Sports
Rangers adjusting without injured Adam Fox, take on Maple Leafs
Feb 23, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) handles the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images While the New York Rangers routed the New York Islanders on Tuesday, they ended the night facing a potential long-term issue of replacing Adam Fox, one of the NHL’s more productive defensemen.
Fox is on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury and the Rangers will be without him for at least week and likely more starting Friday night when they host the surging Toronto Maple Leafs.
Fox was injured when he fell to the ice in Elmont, N.Y., during the third period of New York’s 5-1 rout of the Islanders. Fox was holding his left shoulder when he exited after getting tangled with Islanders forward Kyle MacLean and is expected to return at some point during New York’s final 24 games.
Fox has five goals and 48 points, good for a tie for fourth among defensemen. He is the third of New York’s top six defensemen to be injured this season.
Ryan Lindgren, who is paired with Fox, missed the first five games due to a preseason face injury. K’Andre Miller was on injured reserve in December and missed a week with an upper-body injury and was a non-contact participant at Thursday’s practice after sustaining a lower-body injury Tuesday.
The Rangers are attempting to get their third straight win after returning from the 4 Nations Face-off break with an 8-2 road loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers were outshot by a combined 77-34 in their wins over the Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins but scored a combined 10 goals. They were fueled by their fourth-liners against the Islanders as Jonny Brodzinski scored twice and set up a goal by Matt Rempe.
“Everything’s about just winning games right now and points going in the column,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “It really doubles down when you’re playing a team that’s somewhere near you in the standings right now, so for that reason, it was a big game.”
Chris Kreider missed the past two games with an upper-body injury that may be related to an earlier back injury but practiced on Thursday, an indication he could be able to return Friday. J.T. Miller, who scored his fifth goal since being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks, was held out of practice due to an illness.
Whoever is in the Rangers’ lineup will face a team who returned from the break and scored 16 goals in wins over the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. The Maple Leafs are also 6-1-0 in their past seven since being held to three goals in a three-game losing streak Jan. 22-29.
Toronto is coming off a 5-4 win at Boston on Tuesday when it rallied after allowing the first three goals. Mitch Marner scored twice and netted the game-winner with 52 seconds left in overtime to cap a night when the Maple Leafs lost defenseman Chris Tanev and forward William Nylander.
“We didn’t quit, and that’s something you like to see out of our team,” Marner said.
Tanev exited after absorbing a hit in the first period and is day-to-day with an apparent shoulder injury that likely will keep him sidelined Friday. Nylander appeared to be favoring his arm, was not on the ice during overtime and could play Friday.
Tanev is among the NHL leaders in blocked shots (151) and has a plus-26 rating. The Maple Leafs will compensate by giving slightly more ice time to Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and inserting Philippe Myers into their lineup.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Lions running back David Montgomery “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Montgomery, however, immediately appeared to refute the report on X, posting: “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
The ESPN report claims the Lions would want “a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.
The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ remarks after the season about Montgomery being unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery rushed for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (no starts).
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said the situation with Montgomery is “fluid.” He signed a two-year extension during the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.
“Yeah, I have been in touch with David’s agent, and his representation,” Holmes revealed. “Obviously, we love David, he’s a great player, we love to have him, you know, kind of want to put last year in the rear view, and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. The conversations are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Montgomery has rushed for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games (28 starts) in three seasons with Detroit (2023-25). He has 76 catches for 650 yards in that span.
He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees LHP Ryan Yarbrough joins U.S. roster for WBC
Jun 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (33) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images New York Yankees left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was added to the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic on Sunday.
The 34-year-old reliever replaces Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, who is dealing with low back tightness. Ryan moves into the designated pitcher pool, meaning he is eligible for a call-up after each round of the WBC.
Yarbrough went 3-1 with a 4.36 ERA and one save in 19 games (eight starts) during his first season with the Yankees in 2025, striking out 55 batters and walking 19 in 64 innings.
Ryan Yarbrough has been added to our roster for the World Baseball Classic!#ForGlory???? pic.twitter.com/RrtKJQ20gz
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) March 1, 2026
Team USA will play its first game of the 2026 WBC on Friday night, meeting Brazil in a Pool B contest in Houston.
Yarbrough has a career record of 56-41 with a 4.22 ERA and four saves in 215 games (76 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-22), Kansas City Royals (2023), Los Angeles Dodgers (2023-24), Toronto Blue Jays (2024) and Yankees. The side-arming southpaw signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal in November to return to New York in 2026.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ex-pitcher Dan Serafini gets life sentence for '21 murder
Dan Serafini (file photo) pitched in MLB with seven teams. He was convited of first-degree murder. Former major league pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday for the 2021 shootings of his in-laws in North Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Serafini, 52, was convicted in July of the first-degree murder of father-in-law Gary Spohr and the attempted first-degree murder of mother-in-law Wendy Wood during a burglary. Spohr, 70, died from a single gunshot and Wood, then 68, survived but died by suicide the following year.
In the courtroom on Friday in Auburn, Calif., Placer County prosecutor Morgan Gire described Spohr and Wood as loving grandparents.
“The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence,” Gire said.
Serafini, who pitched for six MLB teams from 1996 to 2007, addressed the court and maintained his innocence. He said he was out partying with his wife, Erin Spohr, at the time of the shooting and referred to himself as a “broken, imperfect man that makes mistakes,” according to MyNews4.
The Minnesota Twins selected Serafini, a native of the San Francisco area, with the No. 26 overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 1996 and went on to appear in 104 games (33 starts) with the Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies before his retirement in 2007.
He had a 15-16 record with a 6.04 ERA and one save. He threw 263 2/3 innings and struck out 127 batters.
–Field Level Media
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
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