Sports
New York Yankees Face Uncertain Future After Gerrit Cole Injury
Even before ace right-hander Gerrit Cole went down for the 2025 season — and possibly longer — because of an elbow injury, the New York Yankees looked vulnerable in their attempt to return to the World Series.
Juan Soto left the Bronx for the crosstown New York Mets in free agency, and three other everyday players went elsewhere, too. Second baseman Gleyber Torres (Tigers) and right-hander Clay Holmes (also the Mets) left via free agency. Outfielder Alex Verdugo and first baseman Anthony Rizzo are still looking for new teams.
Multiple key contributors, like slugger Giancarlo Stanton and right-hander Luis Gil, also went down with injuries in spring training — several supporting players, too.
The dangers to a Yankees AL pennant repeat also come from beyond the borough. After missing the playoffs for the past three seasons, the Boston Red Sox finally reloaded, adding left-hander Garrett Crochet in a trade, plus right-hander Walker Buehler, infielder Alex Bregman and lefty reliever Aroldis Chapman in free agency. Buehler might surprise after getting it together during the Dodgers’ World Series run. Bregman should rake at Fenway. Chapman has aged well.
The Baltimore Orioles are having some difficulties of their own during spring training, with minor injuries to Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg, plus a bigger concern with right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. But they still have loads of untapped young talent in the mix, like 20-year-old power-hitting catching prospect Samuel Basallo and corner-infield slugger Coby Mayo. They would have been better had GM Mike Elias spent more on free agents, although Tyler O’Neill will help in the outfield. Right-hander Charlie Morton is always a good acquisition, even as he ages. Tomoyuki Sugano, an import from Japan, goes from curiosity to “kind of important.”
They’re also getting back closer Félix Bautista, who’s returning from Tommy John surgery in late 2023. But even with their injuries, it’s a matter of manager Brandon Hyde coaxing the Orioles to play better than the sum of their parts. They didn’t really do that in 2024 — and they still made the playoffs.
The Tampa Bay Rays missed the playoffs a season ago but enjoyed the postseason in the five previous seasons before that. They’re getting back right-handers Shane McClanahan and Shane Baz from major injuries. They also will have third baseman Junior Caminero — a star in the making — from opening day going forward. The Yankees were even kind enough to allow the Rays to use their spring training home at Steinbrenner Field to play home games in 2025 after a hurricane literally tore the roof off Tropicana Field.
No matter what the others in the AL East do, as long as the Yankees don’t sustain any more significant injuries, they should remain contenders for the division. Anything beyond that — without Cole — is a big question.
Jasson Domínguez finally gets a chance to go from hyped prospect to everyday player as the left fielder. Coming close to Soto is not likely, but can he produce something at the plate that’s significantly better than Verdugo?
Can infielder Jazz Chisholm, who fit in beautifully when he came over in a trade from the Marlins midseason, finally make good on all of his potential?
Will Paul Goldschmidt bounce back after two declining seasons in St. Louis? He’s 37 1/2 years old, but he was on a Hall of Fame trajectory in his prime. The Yankees have chosen wisely among vets like Goldschmidt in the past, but it’s still to be decided if Goldy will be gold on Broadway.
Ben Rice appears to be the first choice as designated hitter without Stanton. He’s a solid prospect — and 26 — so good for him getting an opportunity. It’s a matter of taking advantage.
There are more questions. Will catcher Austin Wells be able to hit all season like he did for part of 2024? Can shortstop Anthony Volpe find enough consistent bat speed to stay hotter for longer at the plate?
And the pitching staff. The bullpen remains a strength, especially with the acquisition of Devin Williams (even if they made him shave his beard before they said he could keep it). But the starters are stretched thin. It’s a good thing they signed free-agent lefty Max Fried, and didn’t succeed in talking right-hander Marcus Stroman into a new career in long relief. Fried, lefty Carlos Rodón and Stroman aren’t dominating collectively, but they’ll get the job done. But can the Yankees get a full season of Clarke Schmidt? And how long until general manager Brian Cashman makes a big trade?
This is all assuming slugger Aaron Judge keeps on keepin’ on and doesn’t spend any significant time sidelined. He’s one of the best players of his generation — just as long as he stays away from the trainer’s room.
But the Yankees have so many questions. The other teams in the AL East have them, too. And New York should still be considered a playoff probability. But there’s nothing certain about anything more.
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
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