August 2025

There were 1,614 posts published in August 2025 (this is page 120 of 162).

Ohio regulators drafting ban on micro-bets, including MLB first pitches, amid Guardians gambling investigation

As the gambling investigations into Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz continue, the state might be cracking down on the kind of bets that raised suspicions in the first place. Ohio regulators are drafting a rule to ban some micro-bets, including MLB first pitches, per ESPN’s David Purdum.

Matt Schuler, the executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC), told Purdum the organization is reviewing the types of micro-bets currently allowed in the state. If drafted, the rule would likely take a while to go through and would have to be approved by the Commission and the Ohio legislature before taking effect.

Ortiz, who was placed on leave July 3, had two pitches from June flagged after a large amount was placed on micro-bets related to the first pitch of the inning. Both of the suspicious pitches took place on the initial pitch of the inning, and both pitches were significantly outside the strike zone.

The review is being done at the request of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who sent out a a news release July 31 that called on the OCCC to remove certain types of bets. DeWine’s primary issue was with micro prop bets, which he called “highly specific events within games that are completely controlled by one player.”

“The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly,” DeWine said in the release.

For the investigation into Ortiz, there were two specific pitches flagged, with one on June 15 and another on June 27. In both incidents, an unusual amount of money was placed on Ortiz either throwing a ball or hitting a batter on the first pitch of the inning, with both pitches hitting the dirt well outside the zone.

Per Purdum, MLB has had ongoing conversations about how to approach micro-bets. During the MLB All-Star break, league commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters he considers some bets “unnecessary and particularly vulnerable.”

Clase was placed on leave July 28 in connection with a sports betting investigation, though the exact nature of that connection is still unknown. Ortiz was originally set to return from leave July 17, before his leave was extended to Aug. 31, the same as Clase. Both players have had their lockers cleared by the team in the meantime.

Ohio regulators drafting ban on micro-bets, including MLB first pitches, amid Guardians gambling investigation

As the gambling investigations into Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz continue, the state might be cracking down on the kind of bets that raised suspicions in the first place. Ohio regulators are drafting a rule to ban some micro-bets, including MLB first pitches, per ESPN’s David Purdum.

Matt Schuler, the executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC), told Purdum the organization is reviewing the types of micro-bets currently allowed in the state. If drafted, the rule would likely take a while to go through and would have to be approved by the Commission and the Ohio legislature before taking effect.

Ortiz, who was placed on leave July 3, had two pitches from June flagged after a large amount was placed on micro-bets related to the first pitch of the inning. Both of the suspicious pitches took place on the initial pitch of the inning, and both pitches were significantly outside the strike zone.

The review is being done at the request of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who sent out a a news release July 31 that called on the OCCC to remove certain types of bets. DeWine’s primary issue was with micro prop bets, which he called “highly specific events within games that are completely controlled by one player.”

“The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly,” DeWine said in the release.

For the investigation into Ortiz, there were two specific pitches flagged, with one on June 15 and another on June 27. In both incidents, an unusual amount of money was placed on Ortiz either throwing a ball or hitting a batter on the first pitch of the inning, with both pitches hitting the dirt well outside the zone.

Per Purdum, MLB has had ongoing conversations about how to approach micro-bets. During the MLB All-Star break, league commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters he considers some bets “unnecessary and particularly vulnerable.”

Clase was placed on leave July 28 in connection with a sports betting investigation, though the exact nature of that connection is still unknown. Ortiz was originally set to return from leave July 17, before his leave was extended to Aug. 31, the same as Clase. Both players have had their lockers cleared by the team in the meantime.

Yankees expect Giancarlo Stanton to play outfield this weekend against Astros

Aaron Judge’s return to the fold as a designated hitter has consequently meant less playing time for Giancarlo Stanton, but the Yankees still envision the veteran slugger seeing more action than usual this weekend.

