August 2025

There were 1,614 posts published in August 2025 (this is page 66 of 162).

Mets’ Francisco Alvarez placed on IL with thumb sprain, will eventually need surgery

Francisco Alvarez was having a fantastic game in the Little League Classic on Sunday night in Williamsport, but a right thumb injury forced him out after the seventh inning.

Following an MRI, the Mets announced on Tuesday that Alvarez has been placed on the 10-day IL with a right thumb UCL sprain.

According to the Mets, Alvarez will be re-evaluated in 10-14 days for return to play.

The Mets have called up catcher Hayden Senger to take Alvarez’s spot on the roster.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, manager Carlos Mendoza said that Alvarez will need to have surgery on his thumb, but whether that surgery happens in the near future or the offseason will be determined in the next two weeks or so.

“He needs surgery, obviously, but right now, talking to multiple doctors, the plan is to give him 10-14 days to calm down the inflammation and see where he’s at after that as far as gripping the bat, if he’s going to be able to swing,” Mendoza said. “There are players in the past who [have] played through this, and that’s why we’re giving it a chance. If he goes and has surgery right now, he’s going to be done for the season anyway. 

“So, he wants to give it a try. We’re hopeful that he can play through this, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”

SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino notes that if Alvarez is able to hold off on surgery until the offseason, it should not impact the start of his 2026 season, as this kind of surgery typically has a 6-7 week recovery period.

The injury occurred in the home half of the seventh inning when Alvarez cracked his third hit of the game with a double off the wall in right, just beating the throw with a head-first slide.

But on the slide, he appeared to jam his right thumb into the bag. Alvarez immediately called for time and was examined by the Mets’ training staff, but stayed in the game to run the bases. He advanced as far as third base before he was stranded there. When it came time for the top of the eighth inning, Luis Torrens was behind the plate.

Mendoza said that Alvarez’s grip had “some strength” when he was examined on the field, but it was the manager who decided to lift the catcher before he came in to play defense.

“He was like, ‘I’m good, I’m good, I’m good,'” the skipper said. “Then [after the inning] he’s like, ‘Let me play catch.’ At that point, I was like, if you’re still… let’s not mess around with it and let’s go inside. I basically took it away from him. I didn’t want to even let him play catch.”

Alvarez was seen exiting the Mets’ dugout during the inning change and showed his right thumb to a few teammates as he headed back toward the clubhouse with a member of the training staff.

The 23-year-old, who missed the start of the season with a hamate fracture in his left hand and spent a chunk of the year working on things at Triple-A Syracuse, appeared to have found his stroke at the plate.

Since returning from the demotion in late July, Alvarez is slashing .323/.408/.645 with four homers, six doubles, one triple, 13 RBI, and 14 runs scored in 71 plate appearances over 21 games.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Nolan McLean, Ryan Bergert, and Samuel Basallo

We are officially in the fantasy baseball championship push.

Whether you’re trying to hold onto a top spot, pushing the leader, desperately trying to play catch up, or positioning yourself for playoff matchups, reinforcements and upside are vital this time of year.

Most waiver wires have been picked over though and it’s difficult to find impact players readily available in most leagues at this point in the season.

Fear not, because there are still a handful of available players that have the chance to be difference makers that help push us towards glory. And luckily, we recently got a handful of minor league promotions that could genuinely swing leagues.

MLB Power Rankings: Brewers reign, Tigers climb, Padres fall out of top 10
The Brewers now have five more victories than anyone else in baseball.

Here are three players that are under 40% rostered on Yahoo leagues that you should strongly consider adding.

If you want a larger list, Eric Samulski wrote his

wrote a great piece for FanGraphs recently describing how uncommon it was for a pitcher like Bergert to have great vertical action and spin efficiency on a fastball and also a sweeper without losing much velocity on it. Read the article, it’s amazing and Michael is a fantastic pitching mind.

While possibly special pitch traits may not make Bergert an impact pitcher alone, his upcoming schedule might. He’s set to face the Tigers, White Sox, Angels, and Guardians in his next four starts. If anything switches by a day, he could even get the Twins in the middle of there.

Schedules are very important this time of year and with Bergert’s being so favorable plus him having some fun pitch traits make him an enticing waiver wire option.

Samuel Basallo, C/1B Orioles

(24% Rostered on Yahoo)

Sometimes in fantasy baseball, opportunities come along that are so great, we have to act without thinking and let the pieces fall into place afterwards. Basallo’s promotion to the Orioles is one of those opportunities.

He is already 3-for-10 with a double, two runs scored, and four RBI two games into his big league career. Half of the balls he put in play were hit harder than 95 mph and his 78.1 mph bat speed is in the 99th percentile of all big league hitters. He is a stud.

