Russian lifts Fury in the air during final face-off
A cheerful Tyson Fury has promised his latest comeback to the ring will begin with a destructive knockout of Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday night. “It’s going to be different because, for the first time in forever, I’m the hunter,” Fury said at the fight’s final press conference. “I’m not the hunted, and we all know that when I’ve always been the hunter in the past, I’ve always fucked people up.
“I actually feel sorry for Makhmudov because I’m going to make an example of him. He’s a big six foot seven lump, 18 or 19 stone. But I’ll knock his head right off his shoulders. I’m going to lay him unconscious like the gamecock on top of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He will be knocked spark out on the canvas looking up, thinking: ‘What just happened there?’ But it’s no shame because he’s fighting the great Tyson Fury.”
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 6: Bubba Chandler #36 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch in the fourth inning during a game against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park on April 6, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Make no mistake about it, the Chicago Cubs dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025.
The division rivals played 13 times last season. Chicago won 10. The Cubs outscored the Pirates 54-26 and hit .256 against Pittsburgh’s pitching.
Chicago smacked an impressive 16 home runs, compared to the Pirates’ five, and earned a .740 OPS. The Pirates batted .182 as a team with a .523 OPS.
In all its charm, Wrigley Field has been a house of horrors for the Pirates in recent years.
The Pirates (7-5) look to set a new precedent in 2026, beginning a three-game series at Wrigley on Friday.
In his first full season as manager, Don Kelly has watched a dreadful offense come to life through the first 12 games.
After hitting a league-worst 117 home runs, the Pirates have already smashed 12, tied for 8th in baseball, and at one point held the National League lead.
A big reason why is offseason additions Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn, who have both hit three apiece.
The offense ranks tied for 9th in hits per game (8.3), 9th in average (.247), 6th in on-base (.338), 8th in slugging (.383), and 7th in OPS (.721). The Bucs consistently ranked in the bottom third, if not last, in every category last year.
One early carryover is strong starting pitching. Pittsburgh owns the 6th best starters ERA at 2.87, third in the NL behind the Cubs (2.72) and Atlanta Braves (2.79).
Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller pitched in the Padres series at PNC Park, meaning the club will be without their top two arms against a vaunted Cubs (6-6) lineup.
Carmen Mlodzinski gets the ball on Friday, opposite Shota Imanaga, who has dominated the Pirates for what feels like more than a decade (despite it only being three years).
Mlodzinski has allowed two runs in each of his first two starts, but hasn’t been able to pitch out of the fifth inning. The third time through the order is where Mlodzinski, primarily a reliever in his career, has struggled to get through innings.
Saturday plates Braxton Ashcraft against Edward Cabrera, who hasn’t allowed a run in 11.2 innings for Chicago since being traded from the Marlins.
Ashcraft has been Pittsburgh’s surprise starter after an impressive rookie year. Ashcraft earned a 2.71 ERA over 69.2 innings spanning 26 appearances, eight starts.
He has pitched six frames in each of his first two outings and allowed two runs or fewer both times.
All three games have solid pitching probables, but Sunday’s might be the most fascinating.
Former Pirate Jameson Taillon takes the ball against Bubba Chandler. The No. 11 overall prospect and second-highest ranked pitcher at the start of the season, Chandler touches 101 MPH with his fastball.
The problem is, you don’t always know where it’s going. Chandler’s control remains a main concern, walking 10 batters in 8.2 innings. He didn’t allow a hit over 4.1 innings in his season debut at Cincinnati, but walked six and struck out six.
Chandler walked four against the Padres on Monday and allowed five hits and three runs.
Chandler has elite stuff, but has work to do to become a consistent pitcher that the rotation can depend on.
Chicago was the preseason favorite to win the NL Central, providing three important games in April for who may take the grand prize in late September.
If the Pirates are going to begin to prove that their start and chances to compete in the Central aren’t a fluke, it begins on the road against a very good team.
All three games of the series will begin at 2:20 p.m. Eastern, 1:20 p.m. Central.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the Houston Rockets in the fourth quarter at Chase Center on April 05, 2026 in San Francisco, California. 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 Eakin Howard/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors are officially locked into the 10th seed in the Western Conference, meaning they’ll have to win two road games in the Play-In Tournament to secure a spot in the playoffs.
It’s not where the team expected to be entering the season, but injuries derailed those plans, and now, their playoff hopes come down to a win-or-go-home two-game stretch.
However, despite the stakes, Draymond Green isn’t exactly excited by the opportunity. While he embraces the challenge, Green made it clear after Tuesday’s win over the Sacramento Kings that the Play-In doesn’t carry the same intensity as a traditional playoff series.
Draymond Green is not looking forward to the Play-In tournament AT ALL 😅
"It's not exciting. I'm a competitor so going into the game I'm going to do all I can to win but it's not that exciting… I'm not going to sleep tomorrow night like 'man I got this Play-In next week.'" https://t.co/EghIt9WsWfpic.twitter.com/rIdI1sIBfd
Green expanded on this perspective, pointing to the original purpose of the Play-In which was to incentivize teams to keep competing late in the season. But in this year’s Western Conference, the top 10 in the standings have largely been locked in for weeks now, with little pressure from outside teams due to what he claims is tanking.
Draymond Green on if the Play-In Tournament is still good for the NBA:
"To have a team stuck in 10th, it ain't working. We could have lost our last 15 games and been stuck in 10th. It ain't working… we wanna make the playoffs so it works I guess." pic.twitter.com/qbpEmKtmWx
Regardless of how it feels, the stakes remain clear.
The Warriors will need to win twice on the road to advance and earn a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, or else, their season comes to an early end once again.
🏆 PLAYOFF PICTURE 🏆
▪️ OKC wins 7th straight, clinches the #1 seed in the West, and secures the NBA's best overall record ▪️ ORL rises to #7 in East
In ESPN’s conversations with dozens of players, coaches and front office executives, a consistent theme emerged: Nobody likes it — “I hate it,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said — but not many deny it is often the most prudent team-building path when stuck near the bottom. Different seasons and different drafts will generate different forms, but everyone agrees it’ll continue until the NBA figures out either the proper rules or punishments to curb it.
“These teams are doing the whole gamut: sitting guys in the fourth, playing analytically bad lineups, drawing up plays for bad shots,” one Western Conference general manager said. “The creativity is impressive and I don’t blame them. It’s the best strategy to get better. Look at all the most promising teams in the league: Thunder, Spurs, Pistons, Rockets, Hornets. Years of being bad and building up on high picks. It’s painful but worthwhile.”
After the win, Curry broke down exactly how he’s able to convert those difficult, contact-heavy shots.
“You have to obviously focus in on the rim,” Curry said on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Warriors Postgame Live.” “Sometimes there could be contact or whatnot — I do fall a lot — but those two were just timing, confidence, let it go, absorb the contact and have fun with it.”
That simple formula — focus, timing and confidence — has helped Curry turn chaotic moments into highlight plays throughout his career.
Top Dogs: With the win, the Thunder secure the West’s top seed and the league’s best record, a feat they’ve now pulled off in back-to-back seasons
“It’s extremely important,” said Holmgren on securing the No. 1 seed. “Just knowing that in the event of a Game 7, it’s always gonna be at home. You can’t underestimate how valuable that is … now, we got more to do.”
