Leiter told reporters that he suffered the injury while covering first base against the Reds on June 24.
There is no timetable for Leiter's return.
With Leiter out, right-hander Clayton Beeter has been called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Leiter had been struggling lately, allowing runs in three of his last five appearances -- though he tossed a scoreless frame against the Blue Jays on July 3 and 0.2 innings of scoreless ball against the Mets on Sunday.
Beeter has pitched in one big league game this season, when he allowed three runs on three hits while walking two and striking out none in 1.2 innings.
With three first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins were aiming to maximize the addition of talent in their system.
And they got the first of those three picks locked up.
On Tuesday, the Penguins signed 11th overall pick Ben Kindel to a three-year, entry-level contract, making him NHL-eligible for the 2025-26 season. Kindel was the the first of three first-round selections for the Penguins, with the others being Bill Zonnon (22nd overall) and Will Horcoff (24th overall).
Kindel, 18, registered 35 goals and 99 points last season for the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL, where he is a teammate of Penguins' forward prospect Tanner Howe. The 5-foot-10, 176-pound center has accrued 50 goals and 159 points in 134 career WHL games.
Former Philadelphia Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol has been hired by the Colorado Avalanche to be an assistant coach, the Avalanche announced Tuesday.
Hakstol, 56, did not coach in the NHL in the 2024-25 season, only serving as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup on Gerard Gallant's staff.
“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the Avalanche. This is a proud organization with a lot of talented players and a tremendous coaching staff led by Jared Bednar," Hakstol said in the Avalanche's press release.
"I look forward to being a part of this special group and can't wait to get to work and help the team in any way that I can. My family and I are also very much looking forward to being a part of this community and wonderful state of Colorado.”
Hakstol will be replacing the recently departed Ray Bennett, who previously ran Colorado's power play, coaching alongside Bednar and fellow assistant coach Nolan Pratt.
The Drayton Valley, Alberta, native is best known for his four seasons spent with the Flyers as head coach - his longest-tenured job in the NHL to date.
In parts of four seasons with the Flyers, Hakstol guided the Orange and Black to a 134-101-42 record, a .560 points percentage, and two first-round playoff exits.
More recently, Hakstol served as the bench boss for the Seattle Kraken, going 107-112-27 with a .490 points percentage in three seasons while also leading the NHL's newest franchise to their first-ever playoff berth and playoff series win - a seven-game stunner over the Avalanche, who he now joins as an assistant.
That’s what the Kings’ newest free-agent signee Dennis Schröder had to say about Sacramento’s All-NBA center, Domantas Sabonis when the point guard met with the media in Sacramento on Tuesday during his introduction press conference.
“How he pushes the pace when he gets the rebound, gluing everybody together, getting people backdoor cuts,” Schröder told reporters. “Great passes, really physical big, set screens, great in the pocket, can shoot it. You know, I mean, he’s unique.”
Schröder became the Kings’ biggest 2025 NBA free-agency acquisition once the team’s sign-and-trade deal with the Detroit Pistons became official Monday.
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 8, 2025
Schröder, a 12-year NBA veteran, will get his first taste of playing with Sabonis, who finished first in the league in rebounds per game and 18th in assists per game this past season. In 2023-24, Sabonis joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in NBA history to have more than 1,000 total points, 1,000 total rebounds and 600 total assists in a season.
“I’m looking forward to compete with him,” Schröder said. “We had a couple of battles in Europe, as well, so now he’s on my side. We’re on the same side so really looking forward to compete with him.”
Schröder and Sabonis look to be a formidable one-two punch for Sacramento as the team hopes to reach the playoffs this upcoming season after falling in the play-in games the past two years.
The Mets signed RHP Junior Fernandez to a minor league contract on Tuesday among a handful of roster moves, the team announced.
Fernandez, 28, will report to Triple-A Syracuse. He owns a 5.17 ERA over 51 MLB games, last pitching in the bigs in 2022 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The right-hander most recently was with the Kansas City Royals organization, throwing in 31 games for Triple-A Omaha this season. He went 2-5 with a 4.93 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 38.1 IP prior to being released on July 1.
What stands out about Fernandez is that he struck out 53 batters with 26 walks this season in Triple-A, resulting in an impressive 12.44 strikeouts per nine innings.