In terms of an offensive profile, there wasn’t a more impressive hitter in the minor leagues. He just turned 21 years old last week and had 23 homers in 76 games at Triple-A.

His batted ball data may have been more impressive than the homers though. He had a 115.9 mph max exit velocity, 21% barrel rate, 57.4% hard-hit rate, and graded out exceptionally well among other key metrics. Shoutout Prospect Savant for the great work they’ve done with these minor league, Statcast adjacent player pages.

The one flaw he seems to possibly have is with pitch selection and chasing balls outside the strike zone. Yet, his pitch recognition seems solid because of his high walk rate.

In actuality, Basallo is a spectacular bad-ball hitter. He knows there are pitches that other hitters should not be swinging at that he can do damage on. Like this two-run single from his second career game.

That was a 97 mph fastball at shoulder-height from Jordan Hicks and Basallo turned it around with ease for a rope at 108 mph exit velocity.

Aram’s claim about Basallo being a prolific bad ball hitter holds true too. He saw 496 pitches in the shadow of the zone at Triple-A this season and put 83 of them in play. Of those 83, he had a 59% hard-hit rate, .561 SLG, .409 xwOBA, 19.8% barrel rate, and hit 10 home runs. Those are jaw-dropping results against what we consider pitchers’ pitches.

This is all just to say pick-up up Basallo right now and figure out the rest later. We’re dealing with a special hitter that can do what Nick Kurtz or Roman Anthony have done to this point.

Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles suspended 10 games by MLB after throwing bat at pitcher in minors

Seattle Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles was issued a 10-game suspension by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for throwing his bat at a pitcher during a minor league game.

Robles was on a rehab assignment with Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. Up against Las Vegas Aviators pitcher Joey Estes in the third inning Sunday, Robles was hit by a pitch near his head in the right shoulder. Robles then threw his bat at Estes and ran toward the pitcher. Held back by the umpire and teammates, Robles was ejected from the game. 

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As he left the game, Robles continued to lash out and actually threw packs of sunflower seeds from the dugout onto the field. 

The nine-year MLB veteran later apologized on social media for his actions, saying the frustrations of recently losing his mother and getting hit by pitches four previous times during his rehab assignment fueled his outburst. 

“Coming off a long rehab and being away from the game for most of the season has been physically and mentally challenging,” he said. “Adding to that, the recent passing of my mother has been incredibly hard, and I’ve been doing my best to hold it together. That’s not an excuse, but some context I feel you deserve to understand where I’m coming from.

“Getting hit 5 times in 15 at-bats added to that pressure, and I reacted in a way I’m not proud of. This game means the world to me, and so do the people who play it. I respect every one of you — my teammates, the opposing players, and everyone in this league.

Additionally, Robles was hit by a pitch last season from Estes when Estes was playing for the Athletics. 

Robles has been on the injured list since April 7 with a fracture in his left shoulder. He went down with the injury while making a leaping catch and colliding with the netting in right-field foul territory at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, and he had to be carted off the field.

Robles’ suspension will begin once he is reinstated off the injured list, as it must actually be served with the Mariners. It’s unclear how long his stint with Tacoma will last. He is expected to appeal his suspension.

In his two seasons with Seattle, Robles is batting .319/.376/.447 with 23 doubles, four home runs, 29 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 308 plate appearances. He’ll rejoin a Mariners team that is competing with the Houston Astros for the AL West lead and currently holds one of the league’s three wild-card playoff spots.

Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles suspended 10 games by MLB after throwing bat at pitcher in minors

Seattle Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles was issued a 10-game suspension by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for throwing his bat at a pitcher during a minor league game.

Robles was on a rehab assignment with Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. Up against Las Vegas Aviators pitcher Joey Estes in the third inning Sunday, Robles was hit by a pitch near his head in the right shoulder. Robles then threw his bat at Estes and ran toward the pitcher. Held back by the umpire and teammates, Robles was ejected from the game. 

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

As he left the game, Robles continued to lash out and actually threw packs of sunflower seeds from the dugout onto the field. 

The nine-year MLB veteran later apologized on social media for his actions, saying the frustrations of recently losing his mother and getting hit by pitches four previous times during his rehab assignment fueled his outburst. 

“Coming off a long rehab and being away from the game for most of the season has been physically and mentally challenging,” he said. “Adding to that, the recent passing of my mother has been incredibly hard, and I’ve been doing my best to hold it together. That’s not an excuse, but some context I feel you deserve to understand where I’m coming from.