Seeking 65: At 64-16, OKC is one win shy of the franchise’s first-ever back-to-back 65+ win seasons
The Warriors coach is about to see his contract expire, and there haven’t been any reports of working on a new contract. Even though there’s occasionally been some tension between Kerr and owner Joe Lacob, the simple fact is that Kerr has an open invite to coach the Warriors for as long as Curry is on the roster. Curry very openly does not want to play for any other coach … but of course, it takes two to tango, and Kerr will have to make the decision.
So we’re asking Warriors fans: do you want to see Kerr return next year? Or would you prefer he call it quits, and the organization can bring in a new face?
Follow@unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
The Mets have been very cautious with Polanco since the recent flare-up of his Achilles tendinitis, using him mainly as a designated hitter, but the possibility that the 32-year-old still lands on the injured list remains... possible.
"It is a possibility that we get to a point that we need to give him a break," Mendoza said about the IL. "It's fluid. We'll see what we got."
Asked if the injury was something they are going to have to deal with indefinitely, Mendoza said, "It's hard to tell."
"There's days when he comes in, and he feels really good, and he goes out there and do a little bit of defensive work," the manager said. "And then there's days where he feels it more.
"We're watching it closely here. And see what happens."
The switch-hitting Polanco is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and is being considered day-to-day, Mendoza said, adding that he was feeling it. He had served as the DH in the first two games of the series – going 2-for-8 – and had started the last four games for the Mets.
Soto hit on Wednesday in the cages at Citi Field and played catch, Mendoza said, adding that he is doing “better” after landing on the IL earlier this week with a calf strain.
“But, again, not gonna be running,” the skipper did caution. “But the fact that he’s hitting in the cages and playing catch, just trying to keep him with baseball activities."
Mendoza said he didn't yet have an idea of when Soto might start moving his legs around.
"I know they're doing a lot inside with treatment and in the weight room, a lot of exercises there," he said. "As far as the running goes, we still gotta wait.
"But he's good when he's taking swings, when he's playing catch."
Mendoza said Lindor’s slow start to the season – 7-for-47 with three extra-base hits, zero RBI, and a 77 wRC+ – is not related to lingering effects of hand surgery during spring training and not something the manager is too concerned about.
“The injury had nothing to do here, he’s fine,” Mendoza said, adding that Lindor is typically a slow starter to the season and pointed to last year being the only one in his career in which he had a good month of April.
But on the encouraging side, the manager said he’s seen a lot of bad luck for Lindor.
“Honestly, there’s been a lot of balls that he’s hit hard that just right at people,” he said. “He’s an aggressive hitter, he’s gonna go out there and he’s gonna swing. He’ll get out of it, he’ll be fine.”
Myers entered the season as a bullpen arm for the Mets, a reliever who had experience as a starter and somebody they wanted to stretch out for longer outings.
But in his three outings since his 39-pitch, 3.0-inning appearance on Opening Day, he hasn't gone more than 30 pitches and two innings and is getting more high-leverage opportunities.
Mendoza said they are comfortable with him throwing up to 45 pitches and in some smaller windows, too.
“He’s built up for that,” the manager said. “If we need to use him for one inning, high-leverage, we will.”
Mendoza added that having him stretched out further is “not something as of right now that we’re looking at, ‘oh, when we use him we gotta get him all of his pitches.”
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 06: Aday Mara #15, Yaxel Lendeborg #23, Roddy Gayle Jr. #11 and Trey McKenney #1 of the Michigan Wolverines look on during the first half of a game against the UConn Huskies in the National Championship of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 06, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the majority of college basketball players, the final goal is to make it in the National Basketball Association. A very small minority have their dreams become a reality while most go on to do something other than sports. For a team like Michigan that just won the National Championship, the NBA is a realistic dream for a good portion of the roster.
Today, we will power rank the members of the 2025-26 Michigan roster by their pro potential. Keep in mind, we aren’t just ranking the players’ NBA potential next year — we’re talking the long-term trajectory of each players’ future career in the NBA.
Honorable Mention: Howard Eisley Jr., Harrison Hochberg, Charlie May
These players have no shot at the NBA. However any national champion deserves an honorable mention in my book.
13. G Ricky Liburd
Liburd redshirted this season, as he was a late addition to the class and wasn’t a highly sought after prospect. We’ll know significantly more about him next year, but for now, it’s impossible to assess his NBA potential.
12. C Malick Kordel
An international prospect from Germany, Kordel played during garbage time during his first season of college basketball. He was clearly very raw, but at 7-foot-2 and 275 pounds, he has the frame of an NBA center. His need for development prevents him from being any higher on this list.
11. F Will Tschetter
Don’t take Tschetter’s low placement on this list as any disrespect towards one of the pivotal pieces on the national title team. The heartbeat of the program, he embodied the Michigan mantra of “those who stay will be champions.” Unfortunately at this point in his career, we know exactly what his limitations are and so too do NBA scouts. Tschetter was an all-time college basketball character but will likely never see any NBA action.
10. F Oscar Goodman
Goodman was tough to place on this list. The young forward saw more minutes than anyone else on the bench mob and flashed some potential with high flying dunks and blocked shots in garbage time. Depending on Michigan’s activity in the portal, he may be a part of the rotation next year. Given his youth, he could still develop into a fringe NBA type player. Time will tell.
9. F Winters Grady
Like Goodman, this is entirely based off of projection. Grady played in just nine games this season and wasn’t entirely effective before being shut down due to an injury. However, his recruiting profile suggests that of a sharpshooter who could develop into a three-and-D type of player. He is obviously nowhere near draft boards now, but he’s got the right frame and archetype as that of a bench NBA player.
8. G Elliot Cadeau
I wanted to put Final Four Most Outstanding Player much higher on this list, but couldn’t quite pull the trigger. Elliot Cadeau played some of his best basketball during the NCAA Tournament and will be forever remembered for his performances in the Final Four. However, the NBA is beginning to value height and length more and more as time progresses. He is generously listed as 6-foot-1. Small point guards who aren’t elite three-point shooters are going out of style in the NBA unfortunately.
7. G Nimari Burnett
Like Grady, Burnett displays the archetype of a typical three-and-D type player. Burnett doesn’t thrive when asked to create his own shot, but he could thrive in a bench role in the NBA a la Caleb Houstan if he can become an elite three-point shooter. He was very good but not quite elite in his college career which will prevent him from being drafted. However, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see him invited to the NBA Summer League and try to make a name for himself this offseason.
6. G/F Roddy Gayle Jr.
April Roddy’s ascent from frustrating shooter to lock-down defender and the best dunker on the team will become the stuff of legend over time. In college, Gayle seemed to get more athletic the older he became, which is quite rare. Like Burnett, his lack of on-ball playmaking will hamper his draft status, but several players just like him have latched onto NBA rosters via Summer League invites over the years. It’s not impossible.
5. G L.J. Cason
As we’ve covered extensively, Cason suffered a season-ending injury, which fortunately didn’t derail Michigan’s season. Before the injury, he was playing arguably as well as anyone on the roster. Cason was explosive on the fast break, shot lights out from three, and provided instant offense whenever called upon. While still young and a bit raw, his weaknesses are the types of things that can be corrected over time as there are certainly no physical limitations to his game. Assuming he returns to full health with no lingering side effects, Cason has a very legitimate chance to be drafted to the NBA in the next few years.
