Rockets starting point guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL and could miss the entire 2025-26 season, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported Monday.
Just in: Houston Rockets' Fred VanVleet has suffered a torn ACL, sources tell ESPN. A devastating, potentially season-ending loss for the Rockets with their starting point guard and leader. pic.twitter.com/Qhf0V58DwR
The injury transpired at a recent offseason workout, Charania added.
Because of Houston’s tight cap space situation, it cannot fill its one open roster spot with a free agent due to being $1.25 million below the first apron, barring a trade.
Current available point guards on the market include Russell Westbrook, Ben Simmons and Cam Payne, among others.
It’s a significant blow for a Houston side that has hopes of rocketing into the top tier of the Western Conference following the addition of Kevin Durant alongside many young talents.
But the 31-year-old VanVleet played an underrated two-way role on the team, ranking in the top three in assists, steals and 3-pointers made. He averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals on a 37.8/34.5/81 shooting split. Not having him available likely straps them in the tier below contending.
It was his second season with Houston following a seven-year run with the Toronto Raptors. He signed a two-year, $50 million extension in June, which includes a player option for next season.
If the Rockets opt for internal solutions, head coach Ime Udoka has 2018 first-round pick Aaron Holiday and 2024 No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard as the next men up.
Sheppard, a Kentucky product, played 52 games as a rookie but averaged just 12.6 minutes. In that time, he posted 4.4 points a game and 1.4 assists on a 35/33/81 shooting split on 4.6/2.7/0.3 volume.
From the shore of Lake Erie to the Kentucky border, baseball’s regular season is set for a dramatic final week in the state of Ohio.
The Cleveland Guardians have a chance to complete the biggest comeback in the history of divisional play. They now trail Detroit by one game in the AL Central after once being 15 1/2 back. At the southern end of the state, Cincinnati pulled into a tie for the final wild card in the National League with the New York Mets — and the Reds have the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two.
No team ever has won a division after being more than 14 games behind, and Cleveland’s 15 1/2-game deficit in early July doesn’t even do this comeback justice. As recently as Sept. 11, Detroit led the division by 9 1/2 over Cleveland. Since then, the Tigers (85-71) have been trapped in a Motown Meltdown, losing nine of 10 while the Guardians (84-72) went on a 10-game winning streak that finally was snapped. Cleveland cut the lead from 9 1/2 games to one in a span of only 10 days.
For the Reds, the situation has looked bleak at various points. They were six games out of a playoff spot on Sept. 6 — and also trailed San Francisco and Arizona — before a New York skid helped the Reds pull within 1 1/2 games less than a week later. The Cincinnati fell three games behind, but a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs now has the Reds and Mets even, with the Diamondbacks only a game back of them.
Other races that are coming down to the wire:
— The AL East, where Toronto (90-66) leads the New York Yankees (88-68) by two games. Those teams have the top two records in the American League, so a first-round bye is at stake here.
— The AL West, where Seattle (87-69) leads Houston (84-72) by three — and the Mariners have the tiebreaker. The Astros have not missed the postseason since 2016, but they’re in danger now with the Red Sox (85-71) in play for a wild card along with the AL East and AL Central runners-up.
— San Diego is three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the NL West, but the Dodgers have the tiebreaker and the teams don’t play each other this week.
Head to head
Detroit will have no choice but to snap out of its funk if it wants to save its season. The Tigers go to Cleveland for three games before finishing the regular season with a series at Boston.
Line of the week
Dominic Canzone went 5 for 5 with three homers and four RBIs to help Seattle to a 12-5 win over Kansas City. That game capped a 10-game winning streak for the Mariners, who have now won 14 of 15 to turn a 3 1/2-game deficit in the division into a three-game lead.
Comeback of the week
Philadelphia rallied from a four-run deficit in the sixth inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers. That was after Shohei Ohtani no-hit the Phillies for five innings. He also homered in the game.
Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler both homered during a six-run sixth for Philadelphia, and after the Dodgers tied it at 6, Rafael Marchan hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth to provide the winning margin. Los Angeles had a 94.1% win probability in the sixth, according to Baseball Savant.
Agreement allows 51-year-old to return to F1 next season
Christian Horner has formally left the Red Bull Formula One team with what is understood to be an £80m settlement after his dismissal in July as team principal.
