Sports
Blue Jays' Max Scherzer placed on IL with forearm, ankle issues
Apr 24, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) touches his head during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays placed veteran right-hander Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list with left ankle inflammation and right forearm tendinitis on Monday.
The 41-year-old has been one strikeout shy of a milestone 3,500 for the past nine days but couldn’t hit that mark in losses to the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 18 and the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.
His outing against the Guardians garnered no strikeouts and drove his ERA to 9.64 after giving up seven earned runs on 82 pitches in 2 1/3 innings, though Scherzer said after the game, “I would not characterize this start as the fault of my forearm.”
Scherzer has reportedly been dealing with the forearm tendinitis since early April.
“The doctor said, ‘Hey, take five or seven days, let this all heal, and then ramp back up and you’ll see,” Scherzer said Monday. “‘Your body will tell you how fast you can ramp up.'”
It’s unclear who will fill in for Scherzer’s next scheduled start on Wednesday. Left-hander Eric Lauer had been expected to move to the bullpen when Trey Yesavage is activated for his season debut Tuesday against the visiting Boston Red Sox after starting the season on the IL with a right shoulder impingement. Lauer could be moved back to the starting rotation in light of Scherzer’s injuries.
Reliever Chase Lee was called up to fill the 26-man roster on Monday but another move will need to be made for Yesavage’s return.
Scherzer’s move to the IL is one in a long list for the Blue Jays this season, a group of more than a dozen players that also includes designated hitter George Springer (fractured left big toe); outfielders Addison Barger (sprained left ankle), Anthony Santander (torn labrum in left shoulder) and Nathan Lukes (hamstring strain); catcher Alejandro Kirk (fractured left thumb); starting pitchers Bowden Francis (elbow surgery), Jose Berrios (stress fracture in right elbow), Cody Ponce (torn ACL in right knee) and Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation); and right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia (elbow).
The Blue Jays sit in fourth place in the AL East with a 12-15 record. They open a three-game home series Monday against the Red Sox.
–Field Level Media
Sports
White Sox vs. Rays Picks: Best Bets for Friday’s MLB Showdown
Jul 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) looks at the scoreboard during the third inning against Seattle Mariners at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images The Chicago White Sox (57-51) and the Tampa Bay Rays (64-44) open a three-game series Friday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
It’s a battle of two first-place teams, too, as the White Sox are two games clear of the second-place Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central Division, while the surprising Rays hold a 3.5-game advantage over the high-priced New York Yankees in the AL East.
Chicago just split a four-game set against the aforementioned Yankees at Rate Field Monday through Thursday. After dropping the first two games, the White Sox fought back to notch a pair of 1-run victories, including a 2-1 win on Thursday.
Tampa Bay took two of three games from the visiting Texas Rangers, including a 3-2 win in the series finale on Thursday. In fact, not only did the Under cash in all three games against Texas, the total has gone low in five consecutive outings for the Rays.
Since July 20, a span of 10 games, Tampa Bay pitching has been on fire. The Rays’ staff has allowed just 17 total runs, or 1.7 runs per game (RPG), so it’s not a surprise that the Under has connected in seven of the previous eight outings.
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The White Sox hand the ball to RHP Erick Fedde (5-6, 4.25 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) in the series opener, while the Rays counter with RHP Nick Martinez (10-2, 2.45 ERA, 1.10 WHIP.
Fedde has been a little better of late, at least in terms of runs surrendered, but he hasn’t been capable of going deep into ball games. And, on the road, Fedde is just 3-5 with a 5.40 ERA and eight homers served up across 46 ⅔ IP across seven starts and 10 appearances.
The All-Start Martinez has been money at home, going 7-1 across 11 starts at The Trop, but his ERA is 2.78, slightly higher than his overall number.
Martinez doesn’t have a long history against most of the White Sox batters. He’ll need to steer clear of Andrew Benintendi, who is 3-for-7 (.429) with a home run and three RBI in their brief dealings. He is just one of four Chicago batters who have faced Martinez.