4. G Trey McKenney
A former five-star, McKenney led his dream school to the National Championship as a true freshman. That’s the type of thing dreams are made of. Following Cason’s injury, his role exploded as he became the primary backup ball-handler. He also became Michigan’s most reliable shooter in the tournament as evidenced in the Final Four game against Arizona (6-of-9 from three). Next season will likely be his last in Ann Arbor before heading to the NBA, potentially as a lottery pick if things go right.
3. C Aday Mara
Now things start to get serious. Mara was the difference maker for Michigan basketball this season. His rim protection was the anchor of the No. 1 defense in all of college basketball. He’s projected to be a mid-first round pick, which leaves him with a stay-or-go decision. In the NBA’s eyes, he will need to bulk out his incredibly wiry frame. However, his passing is incredible for his size and he possesses a nice shooting stroke despite the limited attempts this year. He will likely be looked at as a top-end developmental pick should he decide to go pro.
2. F Morez Johnson Jr.
Morez Johnson Jr. proved to be much more than just a rim-runner in Ann Arbor this year. He is an incredibly versatile defender, able to stay in front of guards consistently despite being 6-foot-9. He also developed a post game on offense and was much more than just a dunker this season.
At the NBA level, Johnson could contribute right away in a reserve role. He’s got the size and strength to match up physically and is an excellent free throw shooter for the position. Should he declare this offseason, he could be a serviceable big man in the NBA for a decade or longer such as an Isaiah Stewart type player.
1. F Yaxel Lendeborg
No one helped their draft stock more in the NCAA Tournament than Yaxel Lendeborg. The constant knock on his draft stock will be his age — he’ll be 24 before the NBA season starts — but he proved time and again he can impact the game in every facet.
At 6-foot-9, Lendeborg can guard any position on the court. He is elite at finishing through contact, and shot 82 percent from the free throw line and 37 percent from three. Most importantly, he is patient and lets the game come to him. Lendeborg doesn’t need the ball in his hands to make a massive impact on the game, which makes him incredibly valuable. He proved to also be incredibly tough, as evidenced by his play during the National Championship essentially on one leg.
I would expect Lendeborg to be drafted either late in the lottery or just outside of it. Under the right circumstances, he could start in the NBA right away. His age may prevent him from becoming a star in the league, but he has every single tool necessary to become a very, very good NBA player. It will be fascinating to watch his career progression.
The Yankees dropped Thursday afternoon’s rubber match against the Athletics by a score of 1-0, with a Ben Rice seventh-inning single as their only hit of the afternoon.
Despite losing two of three to the A’s, the Yankees are still off to a strong start at 8-4, but their offense has disappeared at times, which could be a concerning trend. Thursday’s loss marked the fifth time this season that the Yankees have scored three runs or fewer.
Manager Aaron Boone said after the game that while there have been other times when the Yankees have had opportunities but couldn’t cash in, Thursday’s loss was a case where A’s starter Jeffrey Springs was simply at the top of his game, allowing one hit over his 7.0 masterful innings.
“Look, we got shut down today,” Boone said. “The previous games where we’re struggling scoring, I feel like we’re getting the traffic and we’re having quality at-bats. Today was a day where we got beat. We just didn’t generate much, we didn’t hit a lot of balls on the screws at all, and didn’t create much traffic.
"We’ll get this thing going. We’ve got a few guys, obviously, struggling to get on track a little bit. Hopefully we’ll get things going down inside [in Tampa].”
Springs, who doesn’t feature overpowering velocity, kept the Yankees guessing with his fastball-changeup mix, while also working in a sweeper and slider. He struck out six and walked two, lowering his season ERA to 1.47.
“Stayed very unpredictable, I thought, with both, did a good job of really mixing, but really commanded the four-seam in and out and then sets up his changeup really well, obviously gave us some problems,” said Boone.
“I feel like he was just keeping everybody a little off-balanced,” said Rice, who broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single in the seventh. “It looked like guys were just a little bit late, a little bit under on the fastball, a little early on the offspeeds. His changeup was working well, so just tough to get a good piece of it.”
Up next, the Yankees head to Tampa for a three-game series with the Rays, starting on Friday night, where they’ll look to get the bats going.
As a team, the Yankees have had just two hits since the first inning of Wednesday's 3-2 loss.
“Of course, the results haven’t been there for us the last couple of games, but I think we’ll be alright,” Rice said, “and I think the quality of at-bat is still there, so just gotta keep rolling.”
Youngster Mukul Choudhary played the innings of his life, smashing seven sixes on his way to an unbeaten 54 to haul Lucknow Super Giants to a dramatic, last-ball, three-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL on Thursday (Friday AEST).
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JANUARY 04: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns talks with head coach Jordan Ott during the second half of the NBA game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Mortgage Matchup Center on January 04, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Thunder 108-105. 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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Suns are currently sitting at 44-36 with just a couple of games left to play. Boy, has this season flown by.
The Suns have locked in the 7th seed and will host the Clippers or Blazers on April 14th at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Now, let’s take a quick look at how we got here in a more zoomed-out perspective, month by month.
October — 2-4 (.333)
November — 10-5 (.667)
December — 7-5 (.583)
January — 11-5 (.688)
February — 4-7 (.364)
March — 8-8 (.500)
April — 2-2 (.500)
October was weird. A few close losses and some unfortunate endings had them off to a slow start. Then, the Suns had themselves a very strong winter, compiling a 28-15 record in November, December, and January. February was the only “ugly” month, and luckily, it was cut short due to the ASB. They entered the All-Star Break with a 32-23 record, and have since gone 12-13.
The injuries started to pile up in February (even more so than they already were), and things began to spiral a bit. Nothing dramatic, they still weathered the storm, but instead of making a push into the top 6 as we all hoped earlier in the season, they remained in the play-in. It just goes to show you that it truly is a marathon. That is still a massive win relative to expectations entering the season, after many experts had them finishing as one of the worst teams in the association.
And now, here we are in April. The madness and chaos of late-season basketball, where teams are gearing up for one last push for seeding or a tune-up for the playoffs.
For the Suns, it’s about entering the postseason healthy. Last night was not an ideal start to that goal, as Jalen Green and Jordan Goodwin both left the game with leg injuries. Their immediate status is to be determined.
It’s time to let the young guys shine in these final two games. Maluach, Fleming, Dunn, Oso, even Brea… let them loose.
The schedule for the 2026 @SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament on @NBAonPrime ⬇️
We now await the Clippers or Blazers, who are one game apart from each other in the final stretch, and their head-to-head game on Friday will likely determine who gets the 8th seed. It’s almost like a play-in for the play-in.
Clippers lose. Blazers lose.
LA is 41-39. Portland is 40-40.
Clippers lead the season series 2-1. But if the Blazers win on Friday, they get the tiebreaker due to conference record.
The final two games of the regular season (for the Suns) before the play-in begins will come on the road in Los Angeles against the Lakers and in Oklahoma City against the Thunder. It’s unlikely any of those teams take these games too seriously. The Lakers have more to play for as they’re fighting for home-court advantage in the first round, but they, too, are limping into the finish line.
