Sports
Cam Schlittler, Yankees push to keep cruising vs. Rangers
Apr 23, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images Cam Schlittler’s second season in the majors is going well.
Jacob deGrom’s second full season following his recovery from elbow surgery also is off to a strong start.
Schlittler and deGrom hope to turn in strong outings when the former leads the New York Yankees into the middle contest of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas.
The Yankees are 9-1 in their past 10 games and own an American League-best 3.18 ERA.
New York opened the series vs. Texas by getting six scoreless innings from Max Fried and three home runs in a 4-2 victory on Monday.
Schlittler (3-1, 1.77 ERA) did not face Texas last season, when he went 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA while striking out 84 batters in 73 innings over 14 starts. The right-hander has allowed two runs or less in four of his six starts this season and got a career-high 12 outs on the ground Thursday in Boston.
“He’s just getting really, really good out there. That’s an ace-like performance,” manager Aaron Boone said of Schlitter, who allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits in eight innings of a 4-2 victory over the Red Sox.
The Rangers, who are coming off their sixth loss in nine games, are 5-0 in deGrom’s starts this season. The right-hander (2-0, 2.13 ERA) has allowed three runs in his past four starts after a shaky season debut in Baltimore on March 31.
On Thursday, deGrom notched a season-high 10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-1 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed a run on five hits.
“I thought that was the best he’s thrown all year,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “He was 98 miles an hour pretty consistently, dotting almost every fastball, 70-plus percent strikes. He threw a lot of first-pitch strikes; the slider was working off the fastball. It was exactly what we were hoping for. It was a really, really strong outing.”
The Yankees have seen plenty of deGrom from his time with the Mets, who did not retain him after the 2022 season. He is 2-4 with a 3.14 ERA in eight career starts against the Yankees and held them to two runs on three hits in seven innings of a no-decision last May 21.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner has held Aaron Judge to one hit in seven at-bats, and Cody Bellinger is 5-for-19 against him.
Judge has eight of his 11 homers in the past 15 games and reached base four times while collecting three hits on Monday. Ben Rice has six of his 10 homers in his past 11 games, and the duo hit consecutive homers as the Yankees went deep three times for the seventh time this season.
“Benny’s off to an amazing start and Judge ho-hum, 11 homers already,” Boone said Monday. “Really maybe his best game of at-bats tonight. It’s a pretty good combo there.”
Texas is coming off being held to two runs or less for the eighth time. Six of those instances have been at home, where the Rangers are batting .216.
Corey Seager is hitting only .183 over his past 22 games after striking out three times Monday.
“You can tell he’s grinding through some stuff for sure, but it feels like he’s just about to get hot,” Schumaker said about Seager, who is hitting .212.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets deal reliever A.J. Minter to Twins
Jun 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher A.J. Minter (33) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images The New York Mets have begun their expected sell-off of veterans before the trade deadline, with the first deal bringing a familiar last name back to Queens.
The last-place Mets traded left-handed reliever A.J. Minter to the Minnesota Twins on Friday in exchange for minor league infielders Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick.
Agbayani, 19, is the son of former Mets outfielder Benny Agbayani, a fan favorite in his playing days.
Minter, 32, is set to become a free agent after the season. He is 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA and 20 strikeouts and just two walks across 23 innings in 23 appearances this season, his second in New York after eight seasons with Atlanta. He is 25-30 with 36 saves and a 3.18 ERA and 456 strikeouts over 382 2/3 innings in 420 games in his career.
Minter suffered a lat muscle tear last season that delayed his 2026 debut to late May, which could help explain his dip in velocity.
Agbayani was the Twins’ sixth-round draft pick last year out of Saint Louis School in Honolulu. He played 10 games for Class-A Fort Myers this season, batting .268 with no homers and six RBIs, before being sidelined since mid-May due to a right shoulder ailment.
Amick, 23, was Minnesota’s second-round draft choice in 2024 out of the University of Tennessee. He hit .217 with 23 homers and 72 RBIs in 86 games for Double-A Wichita this season.
The Twins enter Friday three games behind the Chicago White Sox for the American League Central lead and one game back of fellow Central foe Cleveland for the final AL wild-card spot.
The Mets, in the cellar in the National League East, hold the second-worst record (47-63) in the NL behind only the Colorado Rockies (42-67).
Among the players they are expected to try to move are relievers Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley as well as starters Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes.
The trade deadline is 6 p.m. ET on Monday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Karl Ravech not quite finished at ESPN
Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN commentator Karl Ravech before the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Longtime anchor and play-by-play announcer Karl Ravech, laid off 10 days ago by ESPN, is not quite finished with the network.
Viewers of ESPN’s coverage of the game between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals on Thursday night heard Ravech on the call. And The Athletic reported that Ravech still has a few more baseball tasks for the network.
He served as ESPN’s lead MLB announcer and the network’s voice of the College World Series before being laid off.
Per the report, Ravech will be in the booth when the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners meet on Aug. 12. He will follow that by calling some games in the Little League World Series, one of the events closely associated with Ravech through the years.
The LLWS will be held Aug. 19-30 in Williamsport, Pa.
Ravech, 61, began work at ESPN in 1993 and anchored “SportsCenter” and hosted “Baseball Tonight”. He also called college basketball games.
ESPN parted with several employees who work both in front of the camera and behind the scenes in its latest round of layoffs. NFL analyst Ryan Clark and NFL insider Tom Pelissero were among the most prominent cuts.
These layoffs were linked to ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network, according to an internal memo from ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro that multiple media outlets obtained.
The Athletic said it is expected that Ravech’s time on air at ESPN will conclude with the end of his baseball assignments.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Whitecaps acquire Canadian F Kwasi Poku
May 22, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Forge FC Hamilton midfielder Kwasi Poku (20) celebrates after scoring a goal against the CF Montreal during the first half at Stade Saputo. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images The Vancouver Whitecaps acquired Canadian striker Kwasi Poku from Belgium’s RWDM Brussels.
Poku, 23, agreed to a contract through 2027-28 with a club option for the 2028-29 MLS campaign.
He recorded six goals in 31 appearances with the Belgian side from 2024-26.
“We are excited to welcome Kwasi to our group,” Vancouver sporting director Axel Schuster said in announcing the deal on Thursday. “Kwasi is a young, talented Canadian international who brings pace, intelligent movement, and finishing ability to our attack. He has the qualities and mindset to continue his development, and we are excited to help him take the next step in his career while strengthening our team.”
Poku previously played three seasons with Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League, posting 13 goals and four assists in 70 appearances (47 starts) from 2022-24.
“I’m very excited to be joining Whitecaps FC, for me, it feels like a fresh start and it’s great to be back in my home country,” said Poku, who is from Ontario. “I can’t wait to make my debut at BC Place and meet all of you. I understand this is a winning team, and I want to continue that legacy and make even more history.”
Poku earned his first senior cap for the Canadian national team on Oct. 15, 2024, coming off the bench in a 2-1 win in a friendly against Panama.
–Field Level Media
Mets deal reliever A.J. Minter to Twins
Report: Karl Ravech not quite finished at ESPN