Horner was relieved of “operational duties” by the team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, shortly after the British Grand Prix, concluding more than 18 months of turmoil.
SNY's Joe DeMayo answers your Mets prospect questions...
Have the Mets ever had a season with this much organizational team success? - @JacobMunch1 on X
The short answer is no. But you aren’t here for short answers.
It is a credit to the players, the amateur scouting department -- both domestically and internationally -- as well as the player development staff at every level putting together an excellent minor league season.
Here is a breakdown of what each affiliate accomplished this season:
Double-A Binghamton: Set a franchise record with 90 wins and as of this writing are down 1-0 in a three-game series against Erie for the Eastern League Championship. They reaped the benefit of having most of the top prospects listed above, who ended the season with Syracuse. The Rumble Ponies also had breakout players in No. 8 prospect, third baseman Jacob Reimer and No. 9 prospect, outfielder A.J. Ewing.
On the pitching side, they had the next wave of starters after the graduation of McLean, Sproat and Tong, with No. 10 prospect Jonathan Santucci, No. 11 prospect Jack Wenninger, No. 14 prospect Will Watson, and R.J. Gordon. On the relief side, they have No. 21 prospect Ryan Lambert,whom I can envision making his big-league debut in 2026.
St. Lucie Mets pitcher Will Watson / St. Lucie Mets
High-A Brooklyn: 72-59 record and won the South Atlantic League Championship for the first time since being moved to full-season ball in 2021. Their season was largely carried by a lot of the names you have already read, as well as players who were included in trades at the deadline like Jesus Baez and Raimon Gomez. In the stretch run and into the postseason they got contributions from pitchers like Noah Hall, Joel Dîaz and Brett Banks, among others.
Offensively, names like outfielder Eli Serrano and infielders Boston Baro and Marco Vargas contributed late.
Low-A St. Lucie: 78-52 record and was eliminated in three games in the Florida State League Divisional Series by Daytona. Ewing was the highest regarded prospect who played for St. Lucie this year. They received contributions from top 30 prospects in No. 20 prospect (infielder Trey Snyder), No. 25 prospect (catcher Daiverson Gutierrez), No. 26 prospect (infielder Jeremy Rodriguez) and No. 30 prospect (right-hander Jace Hampson).
This is also the team that had the professional debuts of exciting 2025 draft picks Mitch Voit, Antonio Jimenez, and Truman Pauley. A name to keep an eye on for 2026 is outfielder Randy Guzman, who posted a .985 OPS in 26 games.
ESPN recently ranked the Mets' system as the best system in baseball. That ranking naturally will take a dip at some point next year when McLean, Sproat, and Tong graduate. But this organizational success is an example of the Mets' improved player development system under senior vice president of player development Andy Green.
In order to have sustained success, player development needs to be constantly churning out prospects who either come to the big league team themselves and help or are valuable in trades to get veterans to help the big league team. The Mets are on their way to being that type of organization.
How soon next year could we see Carson Benge? Or do you feel the Mets should sign someone else for center field? - @thecmoney21 on X
The Mets were impressed with Benge’s growth as a center fielder defensively throughout this year. It is a new position for him, as he played right field in college. While he is not an elite athlete, he is a good one who showed improved jumps and reads as he got more reps in center field. He still has more to prove defensively, but there is optimism that he could stick there.
As far as how quickly he could be in the big leagues, a lot of that will depend on how Benge performs and what the true need ends up being at the big league level.
I envision the Mets being sure they are covered from a veteran standpoint, ideally on a short-term deal to not block young players like Benge or Williams or Ewing, who could potentially hold down center field before long.
Benge reached Triple-A in his first professional season after he beat up High-A and Double-A pitching to the tune of a .308/.413/.513 slash line with 24 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs in 92 games.
The results in Triple-A weren’t quite there consistently, but it was just a 24-game sample size, and he missed nearly two weeks after being hit in the wrist area by a pitch.
He closed out the year strong, hitting .320 with a 1.132 OPS in his last seven games with two home runs.
Benge has emerged as a consensus top 35 prospect in baseball in the latest rankings from major outlets like MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and The Athletic.
