter, multiple reporters have said that Mason Fluharty (3-0, 3.97) will serve as an opener for the Blue Jays.
The left-hander threw two-thirds of an inning of scoreless relief in Tuesday’s series opener. He’s tied for the major league lead with 32 appearances this season and has allowed one total run over 11 2/3 innings and 16 appearances since the start of May.
After that, things seem to be trending towards a prospect making his major league debut as the bulk pitcher behind Fluharty. Chad Dallas was in Atlanta on the Toronto taxi squad Wednesday and is reportedly a target to debut Thursday.
A former fourth-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the right-hander has an 0-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 10 games (eight starts) this season at Triple-A Buffalo. He has 38 strikeouts to 13 walks in 36 innings, allowing just two home runs.
We’ll find out soon enough how the Blue Jays approach their pitching as they look to salvage a game and if the Braves can deny that opportunity.
Despite improved presentation during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night with vintage trademarks returning, the network is under scrutiny Thursday morning as keen-eyed observers caught something bizarre.
ESPN aired an AI-generated image of former Spurs star point guard and four-time champion Tony Parker smiling and waving his finger up and down.
San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker poses in a racing jacket with confetti falling in the background. ESPN is under scrutiny after using this AI-generated image during Game 1 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night.
The image had Parker wearing a racing Spurs jacket with the Western Conference logo on one sleeve and what looked to be an American flag on the other.
Parker was also wearing a black and gray hat sideways with confetti falling in the background.
Several fans took to X to voice their concerns over the image, which ESPN showed while cutting to a commercial break in the second half.
“Could ESPN really not find a genuine shot of Tony Parker as they cut to an ad break? Just had to use AI,” ABC News journalist Jon Healy said on X Wednesday night.
“AI sucks. This isn’t Tony Parker. Do better. Gross,” WFLA sports anchor Jeff Dubrof posted to X.
Parker, a six-time All-Star and the 2007 Finals MVP, formed a dynamic duo with all-time great Tim Duncan in San Antonio.
NEW YORK NY – JANUARY 17th: San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker #9 drives down court during the first half as the Brooklyn Nets play the San Antonio Spurs at Barclays Center. Wednesday, January 17th, 2018 @ACAUSI
The point guard spent 17 seasons with the Spurs before joining the Hornets for his final year in 2018-19, and averaged over 15 points per game in 11 of those years.
He posted a career-high 22 points per game in 2008-09 while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
In their first NBA Finals game since Parker was on the team back in 2014, the Spurs blew a 14-point second-half lead and fell to the Knicks 105-95.
Phenom Victor Wembanyama struggled to find his footing, with the 22-year-old shooting just 6-of-21 from the field despite tallying 26 points and 12 rebounds.
San Antonio looks to even the series in Game 2, which is set for Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Kyle McCann #55 of the Colorado Rockies at bat during the spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 23, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kyle McCann did not choose catching.
Catching chose him, the way it tends to do in youth baseball, suddenly, out of necessity, because someone else didn’t show up.
He was 12 years old, on a travel team somewhere in Georgia, and the regular catcher was sick. When the coach and the players who would step in, McCann raised his hand.
“Ever since then, I fell in love with it,” he said. “I wanted to catch every day after that.”
What he loved, he said, was the involvement. Other positions offered bursts of action — a ground ball to the shortstop, a fly ball to center — with long stretches of waiting in between. Behind the plate, there was no waiting. Every pitch was his.
“I was in every pitch of the game,” McCann said. “I wasn’t in the infield or outfield, just hoping a ball would get hit to me. I was calling pitches. I was in every play.”
That instinct — to be in the middle of everything, all the time — has followed McCann through a career that has required a great deal of patience.
Getting to The Show
McCann grew up in Suwanee, Georgia, attended Lambert High School, and went to Georgia Tech, where he spent his first two seasons largely at first base while Joey Bart — the second-overall pick in the 2018 draft — handled the catching duties.
When Bart departed, McCann stepped in and made the most of it, hitting .299 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI in his junior season and earning All-American recognition. The Oakland Athletics took him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft — 134th overall — and signed him for $500,000.
