Sports
As LHP Max Fried ramps up, Yankees' wait continues for limited Aaron Judge
Jul 5, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried throws a live bullpen session before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Reinforcements are near for the New York Yankees.
Manager Aaron Boone could have left-handed ace Max Fried back in the rotation by the trade deadline and Aaron Judge might not be far behind.
Fried was the starter Friday night for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, his first in-game action since he was placed on the injured list with a bone bruise after an outing May 13.
Fried was on a pitch count “in the low 50s” on Friday, Boone said. He’s already scheduled for at least one more start at Triple-A next week before the Yankees reassess his status.
There is less clarity around the return of Judge (rib) and another big bat, Giancarlo Stanton, who has resumed running but has no timetable for advancing to baseball workouts.
Judge was told to pause riding a stationary bike but has the green light to walk on a treadmill with a slight incline. He’s not ready to take batting practice or resume even stationary baseball activities.
He said Friday the latest imaging of his fractured rib on his right side showed “some improvement,” but he isn’t cleared for workouts due to the risk of re-injury.
“We’re not there yet. We’ll just continue to wait, let it heal,” Boone said. “I feel good about the fact that he’ll be back. It’s just a matter of when.
“Obviously we all want Aaron Judge back in the lineup. As I’ve said we have a lot of capable players. We finished the (first) half on a high note. We have to continue to play well and hopefully win ballgames knowing that at some point he’ll join us.”
Judge, a three-time American League MVP, has 17 homers and 38 RBIs in 59 games.
Sidelined since April 24 when Stanton hurt his calf against the Houston Astros, he’s not expected to be in the lineup this week. He has played only 24 games this season with three homers and 14 RBI. His current injured list stint is his seventh since joining the Yankees ahead of the 2018 season.
Boone said the Yankees are being patient with two other injured arms. Left-hander Carlos Rodon threw a 10-pitch bullpen session on Friday to provide the Yankees a live check of his progress recovering from inflammation in his left elbow.
Right-hander Clarke Schmidt is a potential discussion for August, Boone said. He’s recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. The Yankees scheduled Schmidt to throw against live hitting for the first time since the 2025 elbow surgery.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Red Sox win 10th straight in first game of doubleheader vs. Rays
Jul 17, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (7) hits a single during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Jake Bennett threw six scoreless innings before a six-run sixth inning allowed the Boston Red Sox to blow open a 10-0 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Friday afternoon.
Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narvaez each homered as part of three-hit days for the Red Sox, who banged out 15 hits en route to their 10th consecutive victory dating back to July 3.
Yoshida (3-for-5) added a double and finished a triple shy of a cycle, while Narvaez and Caleb Durbin were both 3-for-4.
Bennett (5-3) allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out three. He has won four straight outings.
Alec Gamboa went the rest of the way, allowing just two hits over the final three innings for a save.
The Red Sox quickly bounced back from going down 1-2-3 to start the game against Tampa Bay starter Griffin Jax (5-7), as back-to-back hits by Durbin and Yoshida led to second-inning runs. Jarren Duran drove in the opening run on a sacrifice fly before Narvaez dropped an RBI single into center for a 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Bennett threw 3 1/3 no-hit innings before Junior Caminero’s one-out single in the fourth. Jonathan Aranda was Tampa Bay’s lone baserunner before that knock, drawing a one-out walk as the second batter of the game.
In the fourth, Yoshida tucked a leadoff solo homer around Pesky’s Pole in right field to extend the Boston advantage to 3-0.
The first six Red Sox batters reached base and five scored in the sixth. Durbin was hit by a pitch, Yoshida singled to center and Romy Gonzalez walked to load the bases, and then Duran continued the merry-go-round by chopping a two-run single through the right side.
After Chris Roycroft relieved Jax, Narvaez and Tsung-Che Cheng laid down back-to-back bunt singles that produced runs. Catcher Nick Fortes’ throwing error on Narvaez’s chopper plated another.
Roycroft did induce a double play ball, but two more runs came home with two outs, as Ceddanne Rafaela battled through a nine-pitch at-bat for an RBI double off the Green Monster and Durbin knocked another RBI single to right after Wilyer Abreu was intentionally walked.
In the eighth, Gamboa — who was recalled as Boston’s 26th man for the twin bill — worked around a Taylor Walls one-out double as only the second Tampa Bay hit before Narvaez socked a solo homer over everything in left field to move the Boston lead to double digits.
The Red Sox took their last at-bats with position player Ben Williamson pitching for the Rays.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bryson DeChambeau penalized 2 strokes at The Open for improving lie
Jul 17, 2026; Southport, ENG; Bryson DeChambeau walks from the second tee during the second round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bryson DeChambeau was handed a two-stroke penalty following his second round at the Open Championship on Friday in Southport, England, after R&A rules officials determined he had taken actions to improve his lie on a shot on the fifth hole.
