August 2025

There were 1,614 posts published in August 2025 (this is page 2 of 162).

Cubs reportedly signing Carlos Santana, officially add pitcher Aaron Civale off waivers

The Chicago Cubs are signing Carlos Santana days after he was released by the Cleveland Guardians, according to multiple reports.

Santana, 39, had a .215/.316/.333 slash average for Cleveland with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 52 RBI in 455 plate appearances this season. Yet he was in the lineup less during August as the Guardians gave more playing time to Kyle Manzardo and rookie C.J. Kayfus. Over the past month, he batted .186 with a .503 OPS in 48 PAs.

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Adding Santana seems a bit curious since the Cubs are already getting strong production at first base. Michael Busch is batting .264/.343/.503 with 26 home runs and 76 RBI. At designated hitter, Seiya Suzuki has 28 doubles, 27 homers and 87 RBI to go with a .247/.325/.478 average. 

Yet Santana is expected to sub in for Busch at first base when the Cubs face a left-handed pitcher, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. Busch is batting .195/.262/.299 versus lefties, while Santana — who is a switch-hitter — has a .235/.328/.353 average as a right-handed hitter against left-handers. 

Santana’s addition might not bode well for Justin Turner, who had been playing at first base versus lefties. Turner has better numbers against left-handers, batting .271/.319/.435 and is hitting .212/.383/.315 overall. He is also likely to stick around because he’s a valued clubhouse leader. But as that .315 slugging percentage and his three home runs indicate, Turner is not providing much power. 

Additionally, the Cubs signed pitcher Aaron Civale, bringing him across town after the Chicago White Sox placed him on waivers. While the Cubs officially announced signing Civale, the team has not confirmed adding Santana. Both players have to be on the roster by Sept. 1 to be eligible for postseason play.

Civale, 30, compiled a 5.37 ERA and 2-7 record in 13 starts for the White Sox this season while striking out 55 batters in 67 innings. Milwaukee traded him for Andrew Vaughn in June after he recorded a 4.91 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 22 innings. 

For his career, Civale has a 4.18 ERA and a strikeout rate of 8.1 per nine innings. He has also pitched for the Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays in his seven MLB seasons. 

Civale has never pitched as a reliever, making all 135 appearances of his career as a starter. The Cubs seemingly have a full rotation with Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Colin Rea and Javier Assad. But Civale could be insurance while Jameson Taillon and Michael Soroka recover from injuries. Or he could be used to give some starters a rest during September. 

Porter Hodge was also called up from Triple-A Iowa, where he averaged 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings. In an earlier stint with the Cubs this season, he notched 25 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. 

The Cubs (78-58) went into Sunday’s MLB slate trailing the Brewers by six games in the NL Central. They currently hold the league’s No. 1 wild-card playoff spot.

Yankees blow second half of Sunday’s 3-2 loss at White Sox, waste chance to sweep lowly Chicago

The Yankees blew a late lead and chance to sweep the lowly Chicago White Sox, who scored three unanswered runs in the second half of Sunday’s 3-2 final at Rate Field.

