June 2025

There were 1,837 posts published in June 2025 (this is page 46 of 184).

MLB Power Rankings: Phillies take charge in NL East, Junior Caminero leads Rays’ rise

Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, things get heated between the Dodgers and the Padres, the Phillies take advantage of the Mets’ slide, Rafael Devers faces his old team, Cal Raleigh mashes his way into history, 2024 draft picks are making an impact, and a likely trade candidate is getting hot at the right time.

(Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook)

Let’s get started!

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Chase Burns arrives, Jo Adell powers up
Eric Samulski breaks down some of the top waiver wire adds for the upcoming week of fantasy baseball

Note: Rankings are from the afternoon of Monday, June 23.

1) Detroit Tigers

Last week: 1

It’s not exactly shocking that Aaron Judge is blowing away the field in All-Star balloting, but Riley Greene and Javier Báez are second and third respectively among outfielders in the latest update from MLB. Greene had a three-hit day and a pair of excellent plays in left field on Sunday as the Tigers salvaged the series finale from the Rays.

2) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬆️

Last week: 4

We saw something close to Maximum Ohtani on Sunday, as the defending NL MVP threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against the Nationals while also hitting a two-run homer and a bases-clearing triple. It’s easy to get used to this sort of thing from Ohtani, but we are truly witnessing history on a weekly basis with this guy.

3) Philadelphia Phillies ⬆️

Last week: 6

Things can change in a hurry in this sport. The Phillies endured a 2-10 stretch earlier this month, but they’ve responded by winning nine out of their last 11 (including two out of three against the Mets over the weekend) to vault to the top of the National League East. The best sign from the weekend was Jesús Luzardo looking more like the early-season version of himself on Sunday.

4) Chicago Cubs ⬇️

Last week: 3

The past and the present all in one photo. Sammy Sosa was back at Wrigley Field for the first time in 21 years last week while Pete Crow-Armstrong became the fastest player in team history to reach the 20-20 mark.

5) New York Yankees

Last week: 5

Clarke Schmidt fired seven no-hit innings against the Orioles on Saturday and now owns a scoreless streak of 25 1/3 innings. Pitching for one of the most high-profile teams in the sport, his success has largely gone under the radar. Among pitchers with a minimum of 150 IP, only Max Fried, Hunter Greene, Zack Wheeler, Chris Sale, Tarik Skubal, and Paul Skenes have bested Schmidt’s 2.85 ERA dating back to the start of last season.

6) New York Mets ⬇️

Last week: 2

The Mets’ starting pitching has been a strength all season, but regression is hitting them at the worst time. The club has lost eight of their last nine games (including a 1-5 record against the Braves and Phillies) with their starters posting a 6.37 ERA in that stretch. Frankie Montas is due to make his Mets debut Tuesday against the Braves at Citi Field, but it’s a bit of a gamble as he’s put up a scary 12.05 ERA and 2.14 WHIP over six rehab appearances.

7) Houston Astros ⬆️

Last week: 8

The Astros are beginning to pull away in the AL West with a 14-6 record (.700) this month. The offense has picked things up in a big way in recent weeks, even with the timeline for Yordan Alvarez’s return in question.

We also witnessed one of the season’s best catches last week, with Luis Guillorme making an acrobatic diving play.

8) San Francisco Giants ⬇️

Last week: 7

Rafael Devers going deep against the Red Sox over the weekend for his first home run as a Giant was perhaps the most predictable outcome possible.

9) Tampa Bay Rays ⬆️

Last week: 10

The Rays are 21-9 over their last 30 games, soaring into contention in the American League. On a related note, their young third baseman Junior Caminero has ripped off a .321/.388/.716 batting line with 11 homers and 30 RBI over the past 30 days.

10) San Diego Padres ⬇️

Last week: 9

Fernando Tatís Jr. and Shohei Ohtani getting hit, among others. Robert Suarez getting suspended. Dave Roberts and Mike Shildt going face-to-face. We absolutely need to see the Padres and Dodgers square off in the playoffs again.

11) Milwaukee Brewers ⬆️

Last week: 12

Christian Yelich plated a career-high eight RBI on Friday against the Twins and is hitting .394/.450/.667 with seven home runs and 28 RBI over last 25 games. It’s no surprise that the Brewers have been on a roll during this time.

12) Toronto Blue Jays ⬇️

Last week: 11

Right in the thick of the Wild Card race, the Blue Jays will welcome Max Scherzer back to the fold on Wednesday against the Guardians. The future Hall of Fame has been sidelined for nearly three months due to right thumb inflammation. It’s been a lingering issue, so all parties involved will have to find a way to manage it.

