Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s Hot Start Is For Real

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is off to a fantastic start in 2021 and has reached base safely in all 13 of the team's games. His 1.200 OPS ranks eighth among qualified hitters, and his .413 batting average ranks sixth. Guerrero hit the longest homer of his career (456 feet) on Thursday. […]

Emmanuel Clase Throwing Gas

Cleveland Indians right-handed reliever Emmanuel Clase is the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball. He has averaged 100.1 mph on his cutter, making him the only Major Leaguer to average triple digits through the first two weeks of the 2021 season. Clase missed all of last year after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance, but he's […]

Michael Kopech Good At Avoiding Contact

Chicago White Sox rookie right-hander Michael Kopech has generated a 23.7 percent swing-and-miss rate early this season. The mark is seventh-best among the 391 pitchers with at least 50 pitches thrown so far this season. Kopech averages 97 mph with his fastball and pairs it with a dirty slider that hitters have a tough time […]

Trevor Rogers Generating Plenty Of Whiffs

Miami Marlins rookie left-hander Trevor Rogers has generated a 51.1 percent whiff rate on his four-seam fastball this year, and that was prior to his start on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. Batters are missing his 95.5 mph average fastball over half the time when they swing at it. Jacob deGrom ranks second on four-seam […]

Leody Taveras Has Speed To Spare

Texas Rangers rookie outfielder Leody Taveras has elite speed. He ranks fifth on the sprint-speed leaderboard in the early going in 2021 with a sprint speed of 29.4 feet per second. He's only one spot below Byron Buxton on that list and is tied with him on runs that exceed the elite level of 30 […]

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Still Trying To Play

Veteran free-agent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who has been linked to a coaching job at his alma mater of Tennessee State, hasn't given up the idea of playing in the NFL and has workouts scheduled post-draft. He would only coach if there are no more playing opportunities. The 35-year-old didn't play at all in 2020 and […]

Phillip Evans Has Been A Pleasant Surprise

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman/outfielder Phillip Evans is 13-for-38 (.342) with three home runs, two doubles and a 1.076 OPS through 11 games to begin the season. The 28-year-old is tied for 26th among qualified hitters (tied with Nolan Arenado and Mike Trout) with 17 hard-hit batted balls (balls with an exit velocity above 95 […]

Jazz Chisholm Turning Heads

Miami Marlins middle infielder Jazz Chisholm hit New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom's 100.4 mph fastball for a home run to the upper deck on April 10, making it the hardest-thrown pitch that has been taken deep so far this season. It was also the only triple-digit pitch that deGrom has thrown in the […]

J.C. Jackson Signs His Tender

New England Patriots restricted free-agent cornerback J.C. Jackson signed his second-round tender offer on Friday. However, interested teams could still offer lower draft picks and create a trade, similar to the Malcolm Butler situation a few years back. Jackson will make $3.38 million now that he's back with the Patriots. The 25-year-old became a star […]

Drew Smyly Placed On Injured List, Kyle Wright Starting Friday

Atlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly (forearm) was placed on the 10-day injured list with left forearm inflammation after he was scratched from his start on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. Manager Brian Snitker said the team hopes that Smyly will miss just one start. Right-hander Kyle Wright was recalled from the alternate training site […]

Cardinals Re-Sign Dennis Gardeck

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck signed his one-year tender offer as a restricted free agent on Thursday after he had the second-most sacks on the team last year. He signed with Arizona as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Sioux Falls and didn't play a defensive snap in his career until Week […]

Mike Vrabel Not Worried About Derrick Henry's Workload

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said that running back Derrick Henry's work ethic allows him to be successful despite his heavy workload. Henry has led the league in rushing the last two seasons, running for 1,540 yards on 303 carries in 2019 and 2,027 yards on 378 carries last year. He became the eighth […]

Jayson Oweh's Stock Is Rising

Penn State edge rusher Jayson Oweh is a hot name among scouts as we approach this month's NFL draft. He has been compared to Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter because the two are both around 6-foot-5, 250 pounds and had limited production in their last year in college. Hunter had 1.5 sacks before joining […]

Penei Sewell Training At Left, Right Tackle

Oregon left tackle Penei Sewell, the consensus top offensive tackle in this year's draft, has been training at right tackle and left tackle, which he played in college. Sewell is preparing for the possibility that a team with an entrenched left tackle drafts him and puts him at right tackle for a year. The young […]

Broncos Could Trade DaeSean Hamilton

The Denver Broncos could decide to trade wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton in the coming weeks leading up to the NFL draft after they drafted wide receivers in the first and second rounds last year -- Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, respectively. Denver also has Tim Patrick, who impressed in 2020 in an expanded role, and […]