While the Yankees’ home series opener against the rival Astros on Friday night will feature Stanton on the bench for a third straight game, manager Aaron Boone believes there’s a “good chance” that Stanton rejoins the starters as an outfielder on Saturday afternoon, with lefty ace Framber Valdez slated to pitch.

“We’ll see, assuming how today goes. He’ll do some work out there today,” Boone said of Stanton’s plan Friday. “The thought will be probably getting him out there tomorrow. [He looks] good. … G’s usually brutally honest in those situations. So I think he’s feeling good about where he’s at and the week he’s had. … Hopefully get through today and having him play tomorrow.”

The risks associated with Stanton playing the field remain obvious. He’s highly susceptible to lower-body injuries due to limited mobility from past ailments, and the Yankees have essentially made the outfield off-limits to him since 2023.

But the 35-year-old still believes he can contribute as a fielder, and until Judge is cleared for in-game throwing as he works his way back from a right elbow flexor strain, Stanton’s willingness to test his defensive skills again offer the club more versatility.

After all, the Yankees should want Stanton in the lineup as much as possible. Since making his 2025 debut in mid-June — he missed 70 games with tendinitis in both elbwos — he’s slashed .268/.340/.528 with 10 home runs and 28 RBI across 37 games. Stanton grounded into a double play as a pinch-hitter in Tuesday’s loss to the Rangers.

“I do know he would like to have [the outfield] in play, to have it as an option,” Boone said. “It would be nice to have on, at least, a small level in play. Just to add another layer of flexibility. But we’ve got to feel like, physically, he’s able to do that and it’s not taking anything away from him too.”

At this point in the season, with the Yankees in the midst of a summer downturn that could bump them out of an AL wild-card spot by Sunday night, having an eager Stanton available on a near-daily basis works best. 

Of course, Stanton has needed to wipe the dust off his glove this week in preparation for the assignment, but he’s played more than 1,100 games as a big league outfielder. And both he and the Yankees feel he can still field the position well enough, in spite of the injury fears.

“There’s always risk when you don’t play the game,” Boone said. “I do feel like, physically, he’s in a good place to do this on a limited basis. And that’s why we’ve spent the last week, 10 days, ramping it up and seeing how he’s doing with it. … He’s always been a quality outfielder. Some range is going to be limited, obviously, but I do feel like he’ll make the plays that need to be made.”

The balancing act with Stanton should stick around a little while longer with Judge restricted — the Yankees’ captain began throwing from 90 feet on Wednesday and Boone expected the same arrangement for Friday.

NL MVP watch: As Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber begin 2-month sprint for top honors, who has the edge?

Nearly 70% of the MLB calendar has passed as we’ve moved past the All-Star Game and the trade deadline. The 162-game marathon is now a two-month sprint to October. In that sprint to the postseason, there are storylines that really begin to take shape in August. They often include races for major awards as frontrunners pull away from the pack or dark horses emerge from the shadows.

Historically, August is pivotal in determining those awards. In 2016, Angels superstar Mike Trout hit .349 in August, the highest average of any month that season, leading to his second of three AL MVP awards. During August of his 2017 NL MVP campaign, Giancarlo Stanton carried a 1.332 OPS and mashed 18 home runs, placing him firmly in the driver’s seat on his way to an MVP award.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

Most recently, a strong August put Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill into a legitimate race with Pirates ace Paul Skenes for the NL Rookie of the Year Award. While Skenes ultimately won the award, Merrill’s hot month helped propel him to a runner-up finish in balloting.

This year, there are multiple awards that will come down to the wire. The most compelling might be the race for NL MVP. Shohei Ohtani, the game’s best player, has again been the front-runner for NL MVP all season. The Dodgers’ unicorn has an NL-leading .987 OPS entering Friday with 39 homers. He’s also returned to the mound in dominant fashion with a 2.37 ERA in eight starts, although in short stints as he builds up from elbow surgery.

