X-rays showing the left hand of a 17-year-old, photographed at a radiology practice in Friedrichshafen, Germany, 12 January 2018. Photo: Felix Kästle/dpa (Photo by Felix Kästle/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The news that Corbin Carroll had suffered a broken hamate bone in his hand was not the way the D-backs wanted to start spring training. I guess the good news – if there is any – is that the injury happened at the beginning of the pre-season, minimizing the amount of regular season time lost. Indeed, with almost six weeks between the injury and Opening Day, he may not end up missing much time, if any at all. However, there is a common perception that even after the player returns, the injury can have a negative impact, particularly in regard to their power. According to orthopedic sports surgeon Dr Deepak Chona:
“The amount of time varies, but generally projects to six weeks after returning. Most likely, this timing correlates with the recovery of grip strength and control of the bat. This dips after surgery (1) because of the generalized trauma/swelling to the muscles of the hand and (2) because the part of the bone (called the hook of the hamate) that they cut out to treat the fracture is involved in generating grip force as well.”
Is there statistical data to back up a drop in power? To see if there is, I used Fangraph’s Injury Report tool to find the occurrences of broken hamates in the majors over the last five years. There were seventeen, including some to names you might recognize – backup catcher James McCann suffered the same injury, while on the Mets in 2022. Three of those took place in September, and the players concerned didn’t return that year. So I excluded those from the sample, because they will have been well past the period of weakness described by Dr. Chona, by the start of the following campaign.
Firstly, the average date between the event and the player coming off the Injured List was 61 days. That’s a little longer than expected, but is skewed by two players who each spent more than a hundred days on the IL. Half the fourteen players returned in seven weeks or less – which fits in with the 6-8 week time-frame often reported – the quickest being Emmanuel Rivera’s 36 days. So there is a chance that Carroll could indeed be back on the active roster in time for Opening Day, though it is more likely he will miss some time. But what might his performance be like when he comes back?
To look at that, I took the final thirty games for each player (which may be partly or all from the previous season), and compared their numbers there, against the first thirty games after their reactivation (or up until the end of the year). Angel Martinez and Emmanuel Rivera had made zero and two major-league appearances respectively before suffering their fractures. On the other hand, Rafael Marchán did not appear in the majors at all in 2023 after coming off the IL, and Mike Trout played only one game post his injury. So I skipped all four of their numbers entirely, even though this does reduce our sample-size to ten.
I then took the quick and dirty approach of simply averaging the triple-slash lines plus OPS. To be entirely accurate, I should have weighted these by PAs, but life’s too short, and this isn’t a doctoral thesis, so I’m happy with a “good enough” approach. Again, I do caution that this is a very small sample, and every individual case is going to be different. Past performance is no guarantee of future production, and please consult with your financial advisor before making any decisions based on these numbers. But the results we have, are as listed in the table below:
Before hamate: .192/.268/.328 = .596 OPS After hamate: .217/.293/.358 = .651 OPS
Hence the disclaimer above. Because otherwise, I’m sure there would be a rush of players running off to get their hamate bones removed, in order to boost their batting average by 25 points. Hey, Tommy John surgery makes you throw harder, doesn’t it? But if we look in particular at the isolated power metric of ISO (slugging percentage minus batting average), it hardly changes: .136 before, and just five clicks higher afterward, at .141. With a sample size of less than three hundred games on each side, that doesn’t seem statistically significant. While Dr. Chona’s logic makes sense, over the past five years it doesn’t appear that hamate injuries have led to a decline in power post-procedure.
It is possible that this is a relatively recent phenomena, resulting from improvement in care after the operation and rehabilitation processes. We’ve seen this in regard to Tommy John, which was once seen as the kiss of death to a pitcher’s career, but is now “super easy, barely an inconvenience.” Ok, I exaggerate, but it does take time for broader perceptions to catch up with advances in medical technology and procedure. It is possible that, previously, hamate surgery did have an impact on player power, but that no longer seems – at least, necessarily – to be the case. Which is good news for Corbin Carroll and the Diamondbacks.
It’s time for the NBA to recognize and treat the 3-Point Contest for what it is — the best part of All-Star Saturday. It has the star players, it has the drama, and it brings it every year. It is time to start closing All-Star Saturday Night with the 3-point contest.
Next year might be the right time because the field is already starting to stack up. This year’s winner, Damian Lillard, posted a screenshot of a text he had with Stephen Curry — and Curry had already said on NBC that he would be back in the contest next year.
