(Washington, D.C., June 25, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced the latest slate of presidential appointments for key positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“American farmers and ranchers work tirelessly to feed, fuel, and clothe America. The incredible team we are building at USDA will make it easier—not harder—for farmers to fulfill their calling. I welcome the latest group of appointees and look forward to continuing our work to put Farmers First at USDA,” said Secretary Rollins.
Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz was benched during Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers after he failed to run out a double-play ball. Pirates manager Don Kelly confirmed the benching, saying he removed Cruz from the game due to his lack of “energy and effort.”
The incident occurred in the seventh inning of the team’s 9-3 loss to the Brewers. With the Pirates trailing 7-3 and a runner on first, Cruz hit a double-play ball to Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz.
Ortiz flipped the ball to second base, securing the first out. At that point, Cruz stopped running up the first-base line, not realizing that was only the second out of the inning. The Brewers fired the ball to first, completing the double play and ending the frame.
While Cruz remained in the game in the bottom of the seventh and the top of the eighth, he was replaced by Alexander Canario in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Following the contest, Kelly said the decision was made due to Cruz’s lack of “energy and effort going down the line.” Kelly said he thought Cruz “fell a little short” of the necessary effort on the play. The manager was noncommittal about whether the benching would extend to Wednesday’s contest, saying, “We’re going to sit down and talk, and we’ll figure that out.”
Cruz admitted that he lost track of the outs in the inning, which led to him pulling up on the double-play ball. He added — through an interpreter — that he agreed with Kelly’s decision, per ESPN.
“DK had all the rights to do what he did, and I’ll back him up on that,” Cruz said through an interpreter. “It was my fault because I thought there were two outs in that situation. That’s why I let off running to first base.”
The benching comes with Cruz in the midst of a poor season at the plate. The 26-year-old is hitting .211/.326/.410, with 13 home runs. While his 103 OPS+ is slightly above average, it represents a career worst for Cruz.
The outfielder will look to make up for his mistake Wednesday. After being noncommittal about Oneil’s availability, Kelly put the outfielder right back in the lineup to face Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski.
Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte was visibly in tears on the field Tuesday, and no one knew why until after the game.
Keeping his own emotions in check, manager Torey Lovullo revealed to reporters that Marte was upset after a fan at the Chicago White Sox’s Rate Field yelled something at him about his mother, who died in a car accident in 2017, per MLB.com’s Casey Drottar.
“I looked right at him when I heard,” Lovullo said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person as well. He put his head down, and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure.”
A 22-year-old fan was ejected and admitted that he was the one who directed the comments toward Marte, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The fan was “very apologetic and remorseful,” per Rogers, and has since been banned indefinitely from MLB games.
“We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan,” MLB said in a statement.
The White Sox continued to lift up Marte during Wednesday’s game. When Marte came up to the plate in the first inning, the White Sox displayed a message on the scoreboard offering their support.
The White Sox showed their support for Ketel Marte with a scoreboard message during his first at bat today pic.twitter.com/08G46PvFEF
It’s unclear what the fan actually said — Lovullo declined to repeat it — but the manager was seen embracing Marte during a pitching change, with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo also offering his consolations.
Sending love to Ketel Marte who was in tears on the field after a fan yelled something at him about his mother, who passed away in a car accident in 2017, per @CDrottar19pic.twitter.com/I14Zc1gkV1
When asked what he said to Marte, Lovullo said, “I love you, and I’m with you. We’re all together, and you’re not alone. No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy’s an idiot and shouldn’t have an impact on you.”
Perdomo called for the fan in question to be banned from baseball, via the Republic:
“That can’t happen,” Perdomo said. “Everybody knows how Ketel is. He’s fun. He plays the game hard. I feel bad for him. I feel mad about it. I hope MLB can do something with that guy. I don’t know who it was, but they’ve got to do something. We can’t continue to do that [expletive] here in MLB.”
Perdomo added: “He should be banned, for sure.”
The D-backs won the game 4-1, with Marte going 2-for-4 with a first-inning solo homer.
Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in the Dominican Republic in the middle of the D-backs’ 2017 season, not long after speaking to Marte on the phone. Marte was deeply affected. He left the team to fly back to the D.R. and missed four games.
Eight years later, her death clearly still hits him hard.
Ketel Marte had to deal with more than your usual heckling on Tuesday. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Vaughn Ridley via Getty Images
Marte is currently on pace for the best season of his career and is among the contenders for the NL MVP award after finishing third in voting last season. The reigning Silver Slugger at second base is slashing .320/.424/.608 with 15 homers through Tuesday. He is the longest tenured member of the Diamondbacks, going back to 2017.
It appears Edgecombe is the favorite here over Ace Bailey. Some front-office executives wonder if it’s all a smokescreen for Philadelphia general manager Daryl Morey to gain leverage. But on paper, Edgecombe makes total sense for the Sixers. He is an explosive, high-motor wing who flies out of nowhere for poster dunks and chase-down blocks. He pairs his elite athleticism with a knockdown spot-up jumper and fearless slashing. Though he needs to improve his shot creation to become more of a primary creator, the Sixers have enough in that department as is, so Edgecombe would get time to develop on his own timeline.
Clifford is a tough-as-nails wing who does it all and could fill a number of different roles for the Jazz. He defends multiple positions, crashes the boards and scores from everywhere. But as a super senior with only Mountain West pedigree, he lacks experience against high-level competition despite his age.