Five years in the Oakland system followed. He hit 17 home runs at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2023, posted an .825 OPS, and earned his way on Oakland’s Opening Day roster in 2024, making his major league debut on March 30 of that year.
He appeared in 54 games, hit .236 with five home runs, and then — as the Athletics began their transition to Sacramento — was released the day before the following season.
“I got released from Oakland the day before the season, didn’t get picked up,” he said.
Finding a way forward
“So I chose to go to Mexico to keep playing,” McCann said.
The league was the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol. His team was the Piratas de Campeche. His first game was in Mexico City, in a stadium holding 30,000 fans, with air horns blaring and an atmosphere unlike anything he had experienced in affiliated ball.
“Everyone’s screaming, air horns — the environment was very, very cool to see,” he said.
He enjoyed it. He learned things about elevation that would prove useful later — that at 7,000 feet above sea level, the ball behaves differently; that hydration matters more than you think; that running hard to first base in thin air will leave you more gassed than expected. Denver sits at roughly 5,280 feet. Mexico City had prepared him for what was coming.
Finding the Rockies — and another injury
It almost didn’t come at all. About a month and a half into the Mexican season, McCann was involved in a collision at first base — a season-ending injury that sent him home to rehab. He spent the rest of 2025 recovering. In early January 2026, his agent reached out to the Colorado Rockies. A minor-league contract was signed by early February. Spring training arrived.
Then, in one of the cruelest twists the sport offers, a cutter came in hard and up, McCann put a check swing on it, and the ball hit his wrist. He walked down to first base, thinking it hurt a little but when he tried to go out and catch, he knew it was more than that.
He didn’t fight Warren Schaeffer when the manager came to remove him from the game.
“Yep,” he told him. “We’re going to go see what this is about.”
An X-ray confirmed a fracture of the ulnar styloid. Six weeks of healing. Two weeks of progression. A week and a half of games. And now, finally, here — with the Albuquerque Isotopes, behind the plate again, doing exactly what he loves.
Enjoying Albuquerque
McCann is 28 years old and has been around long enough to have a philosophy about how he approaches the job. Ask him about working with pitchers, and he talks about reading people — figuring out which ones need encouragement and which ones need a more direct conversation.
“Some pitchers need a little more loving than others,” he said. “Some guys, you kind of got to get in their grill and say, ‘Come on now, lock in right here. We need to do this pitch in this situation.’ It’s really just learning what each guy likes.”
Regarding the ABS challenge system, he has mixed feelings, which he articulates with precision. As a hitter, he loves it — the ability to challenge a called strike and get it overturned is a real advantage. As a catcher, it cuts the other way. Framing has always been part of the craft, a skill catchers develop over the years, and the ABS system limits how much that skill can influence outcomes.
“It kind of hurts us a little bit,” he said, “because now we can’t steal many pitches.”
He doesn’t think it changes the game as dramatically as some have suggested, but he acknowledges the shift.
He also discussed Albuquerque’s pitch-suggestion system — where the dugout calls pitches for the first four batters of opposing lineups, with the catcher and pitcher able to shake off the suggestion. McCann has embraced it.
“They give us a sheet at the beginning of the game — here’s how we’re going to pitch each guy — so we kind of already have an idea of what we’re going to do,” he said. “I trust what they have in the dugout, what they have on hitters. I don’t mind at all.”
Welcome to Albuquerque, Kyle McCann!!
A two-run homer (428 feet) onto the berm and we're back in this one!
There is one more Georgia Tech connection worth mentioning. Charlie Blackmon — the longtime Rockies outfielder, a Tech alum himself — used to come back to the Georgia Tech facility in the offseason to hit and work out. McCann and his teammates would seek him out.
“We’d always go up to him and ask questions, trying to pick his brain, because obviously he had a great career,” McCann said.
It’s a fitting footnote for a player who has spent his entire career collecting lessons wherever he can find them — from Blackmon at Georgia Tech, from the veterans in the Oakland system, from 30,000 fans and 7,000 feet of altitude in Mexico. All of it is in the bank now.
The wrist is healed. He’s back behind the plate, for every pitch, right where he belongs.