Devin Booker told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic that he was in for next year, but losing this year stung, so the one on his home court in Phoenix might be his last.
Devin Booker said next year may very well be the last time he competes in the NBA All-Star 3-point contest as he lost, 29-27, to Damian Lillard in this year’s final.
“This one hurt a little bit. I wanted this one bad. Wish I was defending it in Phoenix but it’ll probably be the…
Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman forces out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at second base during Game 4 of the World Series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Position players reported to spring training at Camelback Ranch for the Dodgers on Monday, but manager Dave Roberts revealed that the team will be without its versatile second baseman and utilityman Tommy Edman when it opens the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home on March 26.
The 30-year-old Edman underwent ankle surgery during the offseason after being limited to 97 games in 2025 in his first full season with the Dodgers.
“I think just looking at where his ankle is at, trying to play the long view that you don’t want to have any regression or setbacks,” Roberts said. “So, how can we be methodical with it? Just for me, knowing that he’s just taking swings is enough. We’re not going to rush it. We want to put him in the best position, so I think it just kind of became [clearer] very recently.”
Edman will open the season on the injured list, something he is at peace with. He felt that a return before opening day was a bit ambitious, and that it would be better to err on the side of caution.
“That was always kind of a stretch, just due to the nature of the injury and the timing of the surgery and everything,” Edman said. “I think, having been out of the boot for a little over a month now, I was just kind of waiting to see how it progressed, and everything has gone exactly on-schedule. We were kind of leaving opening day open, just in case it happened to feel way better than expected. Everything’s on the expected schedule so far. As I get into more baseball stuff, I still have to work into the adaptation of volume. As the volume goes up, the swelling kind of increases a little bit, so I’ve got to take it slow and let the progress play out the way it was planned all along, instead of trying to speed it up.”
For now, Edman is slow-playing it.
“He took some swings a couple days ago, [from] both sides,” Roberts said. “He did some skipping, some light jogging, I think it was. He’s getting his body into baseball shape, so obviously he’s not going to be ready for the start of camp. He’s in that same bucket of, ‘When he’s ready, he’s ready.’ But each day, there’s been progress.”
Evan Phillips excited to be back
Days after signing a one-year contract to return to the Dodgers — despite being non-tendered earlier in the offseason — Evan Phillips expressed relief at being back.
“[The offseason] was quiet for a little bit,” Phillips said. “I leaned on my agent to be patient and trust that things were going to work out and we’re certainly glad that we’re back. It was definitely a very, very wild ride this offseason. It feels like I never left, so it’s kind of weird to get all the handshakes and hugs, but it’s just another spring training to me. I’m certainly glad to be back in Dodger blue.”
Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes told reporters Sunday that Phillips should return to the Dodgers sometime in the middle of the season. He underwent Tommy John surgery last June.
“[I’ve been] doing long toss a few times a week, hoping to get on the bullpen or on the mound for a bullpen next month,” Phillips said. “I’ll start that mound progression here in the next couple of weeks. I think, actually, Tuesday I’ll throw off of the mound for the first time, but it won’t be to a catcher or anything. It’ll just be a catcher standing up and there’s a slow progression, week by week. So [there will be] plenty of steps ahead that’s going to keep me busy here in Arizona, but I’m definitely looking forward to that progression.”
Feb 18, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Gomes talks with manager Dave Roberts (30) during spring training at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Here is every transaction for the Los Angeles Dodgers for the entire 2026 season, starting with the first day of spring training through the end of the team’s postseason run.
We will keep track of every single transaction involving the 40-man roster here, including players getting called up or sent down to the minor leagues, as well as signings, trades, waiver claims, getting designated for assignment, or released.
Also here will be every injured list stint, though we will also tract all the IL moves in their own post. We’ll also have another post that keeps track of minor league options, with a limit of five times a player can be optioned to the minors beginning after opening day.
NEW YORK (AP) — Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Hickman was treated for minor injuries and released, the team said on Monday after New York police received reports that he was jumped by four men in a hotel lobby.
The Browns said Hickman, 24, was at home resting with his family. There have been no arrests and an investigation continues, according to a statement from the New York Police Department.
Authorities said they responded to a 911 call at 4:35 a.m. Monday reporting an assault in a hotel lobby.
“Upon arrival, officers were informed that four unidentified individuals punched a 24-year-old male about the body following a verbal dispute,” police said. “The suspects fled the location in an unknown direction.”
An undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, Hickman has played 41 games over three seasons, recording 173 tackles, three interceptions and one fumble recovery.
