Harrison Bader Has Earned Center Field Job

St. Louis Cardinals general manager Michael Girsch said that outfielder Harrison Bader will be the team's full-time center fielder entering the 2019 season. "The way Harrison played in center field, defensively, it's pretty obvious that he's the best defensive center fielder we have," Girsch said. "He's hit more than well enough to earn the first […]

Astros Set Rotation For ALDS

The Houston Astros will go with starting pitcher Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Indians, followed by Gerrit Cole and Dallas Keuchel, according to manager A.J. Hinch. Houston's rotation is one of the best in baseball, so it'll be a tall task for the Indians to advance past […]

Patriots To Leave Dont'a Hightower At Linebacker

The New England Patriots will not be moving linebacker Dont'a Hightower to defensive end despite suggestions by the social media. “Yeah, I think we’ll keep him at linebacker,” head coach Bill Belichick said. Hightower has been organizing the defense from his middle linebacker spot, which is pretty important for the communication of play calling. He's […]

Tom Brady Has Confidence In Julian Edelman

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is excited about the return of wide receiver Julian Edelman from his four-game suspension and is confident that he'll be able to contribute right away this Thursday against the Colts. Brady has excellent chemistry with Edelman, and the receiver gains a lot of separation from defenders getting in and […]

Lions Not Planning To Increase Kerryon Johnson's Workload

Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia doesn't think rookie running back Kerryon Johnson needs more carries after Johnson had just nine carries in the Week 4 loss to the Cowboys. LeGarrette Blount has run for 95 yards through four games, while Johnson has 216 yards on three fewer carries. "I think Kerryon played a significant […]

Quandre Diggs Suffers Fractured Hand

Detroit Lions starting safety Quandre Diggs (hand) suffered a fractured bone in his hand in the Week 4 loss to the Lions, according to a source. It's unclear how long Diggs will be out. Diggs had 16 tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown in four games so far this year. Tavon Wilson will […]

Sean Lee Not Expected To Play In Week 5

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said it would "surprise" if linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring) returns to action in Week 5 against the Texans. Safety Jeff Heath (stinger) is likely to play. First-round pick Leighton Vander Esch saw his playing time jump with Lee out in Week 4, and he made six tackles against the Lions. […]

Ezekiel Elliott Good To Go For Week 5

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said running back Ezekiel Elliott (ankle, knee) will be good to go in Week 5 against the Texans on Sunday night. Elliott leads the NFL in rushing yards with 426 on 73 carries (5.8 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. He is the Cowboys offense these days, as they just […]

Steelers Defense Struggling

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense will enter Week 5 against the Falcons ranked 30th in the NFL in total defense, allowing 420 yards per game through four weeks. They are also 25th in scoring defense, giving up 29 points per game. Injuries have been the main culprit, as free-agent acquisition Morgan Burnett has struggled to get […]

Ichiro Suzuki Could Be On Roster For Japan Series

Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said outfielder Ichiro Suzuki will be given a chance to win a spot on the 28-man opening day roster for the series in Japan if he's healthy in spring training. The future Hall of Famer played in just 15 games for the M's this year before transitioning into a […]

Pedro Strop's Status Unknown For Wild-Card Game

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he didn't know if relief pitcher Pedro Strop (hamstring) will be available for the wild-card game against the Rockies on Tuesday. Strop hasn't pitched in a game in over two weeks, so it seems unlikely that he would be used in such a high-stakes game. Strop filled in nicely […]

Jeremy Jeffress Was Unavailable Monday

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress was unavailable to pitch for undisclosed reasons in Game 163 against the Cubs on Monday. General manager David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell said Jeffress will be a full participant for the National League Division Series. Jeffress was an All-Star this year and was lights-out with an 8-1 record, […]

Kyle Freeland To Start In Wild-Card Game

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland will start against the Cubs in the wild-card game on Tuesday. Freeland will be making his third career start against the Cubs -- he allowed three runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts in seven innings against them this year. The left-hander was excellent on the […]

Dansby Swanson Unlikely To Be On NLDS Roster

Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (hand) did not take any swings on Monday and is highly unlikely to be on the team's roster for the National League Division Series against the Dodgers. The absence of Swanson will be a big loss for the Braves on both offense and defense against the Dodgers. Without Swanson around, […]

Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu To Open Up NLDS

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu will start Games 1 and 2 of the National League Division Series against the Braves, but the Dodgers haven't finalized the order. It's likely that Kershaw will be the Game 1 starter as the ace looks to fix his ugly playoff history. While Kershaw's strikeout […]

Adam Wainwright Hopes To Return In 2019

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright would like to return to the team next year, and the Cardinals may be up for it. The team has had "general conversations" about his future since the right-hander returned from the disabled list in September, according to general manager Michael Girsch. There is mutual interest from both […]

Jon Lester To Start Wild-Card Game

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester will start the National League wild-card game against the Rockies on Tuesday, with Cole Hamels available out of the bullpen. The experienced left-hander makes for a good choice in the all-important game. He's 18-6 on the year with a 3.32 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 149 strikeouts in 181 2/3 […]

Nationals Coaching Staff Expected To Return

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo expects manager Dave Martinez and his entire coaching staff to return for the 2019 season after the team went 82-80 and missed the playoffs. “We think he’s got a firm grasp on the clubhouse and he’s doing a good job in the dugout. We think he’s getting better each […]

Joe Mauer Undecided On Retirement

Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer, who went 1-for-4 on Sunday in what could've been his final major league game, is still undecided on whether he will retire this offseason. "I'm not 100 percent sure [about retiring or not], and like I said, I want to make sure I have time just to take a […]

Ned Yost Receives One-Year Extension

The Kansas City Royals gave manager Ned Yost a one-year extension on Sunday. Yost is excited with what the young core of this rebuilding Royals club can do in 2019 as they improve and become more competitive. He has envisioned helping the team's young core develop into a contender before handing the reins over to […]

Salvador Perez To Have Surgery Tuesday

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) will have ligament surgery on his left thumb on Tuesday. He injured his thumb roughly six weeks ago and had been battling through it ever since. The recovery time from his surgery shouldn't affect his offseason conditioning. Perez should be able to resume hitting by late December, so […]

Whit Merrifield Finishes Season On High Note

Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield finished the 2018 season leading the majors in both hits (192) and stolen bases (45). He became the first Royal ever to lead the league in both hits and stolen bases. Only two players since 1945 have led the majors in both categories -- Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 […]

Travis Benjamin Out Indefinitely

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Travis Benjamin (foot) aggravated his foot injury in the Week 4 win over the 49ers and is now out indefinitely. Benjamin caught his only target for just two yards before getting hurt again on Sunday. He has already missed two games with the injury and looks due to sit out […]

David Moore To Be Mixed In More

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said to expect more "mixing in" of wide receiver David Moore, perhaps at the expense of veteran Brandon Marshall. Marshall has dropped four passes in the last two games and hasn't topped four catches or 46 yards through four weeks of the season. Marshall had six targets in each […]

Randall Cobb Wasn't Close To Playing

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb (hamstring) said he wasn't close to being able to play in Week 4 against the Bills. He doesn't know if he'll be able to return in Week 5 against the Lions. "It's feeling better. I made strides the past couple days and hopefully I can continue to make […]

Ezekiel Elliott Dealing With Ankle And Knee Issues

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (ankle, knee) is dealing with an ankle injury and bursitis in his knee, but head coach Jason Garrett said the team is "optimistic he'll practice and play this week." The star running back played 53 of 69 offensive snaps in Week 4 with 25 carries for 152 yards and […]

Steelers Still Interested In Trading Le'Veon Bell?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still expected to be interested in listening to trade offers for running back Le'Veon Bell, according to league sources. Bell is planning to report to the team during their Week 7 bye. Bell owners will be happy that they can begin using him in Week 8, but he'll still miss half […]

Josh Gordon Limited Monday

New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon (hamstring) was limited in practice on Monday. Gordon caught both of his targets for 32 yards in his debut with New England in Week 4 against the Dolphins. He should be fine to play this Thursday against the Colts, and his role could expand quickly if tight end […]

Rob Gronkowski Doesn't Practice Monday

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (ankle) did not practice on Monday. Gronk's injury wasn't deemed serious, but he could be up against the clock in order to play on a short week this Thursday against the Colts. Expect him to be questionable and possibly a game-time decision. Have other plans in place in […]

Bobby McCain Out 2-3 Weeks

Miami Dolphins cornerback Bobby McCain (knee) will be out two to three weeks with a knee injury, according to a source. Miami's secondary wasn't all that great to begin with, so this is a notable loss in the immediate future. McCain had 17 tackles and an interception through four weeks of the season.