A popular but divisive figure in the world of golf, the member of LIV Golf originally posted a 4-under 66 to take second place at 7 under, one shot behind Australia’s Lucas Herbert. Now, DeChambeau will enter the weekend three behind Herbert instead of one, his bogey 5 at the fifth hole changed to a triple-bogey 7.
DeChambeau hit his drive at the par-4 fifth hole far right and eventually found the ball in a native area. Replays showed the two-time major winner stamping down on different patches of tall grass near his ball. It may have affected not the lie of the ball, but the path for his eventual swing.
After news broke that officials were considering a two-stroke penalty, DeChambeau went back to the scene on the fifth hole with his caddie and two rules officials to discuss the sequence of events. U.S. TV cameras captured a discussion several minutes long, and at points DeChambeau could be seen gesticulating and getting animated.
More than an hour after his round ended, the R&A, who organize The Open, finalized their official decision, his new score being reflected on the leaderboard online.
Neither the R&A nor DeChambeau or his representatives had commented as of 4:35 p.m. ET.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lucas Herbert fires 62 for Open lead as penalty knocks DeChambeau back
Jul 17, 2026; Southport, ENG; Lucas Herbert lines up a putt on the 18th green during the second round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Lucas Herbert tied the major championship single-round scoring record with a 62 Friday and will enter the weekend with a two-shot lead at the Open Championship in Southport, England.
Fellow LIV Golf member Bryson DeChambeau was poised to play with Herbert in Saturday’s final pairing, one off the lead, but a lengthy review after DeChambeau’s round resulted in a two-stroke penalty on his fifth hole, knocking him from 7 under to 5 under.
After Herbert set the pace at 8-under-par 132 in the morning, DeChambeau played in the afternoon wave and finished birdie-birdie to post a 66 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. However, he met with R&A rules officials after his round and was determined to have improved his lie in the rough at No. 5 by stamping down on tall grass that could have been in his swing path.
His penalty was formalized more than an hour after his round ended, leaving him with a triple-bogey 7 on the hole and a 68 for the day.
Instead of a narrow lead over a two-time major champion, Herbert will enter the weekend two clear of Cameron Young (67), Ryan Gerard (67) and first-round leader Jackson Suber (69).
Herbert, 30, needed par at No. 18 to shoot the first 61 in major championship history or birdie to make an unprecedented 60, but his 5-foot par save missed centimeters to the left of the cup.
The Australian was soon joined by Sam Burns, who recorded the seventh 62 at a major to catapult to 5 under. Si Woo Kim of South Korea also shot 67 to join Burns and DeChambeau at 5 under.
Branden Grace of South Africa shot the first round of 62 at a major nine years ago, the last time The Open was held at Royal Birkdale. The list has since grown to seven 62s, counting Herbert’s and Burns’ on Friday.
Herbert was asked when he believed he could equal or better the record of 62.
“It’s not a great question because I’m too much of an optimist, and I thought it when I hit it to about 5 feet on the third hole,” Herbert admitted. “I’m a golf nerd anyway, so I know all the numbers, all the records, everything like that.”
Two groups behind him, Burns holed out for birdie from the greenside bunker at No. 18, capping off a birdie-birdie-birdie finish.
Burns’ 62 was a mirror image of Herbert’s. Whereas the Australian tied the major nine-hole scoring record with a 28 on the front nine, Burns went out in 2 under and made six birdies coming in — including a chip-in at No. 16 before the bunker holeout at No. 18.
“Yeah, it was in a good spot in the bunker (at No. 18), which you never know what you’re going to get in the pot bunkers here. So I was happy when I saw that when I walked up,” Burns said. “It was a tricky bunker shot because I had to land it in the fringe there and use the slope down to the hole. Definitely very lucky for it to go in.”
The group tied for eighth at 4 under includes some real threats to make a weekend move. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot a 68 with 16 pars and two birdies. He is joined by hometown favorite Tommy Fleetwood (67), Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre (69), England’s Alex Fitzpatrick (67) and Spanish star Jon Rahm (67).
Rahm was given an official code of conduct warning after throwing a club at the 15th hole. He could be subject to a two-stroke penalty if he has another outburst this weekend.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland improved on his opening 72 by five strokes, but left opportunities on the table with eight pars and one birdie on his back nine. His 67 lifted him to 1 under for the week.
Xander Schauffele rebounded from a bogey at No. 17 with a straightforward birdie at No. 18 to shoot 69 and head to the clubhouse at even par. Schauffele extended his run of made cuts at major championships to 19, the longest active streak.
The cut line is expected to settle at 1 over par. Notables who won’t play the weekend include former Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia (2 over), PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai of England (2 over), U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark (3 over), Tom Kim of South Korea (3 over), Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick (4 over) and Australia’s Jason Day (4 over). Jordan Spieth faltered to a second-round 77 and finished 10 over, beating only four players who finished two rounds.
–Field Level Media