The Cubs’ electric Pete Crow-Armstrong was once a strong candidate for NL MVP, but he and Chicago’s recent struggles have quieted that talk. But former Cub and current Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber has pushed himself into the conversation with Ohtani for NL MVP.

Schwarber has been consistent and productive for Philadelphia throughout this season, ranking second in the NL with a .965 OPS entering Friday and leading the NL with 40 homers. And even during times when the Phillies’ offense struggled, Schwarber carried them, including when superstar Bryce Harper was out of the lineup for three weeks with a wrist injury.

The Phillies’ DH is having his best season of his career and is on pace to set career-highs in nearly every offensive category including hits, home runs, RBI, OPS and stolen bases.

One of the biggest questions about the NL MVP race: In any season when Ohtani is healthy and he’s hitting at an elite level and pitching, is there anything a player can do outside of a historic season that would wrestle MVP awards away from him?

While Ohtani has swung the bat well and is turning into an ace again on the mound, the Dodgers haven’t played their best baseball despite their unicorn’s individual success. But Schwarber and the Phillies have taken off, and after being in the NL wild-card race, they are now firmly entrenched atop the NL East. And with Schwarber’s impact in the middle of their lineup, is that enough to overtake Ohtani?

While the AL MVP race is also compelling with front-runners Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh still leading the pack, the combination of Judge’s recent stint on the IL and Raleigh’s cold stretch since the All-Star break is likely leading to a photo finish in September.

The NL Cy Young Award is starting to look like Skenes’ to lose. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year has pitched to even better levels than he did last season when he had a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. This season, Skenes has a 1.94 ERA in 24 starts. The Phillies’ duo of Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler could find a way to upend Skenes, but it will be tough with the Pirates’ right-hander dominating at this level. And with Pittsburgh having no plans to shut him down, he’ll have the body of work to go along with the production.

NL MVP watch: As Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber begin 2-month sprint for top honors, who has the edge?

Nearly 70% of the MLB calendar has passed as we’ve moved past the All-Star Game and the trade deadline. The 162-game marathon is now a two-month sprint to October. In that sprint to the postseason, there are storylines that really begin to take shape in August. They often include races for major awards as frontrunners pull away from the pack or dark horses emerge from the shadows.

Historically, August is pivotal in determining those awards. In 2016, Angels superstar Mike Trout hit .349 in August, the highest average of any month that season, leading to his second of three AL MVP awards. During August of his 2017 NL MVP campaign, Giancarlo Stanton carried a 1.332 OPS and mashed 18 home runs, placing him firmly in the driver’s seat on his way to an MVP award.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

Most recently, a strong August put Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill into a legitimate race with Pirates ace Paul Skenes for the NL Rookie of the Year Award. While Skenes ultimately won the award, Merrill’s hot month helped propel him to a runner-up finish in balloting.

This year, there are multiple awards that will come down to the wire. The most compelling might be the race for NL MVP. Shohei Ohtani, the game’s best player, has again been the front-runner for NL MVP all season. The Dodgers’ unicorn has an NL-leading .987 OPS entering Friday with 39 homers. He’s also returned to the mound in dominant fashion with a 2.37 ERA in eight starts, although in short stints as he builds up from elbow surgery.

The Cubs’ electric Pete Crow-Armstrong was once a strong candidate for NL MVP, but he and Chicago’s recent struggles have quieted that talk. But former Cub and current Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber has pushed himself into the conversation with Ohtani for NL MVP.

Schwarber has been consistent and productive for Philadelphia throughout this season, ranking second in the NL with a .965 OPS entering Friday and leading the NL with 40 homers. And even during times when the Phillies’ offense struggled, Schwarber carried them, including when superstar Bryce Harper was out of the lineup for three weeks with a wrist injury.

The Phillies’ DH is having his best season of his career and is on pace to set career-highs in nearly every offensive category including hits, home runs, RBI, OPS and stolen bases.

