Brandon Belt Not In Starting Lineup Thursday

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is not in the starting lineup on Thursday night. This appears to just be a night off for Belt, who has started in seven straight games for San Francisco. In an injury-marred season, Belt has still managed to put up solid numbers with a .242 average, .896 OPS, […]

Byron Buxton To Rejoin Team Friday

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hand) is set to rejoin the team at Target Field on Friday, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Buxton has completed his four-game rehab assignment with the club's Triple-A affiliate, but no decision has been made about when he'll be activated. The speedy outfielder will take batting […]

Jorge Polanco Isn't Starting On Thursday

Minnesota Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco isn't in the starting lineup on Thursday. The Twins will be taking on the Boston Red Sox and left-handed starter Chris Sale but will do so with arguably their best hitter on the bench. Polanco is hitting .274 with a .335 on-base percentage, 24 home runs, and 10 stolen […]

Max Kepler Not In Thursday's Lineup

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler isn't starting on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox and left-hander Chris Sale. Kepler is hitting .207 with a .300 on-base percentage, 16 home runs, and eight stolen in 377 plate appearances bases this season. Rob Refsnyder is starting in Kepler's place in right field on Thursday while also batting […]

Carlos Santana Remains Out Of Lineup Thursday

Kansas City Royals first baseman Carlos Santana (hip) remains out of the lineup on Thursday. Santana exited Monday's game with a Grade 1 hip flexor strain, and has been held out of the lineup ever since. He's still being considered day-to-day for the time being, although the longer he's out the more likely it seems […]

Jazz Chisholm On The Bench On Thursday

Miami Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm isn't starting on Thursday as his team gets set to take on the Washington Nationals and left-hander Patrick Corbin. Chisholm is batting .254 with a .314 on-base percentage, 14 home runs, and 16 stolen bases in 364 plate appearances this season. It'll be Isan Diaz starting at second instead […]

Framber Valdez Coming Into His Own

Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez (8-4) continues to quietly have an excellent season heading into the team's matchup against the Rangers this weekend. Valdez pitched seven shutout innings against the Mariners on August 22 and now sports a 2.73 ERA over his past four starts in August. The Astros rotation doesn't get national acclaim but […]

Ryan Pressly Posting 1.29 ERA In August

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly will head into the weekend looking very sharp on the mound right now. The 32-year-old has punched out 10 hitters over his last seven appearances despite save opportunities becoming scarce. The Astros offense simply has been scoring tons of runs and haven't been playing a lot of close games. Pressly […]

Hayden Hurst Has Strong Day Of Practice Thursday

Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst put together a strong showing as a receiver during Thursday's practice. ESPN's Michael Rothstein reports that Hurst hauled in several balls, showing off his speed and ability to stretch the field on a couple of deep passes. Talented rookie Kyle Pitts has garnered much of the attention during camp, […]

Zack Greinke Enjoying Excellent Second Half

Houston Astros starter Zack Greinke (11-4) is having a fantastic second half of his season as he prepares to pitch against the Rangers this weekend. The veteran is getting better as the season goes along and is 3-1 with 1.09 WHIP and a 2.90 ERA over his past seven starts since the All-Star break. Greinke […]

Michael Brantley Looking To Snap Slump

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley is stuck in a 4-for-24 (.167) slump as the team will prepare to take on the Rangers this weekend. The veteran has been given some days off over the last week as the team prepares for the final month of the season. Brantley is having a fantastic season but is […]

Rhys Hoskins Will Have Season-Ending Surgery

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins (abdomen) will have season-ending surgery to "repair a tear in his lower abdomen" per a tweet from MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The Phillies previously placed the first baseman on the 10-day injured list earlier on Thursday. Hoskins was in the midst of a quality season at the plate, hitting .247 […]

Luis Garcia Continues To Surprise

Houston Astros starter Luis Garcia continues be one of the biggest surprises for the first-place Astros heading into this weekend's action. Garcia (10-6) was fantastic on Tuesday, twirling 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing only four hits with seven strikeouts. Garcia has posted a sub-four ERA in each month this season and is 8-3 over his […]

Jake Odorizzi Posting 5.21 ERA In August

Houston Astros starter Jake Odorizzi will take the mound Friday against the Rangers. Odorizzi (6-6) is currently not trending in the right direction, posting a 5.21 ERA over his last four starts and allowing opponents to hit .273 against him over his last nine outings. Has allowed 47 hits over his last 44 1/3 innings […]

Michael Conforto Not Starting On Thursday

New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto isn't in Thursday's lineup for a matchup against the San Francisco Giants and left-handed starter Alex Wood. Conforto is batting .218 with a .340 on-base percentage and eight home runs in 344 plate appearances this season. He'll be replaced in right field by Kevin Pillar, who is batting seventh. […]

