Sports
A's prospect Ryan Lasko faces 'lengthy' recovery after back surgery
Nov 9, 2025; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Ryan Lasko during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko said Thursday that he faces “a lengthy process” as he recovers from a broken back sustained during a collision in a minor league game on Tuesday night in Frisco, Texas.
Lasko, 24, was playing center field for Double-A Midland when he dove for a ball and collided with right fielder Devin Taylor, who also dove. Lasko laid motionless on the field for approximately 10 minutes before being carted off.
Lasko underwent spinal surgery Tuesday night at a hospital in Plano, Texas to repair a fractured C6-C7 vertebra. Doctors are hopeful he will regain movement in the lower half of his body.
“I’d like to thank everyone for the well wishes & prayers,” Lasko said on his Instagram account. “I truly feel so loved and appreciated by everyone that has reached out. I am doing well and on the road to recovery. This is going to be a lengthy process but I hope to be able to get back to doing what I love.”
Lasko also expressed thanks to the Midland organization and the Frisco RoughRiders, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers, for “making this a smooth process.”
Athletics major league manager Mark Kotsay is taking the optimistic approach.
“The positive in the statement from the doctor is that there is not a definitive statement saying he’s not going to regain feeling in his lower half,” Kotsay told reporters.
Lasko was a second-round pick out of Rutgers in 2023 and is rated as the Athletics’ No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He is batting .209 with six homers and 34 RBIs in 73 games this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Canadiens sign G Jakub Dobes to 3-year, $16.07M extension
May 29, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) walks to the ice for warmups before game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images The Montreal Canadiens’ Jakub Dobes, who led all rookie goaltenders with 29 wins this past season, signed a three-year, $16.07 million contract extension on Thursday.
Dobes, 25, who could have become a restricted free agent after this coming season, now is signed through the 2029-30 campaign. The new terms have an average annual value of $5.357 million beginning in 2027-28. He signed a two-year, $1.93 million contract in July 2025.
Dobes went 29-10-4 with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in 43 games (42 starts) this season. He also went 9-10 with a 2.66 GAA and a .908 save percentage in the playoffs as the Canadiens advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
He made the NHL All-Rookie Team for 2025-26.
For his career, Dobes is 36-14-7 with a 2.77 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 59 regular-season games (57 starts) over two seasons.
Montreal selected Dobes in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lucas Glover, Zac Blair share early lead at John Deere Classic
Jul 2, 2026; Silvis, Illinois, USA; Lucas Glover lines up his putt on the 18th hole during the first round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images Lucas Glover and Zac Blair share the first-round lead at the John Deere Classic after posting bogey-free, 8-under 63s on Thursday in Silvis, Ill.
Zach Johnson, Lee Hodges and German Stephan Jaeger are one stroke behind the co-leaders after one trip around TPC Deere Run. Davis Riley used a hole-in-one and an eagle on consecutive holes to shoot a 6-under 65, where he’s tied with Ben Kohles and Patrick Fishburn.
Glover, 46, birdied seven of his first 11 holes before cooling down the rest of the way. The 2009 U.S. Open champion won the John Deere in 2021 and has collected three of his six PGA Tour titles in this decade.
Blair, meanwhile, is searching for his first PGA Tour victory. The 35-year-old started his day on the back nine, then went birdie-eagle at Nos. 1-2 for a boost. He led the field in strokes gained on approach.
Johnson’s eagle-birdie finish pushed him near the top of the leaderboard and all but ensured he will make the cut at the John Deere for an incredible 18th year in a row. The native of nearby Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has played the event every year since 2002 and skipped the U.S. Senior Open this week to keep that streak going.
Riley stood at 2 under for his round before sinking the first hole-in-one of his PGA Tour career at the par-3, 150-yard 16th hole. His shot landed just behind the pin and slowly spun back to the cup. He followed that up with an 18 1/2-foot eagle putt at the par-5 17th.
Defending champion Brian Campbell and two-time John Deere winner Jordan Spieth opened with 1-under 70s.
–Field Level Media
Sports
USMNT round of 32 World Cup win scores historic ratings
July 1, 2026; Santa Clara, California, U.S.; Giovanni Reyna and Malik Tillman of the U.S. celebrate after the match as United States qualify for the round of 16 stage of the World Cup. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images The United States’ World Cup knockout victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday was the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history, according to Fox Sports.
Fox reported a record-breaking average viewership of 24.429 million, citing Nielsen preliminary data. The peak audience clocked in at 31.883 million during the 9:45-10 p.m. ET window as the match neared its conclusion.
The co-hosts of this year’s tournament, the United States played the round of 32 match in Santa Clara, Calif. It helped that the match began in prime time on the East Coast at 8 p.m. ET.
With goals by Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman, the U.S. beat Bosnia 2-0 to win a World Cup knockout stage for the first time since a round of 16 victory in 2002. They advanced to face Belgium on Monday in Seattle.
The average viewership came close to the numbers for the New York Knicks’ title-clinching Game 5 win against the San Antonio Spurs last month, which posted 24.5 million viewers on average. Similarly, Game 7 of the World Series last fall, in which the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, put up an average of almost 26 million.
–Field Level Media
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