I expect him to receive a big league spring training invite and if he continues his offensive trajectory and takes that next step defensively, I think it is realistic to see Benge in Queens by Memorial Day 2026.
There are several questions that need to be answered as NHL training camps get underway ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Whether it's youngsters on the outside trying to crack roster spots, players looking to establish themselves on a new team, or players being shifted up and down the lineup, the pre-season creates a ton of interesting storylines to follow across the league.
Let's take a look at four of the biggest questions that could be answered at training camp over the next few weeks.
Who will emerge as the Montreal Canadiens' second-line center?
The Montreal Canadiens put together an impressive off-season that has the potential to be looked back on as the pivotal moment that pointed them in the direction of contention for years to come.
However, the biggest question heading into the 2025-26 season is one that has been asked about the Canadiens in years past: Who will play center behind Nick Suzuki? GM Kent Hughes has given opportunities to young players like Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook while also giving Jake Evans a shot. However, all three have been underwhelming when playing in that elevated role.
Bolduc has primarily played on the wing throughout his professional career, but he played center in his junior hockey days. He put up back-to-back 50-goal seasons in the QMJHL as a member of the Quebec Remparts, leading his team to a Memorial Cup championship in 2022-23.
While it’s unclear if that question will be answered this season, the Canadiens must find the right fit for their second line to unlock the full potential of Ivan Demidov, help Patrik Laine return to form, and become a legitimate threat in the Atlantic Division.
What can Jonathan Toews bring to the Winnipeg Jets?
It’s difficult to pin down what a reasonable expectation is for Jonathan Toews as he makes his return to the NHL this season with the Winnipeg Jets. The 37-year-old hasn’t played an NHL game since the final contest of the 2022-23 regular season with the Chicago Blackhawks. He finished that campaign season with 15 goals and 31 points in 53 games.
With the extended absence of Adam Lowry due to hip surgery in May, Toews’ signing has quickly gone from being a feel-good story for a hometown player to someone they may need to rely on pretty heavily entering the regular season.
The Jets’ second-line center spot is going to be a clear battle between Toews and 32-year-old journeyman Valdislav Namestnikov, who has proven to be an impactful middle-six forward over the past few seasons. Even at his age, Toews still has the higher offensive upside, but it might not be in the team’s best interest to hand him that role right away.
Considering the Jets have that security blanket in Namestnikov, it might be better for coach Scott Arniel to play Toews lower in the lineup to start, allowing him to re-adjust to the NHL level and ramp up as the season progresses.
Can Victor Olofsson be a top-six forward for the Colorado Avalanche?
Victor Olofsson spent last season with the Vegas Golden Knights. He recorded 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games, proving that he has the potential to be a productive top-six winger on a competitive roster.
That output was good enough to earn him a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche this summer, carrying a modest $1.575-million cap hit. The 30-year-old didn’t look out of place on the Golden Knights’ top unit when his role was elevated due to injuries, and there’s a chance he could compete for a similar opportunity in Colorado at training camp this season.
With a crowded crop of high-end forwards on the roster, Olofsson’s chances will likely rely on a drop off from either Artturi Lehkonen or Gabriel Landeskog, who, when healthy, have both been staples on the team’s top six over the years.
Nonetheless, the Avalanche should be excited to have a cost-effective scoring threat with some really high upside heading into the regular season, regardless of where he slots in.
How will the Carolina Hurricanes deploy their defensemen?
The Carolina Hurricanes’ blueline saw some serious turnover this summer. With the departures of Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov, the acquisition of K’Andre Miller, and the arrival of Alexander Nikishin, coach Rod Brind’Amour will have his work cut out for him in organizing the team’s pairings effectively.
While the strength of the team’s depth on the back end is undeniable with Jaccob Slavin, Mike Reilly, and Shayne Gostisbehere inked in, the Hurricanes have five left-shot defensemen under contract and potentially a sixth on the way with Oliver Kylington in the midst of a PTO.
It could make things a little more uncomfortable for at least one or two of the D-men who end up playing on their weak side, but considering the talent they have in their lineup, it shouldn’t be a long-term issue.
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Montreal Canadiens' Choice For Their Second-Line Center Raises DoubtsThe Montreal Canadiens had a game-changing off-season.