Still, Tampa Bay isn’t giving up anything, and we’re rolling with Martinez and the home team in this crucial series opener. Who would’ve thought the White Sox and Rays would have huge playoff implications back in the spring?
In addition to backing RAYS (-142) at a reasonable price as moderate favorites, we’re going to keep pounding the UNDER 8.5 (-122) is Tampa Bay games, especially when the number is at 8 or higher.
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Sports
Nets sign C Moritz Wagner to multi-year contract
May 3, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic forward Moritz Wagner (21) celebrates a three point basket in the first half against the Detroit Pistons during game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images The Brooklyn Nets signed veteran center Moritz Wagner to a multi-year contract on Friday.
Terms were not released, but ESPN reported the deal was for two years and $19 million.
Wagner, 29, spent the past five-plus seasons with the Orlando Magic. The Nets are his fifth NBA team.
The 6-foot-11 Germany native averaged 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 36 games off the Magic bench in 2025-26.
Wagner has career averages of 9.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 16.2 minutes in 399 games (57 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers (2018-19), Washington Wizards (2019-21), Boston Celtics (2021) and Magic (2021-26).
He has shot 51.8% from the field and 80.8% from the free-throw line since being drafted by the Lakers in the first round (25th overall) out of Michigan in 2018.
Younger brother Franz Wagner has been with the Magic since they selected him with the No. 8 overall draft pick in 2021.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sam Leavitt Faces Massive Expectations at LSU
Last season was a disaster in Baton Rouge. LSU took a risk by poaching Brian Kelly from Notre Dame in 2021, but he was unable to replicate the success Ed Orgeron had achieved as head coach. It wasn’t all low lights for Kelly, as he did have multiple 10-win seasons and Bowl wins over his Tigers’ career.
Unfortunately, 10 win seasons and bowl game victories don’t do much for the LSU faithful. The Tigers went big game hunting and landed the most coveted coach in the cycle, Lane Kiffin. Whether you love or hate Kiffin, he’s firmly established himself as one of the better coaches and recruiters in the sport — and he was going to need to overhaul what was a very flawed LSU roster.
Kiffin’s biggest move this offseason was bringing in Sam Leavitt, a redshirt junior transfer from Arizona State. Leavitt was the number-one player in the portal this offseason and reportedly signed a $6 million deal to move to Louisiana.
Injuries derailed portions of Leavitt’s 2025 season, and that may have led to some regression last season, but I’m not entirely sure he’s going to be worth the massive deal he signed this offseason.
Leavitt was dealing with foot issues even when he was on the field last year, but I never came away super impressed with him. During his surprise playoff run during the 2024-25 season, it always felt like Cam Skatteboo’s team, not his. When given full control of the Sun Devil’s offense, he struggled at points, like his 10/22, 82-yard, two-interception performance against 5-7 Mississippi State.
The SEC will be a massive step up in talent for Leavitt, but also a massive step up in responsibility. Kiffin’s offenses will heavily rely on Leavitt to be the engineer on offense, and I’m just not sure that’s in his wheelhouse.
I personally see Leavitt as more of a game manager and not a game changer, and I don’t even think a QB whisperer as great as Kiffin can fix that. Most importantly, how healthy is Leavitt going to be heading into the season?
He missed all of the winter and spring recovering from his Lisfranc fracture and is only now getting up to speed. I don’t love my starting quarterback missing that much time, especially when he has to learn a new offense and build chemistry with a brand-new group of receivers.
The SEC doesn’t have the same level of depth as in previous years, but there’s still enough talent at the top to cause issues in year one under Kiffin. I would be shocked to see LSU as a playoff contender right away. I think it’s far more likely that Kiffin’s ex at Ole Miss will be playing in January.
White Sox vs. Rays Picks: Best Bets for Friday’s MLB Showdown
Nets sign C Moritz Wagner to multi-year contract