“Getting hit 5 times in 15 at-bats added to that pressure, and I reacted in a way I’m not proud of. This game means the world to me, and so do the people who play it. I respect every one of you — my teammates, the opposing players, and everyone in this league.

Additionally, Robles was hit by a pitch last season from Estes when Estes was playing for the Athletics. 

Robles has been on the injured list since April 7 with a fracture in his left shoulder. He went down with the injury while making a leaping catch and colliding with the netting in right-field foul territory at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, and he had to be carted off the field.

Robles’ suspension will begin once he is reinstated off the injured list, as it must actually be served with the Mariners. It’s unclear how long his stint with Tacoma will last. He is expected to appeal his suspension.

In his two seasons with Seattle, Robles is batting .319/.376/.447 with 23 doubles, four home runs, 29 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 308 plate appearances. He’ll rejoin a Mariners team that is competing with the Houston Astros for the AL West lead and currently holds one of the league’s three wild-card playoff spots.

Where do things stand with restricted free agents Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey

August is the point in the calendar when there is no pressure on either side — the player or the team — to compromise when it comes to restricted free agents. Everyone can dig their heels in on their current offers — or rejections of said offers — because until we get closer to training camps opening at the end of September there is no pressure to get a deal done. The hard deadline to sign these extensions is Oct. 1.

That’s why four restricted free agents still hang out there: The Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga, the Bulls’ Josh Giddey, the Nets’ Cam Thomas, and the 76ers’ Quentin Grimes. This week there were updates that are not really much of an update on Kuminga and Giddey, let’s break it down.

There have been “renewed” talks between Kuminga and the Warriors, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported on NBA Today. However, he said the offer from the Warriors has not changed: Two years, $45 million, with a team option in the second year and the Warriors are demanding Kuminga waive the no-trade clause that automatically comes with that contract. Kuminga, understandably, is not willing to give up his only real leverage in the situation with the no-trade clause, and he continues to point to the $7.8 million qualifying offer, which is not ideal for either side but would make Kuminga an unrestricted free agent next offseason. From Slater on ESPN:

“The word I’ve heard used from the Kuminga side is ‘pawn.’ He doesn’t want to sign this two-year, $45 million deal with a team option where he is clearly just being used to be traded mid-season. That’s not something he wants to sign up for. Now if you’re talking about a three-year deal, if you’re talking about something with a player option that shows him a little bit more commitment, that’s something he’d be interested in. But as of now, the Warriors have been hesitant to do that, and because of that, Kuminga is signaling to those around him that he’s very willing – and prefers – the qualifying offer.”

Cooler heads likely will prevail, likely with one of three options: A third year (likely with a player or team option on that final season), a two-year contract with a player option on that second season, or a two-year deal with a team option but a hefty guarantee on that second season (say $15 million). However, of all the restricted free agents remaining, Kuminga — long frustrated with how Steve Kerr has used him in Golden State — is the most likely to sign the qualifying offer and just play out the season, looking to leave.

The update on Giddey is that there is not much of an update. The Bulls still have an offer at around $20 million a season for Giddey on the table, veteran Bulls insider K.C. Johnson reported on CHSN. 

Another insider, Jake Fischer of the Stein Line, reported recently that the Bulls’ full offer is around four years, $80 million. Giddey still wants to be paid closer to $30 million a season, the range of Derrick White, Tyler Herro and Jalen Suggs. 

Giddey can point to his numbers in Chicago last season after the All-Star break: 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists a game for a Bulls team that went 17-10 in that stretch. The challenge is that Giddey is not a great defender, and while he was an efficient scorer during that post-All-Star run last season, he is not historically a good 3-point shooter nor a great finisher around the rim. Around the league he is perceived as an 82-game player, not a 16-game player (he can help a team in the regular season, but our last playoff memory of Giddey is him getting played off the floor for Oklahoma City). Giddey will need to change that perception to get the money he seeks. 

Eventually, the sides will find a compromise and Giddey will put up stats this season as the fulcrum of the Bulls’ offense — he is a good player (and one who is going to help a lot of fantasy teams this season). 

Mets release Paul Blackburn after right-hander clears waivers

Nolan McLean’s big league promotion last weekend resulted in the Mets designating Paul Blackburn for assignment, and now the veteran right-hander is free to pitch in a different uniform.

The Mets announced the release of Blackburn on Tuesday, after he declined an outright assignment to the minors and cleared waivers on Monday. While the team is still responsible for the remainder of the 31-year-old’s salary, he’s only making the pro-rated league minimum.

Blackburn dealt with a lot this season, which started with him on the IL with right knee inflammation. 

The right-hander didn’t make his season debut until June 2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he pitched five scoreless innings. From there, things went downhill.