It will be interesting to monitor how the rotations look in these last two games, especially considering Jordan Ott’s quote last night, stating:
“We’ll continue to assess how our guys come out of this back-to-back and then we’ll plan accordingly the best we can. Balancing rhythm versus rest, especially with a group that doesn’t have a ton of reps on the floor together.”
Book hinted that one of the games could be a rest day for himself, which makes sense given they are locked into the 7th seed at this point.
"It's probably a conversation we'll have amongst the team, but I could see one of the games not playing."
Devin Booker as Suns have 2 games left in regular season: Friday at LAL, Sunday at OKC.
Suns 7th seed in West. Host 8th seed (Clippers or Blazers) in play-in Tuesday for… pic.twitter.com/HRl52Luq4Y
While the 76ers are not providing a return timeline, players typically miss about three weeks after this surgery, although some players have been out a month or more. Even an optimistic timeline would have Embiid out during the play-in and the first round of the playoffs (should they advance).
Joel Embiid Medical Update: Appendectomies are relatively uncommon in the NBA but have occurred with players like Grant Hill & OG Anunoby undergoing the procedure. The average time lost for in-season surgery is ~23 days (10.2 games). Median = 18 days
Philadelphia, 43-36, currently sits as the No. 8 seed in the East, but teams are so tightly bunched in the middle of the East that the 76ers could finish anywhere from fifth to 10th.
Embiid has played in just 38 games this season due to a variety of injuries, but when he has played, he's been his vintage self, averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. The 76ers have a +5.1 net rating this season when he is on the court.
Tyrese Maxey and Paul George will lead Philadelphia into the postseason. The 76ers play the Houston Rockets on Thursday, have a back-to-back against the tanking Indiana Pacers on Friday, and then close the season on Sunday against another tanking team, the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Carolina Hurricanes have just four games left to play on their 2025-26 regular season schedule and with their division and playoff spot already locked up, it seems like certain guys will start getting a bit of rest.
The Hurricanes made four AHL callups on Wednesday, recalling forwards Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, Josiah Slavin and defenseman Charles Alexis Legault from the Chicago Wolves.
Every team is allowed to make just five non-emergency, AHL callups following the trade deadline and with one already burned a few weeks ago in Montreal, Carolina was only able to recall these four players.
Nadeau and Legault have already seen NHL action this season, with both playing in eight games, but neither Brind'Amour nor Slavin have been recalled this year.
Brind'Amour made his NHL debut last season, scoring his first NHL goal in Montreal. Slavin has played in the NHL before, but that was back in 2022, appearing in 15 games for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Nadeau led the Wolves in goals again this season, scoring 26 goals along with 27 assists, in 51 games.
Brind'Amour was third on the team in goals (16 goals, 34 points in 66 games) and Slavin, who captained the Wolves this year, had six goals and 25 points in 66 games.
Legault had three goals and seven points in 22 games with the Wolves and saw limited action due to a hand injury he suffered while up with Carolina.
There's no confirmation yet on who will come out of the lineup, but the Hurricanes have plenty of bodies to throw in to give some of their top guys rest.
We've already seen Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook get a game off earlier in the week, so look to them to perhaps draw out.
Jalen Chatfield was also injured on Tuesday so I wouldn't expect him to play and we may also see Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis sitting as well due to their importance to the team.
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The 38-year-old returned against the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings after missing 27 games from Feb. 3 to April 2. He scored 29 points against the Rockets on April 5 and 17 against the Kings on April 7.
Curry has averaged 27 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists appearing in 41 games for the Warriors this season. He has shot the ball at an efficient clip, a norm for the 12-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer.
Steph Curry is now out tonight vs the Lakers on the front side of a back-to-back. Warriors are in Sacramento tomorrow night. That means zero Curry against LeBron James games this season.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Miami.
The Philadelphia center had been ruled out for Thursday’s crucial game against the Rockets in Houston hours earlier.
Embiid last played Monday night against the Spurs, putting up 34 points with 12 rebounds.
The timing could not be worse for the Sixers and Embiid.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
With three games to go in the regular season, Philly sits one game back of the Raptors for the sixth seed in the East.
They entered Thursday in eighth in the conference at 43-36, a half-game back of the Magic for the seventh seed.
If the season ended before Thursday’s slate of games, the 76ers would head to Orlando for a play-in tournament matchup against the Magic for the seventh seed in the conference and a first-round series against the Celtics.
The 76ers are also dangerously close to falling behind the Hornets, who are a half-game back and sitting in the ninth seed, in the standings.
If they fall to the ninth or tenth seed, the Sixers would need to win two play-in tournament games just to make the postseason.
The 7-8 game would take place on April 14 while the 9-10 game would be a day later, leaving Embiid little time to recover post-surgery for the Sixers’ likely play-in tournament run.
The first round of the NBA Playoffs kicks off on April 18.
The latest setback adds to yet another season in which Embiid has had trouble staying on the court.
The former NBA MVP has played in just 38 games this season, although he’s been effective when he’s in the lineup, averaging 26.9 points in just 31.6 minutes per game.
Embiid hasn’t played more than 40 games in a season since 2022-23.
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 8: Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket as Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks plays defense during the game on February 8, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Boston Celtics (54-25) at New York Knicks (51-28) Thursday, April 9, 2026 7:30 PM ET Regular Season Game #80 Road Game #41 TV: Prime Video Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 880 ESPN, Sirius XM Madison Square Garden
The Celtics head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks in their final road game of the season. This is the 4th, and final, game between these two teams this season. The Knicks won the first game 105-95 in New York on October 24. The Celtics won the 2nd game 123-117 in Boston on December 2. The Knicks won the 3rd game 111-89 in Boston on February 8.
The Celtics are 309-192 overall, all time against the Knicks and they are 130-110 in games played in New York. Both teams are playing in the first of back to back games. The Knicks have been off since Monday and are 7-5 in the first of back to back games. The Celtics last played on Tuesday and they are 9-3 in the first of back to back games.
Along with the importance of this game for seeding purposes, this game has another very important storyline. This will be Jayson Tatum’s first game back to Madison Square Garden since he tore his Achilles in last year’s playoffs. This is one of the mental hurdles that Tatum must get over in order to be all the way back from the injury. He said he’s not thrilled with having to go back there and play but knows that it’s all a part of getting back to where he was before the injury.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 3.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 3 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 3.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 9.5 games ahead of 5th place Atlanta, 10 games ahead of 6th place Toronto and 10.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando and 11 games ahead of 8th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 35-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 26-14 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 4 games.
The Knicks are 3rd in the East, 6.5 games behind 1st place Detroit and 3 games behind 2nd place Boston. They are half a game ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 6.5 games ahead of 5th place Atlanta, 7 games ahead of 6th place Toronto and 7.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando and 8 games ahead of 8th place Philadelphia. They are 33-16 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 28-9 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.
This game is very important for seeding purposes. The Celtics need just one win or one Knicks loss to clinch the 2nd seed. They can do that with a win in this game or they have 2 more games left and would need to win one of those. The Celtics will host New Orleans on Friday and will finish the season by hosting Orlando. After this game, the Knicks have 2 games left as well. They will host Toronto and Charlotte to end the season. For New York to clinch the 2nd seed, the Celtics would need to lose all 3 games and New York would need to win all 3 games. Also, the Knicks are just half a game ahead of Cleveland and they need to keep winning to hang onto the 3rd seed.