Takeaways

  1. RHPLuis Gil‘s August ends with a solid outing but disappointing finish. He threw 98 pitches (63 strikes), yielded two runs on four hits, struck out seven and walked two in 5.1 IP. Gil’s sixth-inning solo home run allowed to Colson Montgomery was costly, though, squandering New York’s 2-1 lead with one out in the sixth inning and leaving the bullpen to sort through the final few frames. In six starts this month as he made his season debut and return from injury, Gil went 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA and 1.60 WHIP over 24 innings — a welcome sign for the Yankees (76-61), but Sunday’s finish should leave a sour taste into September.
  2. CaptainAaron Judge‘s second home run in as many days, a first-inning solo shot that put New York on the board, ties him with legendary catcher Yogi Berra among all-time Yankees at 358 career home runs. Judge’s 3-for-5 afternoon, which included his third-inning double and fifth-inning single, sees him slashing .324/.443/.674 with 43 home runs and 97 RBI in 127 games this season. He flew out with one out and Trent Grisham on first base in the ninth inning while New York trailed 3-2, which is unfortunate for him, but he otherwise showed up on a day where the Yankees only managed six hits.
  3. LHPTim Hill allowing the go-ahead home run, a solo shot by Lenyn Sosa, with two outs in the eighth inning was the turning point for New York’s late-game collapse. Hill (2.93 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), who allowed a run on three hits in this past Friday’s 10-2 win, is trending the wrong way.
  4. The Yankees’ win streak snaps at seven games, and the recent victorious trend closed the gap with the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, but these are ones that New York must have if it wants to play its way out of the wild card. Chicago (49-88) was dead in the water and now the Yankees are three games behind the Blue Jays (79-58) entering a three-game series at the AL West-leading Houston Astros (75-61). New York is 37-37 against teams over .500 this season.

Who’s the MVP?

Sosa, who stepped up with the game on the line.

Highlights

What’s next

The Yankees have Monday off before they finish the second leg of their seven-game road trip with the Astros. New York LHP Max Fried (14-5, 3.06 ERA) is set to start Tuesday’s 8:10 p.m. opener.

Jarren Duran hits inside-the-park home run to power Red Sox past Pirates

Jarren Duran made sure the Boston Red Sox avoided the sweep Sunday afternoon.

Duran hit an inside-the-park home run in the fifth inning of against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which helped push the Red Sox to a 5-2 win at Fenway Park.

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With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Duran hit a shot that found the gap in the outfield perfectly. The ball rolled between the outfielders and reached the wall while Carlos Narváez and Alex Bregman scored. Duran then made it all the way around and crossed plate standing up after the throw home was well off the mark.

That marked Duran’s first career inside-the-park home run. It put the Red Sox up 4-1.

Jarren Duran became the second Red Sox player to hit an inside-the-park home run at Fenway Park this season. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Brian Fluharty via Getty Images

The inside-the-park homer was the second from a Red Sox at Fenway Park this season, which snapped a dry spell at the stadium that dated back to 2011. Wilyer Abreu hit an inside-the-park homer in June and made it around the bases in less than 17 seconds. He hit a grand slam in that game, which made him the sixth player in MLB history to accomplish both of those things in the same outing.

Boston added another run in the sixth inning Sunday after Ceddanne Rafaela hit an RBI single. 

Pirates outfielder Alexander Canario hit a solo home run in the seventh to narrow the gap, but the Red Sox held on the rest of the way to grab the three-run win.

Duran entered Sunday’s game holding a .258 batting average with 13 home runs and 73 RBIs this season, his fifth with the team.

The Red Sox now sit at 76-62 on the season with the win, which marked their eighth victory in their past 11 outings. They are third in the AL East standings and are very much in range of the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays. If they can hold on to a wild-card spot during this last stretch of the season, the Red Sox will make their first postseason appearance since 2021.

Boston will be back in action Monday, when it kicks off a three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians.

The M4 MacBook Pro Is $300 Off for Labor Day

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Labor Day sales are rolling in, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before they’re over. You can also subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

It’s Labor Day weekend, and tech sales are going strong, with deals on TVs, iPads, tablets, and headphones. If you’re looking for a deal on a new MacBook, this is your best chance so far this year: Apple’s powerful M4 MacBook Air already dropped to $799, its lowest price ever, and now, the base 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro is following suit: It’s down to $1299 on Amazon, a $300 discount from the usual $1599. It’s the cheapest price yet for this model MacBook Pro. (The pricier M4 Pro model with the M4 Pro chip and 25GB RAM has already received a $300 cut, from $1999 to $1699.)

The 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro is a step above the M4 MacBook Air. They share the same chip, but the MacBook Pro gets a 10-core GPU instead of an eight-core. You also get 16GB Unified Memory, and 512GB Storage as standard (instead of 256GB for the Air).

