Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas called on the WNBA and commissioner Cathy Engelbert to break their silence and address threats she’s facing since her physical altercation with Fever guard Caitlin Clark.

Thomas was suspended one game after the WNBA found she was guilty of “recklessly making contact with her fist” on Clark’s throat in their contentious game last week. Thomas, who termed the incident an accident, said she has been threatened and harassed online.

“We still have yet to hear anything yet from Cathy. It’s no surprise. You can see what’s being said on social media,” Thomas said Tuesday. “It’s unfortunate, but as usual, she remains silent. That’s unfortunate when our lives are being threatened.”

The league released a statement attributed to Engelbert later Tuesday.

“The WNBA vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate,” Engelbert said in the statement. “The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority. We are aware of Alyssa Thomas’ comments, and what she and her teammates have experienced is completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community. The league and our security team have been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization and remain committed to protecting all players.”

Thomas was issued a retroactive flagrant foul and $1,000 fine after the game, which Phoenix won, 111-109.

She would not disclose any specific examples of the threats or share messages she has received, but many of the attacks were left visible on social media platforms.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this over basketball,” Thomas said. “Now we’re being painted as thugs and there’s death threats out on us. It’s really unacceptable, and something that needs to change in this league.”

–Field Level Media

Toronto Blue Jays standout first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup against the New York Mets due to back tightness.

The Blue Jays initially submitted a lineup with Guerrero’s name in it but announced about 90 minutes before first pitch that he had been scratched.

Guerrero has dealt with periodic back issues and he missed consecutive games against the New York Yankees in mid-June when the back flared up.

Sean Keys, who was initially slated to play third base against the Mets, will instead play first base. Luis Urias joined the lineup and will play second base with Ernie Clement moving to third.’

Guerrero is having a sluggish offensive season, batting .268 with just four homers and 34 RBIs in 81 games. The five-time All-Star has hit 23 or more homers in five consecutive seasons.

–Field Level Media

The NBA announced Tuesday that the salary cap for the 2026-27 season has been set at $164.961 million, which represents a 6.5% increase over the previous season.

In conjunction with the $10,420,000 rise in each team’s cap, the minimum team salary has climbed over $9.2 million to $148.465 million. The first apron level has jumped to $209.015 million — an increase of $13,070,000 — and the second apron level has moved to $221.686 million. That’s a rise of $13,862,000.

All of these numbers go into effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, six hours after NBA teams were permitted to start negotiating with free agents. That period began at 6 p.m. Tuesday ET.

All free agent negotiations technically must cease at midnight Tuesday. That’s when the league’s moratorium period goes into effect until noon on Monday, July 6.

According to Spotrac.com, all 30 NBA teams except the Memphis Grizzlies are over the new cap number. The Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic are above the first apron, but no teams are hard-capped at this time by the second apron.

However, being over the cap does not necessarily mean the same thing as being out of cap space.

Per Spotrac, the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls each are projected to have at least $30 million in cap space to use on prospective free agents. The Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers can make moves to free up cap space.

–Field Level Media