This is probably too low for KJ. He’s been connected to teams drafting in the late lottery. But the reality is that someone will inevitably fall, and in this mock it’s him. And maybe that could be a blessing in disguise. As a freshman Jakučionis would follow up highlights with turnover brain-farts that would derail the hype train. But in Brooklyn, he could show off his creative passing gene and a fearless scoring ability.
Traoré oozes upside with his size, blazing speed and shiftiness off the bounce. But he’s an inefficient scorer all over the floor who needs to improve his erratic decision-making to prove he’s worth the swing. Bailey, Traoré and Zion Williamson would undoubtedly make up one of the most exciting teams to watch. Whether it’d become good is a whole different question.
Though the Thunder already have Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, it wouldn’t hurt to have another big in the rotation to use, aside from Jaylin Williams. Raynaud has leveled up every year at Stanford, turning into a player who pops 3s, slashes to the rim with a smooth handle and makes eye-popping passes. As a talented passer who also offers solid defense, there’s little reason to think the Frenchman won’t carve out an NBA role.
McNeeley is a sharpshooting wing with superb instincts moving without the ball, and the touch to splash from deep range. Though he doesn’t project as a primary shot creator, his feel as a connective passer gives him the skill to fit into any type of offense. This would allow him to be the perfect backup to Desmond Bane early in his career, or even share the floor in some lineup configurations.
Wolf is 6-11 but ran point for Michigan, playing a slick style with risky passes and step-back jumpers that made him a highlight factory. But he’s also a turnover machine and his shooting numbers are shaky, making him more of a raw bet who needs time to prove he can match his flash with substance. Why not take a big swing if you’re Brooklyn?
Powell has a chiseled frame that he uses to barrel into defenders at the rim and to contain opponents when he’s on defense. He’s a switch-everything defender who plays with a high motor, and if his spot-up jumper translates he checks all the boxes to be a 3-and-D role player at a minimum. As a former projected lottery pick, maybe the Nets could tap into a higher level of upside in him.
Thiero is a slasher with a jacked frame and an explosive first step, but he has severe limitations on offense as a shooter. If he’s able to figure out the shot, then his length and versatility would make him a classic 3-and-D role player. Even without it, the Celtics could find value by using him in spots occupied by Jrue Holiday as a screener, roller and at-rim finisher.
Kalkbrenner is a throwback 7-footer who owns the paint, swatting shots with his giant wingspan and dunking everything in sight. It’s a bit strange he isn’t a better rebounder. But as a super senior, he’s also developed some sneaky passing and shooting skills that hint at higher upside. The Suns badly need a big man, and it’s hard to do much better than Kalkbrenner at this point of the draft.
Fleming is a hustler who drains spot-up jumpers and brings energy on defense, swatting shots and snagging boards. But he has some real warts as a ball-handler with a lack of experience against high-level competition, so teams will have to feel real confident his role-player skill set will translate. With Kawhi Leonard and James Harden handling the rock in Los Angeles, Fleming’s positive qualities could allow him to slot in right away.
For a full second round, plus scouting reports of every player, check out my 2025 NBA Draft Guide.
Instead, he made his MLB debut against them in impressive fashion.
The Cincinnati Reds called up the hard-throwing righty for his first MLB game Tuesday night against New York
Burns didn’t pick up a win. But he made an impact and some MLB history in the process.
Burns started his debut with a strikeout of Yankees leadoff hitter Trent Grisham, who swung and missed badly at a sweeping slider that finished behind his back knee. The first two strikes were 98 and 100 mph fastballs that Grisham watched without offering a swing.
Burns then struck out No. 2 hitter Ben Rice with a swinging third strike on a 99 mph fastball.
Then came two-time MVP and three-time home run champion Aaron Judge. The result for Burns was the same as the first two batters he faced. This time, he struck Judge out on four pitches as the Yankees slugger swung and missed at a third-strike slider.
Burns had struck out the side in his MLB debut, and he did so against the vaunted New York Yankees. And he wasn’t done.
Burns started the second inning with strikeouts of former MVPs Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. That put him at five strikeouts against the first five MLB hitters that he faced.
Per OptaStats, he’s the only pitcher to achieve that feat in the last 50 years. And he reached it by striking out three MVPs.
Chase Burns of the @Reds is the only pitcher in the last 50 years to strike out the first 5 batters he faced in his MLB debut.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. got to Burns for the first Yankees hit of the game on the next at-bat. But Burns struck out Anthony Volpe on three pitches for the third out of the inning and his sixth strikeout in six outs.
Burns’ third inning started with a pair of groundouts and concluded with his seventh strikeout of the day as Grisham struck out for a second time, this time looking at a 90 mph changeup.
Finally, in the fourth inning, Burns’ storybook start met its match. A second time through the heart of the Yankees order produced three runs against the rookie.
Rice led off the inning with a home run deep into the right-field stands to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
Judge then reached on a single and Chisholm put runners on first and second with a two-out single. Volpe brought them home with a triple on a line drive to shallow centerfield that TJ Friedl misplayed and allowed to roll to the wall.
The knock extended New York’s lead to 3-0. But it didn’t end Burns’ day.
Burns got the third out of the inning then returned for the fifth where he recorded a third strikeout of Grisham before getting outs from Rice and Judge. Then, his day was done.
And despite the three runs allowed, it was a debut to remember.
Burns finished his day having allowed three earned runs on six hits. He recorded eight strikeouts, including three strikeouts of current and former MVPs.
He displayed an arsenal of four pitches including a curveball, changeup, a devastating slider and a fastball that sat in the high 90s and peaked at 100 mph. He was under control throughout and did not allow a walk.
Burns, 22, joined the Reds as Cincinnati’s No. 1 prospect and the 11th ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB.com.