One of the biggest questions about the NL MVP race: In any season when Ohtani is healthy and he’s hitting at an elite level and pitching, is there anything a player can do outside of a historic season that would wrestle MVP awards away from him?

While Ohtani has swung the bat well and is turning into an ace again on the mound, the Dodgers haven’t played their best baseball despite their unicorn’s individual success. But Schwarber and the Phillies have taken off, and after being in the NL wild-card race, they are now firmly entrenched atop the NL East. And with Schwarber’s impact in the middle of their lineup, is that enough to overtake Ohtani?

While the AL MVP race is also compelling with front-runners Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh still leading the pack, the combination of Judge’s recent stint on the IL and Raleigh’s cold stretch since the All-Star break is likely leading to a photo finish in September.

The NL Cy Young Award is starting to look like Skenes’ to lose. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year has pitched to even better levels than he did last season when he had a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. This season, Skenes has a 1.94 ERA in 24 starts. The Phillies’ duo of Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler could find a way to upend Skenes, but it will be tough with the Pirates’ right-hander dominating at this level. And with Pittsburgh having no plans to shut him down, he’ll have the body of work to go along with the production.

Brewers activate Shelby Miller from injured list just over a week after acquiring him

MILWAUKEE — Shelby Miller is ready to help Milwaukee in its playoff push just over a week after the Brewers acquired the veteran right-hander from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline.

The NL Central-leading Brewers reinstated Miller from the injured list before their Friday night game with the New York Mets. The Brewers also recalled pitcher Tobias Myers from Triple-A Nashville and placed pitcher Logan Henderson on the injured list with elbow inflammation.

Miller came to Milwaukee along with injured pitcher Jordan Montgomery from the Arizona Diamondbacks for a player to be named or cash. Miller was recovering from a right forearm strain at the time of the trade and last pitched in the majors on July 5.

The 34-year-old Miller is 3-3 with a 1.98 ERA and 10 saves in 37 appearances this season.

OpenAI’s Rollout of GPT-5 Is Going Terribly

On Thursday, OpenAI officially revealed GPT-5 to the world. The much-hyped presentation was sparse on many specific benchmarks comparing GPT-5 to its past models, but OpenAI’s staff was adamant: this model is the best, most knowledgeable, and most powerful one to date.

GPT-5 has its haters

Many of the users who have been test driving GPT-5 in the 24 hours since, however, disagree. A visit to r/ChatGPT is enough to see the scope of the situation: The front page is full of posts complaining about the current state of the model, including: “GPT-5 is the biggest [piece] of garbage even as a paid user,” “OpenAI just pulled the biggest bait-and-switch in AI history and I’m done,” and “ChatGPT-5 rollout is an unmitigated disaster.”

One of the most prominent complaints concerns OpenAI’s decision to deprecate previous models, something the company announced unceremoniously during the GPT-5 presentation. GPT-4o, o3, 4.5, and other models are no longer available to use. Going forward, users will only have access to GPT-5 and its subsequent models (e.g. GPT-5 mini). Many users are upset that OpenAI took away previous models overnight with zero warning, especially when they feel the replacement doesn’t offer the same experience. Some have even canceled their subscriptions as a result.

I know people use ChatGPT for therapy, and I’m aware that people have formed deep attachments to the technology, but I’ll admit, I was a bit shocked to read some of the emotional reactions to losing access to these models. In one post, a user detailed how they relied on individual models for different tasks: They’d use 4o for creative ideas, o3 for logic problems, o3-Pro for deep research, and 4.5 for tasks related to writing. Another user talked about how they used 4o to help with their anxiety and depression, as, in their view, the model felt “human.” They believe people are grieving the loss of 4o, which tracks, at least with some other 4o-specific posts. There are people out there who really like these models, and are distraught following their removal.