13) St. Louis Cardinals ⬆️

Last week: 14

A big week for Nolan Arenado. After slugging his 350th career homer on Thursday, the future Hall of Famer hit a game-tying solo shot in the bottom of the ninth against the Reds on Saturday. The Cardinals would go on to win on an RBI single from Yohel Pozo in the 1tth inning. Arenado is hitting .288 with four homers, 12 RBI, and a .790 OPS this month.

14) Seattle Mariners ⬇️

Last week: 13

Cal Raleigh mashing a homer feels like a daily ritual at this point. With 31 homers on the year, he’s creating a category of his own with his power exploits while also handling the rigors of the catcher position. Truly impressive.

15) Boston Red Sox ⬆️

Last week: 16

While the Red Sox lost two out of three to the Giants over the weekend — at times in ugly fashion — they are still 12-7 this month. Early-season sensation Kristian Campbell was demoted last week after some prolonged struggles. In addition to getting his bat back on track, he’ll reportedly focus on playing first base during his time in Triple-A.

16) Atlanta Braves ⬆️

Last week: 20

The Braves are playing better baseball of late, with Ronald Acuña Jr. leading the way offensively, but losing Chris Sale with a fractured left rib cage is a tough blow. There’s no clear timeline for his return.

17) Cincinnati Reds ⬇️

Last week: 15

With Hunter Greene’s return from a groin strain in question and Wade Miley dealing with a flexor strain, the Reds are set to call up Chase Burns to make his major league debut Tuesday against the Yankees. Selected No. 2 overall in last year’s draft, the 22-year-old has posted a 1.77 ERA and 89/13 K/BB ratio over 13 starts across three different levels in the minors this season.

18) Cleveland Guardians ⬆️

Last week: 21

In typical Guardians style, they have the best ERA in the majors this month (2.93) while also posting the worst batting average (.215) and the lowest OPS (.614). Sigh.

19) Arizona Diamondbacks

Last week: 19

The Diamondbacks are actually 12-7 this month their high-profile injury woes, but can it possibly continue? Gabriel Moreno is dealing with a hairline fracture in his right index finger and Corbin Carroll is slated for an MRI after missing three straight games with a left hand injury.

20) Texas Rangers ⬇️

Last week: 18

2020 14th overall pick Justin Foscue is finally getting another chance in the majors with Jake Burger on the injured list due to an oblique strain. Foscue finished last season with an 0-for-39 stretch for the Rangers, which was a franchise record until Joc Pederson went 0-for-41 earlier this season. The 26-year-old has enjoyed all sorts of success in the minors, so here’s hoping for some better luck in Year Two. Why do I care so much about Justin Foscue, you may ask? Well, he’s one of my minor leaguers in a Scoresheet League. I still believe.

21) Kansas City Royals ⬆️

Last week: 22

We’re beginning to see the power that Jac Caglianone possesses, including a two-homer game last Thursday. Instead of showing his first career home run, let’s focus on the silent treatment he received upon returning to the dugout.

22) Minnesota Twins ⬇️

Last week: 17

The arrow continues to point down for the Twins, even as Byron Buxton plays like an All-Star. Including a pair of two-homer games over the past week, Buxton is slashing .339/.452/.763 with seven home runs, 17 RBI, and more walks (12) than strikeouts (10) this month.

23) Los Angeles Angels

Last week: 23

Sending best wishes to Angels manager Ron Washington, who will be away from the team indefinitely due to a health concern.

24) Baltimore Orioles

Last week: 24

The wait continues for 20-year-old top prospect Samuel Basallo. Adley Rutschman is expected to be sidelined until the All-Star break with an oblique injury and Maverick Handley landed on the 7-day concussion injured list following a collision with Jazz Chisholm on Sunday, but Chadwick Tromp was the catcher who got the call from Triple-A on Monday.

25) Washington Nationals

Last week: 25

This has been a tough stretch for the Nationals, but the ascension of James Wood continues. He launched this 451-foot blast on Saturday against the Dodgers and now has 21 home runs on the season. If Wood isn’t invited to the Home Run Derby next month, then what are we even doing?

26) Athletics ⬆️

Last week: 27

Nick Kurtz hit not one, but two walk-off home runs for the A’s last week. Strikeouts continue to be an issue for him, but he’s put up five homers and a .905 OPS in 12 games since returning from the injured list earlier this month.