After a slew of ineffective outings, Blackburn went back on the IL with a right shoulder impingement, which he had been rehabbing for the last month. 

Healthy once again but with few spots available after the Mets fortified their bullpen at the trade deadline, the veteran was activated on Aug. 13 and pitched that day against the Atlanta Braves.

In what would end up being his final appearance for New York, Blackburn went five innings in what was a blowout loss to save the rest of the bullpen.

In seven games (four starts), the right-hander had a 6.85 ERA.

Joining the Mets at last season’s trade deadline, Blackburn only made 12 appearances during his time in New York after spending eight seasons playing for the Athletics. 

In his career, the veteran owns a 4.96 ERA in 452 innings.

Meanwhile, McLean said Friday he was “surprised” to get the promotion, but is ready for his MLB debut. He’s pitched to a 2.45 ERA with 127 strikeouts in 113.2 innings in the minors this season. The 24-year-old made five starts in Double-A before heading to Triple-A, where he owned a 2.78 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 16 outings.

NBA summer predictions: The East’s biggest risers and fallers, plus a gloomy forecast in Philly

With the NBA’s new schedule out, and training camps just weeks away, it’s time to look ahead to the 2025-26 season. What does the future hold for the Eastern Conference? Our writers take an early stab at predicting how the standings will play out.

Ben Rohrbach: The Orlando Magic. I thought they were bound for 50 wins last year, before injuries to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, among others, disrupted their rhythm in the regular season. Even when wounded, they looked formidable in a first-round loss to the defending champion Boston Celtics. Now, they bring back everyone healthy, plus Desmond Bane, whom they acquired via trade. This is a team that should not be afraid of the Cleveland Cavaliers in its pursuit of the conference’s No. 1 seed.

Tom Haberstroh: Orlando. Three of the seven teams ahead of them in last season’s standings are taking big steps backward, so the Magic would improve on their .500 record on that alone. Throw in the additions of Bane and sharpshooter Jase Richardson, and the Magic have a good chance at cementing their first 50-win season since the Dwight Howard era(!).

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Dan Devine: The 76ers. I’m sticking with my previouslyestablished intent to speak into existence “A Reasonably Healthy Season in Philadelphia,” because friends, what is the summer if not a time to stupidly tilt at windmills? And, from a more pragmatic bent: When looking for the team set to make the biggest leap, what better place to focus than on the team that just took the biggest plunge?

Philly got a grand total of 60 games and 1,908 minutes from Joel Embiid and Paul George last season. The two maxed-out superstars played just 294 minutes across 15 games alongside All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey. The trio appeared with would’ve-been-Rookie of the Year Jared McCain in only three games. If any of those totals make a significant jump — and if Nick Nurse is able to maximize the value of a perimeter rotation that also now features high lottery pick V.J. Edgecombe and (probably?) 3-and-D wing Quentin Grimes — then so, too, should the Sixers.

Vincent Goodwill: It would have to be the Magic. Look, someone has to win these available games vacated by the usual suspects, and assuming the Magic have health on their side with Banchero and Wagner being around for a full season, we’ll finally get to see how nice of a coach Jamahl Mosley is. And they’ve added Bane as a floor-spreading shooter with playoff experience. Fifty isn’t out of the question. Wild card here, the Atlanta Hawks (hedging, I know).

Devine: The Celtics. Call me crazy, but I think removing Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porziņġis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet and (probably?) Al Horford from the rotation will likely send Boston sinking from the top of the Eastern standings down toward the fringes of the play-in tournament, if not further.

I know: Pretty tepid take. But as the great philosopher RZA said in the seminal film “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” “The higher you get, the harder you fall. I mean, ask any coconut.”

Haberstroh: Celtics. How the mighty have fallen. Tatum’s career-altering Achilles injury was also a franchise-altering one. In the wake of their best player being sidelined for the season (or most of it), the Celtics downsized their roster quite literally. Their frontcourt rotation consists of … get ready … Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher and Luka Garza. With Anfernee Simons in tow and a patchwork frontcourt, there are going to be a lot of 152-144 losses in their future.

Goodwill: Everybody’s looking at Boston, and for good reason. The Celtics still have Jaylen Brown, who could carry them to at least a play-in, but we’re talking about a 60-win team here taking a big drop, while the Pacers lost Haliburton but had 50 wins last season. Plus, the Pacers have Rick Carlisle, who’s a wizard on the sidelines. Joe Mazzulla, let’s see if he can work magic without Tatum, Holiday and Horford (and oft-injured Porziņġis). Can you go bombs away as Plan A, B and C without the collective know-how of a championship defense behind you? They could surprise, but the sheer number of wins from last season makes this an easy choice.