The Celtics originally had 4 starters listed as questionable on the injury report. Derrick White (knee), Neemias Queta (toe) remain questionable. Sam Hauser (back) is available and Jaylen Brown (Achilles) has been ruled out. I’ve included the normal starting 5 other than Jaylen Brown since I’m not sure who will play and who won’t. I’m guessing that Baylor Scheierman starts for Jaylen Brown. For the Knicks, only Tyler Kolek (oblique) is questionable.
Probable Celtics Starters PG: Derrick White vs Jalen Brunson
Derrick White | Getty ImagesJalen Brunson | NBAE via Getty Images
Neemias Queta | Boston Globe via Getty ImagesKarl-Anthony Towns | Getty Images
Celtics Reserves Payton Pritchard Hugo Gonzalez Luka Garza Amare Williams Jordan Walsh Baylor Scheierman Max Shulga Nikola Vucevic Ron Harper, Jr 2-Way Players None Injuries/Out Derrick White (knee) questionable Neemias Queta (toe) questionable Sam Hauser (back) available Jaylen Brown (Achilles) out Head Coach Joe Mazzulla
Knicks Reserves Jordan Clarkson Pacome Dadiet Jose Alvarado Mohamed Diawara Tyler Kolek Mitchell Robinson Landry Shamet Ariel Hukporti
Two-Way Players Kevin McCullar, Jr Dillon Jones Trey Jemison III
Injuries/Out Tyler Kolek (oblique) questionable
Head Coach Mike Brown
Key Matchups Derrick White vs Jalen Brunson Brunson is the key to the Knicks offense and the Celtics need to defend him well. He is averaging 26 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists, while shooting 46.4% from the field and 37.0% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 25.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 8 assists while shooting 45.2% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc. The Celtics must defend him closely, especially on the perimeter. If White doesn’t play, I would expect Payton Pritchard to start in his place.
Neemias Queta vs Karl Anthony-Towns Towns is averaging 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 49.9% from the field and 37.0% from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games against the Celtics, he averaged 22.0 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 47.7% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to box him out on the boards and defend him in the paint and on the perimeter. If Queta doesn’t play, I am guessing that Luka Garza will start in his place with Vucevic coming off the bench. Honorable Mention Sam Hauser vs OG Anunoby Anunoby is averaging 24 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 48.6% from the field and 38.8% from 3. He played in just one of the 3 games against the Celtics this season and finished with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals while shooting 30% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. If Hauser doesn’t play, I would guess that Baylor Scheierman starts in his place.
Keys to the Game Defense – As always, defense is the key to winning this, and every, game. The Celtics are 4th with a defensive rating of 111.7. The Knicks are 8th with a defensive rating of 112.3. The Celtics have shown that they are capable of playing very good defense but at times still slack off and allow opponents to score too easily. If Brown, White and Queta are out, they will be without 3 key defenders. The Celtics must make defense a priority if they hope to win this game.
Rebound – As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning. The Celtics have to crash the boards as a team and go after every rebound. The Celtics are 4th with 46.5 rebounds per game while the Knicks are 7th with 46.0 rebounds per game. In the 2 losses to the Knicks this season, the Celtics were out-rebounded but in the win over the Knicks, they out-rebounded the Knicks. The Knicks are 6th with 16.6 second chance points per game. The Celtics must give extra effort to beat the Knicks to rebounds in this game.
Move the Ball Carefully– The Celtics are tough to beat when they keep the ball moving and find the open man but when one player over dribbles and lapses into hero ball, they falter. The Celtics are 33-0 when they have more assists than their opponent but just 19-23 when they have fewer assists than their opponent. Keep the ball moving and don’t lapse into hero ball, whether in the first quarter or the 4th quarter. They have to make careful passes and not turn the ball over because the Knicks average 17.8 points off turnovers per game.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes– The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In most of their losses and even in some of their wins, they have allowed their opponents to play with more energy than them for periods of time during the game. They play well for stretches but let up and allow their opponents to surge ahead. The Knicks play hard and the Celtics must match that effort and they need to stay focused on playing the right way from the opening tip until the final buzzer.
X-Factors On the Road – The Celtics are on the road for the final time this season. They need to overcome the distractions of travel, playing on an unfamiliar court, and in front of a hostile crowd and stay focused on playing hard and as a team. They have to come out playing hard right from the beginning and try to keep the Knicks’ crowd from getting into the game.
Who’s Playing? – It’s possible that the Celtics will be without up to 4 starters. Since the Celtics need just one win in their 3 remaining games to clinch the 2nd seed, they may rest some players in this one and then go all out in the final 2 games to get that win. If any or all of the 4 questionable players are out, the other players have to step up big time for the Celtics to get a win.
Officiating – Officiating always has the potential to be an x-factor. Each officiating crew calls the game differently. Some refs call it tight and constantly call fouls while others let them play with few fouls called. Some refs just make calls that just don’t make sense. The Celtics will be on the road and so they can expect the Knicks to get a favorable whistle in their arena. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus.
San Diego Padres reliever Adrian Morejon (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Location, Location, Location.
Location remains the golden rule of real estate, directly driving a property’s market value.
The same holds for major league pitchers who master their location effectively by controlling the game’s tempo. It forces opposing hitters into uncomfortable at-bats at the plate.
San Diego Padres reliever Adrian Morejon was outstanding in his first appearance of the 2026 season. He pitched two shutout innings, as he threw 23 total pitches with 14 for strikes. The left-hander is the high-leverage arm that bridges he gap before Mason Miller comes in to close out games.
Since then, Morejon has given up seven runs on nine hits in three innings pitched. Three poor outings should not define a pitcher’s season. But his 10.80 ERA does offer early concerns in the second full week of the 2026 season.
The struggles are unexplainable, but the numbers do not lie.
Command issues have plagued Morejon
It’s very hard to imagine Morejon struggling in games because his velocity is up near 98 MPH this season. Command issues have limited his effectiveness on the mound. If he cannot locate the fastball, then his secondary pitches lose their edge against batters. It has been easy for hitters to put the barrel of their bat on the ball and drive the pitch for extra bases.
His trouble is trying to strike out every batter instead of using the defense behind him to record outs. Morejon has a career 47% ground ball rate; he may need to narrow his approach to generate weak contact.
No question, Morejon is a quality setup reliever with a swing-and-miss repertoire, but his location has been horrible over his last three outings. Often, the pitch count balloons, and the appearance quickly unravels. Damage is done by opposing hitters because the pitches have caught too much of the plate.
If Friars pitching coach Ruben Niebla can get Morejon to trust his pitches, the results will improve. He has too much talent to falter all season.