GIRONA, Spain (AP) — Lamine Yamal missed a penalty as Barcelona lost at Girona 2-1 on Monday and passed up a chance to overtake Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
The defeat was the second in less than a week for Barca and left it second in the table, two points behind Madrid.
A win would have taken it above its archrival but, instead, a crisis brewed for coach Hansi Flick, whose side lost to Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the Copa del Rey last week.
The second loss came even though Barcelona took the lead early in the second half.
Yamal hit the post with his spot kick on the stroke of halftime but 14 minutes into the second period Pau Cubarsí met Jules Kounde’s cross from the right and placed his header perfectly into the top corner.
The goal was Barcelona’s 100th in all competitions this season and made it the second club in Europe’s big five domestic leagues to hit the century after Bayern Munich.
However, Girona roared back into the game just three minutes later.
Barcelona’s Joan Garcia was already the busier of the two goalkeepers but he could not stop Thomas Lemar side-footing home from close range after nice work from Vladyslav Vanat on the left wing.
Both sides pushed for a decisive second and it was Girona who executed with three minutes remaining, substitute Fran Beltrán scoring with a low shot from just inside the box.
Girona’s Joel Roca was sent off in the dying seconds but there were no more goals.
The victory ended a three-game winless streak for Girona and lifted it three places into 12th, equal on points with Getafe.
Only seven points separate the 11 clubs from eighth to 18th in La Liga.
“I think they ain’t really going to take in what I’m saying, but I like this format,” All-Star MVP Anthony Edwards said. “I think it makes us compete because it’s only 12 minutes, and the three different teams separate the guys. I think it was really good … I feel like the old heads played hard, too. They were playing real good defense.”
Edwards was not the only player thinking that way.
“I think it was definitely a step up in the competitive department compared to last season,” Kevin Durant said.
“I know the world guys wanted to win. I know Victor [Wembanyama] wanted to win bad,” Devin Booker said. “You could see it. And I know our team did.
“Shout-out Kawhi. We were watching that game in the back. That’s probably one of the most special quarters of basketball we’ve witnessed.”
Booker also threw the NBA league office some love for changing around the players’ schedules during All-Star Weekend.
“The NBA did a good job of us doing all our media and pictures yesterday. So today, we could just come in and properly get our bodies activated. I think that was a big part of it,” Devin Booker said. “I think every team honestly wanted to win.”
“We wanted to play hard. It doesn’t matter what the format was, I came in, I’m going to play some defense,” Maxey said. “I’ll score when I can, but I want to play hard, bring energy, get some steals, and have fun.”
Karl-Anthony Towns said this was his favorite All-Star Game he’s played in, partly because he got to represent the Dominican Republic on the World Team, and partly because of the level of competition.
“Fans have been asking for it. Media have been asking for it,” Towns said. “I feel that after today, I think you all can see the competition is there, and I think that we all brought it today and a sense of effort. I hope that the fans and all of you appreciate it.”
A number of the World players were excited to represent the growth of the game.
“I think it brought some competitiveness with it, and it’s a fun format,” first-time All-Star Deni Avdija said. “So it shows how the game went global, which is amazing to see.”
Victor Wembanyama was the guy credited with sparking the hard play — Edwards the MVP said Wemby set the tone at the start of the first game, when he scored the World’s first seven points.
Wembanyama liked the USA vs. World format, but is open to a return to tradition.
“I liked it,” Wembanyama said of the format. “I wouldn’t be against this format in the future, and I wouldn’t be against the regular East versus West either.”
Wemby isn’t the only player who still likes the East vs. West
“I thought it was good,” Kawhi Leonard said. “But I still think going back to East-West will be great. I think guys will compete still.”
Whatever the format is next year in Phoenix, hopefully we see the same level of player buy-in, defense, and competitiveness. It’s what we’ve all been hoping for.
Damian Lillard might have just sparked anticipation for possibly the greatest NBA 3-Point Contest of all-time.
After Lillard won his third State Farm NBA 3-Point Contest in a stunning, edge-of-the-seat fashion during the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend, he caught the attention of another great NBA shooter, arguably the greatest of all-time, who seemingly wants in on next year’s competition.
Stephen Curry, the NBA’s all-time leader in three-point shots made, confirmed in an Instagram direct message to Lillard that he would compete in the 2027 NBA All-Star Weekend’s 3-Point Contest in Phoenix, Arizona.
Lillard reached out to Curry first to assemble the troops.