Apple M4 MacBook Pro

Apple 2024 MacBook Pro Laptop with M4 chip with 10‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU: Built for Apple Intelligence, 14.2-inch Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage; Silver with AppleCare+ (3 Years)


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Apple M4 Pro MacBook Pro

Apple 2024 MacBook Pro Laptop with M4 Pro, 12‑core CPU, 16‑core GPU: Built for Apple Intelligence, 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 24GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage; Silver


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The MacBook Pro body and design are also completely different. Unlike the Air, the Pro’s body is fan-cooled, so it can sustain processor intensive workloads for video editing and coding for much longer. The Pro also offers a much better screen, with a 3024×1964 native resolution at 254 pixels per inch, 16,00 nits HDR brightness, up to 1,000 nits of regular outdoor brightness, and a 120Hz refresh rate. The M4 MacBook Pro’s battery backup is also substantial, with up to 24 hours of video streaming and 16 hours of wireless web browsing.

As a Pro model, it comes with three Thunderbolt USB-C ports, an HDMI cable, and a SD card slot. All this tech does make the Pro heavier: It’s 1.55 kg, or 3.4 pounds, versus the Air’s 1.24 kg, or 2.7 pounds. But if you’re the kind of person that wants a really fast MacBook with 120Hz display, long battery, great build, and don’t mind the weight, the M4 MacBook Pro can be a great choice.

If you just want a thin and light laptop for work and school, you can’t go wrong with the M4 MacBook Air, which, again, is discounted to $799 for Labor Day. If you’re looking for a budget option, the still reliable M1 MacBook Ai can be yours for $599.

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Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz will stay on leave indefinitely amid MLB gambling investigation

MLB has extended the suspension of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz indefinitely as the league continues its sports betting investigation.

The team announced the news on Sunday, saying that the league and the MLBPA had agreed to extend Clase and Ortiz’s paid leave “until further notice.” Clase and Ortiz’s original non-disciplinary suspension was set to end on Sunday.

Ortiz was placed on leave on July 3 after MLB opened an investigation into sport betting in the league. Two of Ortiz’s pitches in June — both balls thrown well outside the zone — were reportedly flagged as suspicious.

Ortiz’s leave was originally supposed to end on July 17, but it was extended to match Clase’s, with both originally supposed to go off leave on Aug. 31. Clase was placed on leave on July 28, though his connection to the gambling investigation is unknown.

In connection with the incidents, Ohio regulators are reportedly drafting a bill to ban certain types of micro-bets at the request of Gov. Mike DeWine. Both of Ortiz’s suspicious pitches took place at the very beginning of an inning; in both incidents, large amounts were placed on the outcome of the first pitch of the inning.

“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 a news release on July 31.

MLB has also been discussing the issue of micro-bets: During the MLB All-Star break, league commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters he considers some bets “unnecessary and particularly vulnerable,” via ESPN’s David Purdum.

The Best Labor Day Tool Deals Under $25

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Labor Day sales are rolling in, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before they’re over. You can also subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

There’s nothing worse than getting partway through a DIY project and discovering you don’t have the right tool to finish it—and Labor Day sales provide a good way to keep that from happening, providing discounts that make it easier to upgrade your toolkit while keeping to a budget. Even if your budget is relatively miniscule. To that end, here are the best Labor Day tool deals I’ve found under $25.

Wrenches and ratchets

A good tool kit should include a set of wrenches and a ratchet, which will allow you to drive nuts for multiple sizes of bolts for assembling and disassembling furniture, changing filters on large appliances, or auto maintenance. Here are some great under-$25 deals on wrenches and ratchets.

  • This Crescent 20-piece ratchet set is on sale on Amazon for $24.98, 41% off its usual price. This set comes with a ⅜-inch ratchet handle, an extension bit, and 8 each of metric and SAE sockets. This is a good beginner kit because it covers most sizes of nuts you’ll encounter, and it’s small and easily portable.