Fernandez started his professional career with the St. Louis Cardinals, signing as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2016. He made his MLB debut with the club in 2019. The righty was DFA'd in 2022 and claimed off waivers by the Pirates, making three appearances with the team. He then played 42 games for the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A team in 2022, followed by nine appearances for the Washington Nationals' Triple-A team in 2023.
He signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball ahead of the 2024 season, but had to get surgery on his clavicle and only made two appearances for the farm team before being released in July of 2024.
Anthony Davis missed a healthy chunk of last season due to an abdominal injury, but that was not the only thing he was playing through, we have come to learn.
Davis underwent a procedure to "repair a detached retina that he suffered during the season," Shams Charania of ESPN reports. He adds that "Davis played through multiple hits to the face" and should be ready to go at the start of next season.
While the report uses the term "retinal detachment," this phrase can also often refer to a retinal tear (which can lead to detachment and is a condition treatable by laser surgery) or even retinal bruising. Regardless of the actual injury, this is something considered highly treatable.
Multiple NBA players have suffered retina injuries, including Dirk Nowitzki who bruised his right retina in 2006. Players to endure retina tears or detached retinas include Matt Barnes, DJ Mbenga, &, most famously, Amar'e Stoudemire. Fortunately surgery has a high success rate.
Davis averaged 24.7 points and 11.6 rebounds a game while playing elite defense in the 51 games he did play. This season, a healthy Davis joins No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg as well as Derrick Lively II in what should be one of the best front lines in the NBA.
The ECHL on Tuesday released the list of Players who received a valid qualifying offer from ECHL teams by the July 7 deadline.
Players who had already signed a contract by July 7 did not need to receive a qualifying offer.
Each team was entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four could be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the upcoming 2025-26 Season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded.
The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until July 22 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.
A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player, or to a goaltender who has played more than 180 regular-season games, will retain the rights to that player until July 22. After July 22, if the veteran player or goaltender is not signed to a contract by the team, the player shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams.
Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player’s rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association.
The member with the player’s rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.
If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by August 8, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.
For a complete list of players who received qualifying offers, click here.
There was a time when the Warriors so trusted their culture they would bet on it. Confident in feel-good vibes, largely arranged by Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry, they were willing to gamble on a player whose “red flags” might deter others.
The Warriors welcomed alleged circus act JaVale McGee, who contributed to two championship teams. Then came certified slacker Nick Young, who picked up a ring. Then came reputed grump DeMarcus Cousins, knowing he’d be sidelined for five months. Once cleared, he made plays for a squad that reached the 2019 NBA Finals, where any chance of winning was crushed by injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.
When acquiring Andrew Wiggins in February 2020, the Warriors placed faith in their culture to bring out the best in the widely considered underachiever – and were rewarded.
Which brings us to Deandre Ayton, and whether Golden State still believes in its culture.
The Portland Trail Blazers bought out the final year of Ayton’s contract on June 29, after which he cleared waivers and became a free agent. Numerous teams did their homework, with some reaching out to the Blazers. This is typical when a player is cast aside in his prime.
The Warriors, according to multiple league sources, were not among the teams that lined up to gauge Ayton’s interest – despite some reports stating otherwise.
Golden State’s lack of interest is curious because Ayton would have been a clear upgrade at center. The 7-foot, 250-pound Bahamian would address the team’s dearth of interior length. He runs the floor well. His midrange shooting bends defenses. He’s the only active player to average scoring/rebounding double-doubles in each of his first seven seasons, and he has career averages of 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds.
Ayton, who turns 27 this month, brings a blend of youth and experience; he was the starting center for the 2020-21 Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns. Among the Warriors, only Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Curry have more postseason experience.
Maybe Ayton would have brushed the Warriors, fully intent on joining the Los Angeles Lakers. There was no need, according to sources, because Golden State did not actively engage.
Ayton on Sunday officially joined the Lakers, signing a two-year contract worth $16.6 million. LA gets a quality big man on a discount because Portland will pay him about $25 million in the buyout.
Could the Warriors have offered a similar contract? The taxpayer midlevel exception is available for $5.7 million. Coming up with more – with Jonathan Kuminga still on the roster – would have required roster manipulation and shedding salary. General manager Mike Dunleavy has exhibited enough creativity to suggest he probably could have found a way.