He lobbied for himself, Curry, Klay Thompson and Devin Booker to be frontrunners in next year’s competition, adding they would need to find four more participants.
“Next year … me, you, Klay, Book, and 4 more real shooters,” Lillard said.
Curry responded with excitement and interest in the ultimate competition between the league’s best shooters.
“Yessir I’m in. Know Klay will do it if I ask and Book will be at home. Perfect setup,” Curry wrote, according to Lillard’s Instagram story.
Lillard posted the interaction to his social channel, seemingly confirming the arrangement.
“It’s lit,” Lillard captioned his Instagram story.
Next year’s 3-point contest is going to be special 🍿
CAGLIARI, Italy (AP) — Lecce beat Cagliari 2-0 and gained a vital three points in its struggle to avoid relegation from Serie A on Monday.
The southern club remained in 17th place but the win took it three points clear of the relegation zone. It was tied on points with the two clubs above it, Cremonese and Genoa.
After a goalless first half, the visitor was more clinical in a decisive second period.
Omri Gandelman put Lecce ahead with a header after 65 minutes, and Ylber Ramadani doubled the lead 11 minutes later with a powerful shot into the bottom corner.
It was the second win in a row for Lecce after a run of eight games without a victory and only the second time in 12 games it has scored twice in one match.
It was the second loss in succession for Cagliari, which remained in 13th place, a point behind Parma and one clear of Torino.
The San Diego Padres will go into the 2026 season with a better roster than in 2025. It is already a better roster and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller isn’t done yet. He said so in his morning media scrum on Sunday.
It is not a World Series winning team as it currently stands. But it is good enough to compete for the first half of the season and Preller could still make improvements over the next few weeks and at the trade deadline this summer.
By July, we will have a better idea of which players in the minor leagues he can use as trade bait to complete the team. For those who don’t like the way Preller operates, you should probably get used to it. It was made public on Monday that he has been extended for multiple years.
Prospects are capital to Preller. If he falls in love with one, like he did Jackson Merrill, then we could see that player with the Padres. But otherwise, they are used to get players he feels the major league team needs.
The 2025 Padres won 90 games and started the season with Yuli Gurriel as DH, Jason Heyward in left field and Elias Diaz/Martin Maldonado behind the plate. Heyward and Gurriel were gone by May, but it was painful to watch until then. Diaz and Maldonado lasted until Freddy Fermin was acquired at the trade deadline when Diaz became the backup and Maldonado was released.
Here is a look at how the current roster compares to the one we saw in spring of 2025. Anyone would be hard-pressed to argue we aren’t in a better place.
Starting pitchers
This is the one area where the Padres, on paper, appear to be behind last season. With a starting group of Dylan Cease, Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Randy Vasquez, an injured Yu Darvish and Kyle Hart the Padres were taking a big swing with hoping that Cease, King, Darvish, Pivetta and Vasquez would carry them through, and Hart could be a depth piece. On paper that looked serviceable.
We didn’t know that Darvish had a torn UCL and Cease would be ineffective through parts of the year. We didn’t know that King would get hurt after being dominant for a couple months and Hart would flame out as a starter and be shuttled between the bullpen and Triple-A.
Pivetta stepped forward and carried the load for this team, allowing Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert to get starts and shine. Vasquez, who struggled early on and wasn’t sharp, came on late in the season and helped prop up the rotation.
It was a patchwork group who looked good to start the year but were injury-riddled and still managed to pitch the Padres to 90 wins (with a bullpen assist).
For 2026, Cease is gone and King is healthy. Joe Musgrove is back from Tommy John surgery and Vasquez looks to build on the step forward he took late last season. Pivetta has earned the front-of-the-rotation status that should come his way on Opening Day.
The rotation needs a fifth starter and depth. With the acquisition of Germán Márquez and Griffin Canning (not on roster yet), the Padres now have JP Sears, Márquez, Matt Waldron, Hart, Marco Gonzales, Triston McKenzie and Canning in competition for the fifth spot and depth for the rotation. This should make for an interesting spring to see who fills out the roster.
If last season’s pieced together rotation, with the help of their shut-down bullpen, was able to have a good season then this group should have an equal chance.
Bullpen
The Padres had Tom Cosgrove, Sean Reynolds, Alek Jacob, Ron Marinaccio, Omar Cruz and Juan Nuñez competing for bullpen jobs last season. The back of the bullpen had Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada. Middle relief was Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta. Bryan Hoeing got hurt early and wasn’t a factor.