  • This Ryobi 26-piece 1/4 -inch drive ratchet set is on sale for $19.97 at Home Depot, 33% off its normal price. This set comes with a ¼-inch drive ratchet handle, 24 sockets in both metric and SAE sizes, and a carrying case. This is a good set for smaller home maintenance tasks and because it’s so compact, it’s great for apartment living.

  • This Craftsman 10-piece combination wrench set is on sale for $19.98 at Lowe’s, 31% off its typical price. The set includes 10 double-ended, SAE wrenches. This set is a good companion to a ratchet set, so you can use a wrench to hold a bolt head as you’re turning the nut, or use the wrenches on their own to drive nuts.

Screwdriver sets

A range of screwdrivers is essential for any basic home toolkit, whether you’re assembling flatpack furniture or swapping out a switch plate. Here are some deals on screwdriver sets on sale for under $25.

  • The Craftsman 8-piece screwdriver set is on sale on Amazon for $14.98, 49% off its usual price. This set includes 8 screwdrivers with half slotted and half Phillip’s head, in a variety of sizes; it also has two short-handled drivers for turning screws in tight spaces. This is a good starter set.

  • The DeWalt 2-piece screwdriver set is on sale for $9.97 for Labor day. The set includes two drivers, on Phillip’s head, and one flathead. The tips of these screwdrivers are magnetic, so they’ll hold onto your fasteners, which is convenient if you’re working in an awkward space.

  • The Craftsman 15-piece ratcheting screwdriver set is on sale at Ace Hardware for $14.99, 41% off the regular price. It’s labeled as a 15-piece set because the bits are double ended, but it actually comes with 7 bits and a ratcheting handle. The bits store inside the handle, so it’s a compact option for your home tool kit if you have limited storage space. It includes Phillip’s head, flat head, square tip, and star drive bits.

Other tools and accessories

Here are a few more standout Labor Day tool deals on tools and accessories.

  • The DeWalt 20-inch handsaw is on sale at Ace Hardware for $15, 50% off its normal price. This is a basic handsaw for cutting medium sized dimensional lumber, and can be handy for finishing corners when cutting sheet goods with a power saw. The 8-tooth-per-inch blade will provide a medium-to-smooth cut without splintering or tear out on most lumber.

  • A set of four Vevor bar clamps is on sale at Lowe’s for $24.99. This set includes two 6-inch clamps and two 12-inch clamps with a 2 ½-inch jaw depth and a 600-pound pressure capacity. Clamps are a useful tool for DIY woodworking because you can use them to hold joints flush while you’re driving fasteners or waiting for glue to dry.

  • A DeWalt 16-oz. Hammer is on sale for $14.99 at Ace Hardware, 44% off its regular price. This is a small, smooth-faced hammer with a curved-claw for pulling nails. This is a good hammer for projects like hanging pictures or driving small finish nails, but it doesn’t have the weight necessary for larger jobs like framing.

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Bucks re-signing Thanasis Antetokounmpo, likely indicating Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t pursue trade

The Milwaukee Bucks re-signing a player who didn’t play in the NBA last season and averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds during his previous five-year stint with the team might not seem like significant news. 

However, the player in question is Thanasis Antetokounmpo. And adding him back to the roster appears to indicate that Giannis Antetokounmpo intends to stay with the Bucks, rather than push for a trade. 

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Thanasis Antetokounmpo will sign a one-year, $2.9 million contract to return to Milwaukee, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. The veteran confirmed the news on social media.

Antetokounmpo, 32, did not play last season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. He sustained the injury during a workout in May 2024, according to The Athletic. That also prevented him from playing for Greece in last summer’s Paris Olympics. 

Prior to his injury, Antetokounmpo played five seasons with the Bucks from 2019-24. His best performance was during the 2021-22 campaign, during which he averaged 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 48 games. Before signing with Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo played five seasons internationally for Andorra in Spain’s Liga ACB and Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks has been uncertain since the end of last season when Milwaukee was eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks went down in five games due in part to Damian Lillard suffering a torn Achilles tendon during Game 4 of the series.