27) Miami Marlins ⬇️

Last week: 26

Sandy Alcantara is beginning to round into form. After a shaky first two months in his return from Tommy John surgery, the 2022 Cy Young Award winner has a 2.74 ERA and 19/5 K/BB ratio in 23 innings across four starts this month. Assuming he can keep it going, he’ll almost certainly be one of the most-coveted pitchers leading into the trade deadline next month.

28) Pittsburgh Pirates

Last week: 28

I don’t mean to be negative here, but between Dennis Santanataking a swing at a fan and Oneil Cruz showing an embarrassing lack of effort after an error in center field, the Pirates just make it so easy sometimes.

29) Chicago White Sox

Last week: 29

The White Sox aren’t offering much in the way of save chances, but we’re getting a glimpse of the future with Grant Taylor right now. The 23-year-old converted his first career save Sunday against the Blue Jays while topping out at 102.2 mph with his fastball.

30) Colorado Rockies

Last week: 30

The Rockies have nine wins this month, equaling their total from the previous 58 games.

Mets’ Kodai Senga ‘feeling great,’ says rehab assignment is on ‘horizon’

The Mets shared an encouraging update on Kodai Senga’s hamstring injury prior to Sunday’s series finale with the Phillies, and the star right-hander validated those feelings of optimism less than 24 hours later with his own progress report.

Before their home series opener with the Braves, the Mets’ starter told reporters that his strained right hamstring is feeling “great,” and that he would be throwing off the mound on Monday with “decent intensity” if cleared by the training staff.

Senga also said he believes a rehab assignment is “on the horizon.”

“Daily conversations are very important,” Senga said, via a translator. “I know everybody wants to know, ‘Hey, when are you going to get off the mound, when are you going to throw a bullpen, when are you going to throw in a game?’ That’s kind of in the future. I want to take it day by day. Maybe some days I can push it a little bit further, while some days I need to take a step back and take it easy. Those are the conversations I’m having every day.”

Senga, who landed on the 15-day injured list with a low-grade hamstring strain on June 13, wasn’t instructed to completely shut down from throwing. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said as much just over a week ago, and this past weekend, he said Senga was keeping his arm fresh by playing catch.

It’s still unclear when Senga will return to the mound in uniform — the Mets initially projected to re-evaluate him in two weeks — but it’s possible his recovery timetable is ahead of schedule.

“The good thing is, he kept throwing, even right after the injury,” Mendoza said Monday. “The fact he’s already getting on the mound and letting the ball go with some intensity, that’s a really good sign. We’ll see what the next step will be. But not even two weeks, and he’s already getting on the mound and playing catch with intensity. That’s good.”

Senga has produced a stellar 2025 campaign thus far. In 13 starts, he owns a pristine 1.47 ERA — the league’s best mark for pitchers with 70-plus innings logged — and has struck out 70 batters while holding opposing hitters to a .195 average.

The Rangers Could Trade Up In 2025 NHL Draft

The 2025 NHL Draft is coming up in just a few days and the New York Rangers still have a significant decision to make regarding their 12th overall pick. 

As part of the J.T. Miller trade with the Vancouver Canucks, the Rangers either have to give up their first-round pick this year or in 2026. 

Speculation has been rising on what route Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury may take. 

One idea that hasn’t been discussed much, but is very well a possibility is the Rangers keeping their first-round pick and using it to move up in the draft. 

“I wonder if the Rangers try to move up,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said. “That’s another one I’m kind of wondering there.”

There are rumors floating around that a couple of teams could be willing to move down and there could be a lot of action in terms of trades before and during the draft.

“I really think this one (draft) has a chance to be crazy,” Friedman said. “I think there are some teams that could really set tones… There are some teams here that could really set the draft on its ears.”

It’s unclear if the Rangers are leaning toward keeping their first-round selection or giving it away. 

If they decide to keep it, they’ll have the option to either sit at their current selection and pick the best prospect on the board, trade the pick to move up in the draft, or for an already established player to help give the roster a boost. 

Flyers Trade For Trevor Zegras, Taking A Rangers Target Off Of The MarketTrevor Zegras has been traded from the Anaheim Ducks to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling, the 2025 45th overall pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick. 

On the other side of things, if Drury gives it up and keeps the team’s 2026 first-round pick, the Rangers will have a security blanket if their season goes off the rails and they regress or if the Blueshirts are in playoff contention, he can use that pick at the trade deadline to acquire a win-now player. 

It’s a dilemma with pros and cons on both sides, so Drury has a very difficult yet crucial choice to make that could impact the franchise in a major way.