Instead, the Lakers addressed their most glaring weakness, a massive void at center. They are considerably better equipped to deal with the prevalence of interior size/length among the deep list of playoff contenders in the West:
Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren with the champion Thunder. Alperen Şengun, Steven Adams and Clint Capela with the Rockets. Nikola Jokić and (maybe) Jonas Valančiūnas with the Nuggets. Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle with the Timberwolves. Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez with the Clippers. Zach Edey with the Grizzlies. Domantas Sabonis with the Kings. Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II with the Mavericks. Victor Wembanyama with the Spurs.
That’s 17 big men, all between 6-foot-9 and 7-foot-4, with wingspans as broad as 8 feet. With 6-foot-9, 250-pound Kevon Looney the first man off Golden State’s ship this summer, the team has no veteran center to provide resistance.
As of now, the Warriors are hoping to lure unrestricted free agent Al Horford. He’s skilled, stands 6-foot-9, spreads the floor and plays both ends. He also turned 39 last month and is considering retirement. If he decides to keep playing, Golden State, according to league sources, has a strong chance to sign him.
Horford is, by all accounts, a consummate professional. Low maintenance, and a great teammate. His only red flag is age, and no culture can transform that.
Ayton, by contrast, is said to have been less than professional in Portland, with reports of frequent tardiness and occasional locker-room tantrums. His work ethic has undergone considerable scrutiny. He famously clashed with head coach Monty Williams in Phoenix. There is no doubt the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NBA draft comes with risk.
But the Warriors have recruiters on the premises culture. Buddy Hield is a fellow Bahamian and assistant coach Chris DeMarco – who has served as head coach of the national team – have known Ayton for years. Then, of course, there is Curry and Kerr.
The culture.
That typically has allowed Golden State to browse, and maybe buy. Given the current roster, all reasonable options are on the table. Not “kicking the tires” on Ayton feels like a missed opportunity. One the Warriors can only hope doesn’t haunt them.
On the latest episode of The Mets Pod presented by Tri-State Cadillac, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo review big series wins for the Mets over the Brewers and Yankees, then preview the road trip before the All-Star break and the MLB Draft with Jim Callis of MLB.com.
First up, Connor and Joe look back at a bounce back week for the Mets, including a full Subway Series recap, a breakdown of a hot-hitting Brandon Nimmo, questions about Juan Soto not being an All-Star, and a look ahead to the games against the Orioles and Royals before the break.
Then, senior writer for MLB Pipeline and MLB.com Jim Callis stops by the show to reveal the top targets in next week’s MLB Draft for the Mets and other teams. The guys also flash back to last year’s top pick for the Mets, Carson Benge, and discuss the potential to trade MLB draft picks in the future.
Later, the show goes all over the farm to check in on Francisco Alvarez and prospect Nick Morabito, and answers Mailbag questions about picking one former Met to magically help the team today, and upcoming MLB Trade Deadline plans.
Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Clippers guard Jordan Miller, trying to score last season against Rockets center Steven Adams, is one of the team's returning players who will be on the roster for the NBA2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The Clippers released their roster for the NBA2K26 Summer League, which opens play Friday and runs through July 20 in Las Vegas.
Rookies on the roster include their draft picks, Yanic Konan Niederhauser (30th overall) and Kobe Sanders (50th). Young players with NBA experience, including Patrick Baldwin Jr., Kobe Brown, Cam Christie, Trentyn Flowers and Jordan Miller, will be joining the rookie class.
Clippers assistant coach Jeremy Castleberry will be in charge of the team in Las Vegas.
The Clippers open play Friday with a game against the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. in Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus.
They will also play:
— Sunday vs. the Milwaukee Bucks (6:30 p.m., Cox Pavilion).
— Monday vs. the Lakers (7 p.m., Thomas & Mack Center).
— July 17 vs. the Denver Nuggets (7 p.m., Thomas & Mack Center).
There will be a four-team tournament July 18-20 to decide a champion. Teams not advancing to the tournament will get one consolation game.
The Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning were in very different places this past season.