Rohrbach: The Indiana Pacers. The conference’s reigning champions lost Tyrese Haliburton to injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and then lost Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency. I don’t even know what their identity is in the absence of Haliburton, other than to keep pushing pace, but now they must do it without their best rim protector. They should be prioritizing development over their standing in the conference, especially since they recently reacquired the rights to their own first-round draft pick.

Goodwill: (1) Cavaliers, (2) Knicks, (3) Pistons, (4) Magic, (5) Bucks, (6) Hawks

I’m still bullish on the Cavaliers as a regular-season team, even though there’s a lot of questions about them in May. The Knicks will be an October to April machine even without the hard-driving Tom Thibodeau. Detroit, assuming Jaden Ivey is healthy and Ausar Thompson continues his ascent, could be ready for real work. This is also setting up for the Doc Rivers overachieving Coach of the Year campaign he gives us every now and again, even with Prime Giannis.

Rohrbach: (1) Cavaliers, (2) Magic, (3) Knicks, (4) Hawks, (5) Pistons, (6) Bucks

The Cavs are still loaded. The Magic are now, too, since I believe in Banchero as the primary option on a great team. The talented Knicks are biding their time for the postseason. The Hawks and Pistons are two more young teams on the rise. And I have more faith in Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee than I do Joel Embiid in Philadelphia or anyone else.

Devine: (1) Knicks, (2) Cavaliers, (3) Magic, (4) Bucks, (5) Hawks, (6) Sixers

I’m pricing in a strong start for a Knicks team that should open with a healthy Mitchell Robinson, a deeper bench, thanks to the arrivals of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, and a fresh approach on both ends under new head coach Mike Brown, and a slight step back for the Cavs with All-Star point guard Darius Garland potentially missing the start of training camp, at least, following offseason toe surgery. I like both Orlando (which finished .500 despite core trio Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs missing 105 games, and added Desmond Bane) and Atlanta (arguably the biggest winners of the offseason in the conference) to make leaps, too.

Milwaukee in fourth is a bet on Giannis Antetokounmpo continuing to play at the MVP level we’ve now somehow become inured to. Philly in sixth is what we call in the business Committing to the Bit.

Haberstroh: (1) Cavaliers, (2) Magic, (3) Knicks, (4) Hawks, (5) Pistons, (6) Bucks

I have a pretty good handle on those six teams being somewhere in the hunt. What I don’t have any handle on: the Philadelphia 76ers. They could win the East or be top five again on Draft Lottery night. I split the middle and peg them in the play-in tournament.

Haberstroh: Joel Embiid joins Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton as East stars who are red shirting the season. Four-plus months after arthroscopic surgery, the lack of any sort of positive news around Embiid’s knee recovery is concerning. Granted, he’s notoriously private about his injury status so he could just be playing coy. But given his extensive injury history, I’m not bullish about his availability this season.

Devine: You mean besides “Projecting Belief in the Philadelphia 76ers?” Let’s go with, “The Celtics will drop all the way out of the top 10 in the East.”

That might be impossible if Jaylen Brown and Derrick White play the lion’s share of the games. What this take presupposes, though, is that, maybe they won’t — and that even Payton Pritchard going full “It’s Jordan Clarkson Time” won’t carry a threadbare roster to enough wins to qualify for the postseason … which, in turn, gives the Celtics a crack at a high lottery pick in what’s projected to be a strong 2026 NBA Draft, adding another potential blue-chip talent just in time for Tatum’s return.

Rohrbach: I was trying to talk myself into Embiid playing well enough to become more likely to be traded than Antetokounmpo, and what a hot take that would be, but I’ll go with this instead — a more optimistic spin: Jayson Tatum returns to the Celtics by season’s end. Inspired by a boyhood hero, Kobe Bryant, and propelled by a speedy surgery to repair his Achilles, Tatum will join the Celtics in some capacity, even if it is to get his sea legs underneath him in anticipation of a more formal reintroduction to stardom in 2027.

Goodwill: Are we sure Joel Embiid will play at all this season? Perhaps there’s been too much atrophy, too much attrition on those knees and back for us to have any expectations for him anymore. And this isn’t being fatalistic. A 7-footer with fluctuating weight and lower leg issues, there’s not a great precedent for that in league history, especially for someone who’s never been a regular-season warrior to begin with. He barely played enough games to qualify for his MVP season (66 in 2022-23), and he’s played just 58 since. Not a betting man, but smart money ain’t on this.