The ‘Walmart Deals’ Sale Is Walmart’s Answer to Prime Day

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Walmart announced that it’s prepping to launch Walmart Deals, a sale meant to compete with Prime Day. Last year, Walmart had the same sale around last year’s Prime Day as well, so it’s no surprise it’s happening again. Here is what you can expect from Walmart Deals.

What is Walmart Deals?

Walmart Deals is meant to be the answer to Amazon’s Prime Day. It is both an in-store and online sale with deals on most things that Walmart sells (food being arguably the biggest omission). The sale happens every year around these early summer dates, revolving around Prime Day.

When does Walmart Deals start?

Walmart Deals kicks off online at 12 a.m. ET on Tuesday, July 8, and in stores at local opening times, and it will run through Sunday, July 13. This is the first time the sale will run for six days, likely having to do with Amazon also extending its sale.

Do you need to be a Walmart+ member to shop during Walmart Deals?

No. But, if you are a Walmart+ member, you’ll get early access to the sales beginning Tuesday, July 7 at 7 p.m. ET, a full night before the event opens to the public. You can sign up for a free 30-day Walmart+ subscription or get the annual plan for $98 ($8.17/month).

What you can expect from Walmart Deals

Walmart says its sale will include many different categories, including deals on electronics, home, toys, travel, back-to-school materials, and many other categories—similar to the deals we found last year. The sale will be on Walmart.com, the Walmart app, and in stores. You can already see the landing page, even though the sale hasn’t started. Here are some deals Walmart says will be available:

  • 32-Inch Samsung Smart Monitor for $199 (was $299.99)

  • 50-Inch Vizio QLED Smart TV for $238 (was $298)

  • Dyson V7 Advanced Cordless Vacuum Cleaner for $229.99 (was $399.99)

  • HART 40-Volt 21-inch Supercharge 3-in-1 Self-Propelled Mower Kit for $374 (was $548)

  • Ozark Trail 20×10 Foot Straight Leg Pop Up Canopy Tent for $139.77 (was $199.67)

  • Seiko Automatic Blue Dial Stainless Steel Men’s Watch for $125 (was $196.20)

  • Timex Women’s Dress Crystal 30mm Watch for $32.25 (was $79)

  • Skylight 15 inch All in one Family Calendar for $269.99 (was $319.99)

  • 75-Inch DIY Nutcracker for $159 (special buy, pre-order)

  • 55-Inch DIY Gingerbread House for $100 (special buy, pre-order)

You can choose between in-store pickup and different delivery options, including early-morning delivery, late-night express delivery, and next- and two-day shipping.

Here are all of the other competing sales

You can always expect major retailers to have their own competitive sales, the big ones being Best Buy, Target, and, of course, Amazon. Like in previous years, the dates for these sales will start earlier, overlap, and run longer than Prime Day. There are usually a couple of deals that are better than Amazon’s Prime Day from each of the retailers, but the majority of the good deals will be on Amazon. I will be updating this post with details on those offerings as soon as they’ve been announced.

Athletics new stadium: Rob Manfred, John Fisher take part in groundbreaking event for Las Vegas ballpark

The Athletics inched closer to officially moving to Las Vegas on Monday. The team held a groundbreaking ceremony for their new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip.

Team owner John Fisher and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred were present at the event, which was hosted by Athletics commentator and former player Dallas Braden.

The team’s new ballpark isn’t expected to be ready until the start of the 2028 MLB season. In the meantime, the Athletics will play games at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, the home of the Sacramento River Cats, a minor-league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Sutter Health Park has a capacity of roughly 14,000 people, per CBS News. The Athletics’ new park in Las Vegas is expected to seat roughly 33,000 fans. The cost of the new park is estimated at $1.75 billion.

The team’s move is not without controversy. After struggling to settle on a new stadium site near Oakland, Fisher received approval from MLB and Manfred to relocate in 2021. Two years later, the team purchased land in Las Vegas, with the intent to move the team to the city. The move received unanimous approval from MLB owners during the 2023-24 MLB offseason.

During the 2023 season, Oakland fans staged a reverse boycott at the ballpark. In an attempt to prove fans were not the problem, Oakland supporters showed up in droves to protest Fisher’s attempt to sell the team. Fans wore green T-shirts with the word “SELL” in capital letters and chanted “sell the team” to Fisher. 