The Lightning made it into the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the second seed in the Atlantic Division and were a dark horse to win the whole thing. They'd end up being bounced by the eventual cup champion Florida Panthers in the first round.
The Predators didn't come close to the playoffs, finishing second to last in the Central Divison and posting one of their worst records in the last decade.
However, that is not how newly acquired defenseman Nick Perbix, who played for the Lightning last season, saw it.
"They [Nashville] didn't have the kind of year they wanted last year, but I know, looking at this roster and playing against them, it's definitely not how I think this year will go," he said. "It's definitely an appealing team."
Perbix signed a two-year, $5.50 million contract with a $2.75 million annual hit on July 1 as a free agent. General manager Barry Trotz said that the Predators wanted to "fix" their defense in free agency, and adding Perbix was a big part of that.
"You always hear that defense wins championships in sports...and being called a defenseman that's the number one priority," Perbix said. "I just pride myself in keeping the puck out of the net. Everyone likes to be up in the offense, but my thing is being a puck moving defenseman."
In 74 games last season, Perbix scored 19 points in 74 games, logging 20 minutes and a plus/minus of eight. His plus/minus was higher than every player on the Predators roster last season by five points.
When talking about the Predators struggles last season, Perbix said that it was a year where everything went wrong and believes that Nashville still has a really good team.
In sports, there are little bounces here and there, injuries, this and that, and I think it was just one of those years for them that everything that could go wrong went wrong," Perbix said. "You're bound to get some bounces here and there, and the experience of the roster both playing here and on other teams. It's just about going on the right trajectory."
Perbix is also reunited with one of his former teammates, Steven Stamkos. The two crossed paths in Tampa during Perbix's first two seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
"He [Stamkos] was my first captain as a pro and showed me what it was like to be a pro," Perbix said. "In college, you kind of get your hand held a lot. Going through school, going through, just itineraries, where being a pro, I found out that it's just a lot more open."
"It's kind of up to you to determine what you do on a day-to-day basis. He [Stamkos] was definitely one of those guys who helped a lot."
SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants’ plans to use Rafael Devers at first base have been put on hold, at least temporarily, while the veteran slugger continues to deal with a nagging back injury.
A third baseman throughout his MLB career, Devers has been the Giants’ primary designated hitter since being acquired in a trade from the Boston Red Sox on June 15. The trade resulted from communication issues after Devers balked at being the DH or playing first base.
When the trade went down, the Giants made it clear they envision the three-time MLB All-Star splitting his time at DH and first base. Matt Chapman, who came off the Injured List over the weekend, has third base locked down.
In the first few days after Devers arrived in San Francisco, he went through drills at first base alongside Wilmer Flores. Manager Bob Melvin said the plan was to have Devers get some time at first base during the team’s recently completed road trip, but that idea got delayed because of Devers’ back injury.
Devers was in the Giants’ lineup Tuesday at designated hitter and batting second.
“We were targeting the road trip, he still had some issues,” Melvin said. “He’s still going out there and playing. You see that the running is a little bit of an issue for him at times right now so it’s probably going to be after the (All-Star) break at this point. Hopefully, the break really helps him.”
Devers has been dealing with a minor groin injury too, though it’s the back pain causing the most discomfort. That has affected his running more than hitting.
“The back pain started like two, three days after I arrived in San Francisco,” Devers told a pool reporter through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “Those are things that you go through throughout a baseball season. It’s nothing serious. I never had back problems. At first, it was just the groin. But all of a sudden I started feeling uncomfortable with the back.”
Devers entered Tuesday batting .240 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 20 games wearing the Orange and Black. He doesn’t believe his slow start in San Francisco is related to his injury.
“I know that the back is not affecting my swing,” Devers said. “I know that I’m going to start hitting. I’m going to practice as much as I can, and once I’m real healthy, then I’ll be at first (base).”
The Big East Conference and ESPN announced a six-year digital media rights deal on Tuesday. Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said in a statement that the agreement gives “all 22 of our sports — especially women’s basketball and Olympic sports — the visibility they’ve earned and the access our fans expect.” “This exciting partnership with ESPN reinforces our commitment to placing Big East teams front and center on the leading digital sports platform,” Ackerman said.
Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery has gone 8-8 entering Tuesday's game since stepping in for Ron Washington last month. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Associated Press)
Ray Montgomery is just three weeks into his interim tenure as Angels manager. And as his responsibility grows, he’s well aware that so does the pressure.
“All blame, no credit,” he said Monday as the Angels began a seven-game homestand before the All-Star break. “And I get that. That's just how it goes.”
Since taking over as manager on June 20 for Ron Washington — who will remain on medical leave until the end of the 2025 season — Montgomery has guided the Angels (44-46) to an 8-8 record entering Tuesday.
They’ve had the good: taking two of three from the Braves in Atlanta last week. And they’ve had the bad: getting swept by the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre over the weekend.
Montgomery said he understands the expectations aren’t what they were a few years ago — when the Angels lost 89 or more games from 2022 to 2024 — and that the Angels aren’t so far away from their first postseason berth since 2014 thanks to their young core having a few seasons under its belt.
“We're not here to develop, although that's a piece to what we do,” Montgomery said. “We're here to win. And for the Angels, it's important for us to have an opportunity where we are.”
If anything, there’s a case to be made that the Angels could be over .500 if a few plays had gone their way. Since Montgomery took over as manager, the Angels are 2-5 in one-run ball games, including all three games in the Toronto series.
When asked what the Angels need to do or adjust to end up on the other end of those one-run contests — of which they’d been 17-11 across the full season — Montgomery pointed to big swings and specific plays.
“You can point to the big hits, I get it, but you can also point to the execution on smaller plays, too, that prevent runs,” he said. “We made some mistakes in those games.”
The Angels got one of those big plays on Monday night. Nolan Schanuel drew a walk-off walk for a 6-5 victory over the Rangers, wiping away miscues such as a dropped third strike that led to a score-tying RBI double.
Montgomery, in his fifth year with the Angels — fourth as a member of the coaching staff — turned to a decision he made in Atlanta last week as proof that one moment can change the game.
Against the Braves last week, Yusei Kikuchi had been brilliant. The Japanese left-hander was two-thirds into the sixth inning of his then-scoreless outing. Instead of keeping Kikuchi — at 100 pitches — in to try to finish off the side as he worked through the Braves lineup for the third time, Montgomery pulled the left-hander in favor of right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn with two runners on base.
It backfired. Sean Murphy, who struck out twice against Kikuchi earlier in the game, hit a three-run home run to give the Braves a 3-2 lead, an advantage that would turn into an 8-3 loss.
"If I leave Kikuchi in Atlanta, right, and he gets a guy he handled pretty good during the game, we may sweep that series too,” Montgomery said. "[Games are] magnified now — I get it."
Decisions like those are where Washington and Montgomery’s managerial strategies may differ. Washington, a longtime MLB coach, comes from an era of giving starting pitchers a longer leash (it goes hand in hand with the Angels using just five starting pitchers so far in 2025).
Montgomery, who comes from a scouting background in his post-playing career, may value analytical strategy more — holding pitchers from facing a lineup a third time through the order and playing matchups more.
Angels catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who has played for new-school managers that emphasize analytics such as Kevin Cash, as well as old-school managers such as Terry Collins, says Montgomery toes the line in between both managerial styles.
“He's got a good feel,” d’Arnaud said. “He trusts the staff, which is really good, and also trusts the bullpen, which is also really good. He has really good communication with every player, lets them know when they're playing — which is more of a younger thing — and so it's a mix of both [new- and-old school].”
Strategy could be the difference between Murphy facing Zeferjahn rather than Kikuchi. Strategy may be the difference between a win and a loss — or staying in contention for an American League wild-card spot.
“It's tough to say,” right-hander Jack Kochanowicz said when asked about the difference between Washington and Montgomery. “You feel like each game is different. It's hard to really put an identity to either one of them, especially since Ray’s so new to it, too. It’s a small sample size.”
For Montgomery, he said he’s not going to dwell on the could-have-beens. Squarely in the chase — and in the zone between the franchise deciding between buying and selling at the trade deadline — he’s just happy the Angels are in the conversation.
“If you told us coming up on the All-Star break, that we were in the mix a couple games above or below .500 — and I'm not ignorant of the fact that we've cost ourselves a few games, we should be a little better than we are — I would be happy with where we sit right now,” Montgomery said.