NBA summer predictions: The East’s biggest risers and fallers, plus a gloomy forecast in Philly

With the NBA’s new schedule out, and training camps just weeks away, it’s time to look ahead to the 2025-26 season. What does the future hold for the Eastern Conference? Our writers take an early stab at predicting how the standings will play out.

Ben Rohrbach: The Orlando Magic. I thought they were bound for 50 wins last year, before injuries to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, among others, disrupted their rhythm in the regular season. Even when wounded, they looked formidable in a first-round loss to the defending champion Boston Celtics. Now, they bring back everyone healthy, plus Desmond Bane, whom they acquired via trade. This is a team that should not be afraid of the Cleveland Cavaliers in its pursuit of the conference’s No. 1 seed.

Tom Haberstroh: Orlando. Three of the seven teams ahead of them in last season’s standings are taking big steps backward, so the Magic would improve on their .500 record on that alone. Throw in the additions of Bane and sharpshooter Jase Richardson, and the Magic have a good chance at cementing their first 50-win season since the Dwight Howard era(!).

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

Dan Devine: The 76ers. I’m sticking with my previouslyestablished intent to speak into existence “A Reasonably Healthy Season in Philadelphia,” because friends, what is the summer if not a time to stupidly tilt at windmills? And, from a more pragmatic bent: When looking for the team set to make the biggest leap, what better place to focus than on the team that just took the biggest plunge?

Philly got a grand total of 60 games and 1,908 minutes from Joel Embiid and Paul George last season. The two maxed-out superstars played just 294 minutes across 15 games alongside All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey. The trio appeared with would’ve-been-Rookie of the Year Jared McCain in only three games. If any of those totals make a significant jump — and if Nick Nurse is able to maximize the value of a perimeter rotation that also now features high lottery pick V.J. Edgecombe and (probably?) 3-and-D wing Quentin Grimes — then so, too, should the Sixers.

Vincent Goodwill: It would have to be the Magic. Look, someone has to win these available games vacated by the usual suspects, and assuming the Magic have health on their side with Banchero and Wagner being around for a full season, we’ll finally get to see how nice of a coach Jamahl Mosley is. And they’ve added Bane as a floor-spreading shooter with playoff experience. Fifty isn’t out of the question. Wild card here, the Atlanta Hawks (hedging, I know).

Devine: The Celtics. Call me crazy, but I think removing Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porziņġis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet and (probably?) Al Horford from the rotation will likely send Boston sinking from the top of the Eastern standings down toward the fringes of the play-in tournament, if not further.

I know: Pretty tepid take. But as the great philosopher RZA said in the seminal film “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” “The higher you get, the harder you fall. I mean, ask any coconut.”

Haberstroh: Celtics. How the mighty have fallen. Tatum’s career-altering Achilles injury was also a franchise-altering one. In the wake of their best player being sidelined for the season (or most of it), the Celtics downsized their roster quite literally. Their frontcourt rotation consists of … get ready … Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher and Luka Garza. With Anfernee Simons in tow and a patchwork frontcourt, there are going to be a lot of 152-144 losses in their future.

Goodwill: Everybody’s looking at Boston, and for good reason. The Celtics still have Jaylen Brown, who could carry them to at least a play-in, but we’re talking about a 60-win team here taking a big drop, while the Pacers lost Haliburton but had 50 wins last season. Plus, the Pacers have Rick Carlisle, who’s a wizard on the sidelines. Joe Mazzulla, let’s see if he can work magic without Tatum, Holiday and Horford (and oft-injured Porziņġis). Can you go bombs away as Plan A, B and C without the collective know-how of a championship defense behind you? They could surprise, but the sheer number of wins from last season makes this an easy choice.

Rohrbach: The Indiana Pacers. The conference’s reigning champions lost Tyrese Haliburton to injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and then lost Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency. I don’t even know what their identity is in the absence of Haliburton, other than to keep pushing pace, but now they must do it without their best rim protector. They should be prioritizing development over their standing in the conference, especially since they recently reacquired the rights to their own first-round draft pick.

Goodwill: (1) Cavaliers, (2) Knicks, (3) Pistons, (4) Magic, (5) Bucks, (6) Hawks

I’m still bullish on the Cavaliers as a regular-season team, even though there’s a lot of questions about them in May. The Knicks will be an October to April machine even without the hard-driving Tom Thibodeau. Detroit, assuming Jaden Ivey is healthy and Ausar Thompson continues his ascent, could be ready for real work. This is also setting up for the Doc Rivers overachieving Coach of the Year campaign he gives us every now and again, even with Prime Giannis.

