The Washington Nationals placed left-hander PJ Poulin on the 15-day injured list on Sunday because of a left flexor strain.

The move was retroactive to Thursday. In a corresponding move, the Nationals signed free agent lefty Matt Krook. Washington transferred lefty Richard Lovelady (left triceps strain) from the 15- to 60-day IL to make room for Krook on the 40-man roster.

Poulin, who turns 30 on July 25, last pitched on July 11, allowing one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in 1 2/3 scoreless innings as the opener in a 4-2 home loss to the New York Yankees.

Poulin is 3-0 with three saves, a 2.70 ERA, 21 walks and 25 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings over 35 games (11 starts) this season. Since making his major league debut last season, Poulin is 5-1 with four saves, a 3.08 ERA, 34 walks and 52 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings over 63 games (11 starts).

The Nationals selected Krook, 31, off waivers from the Athletics on July 4 and designated him for assignment on July 12. He was granted free agency last Tuesday.

Krook was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA, two walks and two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings across three relief appearances for the Nationals. He was 0-0 with a 14.73 ERA in 3 2/3 innings for the Athletics earlier this season.

For his career, Krook is 0-1 with a 14.11 ERA, 14 walks and 15 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings over 16 games with four teams since 2023.

–Field Level Media

Two days after Arizona Cardinals director of college scouting Ryan Gold was suspended indefinitely by the NFL, his attorney responded, calling the allegations “blatantly false” and stating that they would be appealing the ruling.

On Friday, the league took the action after determining that Gold had disclosed confidential draft details and placed wagers involving football games. The NFL did not state to which parties that Gold had provided the information.

The league revealed that Gold disclosed inside information regarding Arizona’s 2026 draft picks prior to their announcement. Additionally, investigators discovered he took part in parlays involving NFL and college football games.

The suspension took effect immediately, but an appeal is permitted.

“Ryan Gold has been an outstanding NFL executive for over a decade,” attorney Mike Caspino said in a statement on Sunday. “The accusations made by the league regarding his participation in prohibited gambling activities are blatantly false. We have demanded an appeal and we look forward to clearing his good name.”

Caspino claimed that Gold’s wife, Jennifer, was making $10 weekly bets with a group of high school friends on parlays and that Gold played no role in that activity.

He added that Gold did not know whom the Cardinals were selecting because only team owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort knew and did not share that information.

NFL rules prohibit league and club employees from betting on sports, assisting others with wagers or providing information that is not available to the public.

“Although there is no reason to believe the integrity of any NFL game was affected,” the NFL said in Friday’s statement, “the league takes any violation of the gambling policy with the utmost seriousness.”

The league said its investigation included interviews and a review of electronic records. It found no evidence that any Cardinals player, coach or other employee knew about or participated in Gold’s actions. There was also no indication that a play or game had been compromised.

The Cardinals on Friday issued a statement saying they “fully support the league’s decision in this matter.” They removed Gold’s bio from the team’s official website.

Gold was entering his 13th year with the organization and his second as director of college scouting. He was promoted to the position in June 2025 after three seasons as Arizona’s assistant director of college scouting. He previously spent four years with the organization as a college scouting coordinator.

–Field Level Media

The Atlanta Hawks acquired 2025 All-Defensive wing Luguentz Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ryan Nembhard from the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team deal on Sunday.

The Hawks sent former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and a protected future second-round draft pick to the Mavericks, with two more future second-rounders going to the Thunder. Dallas is shipping one second-rounder to Oklahoma City.

While Dort has been a mainstay in Oklahoma City’s starting lineup for years, the move completed a necessary stretch of offseason deals for the Thunder. They acquired seven second-round picks while going under the second apron with their trades of Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.

Oklahoma City picked up Dort’s $17.7 million team option, acquired three future assets and created a $17 million trade exception. Dort is now in position to sign a long-term contract in Atlanta that was infeasible with the Thunder.

Dort, 27, joins a young Hawks team led by Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker that won more playoff games against the NBA champion New York Knicks than any other opponent. Atlanta also freed up $40-plus million in cap space next summer.

Dort, who finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024-25, averaged 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 69 games last season. He averaged 11.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in seven seasons with the Thunder.

In his second NBA season, the 21-year-old Risacher averaged 9.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 67 games. However, he received just 23 minutes during the playoffs. The forward finished second to the Spurs’ Stephon Castle in the NBA’s 2025 Rookie of the Year voting.

Nembhard, 23, played in 60 games for the Mavericks as a rookie guard last season. The undrafted free agent made 27 starts and averaged 6.6 points, 5.3 assists and 2.2 rebounds.

–Field Level Media