The Padres are 6-6, but the starting rotation is a work in progress. To win games, the bullpen must be productive and absorb poor starts from the rotation.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Bryce Eldridge #47 of the Sacramento Rivercats reacts after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of an exhibition game against the San Francisco Giants at Sutter Health Park on March 22, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Wednesday was a good day. For the second day in a row, the San Francisco Giants and their four Minor League Baseball A-ball affiliates all won their games. That’s a whole lot of winning, so let’s talk about it!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
AAA Sacramento (7-4)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 8-7 (11 innings) Box score
It took a pair of extra innings, but the River Cats managed to win their 4th consecutive game. And they did it with a fair amount of drama. Sacramento allowed the Manfred Man to score in both the 10th and 11th innings, and in the 11th, they started off the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, failing to move the runner over. But shortstop Osleivis Basabe, who hit 1-3 with an error, drew his 2nd walk of the day, and center fielder Drew Gilbert put the ball in play, reaching base safely — and knocking in the tying run — on an error.
And that brought up second baseman Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL), who ended the game by smashing an RBI double.
Rodríguez finished the day 2-5 with a walk, and is really heating up after a slow start. After being held hitless in the season opener, the righty has hit safely in 7 straight games, and so far in 3 games against Vegas, he’s 6-13 with 2 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and just 1 strikeout, which has brought him up to a .754 OPS and a 104 wRC+. He’s still a few weeks away from turning 24, and he’s on the 40-man roster … don’t be surprised if he makes his Major League debut in the coming months, whether as a backup catcher, a fill-in second baseman, or a utility player.
But while Rodríguez provided the winning hit, the most notable hit belonged to the most notable player on the roster: first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL). Eldridge needed just 1 at-bat in this game to provide a sight for sore eyes: a towering, majestic, absolutely gorgeous 2-run home run, though we sadly were deprived of audio for it.
It’s weird to say, but we hadn’t seen Eldridge’s power in a little while. Counting Spring Training, he had gone 24 consecutive games without putting a ball over the fence, with just 6 total extra-base hits during that time (though, admittedly, he wasn’t playing full Spring Training games).
But no more. Eldridge has his 1st home run of the year … and the 1st of many, I’m sure. The only question is how many will be in a Sacramento jersey, and how many will be in a San Francisco jersey.
Still, the warnings I issued in yesterday’s roundup are still true for Eldridge, who finished the day 2-5 with 2 strikeouts. While the nice day boosted his batted ball metrics, which had been lagging behind what we’ve grown to expect, the strikeout issues are still concerning, as the tall lefty is 16th percentile in strikeout rate, 11th percentile in whiff rate, 12th percentile in in-zone contact rate, and 32nd percentile in swinging strike rate. Work to be done, but a big step forward.
Another player who figures to hit a lot of home runs this year in either Sacramento or San Francisco went deep as well: left fielder Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL), who went just 1-5 with 2 strikeouts, but bashed a tie-breaking home run in the 8th inning.
Like Eldridge, Bericoto is striking out a little too much (26.2%), though that’s not been a big issue in his career, so probably something that will lower as he adjusts to the level. The sample is small, but through 9 games this year, Bericoto looks nothing like the hitter who struggled in 11 games at the level last year. Then he hit .196/.196/.283 with a wRC+ of 16; this year, he’s hitting .306/.381/.583, for a 155 wRC+.
And the final member of the home run party was center fielder Drew Gilbert, who hit just 1-6 but smacked a solo home run.
Gilbert had a rough Spring Training as he dealt with a shoulder injury and never was able to find a rhythm. But he’s been hitting very well in Sacramento, with an .833 OPS, a 135 wRC+, and more walks than strikeouts. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for right fielder Grant McCray, whose strikeout issues are starting to return, as he hit 0-4 with a walk and 2 Ks. McCray is mired in quite a slump at the moment: in his last 5 starts, he’s 0-16 with 7 strikeouts. He does have 6 walks in that time, and that’s been his saving grace this season: he’s hitting just 6-35 with 0 home runs, but has drawn 10 walks and been hit by a pitch.
While the hitters who are on the 40-man roster mostly had good days, the same cannot be said for the pitchers. Unfortunately, it was another rough outing for RHP Trevor McDonald (No. 12 CPL) who got the start but simply could not find the strike zone. The silver lining (if you really squint) is that McDonald was unhittable, ceding no hits all game. But that was because he was wild, and not effectively wild, either. He needed 52 pitches to get through 2.1 innings, and threw just half of them for strikes. While that did earn him a pair of strikeouts, it also resulted in 4 walks, a hit batter, and 2 runs to his name … and it could have been more than that, as he left with the bases loaded and just 1 out, but only 1 of the inherited runners scored.
McDonald was one of the stars of the start of Spring Training, but it’s been all downhill since then for the recently-turned 25-year old. In his last 6 games — 3 each in Spring Training and AAA — McDonald has pitched 12.2 innings and allowed 13 hits, 7 walks, 3 hit batters, and 14 earned runs, albeit with 14 strikeouts. He’s got some ironing out to do to catch the other young, unproven pitchers on the 40-man roster.
Replacing McDonald was RHP Tristan Beck, who is trying to work his way back to the MLB bullpen. He didn’t enter the rosiest situation, but also didn’t pitch his best, allowing 3 hits and 1 earned run in 1.2 innings of work, with 1 strikeout. Beck’s been fine so far this year — he has a 3.18 ERA, a 1.87 FIP, and 9 strikeouts against 3 walks in 5.2 innings — but isn’t yet forcing the issue.
Unlike McDonald and Beck, RHPs Gregory Santos and Will Bednar (No. 24) aren’t on the 40-man roster, but they have some of the best fastballs in the organization, and are hoping to become part of the Major League bullpen plan at some point soon. They had so-so days: Santos gave up 2 hits and an earned run in 2 innings, with a strikeout, while Bednar pitched the 10th and 11th innings and allowed both Manfred Men to score, but gave up just 1 hit and no earned runs, with 1 strikeout. Bednar is performing much better than he did in his brief glimpse of AAA last year. His velo was notably down in this game, but that could potentially be due to the fact that he wasn’t supposed to pitch in this game, and was called into action when it went to extra innings.
It was a very well-balanced attack for the Squirrels on Wednesday, as they, too, drove their winning streak to 4 games. The biggest contribution came from the hitter at the very bottom of the lineup: center fielder Jonah Cox.
By now, you’re likely familiar with the story of Cox, the 2023 6th-round pick whom the Giants stole from the A’s in the Ross Stripling trade. He’s arguably the best baserunner in the system (Jared Oliva takes the cake if we’re including the Majors), and plays quality defense at all 3 outfield positions. It’s an Oliva-esque 4th/5th outfielder profile, and that’s Cox’s ceiling unless he can start hitting better. Last year he spent the full season in High-A Eugene, where he had a modest .731 OPS and a 103 wRC+.
But he’s off to quite a start in Richmond. On Wednesday the 24-year old righty hit 2-4 with a double and a strikeout, raising his OPS to .831 and his wRC+ to 124. There will be some regression — he has a 27.3% strikeout rate and a .500 BABIP — but still. It’s good to see him making things happen with the bat.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 9, 2026
His legs, meanwhile, did what we’re accustomed to them doing, as he stole a pair of bases. Through 5 games he now has 5 thefts in 6 attempts. What a fun player.