Rohrbach: (1) Cavaliers, (2) Magic, (3) Knicks, (4) Hawks, (5) Pistons, (6) Bucks

The Cavs are still loaded. The Magic are now, too, since I believe in Banchero as the primary option on a great team. The talented Knicks are biding their time for the postseason. The Hawks and Pistons are two more young teams on the rise. And I have more faith in Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee than I do Joel Embiid in Philadelphia or anyone else.

Devine: (1) Knicks, (2) Cavaliers, (3) Magic, (4) Bucks, (5) Hawks, (6) Sixers

I’m pricing in a strong start for a Knicks team that should open with a healthy Mitchell Robinson, a deeper bench, thanks to the arrivals of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, and a fresh approach on both ends under new head coach Mike Brown, and a slight step back for the Cavs with All-Star point guard Darius Garland potentially missing the start of training camp, at least, following offseason toe surgery. I like both Orlando (which finished .500 despite core trio Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs missing 105 games, and added Desmond Bane) and Atlanta (arguably the biggest winners of the offseason in the conference) to make leaps, too.

Milwaukee in fourth is a bet on Giannis Antetokounmpo continuing to play at the MVP level we’ve now somehow become inured to. Philly in sixth is what we call in the business Committing to the Bit.

Haberstroh: (1) Cavaliers, (2) Magic, (3) Knicks, (4) Hawks, (5) Pistons, (6) Bucks

I have a pretty good handle on those six teams being somewhere in the hunt. What I don’t have any handle on: the Philadelphia 76ers. They could win the East or be top five again on Draft Lottery night. I split the middle and peg them in the play-in tournament.

Haberstroh: Joel Embiid joins Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton as East stars who are red shirting the season. Four-plus months after arthroscopic surgery, the lack of any sort of positive news around Embiid’s knee recovery is concerning. Granted, he’s notoriously private about his injury status so he could just be playing coy. But given his extensive injury history, I’m not bullish about his availability this season.

Devine: You mean besides “Projecting Belief in the Philadelphia 76ers?” Let’s go with, “The Celtics will drop all the way out of the top 10 in the East.”

That might be impossible if Jaylen Brown and Derrick White play the lion’s share of the games. What this take presupposes, though, is that, maybe they won’t — and that even Payton Pritchard going full “It’s Jordan Clarkson Time” won’t carry a threadbare roster to enough wins to qualify for the postseason … which, in turn, gives the Celtics a crack at a high lottery pick in what’s projected to be a strong 2026 NBA Draft, adding another potential blue-chip talent just in time for Tatum’s return.

Rohrbach: I was trying to talk myself into Embiid playing well enough to become more likely to be traded than Antetokounmpo, and what a hot take that would be, but I’ll go with this instead — a more optimistic spin: Jayson Tatum returns to the Celtics by season’s end. Inspired by a boyhood hero, Kobe Bryant, and propelled by a speedy surgery to repair his Achilles, Tatum will join the Celtics in some capacity, even if it is to get his sea legs underneath him in anticipation of a more formal reintroduction to stardom in 2027.

Goodwill: Are we sure Joel Embiid will play at all this season? Perhaps there’s been too much atrophy, too much attrition on those knees and back for us to have any expectations for him anymore. And this isn’t being fatalistic. A 7-footer with fluctuating weight and lower leg issues, there’s not a great precedent for that in league history, especially for someone who’s never been a regular-season warrior to begin with. He barely played enough games to qualify for his MVP season (66 in 2022-23), and he’s played just 58 since. Not a betting man, but smart money ain’t on this.

Alvarado’s return brings more than just pitching to Phillies

Alvarado’s return brings more than just pitching to Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The look said it all.

As José Alvarado stood at his locker in the Phillies’ clubhouse, a smile ran across his face as the assembled media made the march toward the big left-hander, just back from an 80-game PED suspension.

“I feel so good and happy to be back with my teammates,” said the affable Alvarado, who was reinstated Tuesday. To make room, the Phillies sent pitcher Nolan Hoffman back to Lehigh Valley. “It’s good when you’re working and you’re not doing anything crazy and you know your routine. That’s why I feel my good stuff is normal. I’m here.”

In five games at Lehigh, Alvarado pitched five innings, had four strikeouts and didn’t allow an earned run. As intimidating as it may be for opponents during the regular season to have to face two 100-MPH relief pitchers in Alvarado and Jhoan Duran, there’s more surrounding the happiness of Alvarado’s return.

“Yeah, it’s another great arm,” said manager Rob Thomson. “Other than one outing down in Lehigh, he was really good. Plus, his energy around the clubhouse is always fun. Yeah, it’s great to have him back.”

As for the pitching aspect of it, Thomson would like to proceed slowly when it comes to using Alvarado, but baseball doesn’t always allow things to go according to plan.