But beyond mourning, some users just think GPT-5 isn’t very good. If you ask the model how many times the letter “b” occurs in the word “blueberry,” it reportedly says “three”: once at the beginning, once in the word “blue,” and once in “berry.” This isn’t necessarily a new problem—LLMs have had trouble spelling “strawberry” as well—but its not a great look for OpenAI’s “best” model ever. One X user highlighted an example of GPT-5’s inability to solve a “simple linear equation,” versus Google’s Gemini 2.5’s ability to solve it without issue, while this user posted GPT-5’s generation of a map of the United States, with most of the states labeled with gibberish.

Some users teased OpenAI over its vague benchmarking data. Rhys on X sarcastically posted “these gpt-5 numbers are insane,” and attached a graph that charted each GPT version by number (GPT-1 lands at “1” on the Y axis, GPT-2 at “2,” and so on until you reach GPT-5 at “5.”

There are also criticisms of auto-switching, one of GPT-5’s core features. Free and Plus ChatGPT users aren’t able to choose the specific model, but in OpenAI’s view, that’s a good thing. GPT-5 is supposed to be intelligent enough to pick the right model for you based on your query: simple questions use weaker models, while more complex requests use most powerful models. But if OpenAI is so sure that’s a good thing, why does it still offer the ability to manually switch models, so long as you pay $200 per month for a Pro plan?

Not everyone agrees that GPT-5 is bad, mind you. There are users who appear to be enjoying the model, appreciating the concise responses and fast performance. But the majority of discourse I’m seeing on social media and forums is neutral to negative. Even posts that at first seem positive end up criticizing the model:

4o lives on, for now

Since starting this piece, OpenAI has responded to the backlash. CEO Sam Altman posted a series of updates on X that seem to backtrack a bit on the decisions users have criticized most severely: Rate limits will double for ChatGPT Plus users for now; GPT-5 should seem smarter starting today; it will be easy to see which model is answering a given query; and manually choosing the thinking model will be more simple. Altman also acknowledged the initial rollout is going slower than expected, which makes sense since I still don’t have access to the new model.

But the biggest announcement of the bunch should come as welcome news to many users: 4o is back, at least for Plus users. If you pay $20 a month for ChatGPT, you can keep using 4o for the time being. Altman says the company is watching usage, and will make a decision on how long it will offer legacy models for in the future.

I’m curious how users respond going forward: Will those who canceled resubscribe to keep using 4o? Then again, why bother, if OpenAI is planning on taking away that model again sometime in the future? One thing’s for sure: This likely isn’t how OpenAI expected GPT-5’s rollout to go.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Lifehacker’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Ryan Mountcastle, Phil Maton and Bubba Chandler

FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS

Ryan Mountcastle (1B Orioles): Rostered in 24% of Yahoo leagues

Bringing the left field wall back in some at Camden Yards this year was supposed to help Mountcastle most of all, but the results just weren’t any good early on and then Mountcastle suffered a hamstring strain on May 30 that’s cost him more than two months. He’s finally set to return this weekend after going 12-for-31 with three homers and four doubles in nine rehab games at Triple-A Norfolk.

Since homers to left were very tough to come by in Baltimore for a couple of years, Mountcastle retooled his approach at the plate, resulting in him spraying more balls to the opposite field and hitting additional grounders. This year, he figured it made sense to try to resume hitting like he did when he first came up and produced a 33-homer season in his first full year in the majors in 2021. Before getting hurt, he succeeded in getting his pull rate back up to where it was in his debut. However, he was still hitting too many grounders. It also seemed like he was fairly unlucky; Mountcastle hit .246/.280/.348 with two homers through 52 games, but he had 16 barrels and a 46.5% hard-hit rate. Statcast gave him an xBA of .270 and an xSLG of .441.

Mountcastle might have returned from injury as a part-time player had the Orioles gotten back into contention before the deadline, but that’s obviously not how things worked out. Barring a Samuel Basallo callup, he and Coby Mayo can both receive all of the playing time they can handle while splitting time between first base and DH, and while Baltimore’s pitching is obviously rough at the moment, the top half of the lineup remains pretty good at generating RBI opportunities. Mountcastle should be solid enough in terms of average and the power categories to help.