Third baseman Dayson Croes had yet another nice game, hitting 2-5 with a double. He’s hit safely in all 5 games this year, which includes 3 multi-hit games, and he’s 10-24 on the year. I talked quite a bit about Croes in yesterday’s roundup, so you can get a refresher there if you missed it, but don’t be surprised if the Giants find a way to get him in AAA soon. He spent a chunk of time there last year, and hit quite well, and is probably only in AA because Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) is occupying a very similar role for the River Cats.
Catcher Drew Cavanaugh (No. 19 CPL) continues to make an enticing case that last year’s breakout season was no fluke. The lefty hitter, who had the breakout season of all breakout seasons after 2 middling years following a 17th-round selection, hit 1-3 with a double and a walk. It’s only been 3 games — he’s splitting catcher duties with Adrián Sugastey — but Cavanaugh is hitting about as well as you could possibly hope, as he’s 6-11 with 5 extra-base hits and 4 walks. Perhaps most impressively, though, is that a year after running a 28.3% strikeout rate in AA (and a 27.4% rate across 4 levels), Cavanaugh has yet to strike out.
Also great days for second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) and right fielder Turner Hill. Velasquez, a contact maven who is lacking a bit in power and physicality, hit 1-2 with a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout, raising the 22-year old switch-hitter’s OPS to 1.264 through 3 games, with a 263 wRC+. Hill, a lefty who just turned 27 and who has a very similar profile to Cox, went 1-3 with a triple, a walk, 3 RBIs, and a strikeout, boosting his OPS to .818 and his wRC+ to 105 through 5 games.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 9, 2026
It was an odd pitching game for Richmond. They gave up just 3 hits on the day, but walked 9 batters. The only player immune from the walks was the closer, RHP Tyler Vogel, who pitched a scoreless inning with a hit and 2 strikeouts. Vogel has been sensational through 3 appearances this year, giving up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 0 runs, while striking out 7 batters. He was dominant in 16 innings with Richmond last year, and earned a cup of coffee in Sacramento, so I’d say he’s not going to be a Squirrel for much longer. He’s really meeting the moment, and since he’s Rule 5 eligible, I’d guess the Giants would like to see what he can do in AAA.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 9, 2026
The start was the organizational debut for RHP Logan Martin. A 24-year old taken in the 12th round in 2023, Martin came to the Giants over the winter in the Mason Black trade. It was also Martin’s AA debut, as he spent all of last year with Kansas City’s High-A affiliate, where he had a 3.45 ERA and a 3.79 FIP in 22 starts.
It was a so-so introduction to the level, as Martin pitched 4 innings and gave up 2 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs, with 5 strikeouts. Only allowing 2 hits is great, though they were both extra-baggers, including a home run. But needless to say, the walks will need to come down. Still, the strikeouts proved encouraging: Martin only K’d 7.7 batters per 9 innings last year, so it will be interesting to see if the Giants have untapped some better swing-and-miss stuff, or if this was just an outlier where his wildness made amateur hitters uncomfortable.
Logan Martin, welcome to Double-A!
The righty picks up his first Double-A strikeout against the first hitter he faces 👏 pic.twitter.com/m4kvmYQKIJ
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) April 8, 2026
Really funny scoreless relief appearances from LHPs Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) and Dylan Carmouche. Neither of the 24-year old late-rounders (9th round in 2022 for Choate, 15th in 2023 for Carmouche) could find the strike zone, for better and for worse. Choate tossed 2.2 no-hit innings with 4 strikeouts, but walked 3 batters. Carmouche was even more extreme, with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts in just 1.1 no-hit innings.
High-A Eugene (5-0)
Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 5-2 Box score
Eugene saw Sacramento and Richmond’s 4-game winning streaks and said they’ll do one better: a 5-game winning streak! And a 5-game winning streak to start the season, no less.
The most notable players on the Emeralds roster are on the position player side, but let’s start with the pitching, because it really was a sensational day on the mound for the Ems. And it started, as things tend to do, with the starter: LHP Tyler Switalski.
Switalski, a 16th-round pick in 2024, is not generally a strikeout artist. He K’d just 7.6 batters per 9 innings in his debut season last year, which was split 75% in Low-A and 25% in High-A.
But you wouldn’t know he wasn’t a big strikeout guy if you watched Wednesday’s game, when he simply wore down Vancouver’s hitters all game long. He gave up just 2 hits in 4.1 innings, and only walked 1 batter while throwing 53 of 73 pitches for strikes. And the kicker? A whopping 9 strikeouts.
Tyler Switalski has had the two best pitching outings in the Giants' farm so far. After throwing 3.2 shutout innings in relief with eight Ks last week, he threw 4.2 more scoreless innings as a starter with nine Ks.
— Giant Prospective (@giantprospectiv) April 9, 2026
You couldn’t craft a better start to the year for Switalski, who through 8 scoreless innings has issued 4 hits, 1 walk, and struck out 17. By comparison, he also struck out 17 batters in High-A last year … except that came in 23 innings, not 8. Obviously the sample size is small, but if he’s made tangible improvements to his stuff, then he’s worth keeping an eye on. Funky lefties can always rise the ranks … but most pitchers stall out if they can’t strike out batters.
Speaking of southpaws with strikeouts, LHP Esmerlin Vinicio made his season debut and struck out 3 batters in 1.2 no-hit innings, with 1 walk allowed. Vinicio only recently turned 23, but this is his 6th season of Minor League Baseball, and he’s still trying to prove himself in High-A. It might be a make-or-break season for him.
RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL) showed off both his electricity and command issues in the 9th inning, throwing just 14 of 27 pitches for strikes, while walking 2 batters, allowing a hit, and giving up a run. But he also hit triple digits, and struck out the side. That’s the Maldonado package: he has some of the nastiest stuff in the system, and if he can figure out how to slash the walks in half, he could fly from A-ball to a high-leverage MLB role in a shockingly short amount of time. After a few years of being developed as a starter, it looks like the Giants are now committing to using the 22-year old strictly as a reliever, which seems like a good idea to me.
They have finally let Gerelmi Maldonado loose in a late-inning situation and grabbed three strikeouts, with a little bit of torture before locking down the W.
Mass = gas, and Gerelmi can certainly bring it, up to 100 mph with ridiculous metrics tonight. pic.twitter.com/OgYiu6rIvb
— Giant Prospective (@giantprospectiv) April 9, 2026
There was a lot of excitement on the offensive side, primarily from Eugene’s pair of highest-ranked prospects, center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL).
Kilen’s season has been nothing short of a 5-game revelation, and that continued on Wednesday, when he hit 2-4 with a double and a sacrifice fly. Some people — not ashamed to admit that I’m very much included in that group — might have had concerns about how last year’s 1st-round pick would fare with an opening assignment in High-A, after posting a .561 OPS and a 58 wRC+ in a 10-game sample in Low-A last year.
Smarter people — again, not ashamed to admit I’m very much not included in that group — felt confident in the assignment, given that the lefty, who turned 22 a few weeks ago, is a highly polished hitter coming out of the best conference in college (the SEC), and who was playing through an injury in his debut last year.
A 5-game sample is small, but it’s also enough to tell us emphatically that if Kilen is at the wrong level, it’s because he should be up a ring, not down one. All he’s done in Eugene is hit, hit, and hit some more. He’s hit safely in all 5 games, with 4 multi-hit showings. In total, he’s gone 10-20 with 5 extra-base hits, 3 walks, and only 2 strikeouts. And while there will be a lot to do in the coming months and years to prove that he can stay at shortstop, he’s looked good there so far.