“It’s just another high-leverage arm,” Thomson said. “I’m going to ease him in. Try to ease him in. I can’t promise that. Great arm, lot of energy, brings a lot to the table in that clubhouse.”

The downside of it is, of course, Alvarado not being allowed to pitch in the playoffs. The particularly painful part of his punishment from Major League Baseball. But Thomson has said before that the objective is to win as many games in the regular season as possible, then adjust when the playoffs come. So, if Alvarado returns to form, expect some very hard throwing late in games until the postseason.

“It’s hard. It’s hard because I know I want to be there, but that happened,” said Alvarado of not being playoff eligible. “I’m here to try to do my best, to do everything I can for giving the help to the team to win a lot of games. If you see the hardest ball I threw was 100.8 (MPH). I don’t care about velo. I come here to attack the strike zone and that’s it.”

Getting a contribution from Alvarado out of the bullpen would help to make up for a lot of things, particularly the struggles veteran Jordan Romano has gone through this season. Monday, in a mop-up situation with the Phillies leading 7-1 in the seventh, Romano replaced Ranger Suárez with two outs and a man on first. He then gave up a single and a home run to make it a 7-4 game before getting out of the inning. He has a 7.56 ERA in 41 2/3 innings pitched this season.

“It’s funny, I was looking at that today,” said Thomson. “He either shuts people down or he gives up two or three runs. He did a lot early in the season. And a lot of tough luck, too. You look at last night, he gives up a jam shot base hit and then a guy fights him and fights him and fights him, and he leaves a slider in his wheelhouse and he hits it over the fence. It just seems like it’s been one of those years. Still good stuff. He’ll get swings and miss when he’s on. And he’s actually done a pretty good job at killing innings, coming in with traffic and getting out of it. I like him.

“There’s some fluctuations there (with velocity). But when it’s good, when it’s 96 it’s pretty good. That is a little bit strange when he dips down to that 93 range.”

Castellanos stays at No. 7

Recently, rightfielder Nick Castellanos went seven of eight games without getting a hit. Thomson gave the durable Castellanos a rare day off on Saturday in Washington but had him back in the lineup on Sunday, hitting in the fifth spot. Castellanos responded by going 2-for-5 with a home run and double.

Monday against the Seattle Mariners, Thomson dropped Castellanos to seventh in the order. Castellanos again had two hits.

“Just to break up the righties a little bit more,” said Thomson. “Instead of having the three righties in a row, stick Marsh in between them and kind of balance it out a little bit.”

The signs that Castellanos may be turning things around at the plate came in Washington for Thomson, but before the hits started coming.

“The Friday game in Washington he drove a few balls to centerfield and that was a good sign to me,” Thomson said. “He had the day off then he came out Sunday a double and a home run. Last night I thought the swings were pretty good. He’s getting on it.”

An update on the Ace

Thomson said that he reached out to pitcher Zack Wheeler via text Monday to see how his ace was doing after a successful thrombolysis procedure to remove a blood clot in his right upper extremity earlier in the day.

“He said he was feeling great,” Thomson said. “He’s at home resting now.” There is no timetable as for a Wheeler return.

Former No. 1 pick, five-time All-Star John Wall announces his retirement from basketball

One of the fastest and most electrifying players with the ball in his hands the league has seen, John Wall officially announced his retirement after 11 NBA seasons.

Wall was the No. 1 pick of the Washington Wizards in 2010 out of Kentucky. He Dougied his way to 16.4 points and 8.3 assists a game as a rookie, making First Team All-Rookie (he was second in Rookie of the Year voting to Blake Griffin).

Wall played nine seasons for the Wizards and is a franchise legend, a lightning-fast player end-to-end with the ball in his hands but able to play under control at that speed. He averaged 19 points and 9.2 assists a game in that stretch for Washington, making five All-Star teams, one All-Defensive team, and he was All-NBA in his peak season of 2017 when he averaged 23.1 points a game.

In 2019, Wall suffered a torn Achilles and was never the same after that. He missed a full season, then came back with stints with the Rockets (he was traded to them for Russell Westbrook) and Clippers, and in Los Angeles, he played well off the bench when healthy (but he only played 34 games for them). However, his impact was never quite the same after the injury.

The Wall game I most remember came during the lockout in 2011, when a number of NBA players got together at The Pyramid on the Campus of Long Beach State (about a nice 3-iron shot from my front door) for an exhibition game. In that free-flowing, pickup-style game, the speed and athleticism of Wall overshadowed everyone else on the court. He was dynamic and one of the most entertaining players the league has ever seen.