Phil Maton (RP Rangers): Rostered in 19% of Yahoo leagues

The Rangers seemed primed to add a true closer at the deadline, but the big names went elsewhere. In the end, they settled for Maton and lefty Danny Coulombe and instead made a bigger addition to their rotation in Merrill Kelly. Still, Maton, who has never had the chance to close since debuting with the Padres in 2017, seems like the team’s best option in the ninth.

Maton’s stock faded last year, though he posted a decent enough 3.66 ERA for the Rays and Mets. That his velocity eroded was the primary culprit; his fastball dipped from 90.9 mph in 2022 to 89.0 mph in 2023 and 88.7 mph last year, and his strikeout rate followed suit. This year, though, Maton is back up to 90.6 mph, and he’s throwing his curveball harder than he has since 2021. His current 30.4% K rate is a big improvement over his 2024 mark of 22.6% and his career rate of 25.9%.

Maton probably won’t get every save chance the Rangers generate. Robert Garcia still might factor in when lefties are due up in the ninth, and Chris Martin could emerge as a factor after returning from a strained calf next month. Still, Maton seems like a perfectly fine bet at this point. This is about as well as he’s thrown at any point of his career, and there’s nothing in his peripherals to suggest things are about to change.

Bubba Chandler (SP Pirates): Rostered in 23% of Yahoo leagues

Here’s my second go this year at including Chandler in a Waiver Wire column. It’s surely been done hundreds of times over dozens of websites by now, but maybe one more will make a difference. Or maybe, more likely, it’ll be the arrival of Aug. 15, the date on which prospects can be called up for the first time, spend the rest of the year on the roster and retain rookie eligibility for 2026. There are still at-bat and innings thresholds to think about there, but that’s more of an issue for the hitters; Chandler will not be topping 50 innings over the final quarter of the season.

The pressure was initially on the Pirates to promote Chandler in May, as he opened up with a 2.03 ERA and a 69/21 K/BB over 48 2/3 innings in his first 11 starts. When it never happened, Chandler went into a summer swoon, often struggling with walks. One can’t simply chalk up all of his struggles to boredom, but it has to be playing a role; if the Pirates were trying to win, he would have been up by June 1 at the latest.

Given the troubles with walks and his very limited win potential while pitching for a bad team and having his workload monitored, it’s probably best not to be overly excited for Chandler’s arrival, at least not for fantasy purposes. Still, he’ll definitely get strikeouts, and he could offer some value while certainly being more motivated than he has been of late.

Waiver Wire Quick Hits

– Baltimore’s Dylan Beavers is another guy who could prove ready for the majors on Aug. 15. Too bad he’s not right now, with the Orioles sporting a Chad Allen-Dylan Carlson-Ryan Noda outfield. Beavers, hitting .309/.423/.438 with 18 homers and 22 steals in Triple-A, will be very much worth adding if he gets the call.

– I thought I might be recommending Cristian Javier here after his first Triple-A rehab start following Tommy John saw him average 93.6 mph with his fastball. However, he was down to 92.5 mph last time out, and he’s walked 10 in 9 2/3 innings over his three turns. Something encouraging needs to happen soon for him to warrant a pickup or even a place in Houston’s rotation.

FDA Commissioner Makary, USDA Secretary Rollins Celebrate Proposed Modernization of Orange Juice Regulations to Benefit American Growers

(Washington, D.C., August 8, 2025) – U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins this week announced plans to support American citrus growers and cut bureaucratic barriers by proposing an update to the standard of identity (SOI) for pasteurized orange juice. This America First action will end a 60-year-old rule that hurts domestic farmers and forces reliance on foreign imports. The FDA expects this change is unlikely to affect the taste of pasteurized orange juice.