The protests received massive attention but did not stop Fisher from moving the team. In anticipation of the team’s move to Las Vegas, the Athletics were more active than normal in free agency, inking pitcher Luis Severino to a deal that could total $67 million, the largest ever handed out by the team in free agency.  

iOS 26’s Second Beta Tones Down the Liquid Glass Effect

iOS 26 is full of new features and changes (some of which your older iPhone might not see), but perhaps the most obvious change this year is Apple’s “Liquid Glass” redesign. The goal is to turn all of the on-screen elements into digital glass: When you place something behind those elements, you should still be able to see it, just obscured and blurred, as a real object may appear behind a piece of glass.

The new update is currently in the initial stages of beta testing, which means Apple is still ironing out all of the quirks and issues before iOS 26 goes public later this year. However, even in this early stage, not everyone is a fan of Liquid Glass. Critiques can vary, but in general, the biggest controversy surrounds visibility: When you access Control Center in this first beta, for example, the tiles let through so much of the background that it can be difficult to quickly find the option you want to select. (Even if you can see the tiles well enough, it just looks busy.)

Soon after these critiques went viral on social media, beta testers discovered a workaround through an existing accessibility feature: “Reduce Transparency.” Reduce Transparency is meant to boost the contrast of on-screen elements by limiting or eliminating iOS’ or macOS’ transparent effects. As it happens, it also works on Liquid Glass, making Control Center tiles (and other UI elements) much more visible when placed on top of other items.

As it happens, you might not need to rely on this feature once Apple rolls out iOS 26 in full. The company dropped the second iOS 26 beta on Monday, and with it, reduced the transparency of the Control Center tiles by default. You can see the difference in the example below, per MacRumors:

It’s a good sign that Apple is taking feedback seriously and working on a better implementation of its new design, though I’m a bit torn. The new look is more legible off the bat, but directly comparing it to the previous design, you definitely lose that Liquid Glass effect. Maybe the company will continue to refine it throughout the beta process. After all, it’s still quite early, as the public beta doesn’t drop until July, and the general release won’t be until the fall.

Thunder hilariously showed their youth in uncertainty with Champagne during NBA championship celebration

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the youngest teams to ever win an NBA championship with an average age of 25.33 years old across the roster. (Only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers were younger, with an average age of 25.31 years.) 

That youth and lack of life experience became apparent during the Thunder’s locker room celebration following their 103-91 win in Game 7 on Sunday night. Several observers noted that the revelry was rather short. 

But to be fair, perhaps most of the players didn’t have experience in celebrating with Champagne and popping a cork on a bottle. Cameras were there to record that uncertainty for fans to see on social media. 

Several players asked veteran Alex Caruso, who celebrated a championship victory with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, how to properly shake up a bottle and get the cork to pop off. 

“AC, how we do this?” one Thunder player was overheard saying. “AC, teach me though!” said another. With their teammate’s guidance, the Champagne finally started spraying in the champions’ locker room.

During postgame press availability, center Isaiah Hartenstein admitted that most of the players had no experience with Champagne bottles when asked why the locker room celebration seemed so short and with several unopened bottles of bubbly.

“First of all, none of us knew how to do it,” Hartenstein said. “We were just asking AC how to do it… it was kinda not really in sync because no one knew how to do it.”

Responding to a follow-up question, Hartenstein explained that his previous championship experience came while he played in Lithuania and those players celebrated with tequila — “hard liquor, straight.” 

Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams appeared on NBC News’ “Morning News Now” on Monday morning and hosts Joe Fryer and Savannah Sellers asked about the Champagne celebration. Williams admitted that he had never tasted Champagne before Sunday night and did not like it. 

“I had never drank up until last night, so the Champagne was new,” Williams said. “I didn’t know what I was doing. It was cool, though. It tastes gross.” 

“Not easy to do the Champagne showers,” Holmgren added. “We weren’t used to, you know, doing that celebration.”

Holmgren provided another amusing example of inexperience with adult beverages during his postgame press conference, mispronouncing “Michelob” when touting Michelob Ultra providing goggles to shield their eyes from stinging during locker room festivities. 

He called the beer brand “mish-a-lobe” rather than “mick-a-lobe.” Oops. Innocent mistake, and an endearing one. 

Hey, it happens to plenty of people. Though it wasn’t alcohol-related, remember how Bryce Harper pronounced “meme” nearly 10 years ago during an interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt?

With the Thunder being such a young team, the expectation is that the 2025 NBA championship will not be the last title that this group wins. Oklahoma City has the look of a burgeoning dynasty. As with any playoff situation, they gained valuable experience that can be utilized in future postseasons. We could see plenty of Champagne-popping pros next time around.