As for Jordan, a fellow high-impact SEC bat, things have been not quite as solid, but plenty electric. The strikeout issues that plagued his career at Mississippi State — and led to him falling to the 4th round in 2024, despite having some of the best power, speed, and athleticism in the draft — took a step in the right direction last year in Low-A, but have come roaring back in High-A. That didn’t change at the start of this game, as he K’d in his 1st pair of at-bats … but after that? A double, followed by a double, followed by a double.
No, let me correct that: a loud double, followed by a loud double, followed by a loud double.
Dakota Jordan is channelling his inner Russell Westbrook tonight with a triple double!
All of his hits had triple-digit exit velocities. He is heating up after a cold start to the young season. pic.twitter.com/etOuyQZMVP
— Giant Prospective (@giantprospectiv) April 9, 2026
We’re seeing both sides of the coin with Jordan right now. He’s hitting 6-22, which is good, and all 6 of his hits have gone for extra bases, which is beyond great. He’s also struck out in 13 of his 23 plate appearances, which … well, yeah. You don’t need me to editorialize or contextualize there!
It’s a new level and it’s cold in the Pacific Northwest this time of year, which is something that someone who was born and raised in the south probably isn’t all too familiar with. So perhaps there’s no need to overcomplicate this … it might just be an adjustment period. But no matter how scary the strikeouts are, the impact when he makes contact has me drooling.
The other good offensive day belonged to someone in desperate need of one: catcher Diego Cartaya. You’re all probably familiar with Cartaya’s story at this point, but if not, here’s the quick and dirty: he was one of the best prospects in all of baseball in the Dodgers system, but fell apart as he reached the upper Minors, and was released (he was on the 40-man roster) last year. He got picked up by the Twins last year, and almost exclusively struck out — seriously, while playing for Minnesota’s AAA affiliate, he hit 5-59 with 40 strikeouts. They released him, and the Giants signed him to a multi-year Minor League deal.
San Francisco has, wisely in my opinion, decided to hit the reset button with Cartaya. Despite his experience in the upper Minors (he has 595 plate appearances in AA and 277 in AAA), they’ve sent him down to High-A to be in a lower pressure environment. It started very poorly: in his 1st 3 games, he hit 0-9 with 8 strikeouts and 2 walks. But Wednesday was a reminder as to the talent he has, as he got his 1st hit of the year, launching an absolutely stunning home run.
In his other 3 plate appearances, Cartaya struck out once and walked twice. There’s a lot of work to do. A lot of work to do, both for Cartaya and for the organization … but my goodness, that swing sure is gorgeous when it connects. Sadly there’s no video of the home run to back that up, but trust me!
Second baseman Zander Darby had a very nice day, hitting 3-4 with a stolen base and a strikeout. A lefty who was taken in the 12th round in 2024, Darby had a very strong year in Low-A last season, but struggled following a late-season promotion to Eugene. So far he’s putting those struggles behind him, as he’s 8-15 with 3 extra-base hits on the year.
Low-A San Jose (4-1)
San Jose Giants beat the Visalia Rawhide 8-2 Box score
Bryce Eldridge might have had the most exciting game in the system thanks to his proximity to the Majors. But there can be no denying who had the best game: shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL).
2025 was a breakout year for Level, a switch-hitter who turned 19 just a few weeks ago. But if the 1st week is any indication, 2026 is somehow going to be an even better year.
Level was utterly superb in this game, hitting 3-5 with a home run, 2 doubles, and 1 strikeout. Yeeeeeesh.
Jhonny Level LAUNCHES one out to right, and we've got a home run party breaking out at Excite Ballpark. pic.twitter.com/uz0sIKT55Z
Level held his own in a short High-A stint last year, which was mighty impressive given his age. But this year he’s downright killing it, hitting 12-23 with 6 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 3 stolen bases. Given his prospect pedigree and his defensive chops, plus the fact that he spent some time at the level last year, it wouldn’t be surprising to me if he ends up getting a fairly early promotion, assuming he keeps hitting like this. In the meantime, if you live in the Bay Area, maybe get to a Baby Giants game and enjoy the show while it’s still there. This dude is unreal!
Jhonny Level leads off the game for San Jose with a loud double. He's now 10-19 to open the year pic.twitter.com/D3WLZaIDqQ
Catcher Junior Barajas is having quite a professional debut, as he had yet another standout game, hitting 2-4 with a home run, a walk, and a strikeout. The 11th-round pick last year has hit safely in all 4 of his games in his debut season, and that underscores just how good he’s been: he’s 8-19 with 6 extra-base hits and 10 RBIs. Those are good numbers for anyone, but especially exciting stats for a player who has some solid chops behind the dish.
Rod Barajas Jr. stays red hot! His second HR of the season puts the Giants up 3-2. pic.twitter.com/h2EuSaVdsQ
Taken 1 round ahead of Barajas last year was designated hitter Isaiah Barkett, who is a second baseman by trade. The 22-year old out of Stetson has only played in 2 games in his debut season, but he has also made quite an impression: after going 2-3 with a double and a walk in his debut, he went 3-4 on Wednesday, hit his first professional home run, and bopped another double. Happy debuts all around!
First baseman Jeremiah Jenkins, a 14th-round pick in 2024, continued his nice season, hitting 2-3 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout in his 2nd game of the year.
The best game on the mound came from a great story: RHP Sam Bower. Bower was an 11th round pick back in 2022 out of St. Mary’s, and was born in Visalia (hey, that’s who the Giants were playing!). But, due to a series of injuries, the 22-year old entered 2026 — technically his 5th season as a pro — still looking to make his Minor League debut.
That debut happened on Friday, and it didn’t go well, but it was a huge milestone nonetheless. But on Wednesday he made his 2nd appearance, and this was one he’ll remember, as Bower tossed 2 no-hit innings in relief, allowing just 1 baserunner on a walk, while striking out 3 batters and recording his 1st career win. What a great moment, and hopefully there are many, many more games in his future.
RHP Mauricio Estrella, who turns 22 next week, continued his great season of relief, throwing 2 shutout innings with 3 hits allowed … but 4 strikeouts. Through 2 games, Estrella has 7 strikeouts in 3.2 scoreless frames.
Like Bower and Estrella, RHP Dylan Carter pitched in his 2nd game of the year, and like Bower, it put a bad season debut well behind him, as the 2025 UDFA threw a perfect 9th inning with 2 strikeouts.
RHP Cody Delvecchio got the start, and it didn’t go as well as his sensational debut last week. The 2025 12th-round pick out of UCLA gave up some hard contact, as he allowed 4 hits (including 2 doubles) in 3 innings of work. That, plus a walk, tagged him for 2 earned runs, though he struck out 4 batters. Impressively, the recently-turned 22 year old threw 49 of 64 pitches for strikes, which you know the Giants love to see.
Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Las Vegas (SP: Carson Whisenhunt) Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT vs. Altoona (SP: Greg Farone) Eugene: 7:05 p.m. PT at Vancouver (SP: Niko Mazza) San Jose: 6:00 p.m. PT vs. Visalia (SP: Jordan Gottesman)