David Johnson Relegated To Third-Down Role At Camp

Houston Texans running back David Johnson has been primarily utilized as a pass-catcher during practice. Listed as the team's third-string halfback, Johnson has taken a backseat to others in the running back room this preseason, particularly Phillip Lindsay and Mark Ingram II. The veteran finished the 2020 season strong, tallying over 100 scrimmage yards in […]

Aaron Rodgers Has 'Super Bowl Or Bust' Mentality

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers spoke to reporters on Wednesday and characterized his expectations for the 2021 season. "Look, I think we all know what's at stake," Rodgers said. "It's Titletown. It's championship or disappointment just about every year." The reigning MVP is coming off a very tumultuous, complicated offseason where the veteran passer […]

Andrew McCutchen On The Bench On Thursday

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen isn't in the starting lineup on Thursday. The Phillies will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks and right-handed starter Zac Gallen but will do so without McCutchen, who is hitting .223 with a .334 on-base percentage, 21 home runs, and six stolen bases in 446 plate appearances this season. Odubel Herrera […]

Marquez Valdes-Scantling Praised By Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling has enjoyed a fantastic training camp and reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers has taken notice. The veteran quarterback praised Valdes-Scantling for a being a "leader" and a "true professional" in the receivers room. Not only has Valdes-Scantling raised his game off the field but has raised his level of […]

Justin Jefferson Full-Go At Practice

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (shoulder) enjoyed one of the more active practices he has had in weeks on Wednesday. Jefferson has been limited recently with the AC joint sprain and Wednesday was the first time he did not adorn the red, non-contact jersey during team drills. Jefferson is looking to build off a […]

Andrei Svechnikov Signs Eight Year Deal with Carolina Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov signed an eight-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The new deal will pay the winger an AAV of $7.75 million. Also, he will see a signing bonus in year one of the deal. That will pay Svechnikov $4,000,037 and overall he will make $6 million in 2021-22. After that, the contract […]

Gardner Minshew II, C.J. Beathard Still Competing For No. 2 QB Job

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterbacks Gardner Minshew II and C.J. Beathard are still in close competition for the backup quarterback position behind Trevor Lawrence. Per SI's John Shipley, Minshew has outperformed Beathard consistently in practice, while Beathard has been superior in preseason action. The Jaguars final preseason game on Sunday against the Cowboys could go a long […]

Adam Thielen Full Participant In Practice

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (thigh) was a full participant in the final walk-through practice before the team's final preseason game. Thielen suffered the injury in last week's preseason game against the Colts but seeing him back on the field going through team drills was a positive sign. Head coach Mike Zimmer also told […]

Sean Couturier Inks Eight-Year Extension with Philadelphia Flyers

Sean Couturier will be with the Philadelphia Flyers for another nine years potentially. Couturier signed an eight-year extension on Thursday for an AAV of $7.75 million. So, that total amount is $62 million Also, the new contract kicks in for the 2022-23 season. The center is one of the best two-way pivots in the NHL. […]

Kirk Cousins Expected To Play In Final Preseason Game

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is expected to play in the team's final preseason game this weekend. Head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters over zoom on Wednesday that the game plan is "going to be just like last week." Starters like Cousins and receiver Adam Thielen played several series last week, with the latter leaving […]

Lions Concerned About D'Andre Swift For Week 1

Detroit Lions running back D'Andre Swift (groin) has returned to practice but questions remain whether he can be an effective contributor Week 1. Head coach Dan Campbell told reporters, "Swift concerns me a little bit with getting his wind and being able to take load. How much can he with where he's at?" Campbell said. […]

Tyrell Williams Battling Through Groin Injury

Detroit Lions wide receiver Tyrell Williams is battling a groin injury but head coach Dan Campbell believes he will practice in full next week. Williams is set to head into Week 1 as the team's unquestioned WR1 on a team that is very thin at wide receiver. Williams has battled injuries his whole career and […]

Rashard Higgins Leaves Practice Early

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins left Thursday's practice early after he appeared to tweak something. Higgins went and spoke to team trainers after a rep during quarterback/wide receiver drills and did not return to the session. He was later spotted on the sidelines with a sizable wrap around his right quad/hamstring area. The team […]

Will Jared Goff Take Chances Downfield?

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff will be out to prove a host of critics wrong this season with his new team. The Lions coaching staff is saying all the right things but Goff has quietly gone in the wrong direction over the last few weeks of practice. There are plenty of questions still surrounding the […]

Bears Cut Javon Wims

The Chicago Bears cut wide receiver Javon Wims on Thursday. Wims endured an ineffective training camp while also battling an oblique injury. Wims had been on the Bears since 2017, posting 28 receptions for 266 yards and two touchdowns in 33 career games. Wims infamously was suspended for two games last season after taking a […]