Following the season, Milwaukee waived Lillard and stretched the remaining two years and $113 million of his contract across a five-year span to reduce its salary cap hit. That allowed the Bucks to sign center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal, indicating to Antetokounmpo that the team intended to build around him and stay in playoff contention.

The Bucks re-signed Bobby Portis, but lost Brook Lopez in free agency and traded Pat Connaughton, raising questions as to how much of a contender could be built around Antetokounmpo. Many felt that the two-time NBA MVP might have the same concerns and push for a trade with one more year (at $58.5 million) remaining on his contract in addition to a $63 million player option for 2026-27. 

Milwaukee management reportedly met with Antetokounmpo to discuss the future direction of the team, which was viewed as the team’s last chance to convince their star to stay. The results of that meeting haven’t been reported, but signing his brother appears to indicate that Antetokounmpo intends to stay for at least one more season before deciding whether or not to vest his player option. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo has played all 12 of his NBA seasons with the Bucks, winning an NBA championship in 2021 and two MVP awards, in addition to Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors. 

The Antetokounmpo brothers are currently playing for Greece in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament, leading the national team to a 3-0 record in group play. Giannis is averaging 29 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while Thanasis is averaging 3.3 points. Kostas Antetokounmpo is also on the team, averaging 0.7 points per game. 

Bucks re-signing Thanasis Antetokounmpo, likely indicating Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t pursue trade

The Milwaukee Bucks re-signing a player who didn’t play in the NBA last season and averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds during his previous five-year stint with the team might not seem like significant news. 

However, the player in question is Thanasis Antetokounmpo. And adding him back to the roster appears to indicate that Giannis Antetokounmpo intends to stay with the Bucks, rather than push for a trade. 

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

Thanasis Antetokounmpo will sign a one-year, $2.9 million contract to return to Milwaukee, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. The veteran confirmed the news on social media.

Antetokounmpo, 32, did not play last season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. He sustained the injury during a workout in May 2024, according to The Athletic. That also prevented him from playing for Greece in last summer’s Paris Olympics. 

Prior to his injury, Antetokounmpo played five seasons with the Bucks from 2019-24. His best performance was during the 2021-22 campaign, during which he averaged 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 48 games. Before signing with Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo played five seasons internationally for Andorra in Spain’s Liga ACB and Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks has been uncertain since the end of last season when Milwaukee was eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks went down in five games due in part to Damian Lillard suffering a torn Achilles tendon during Game 4 of the series.

Following the season, Milwaukee waived Lillard and stretched the remaining two years and $113 million of his contract across a five-year span to reduce its salary cap hit. That allowed the Bucks to sign center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal, indicating to Antetokounmpo that the team intended to build around him and stay in playoff contention.

The Bucks re-signed Bobby Portis, but lost Brook Lopez in free agency and traded Pat Connaughton, raising questions as to how much of a contender could be built around Antetokounmpo. Many felt that the two-time NBA MVP might have the same concerns and push for a trade with one more year (at $58.5 million) remaining on his contract in addition to a $63 million player option for 2026-27. 

Milwaukee management reportedly met with Antetokounmpo to discuss the future direction of the team, which was viewed as the team’s last chance to convince their star to stay. The results of that meeting haven’t been reported, but signing his brother appears to indicate that Antetokounmpo intends to stay for at least one more season before deciding whether or not to vest his player option. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo has played all 12 of his NBA seasons with the Bucks, winning an NBA championship in 2021 and two MVP awards, in addition to Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors. 

The Antetokounmpo brothers are currently playing for Greece in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament, leading the national team to a 3-0 record in group play. Giannis is averaging 29 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while Thanasis is averaging 3.3 points. Kostas Antetokounmpo is also on the team, averaging 0.7 points per game.