Quinn Meinerz Completes 33 Reps On Bench Press

Wisconsin-Whitewater center Quinn Meinerz (hand), considered the best center in this year's draft by some, completed 33 repetitions on the bench press on Thursday at a workout run by the Green Bay Packers. Meinerz is coming off a broken hand at the Senior Bowl, but he looks to be healthy ahead of the NFL draft […]

Ronald Acuna Jr. Hits MLB-Leading Seventh Homer

Atlanta Braves superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his MLB-best seventh home run of the season on Thursday off Miami Marlins starter Trevor Rogers, a day after a two-homer game. His homer was a two-run shot that came on the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning that cut the deficit at the time […]

Falcons Release Ito Smith

The Atlanta Falcons released running back Ito Smith on Thursday to make room on the roster for recently signed wide receiver/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson. Smith totaled 689 rushing yards on 175 carries (3.9 yards per carry) and six touchdowns and added 55 receptions for 314 yards in his three seasons with Atlanta. On 63 carries […]

CeeDee Lamb Looking To Improve In 2021

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is looking to be a better version of himself heading into his sophomore season after he put up 74 catches for 935 yards and five touchdowns in his rookie season. Lamb had 433 yards, including two 100-plus yard games, in his first five contests in the NFL. But he […]

Cardinals Signing Darece Roberson On Thursday

The Arizona Cardinals are signing former Wayne State wide receiver Darece Roberson to an undisclosed deal on Thursday, according to a source. Roberson was draft-eligible last year but didn't get a chance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He ran well at his Pro Day earlier this month and impressed the Cardinals enough to where they […]

Falcons Sign Duron Harmon

The Atlanta Falcons signed free-agent safety Duron Harmon to an undisclosed one-year deal on Thursday. In eight NFL seasons, Harmon has played in 127 games (45 starts) and has recorded 248 tackles (191 solo) with two tackles for loss, 19 interceptions and 33 passes defensed. He spent seven seasons with the New England Patriots and […]

Lane Taylor Agrees With Texans

Former Green Bay Packers starting offensive guard Lane Taylor agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal with the Houston Texans on Thursday, according to a source. Taylor will be reunited with his former Packers offensive line coach in James Campen. He is coming off a torn ACL but is expected to be ready to go for […]

Shogo Akiyama Continues To Rehab At Alternate Site

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama (hamstring) continues to progress at the team's Louisville alternate training site. Manager David Bell said that Akiyama pretty much has no restrictions, although he has intentionally not been running at 100 percent intensity yet. "We're pushing him a little bit harder now," Bell said. "He's going to start playing in […]

Sonny Gray To Return From Injured List And Start Saturday

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray (back) will be activated from the 10-day injured list to make his 2021 regular season debut on Saturday against the Cleveland Indians. Gray missed the start of the year after dealing with a mid-back strain in spring training. He threw in a game at the team's alternate training site […]

Shohei Ohtani Throws Another Bullpen

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (finger) threw another bullpen session on Wednesday, and manager Joe Maddon said that he believes Ohtani threw the bullpen without a bandage on his blistered finger. The Angels are being cautious with their two-way star, and Ohtani is unlikely to return to the rotation this week. But […]

Wil Myers Dealing With Patellar Tendinitis, Out Again Thursday

San Diego Padres outfielder Wil Myers (knee), who exited the game early with right knee inflammation on Tuesday, is dealing with patellar tendinitis and remains out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The good news is that manager Jayce Tingler said that Myers is making progress and could return […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. To Adopt Two-Handed Follow-Through?

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller said he was assured that once shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.'s shoulder is healed, he will not be putting himself at long-term risk by returning to action, other than maybe the risk of another dislocation. The Padres are trying to have Tatis move toward a two-handed follow-through on his […]

Seahawks Add Aldon Smith To Defense

The Seattle Seahawks signed free-agent pass-rusher Aldon Smith to an undisclosed one-year deal on Thursday, according to sources. Smith was an All-Pro for the San Francisco 49ers back in 2012 and recorded five sacks, 14 QB hits and 50 pressures for the Dallas Cowboys last season in his return to action after being out of […]

Falcons Agree With Cordarrelle Patterson

The Atlanta Falcons agreed to terms with free-agent wide receiver/returner Cordarrelle Patterson on a one-year, $3 million deal on Thursday, according to a source. Patterson hasn't really made his mark in the NFL on the offensive side of the ball, but he's become one of the best kick returners in the league, as he was […]

Yasiel Puig Denies Sexual-Assault Allegations

Free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig has denied claims in a lawsuit that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2018 and said that allegations have prevented him from being signed. The woman claiming she was sexually assaulted did not file a police report, and Puig hasn't been charged with a crime. Puig and his attorneys claim that he […]