Sports
Chiefs place WR Rashee Rice (knee) on injured reserve
Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) leaves the field following the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Rashee Rice on injured reserve on Thursday with a knee injury, meaning he will miss at least four games.
Rice was injured in the first quarter of the Chiefs’ 17-10 victory over the host Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday when he took an inadvertent hit from his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes threw an interception to Los Angeles cornerback Kristian Fulton, whose 29-yard return ended when Rice came up from behind him and poked the ball loose. Mahomes was simultaneously trying to make a tackle as Rice forced the fumble, and the signal-caller crashed into Rice’s right knee.
The quarterback said on Thursday that he felt terrible that he hit Rice.
“I wasn’t really worried about myself,” Mahomes said. “I was worried about his injury and, hopefully, it wasn’t as bad as it looked because I was the one that hit him.”
While reports earlier this week said the Chiefs feared Rice tore his ACL, head coach Andy Reid said Thursday that the team is waiting for swelling to go down before further testing the knee.
“I think just wait-and-see is where we’re at,” Reid said. “For his sake, we’re really hoping things work out for the best, but let’s just see where it goes. Leave it up to the doctors to see. I’m definitely not a doctor.”
Rice, 24, already had been ruled out of Monday night’s home game against the New Orleans Saints. Kansas City (4-0) then has a bye week, followed by games at San Francisco on Oct. 20, at Las Vegas on Oct. 27 and at home against Tampa Bay on Nov. 4.
Rice is the Chiefs’ leading receiver in catches (24), targets (29), yards (288) and touchdowns (two, tied with Xavier Worthy).
A second-round selection by Kansas City in the 2023 NFL Draft out of SMU, Rice has hauled in 103 passes for 1,226 yards and nine TDs in 20 career regular-season games (12 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. headed for MRI on hamstring
May 31, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) hits a solo home run against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Star Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was scheduled for an MRI after exiting Atlanta’s Tuesday road game against the Chicago White Sox in the fourth inning due to left hamstring tightness.
Following the Braves’ 6-5, 10-inning loss, Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said the ailment “doesn’t seem as bad as the last one,” referring to a left hamstring strain that kept Acuna out for 15 games in May.
Weiss added that Acuna is considered day-to-day for the moment.
While attempting to leg out an infield single, Acuna pulled up and hobbled past first base and then off the field into the locker room after appearing to sustain the injury on his final step before reaching the bag.
He was replaced in right field and atop the lineup by Eli White.
Acuna, the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year and 2023 NL MVP, missed 14 games earlier this season due to a hamstring strain while similarly trying to leg out an infield hit. He saw his 2021 and 2024 seasons end prematurely due to torn ACLs.
The five-time All-Star is hitting .251 with seven homers and 22 RBIs in 53 games. He is a career .287 hitter with 193 homers and 481 RBIs over 870 games across nine seasons with Atlanta.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros jump out to 7-run lead, add on in win over Astros
Jun 9, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder Wade Meckler (53) reacts after scoring a run against the Houston Astros during the second inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Oswald Peraza had three RBIs and Jo Adell and Wade Meckler and drove in two apiece as the Los Angeles Angels built an early seven-run lead and cruised to a 10-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night at Anaheim, Calif.
Meckler scored three times and reached base five times on three walks, one hit and once via error for the Angels, who had lost six of their previous eight games. Sebastian Rivero had two hits before exiting with a left wrist injury and Adell and Peraza also had two hits.
Brice Matthews had an RBI single for the Astros, who had won three of their previous four contests.
Walbert Urena (4-4) pitched five scoreless innings to win his third straight decision for the Angels. He gave up three hits, walked five and struck out seven before three relievers finished up.
Houston’s Kai-Wei Teng (3-5) was roughed up for seven runs (five earned) and seven hits over four innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Rivero had a streak of seven straight hits before the injury that occurred when he fouled off a pitch in the fifth. Logan O’Hoppe entered for the final two pitches of the at-bat and took a called strike three with the strikeout charged to Rivero to end his hit streak.
Los Angeles first baseman Nolan Schanuel (calf) departed before the top of the fourth inning due to left calf tightness.
The Angels scored twice without a hit in the first inning.
Los Angeles loaded the bases with one out on two walks and an error before Schanuel was hit by Teng’s pitch to force in a run. Peraza followed with a possible double-play grounder but Jose Altuve dropped the ball on the exchange after securing the out at second as Meckler scored.
The Angels erupted for five runs in the second inning.
The bases were loaded with one out when Meckler hit a two-run double to left to make it 4-0. Adell followed with another two-run double to make it a six-run game. Schanuel singled to put runners on the corners before Peraza hit into a fielder’s choice to score Adell.
Houston scored in the seventh while sending pinch hitters to the plate for Jeremy Pena, Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker and Altuve in a five-batter span.
With two outs, Collin Price singled and starter Isaac Paredes walked before Matthews stroked an RBI single to right to get the Astros on the board.
Trey Mancini’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the eighth made it 8-1. Peraza’s infield hit and Denzer Guzman’s infield out also plated runs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Veronica Burton, Gabby Williams guide Valkyries past Mercury
Jun 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Kaila Charles (6) is called for the foul against Phoenix Mercury guard Lexi Held (10) during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images Veronica Burton scored a season-high 25 points and dished out eight assists, Gabby Williams also had 25 points, and the Golden State Valkyries held off the Phoenix Mercury 87-81 in a Commissioner’s Cup game in San Francisco on Tuesday.
Kayla Thornton scored 12 points and Janelle Salaun added 11 for the Valkyries, who had their 17-point halftime lead trimmed to one before recovering in the final minutes to break a season-worst two-game losing streak.
Alyssa Thomas scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half for the Mercury, who had a two-game winning streak broken in the third game of a four-game road trip. Monique Akoa Makani put up a season-high 19 points.
Thomas, who missed the previous game with a calf injury, had nine assists and eight rebounds.
Akoa Makani’s 3-pointer brought the Mercury (4-9, 2-2 Commissioner’s Cup) within 76-75 with 3:09 left before Williams’ three-point play gave the Valkyries an 84-78 lead with 1:39 remaining.
Thomas’ three-point play closed the deficit to 84-81 on the next possession, but Williams intercepted Thomas’ pass and made 1 of 2 free throws with 11 seconds left. Thornton later sank two to ice it.
Williams finished with three 3-pointers for the Valkyries, who wound up 10 of 29 (34.5%) from long distance. Golden State (7-5, 2-2) made 6 of 12 from beyond the arc in the first half, when it built a 49-32 lead. The Valkyries lead the WNBA with 12.1 treys per game and a 37.9% success rate from long range.
Williams sank three 3-pointers while Burton, Thornton and Salaun had two apiece. Burton went 9-for-11 at the free-throw line.
The Valkyries have won the first two in the season series, including a 95-79 home victory on May 10.
Akoa Makani, playing her sixth game after finishing her season in France, had six points and Thomas had four assists in a 13-0 run for a 16-10 Mercury lead in the first quarter. The Valkyries responded with a 12-2 run for a 22-18 edge.
The Valkyries closed the second quarter on an 18-5 run to take a 49-32 halftime lead, their largest advantage to that point. Burton had 10 points in the period as Golden State outscored Phoenix 27-14. Thomas and Mercury teammate Kahleah Copper were given technical fouls during the half-ending stretch.
Thomas scored 13 points in the third quarter, when the Mercury outscored the Valkyries 29-17. Golden State led 66-61 entering the fourth.
–Field Level Media