Suarez is now the set-up man for the Atlanta Braves. Of the other prior bullpen options, only Jacob and Marinaccio are still with the team.
For 2026, the Padres have Mason Miller to close. Adam, Morejon and Estrada are late-inning options, and a host of other contenders fill out and add depth to the bullpen.
Peralta and Matsui are likely locks with the team. David Morgan made a great first impression last season and earned a 2.66 ERA in 47.1 innings pitched. Bradgley Rodriguez was only in seven games but showed wipeout stuff with a 1.17 ERA.
Hoeing could be competing for the long-man role with Hart or Marinaccio. There are many other options with Preller adding Ty Adcock and Daison Acosta to the roster for the bullpen. Then there are the Padres minor league options with Garrett Hawkins and Francis Peña (not on the roster).
Non-roster invites in camp include Ethan Routzhan, Manuel Castro, Sean Boyle, Logan Gillaspie, Justin Yeager, Ryan Och and Evan Fitterer.
An area of deep depth for the Padres, the bullpen competition will mean someone who should be a big-league pitcher will either leave the team or be in the minor leagues.
With the news from Preller that Jhonny Brito will not be ready until May or June, that takes him out of the running but adds another arm for later in the season. He was recently moved to the 60-day IL.
Outfielders
The Padres did serious dumpster-diving last offseason to acquire over-the-hill major league players to fill out their roster. Gurriel, Heyward, and Maldonado all signed and made the opening roster for the team. Aging and largely ineffective Jose Iglesias still played good defense but added little with his bat. Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano didn’t come along until after the trades made at the deadline.
Connor Joe was signed to platoon at first base and the outfield but had nothing left and was traded to the Reds in May. The Padres used Brandon Lockridge, Tyler Wade, Gavin Sheets and Oscar Gonzalez to piece together left field and relief for Jackson Merrill when he was injured and Fernando Tatis Jr. when he needed a day off.
After acquiring Laureano, the Padres had a much improved outfield and he is retained for one more season. To add depth, the Padres have Bryce Johnson, Sheets (in a pinch), newly acquired Miguel Andujar and new signee Nick Castellanos as well as Tirso Ornelas.
Adujar and Castellanos are probably guaranteed to make the team as depth and DH options as well as platoon options for first base.
Jase Bowen, Carlos Rodriguez, Nick Schnell and Pablo Reyes were all minor league signs with invites to spring camp.
Infielders
The Padres have Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth to provide good defense and reliable offense on the left side. Luis Arraez was the regular first baseman in 2025. Although an excellent contact hitter, he provides little else. His below-average defense and lack of power hampered the lineup during 2025.
Sheets is a power-hitting lefty first baseman who plays league average defense but has significant splits versus left-handed pitchers. A platoonmate for first base is an area of emphasis for Preller this offseason. Andujar plays first, Castellanos has started working out at first during the offseason and Preller added first baseman Ty France to the mix on Monday morning. Signed to a minor league deal, France has the best glove of the group with 10 OAA (outs above average) ranking for his range as an infielder. His overall fWAR for 2025 was 1.0.
There are multiple options now for the starting group in the infield and a stiff competition should take place for the right-handed platoon piece for Sheets at first base. Minor league sign Jose Miranda is a bounce-back candidate for the infield. Minor league depth includes Marcos Castanõn, Franciso Acuna, Nick Solak, Samad Taylor and Romeo Sanabria. All were non-roster invites to spring camp.
Catchers
Things get really interesting behind the plate in 2026. Freddy Fermin is the frontline catcher but has never been the top guy before and will need to ease into increased playing time to avoid what we saw last year after his trade to San Diego. With the wear and tear of playing almost every game, Fermin’s offense deteriorated significantly.
His pre-All-Star game average was .274 with a .354 on base. He was traded to San Diego and played more games those last two months than he had previously for any two months of his career. His post-All-Star average was .226 with a .259 on base.
All those numbers were a big improvement over the Diaz/Maldonado tandem the team started with, but it seems clear that to get the best out of Fermin he needs a solid backup catcher to give him time off.
The Padres are going all in on Luis Campusano this spring. Both Preller and manager Craig Stammen have stated that fact repeatedly. He is the No. 2 and will get a lot of playing time this spring to show what he can do on both sides of the ball. Campusano is out of options. This is his last chance to prove he can be a major league player with San Diego.
Behind Campusano are Blake Hunt and Rodolfo Duran. Both were mentioned by Stammen as compliments to the backup job. If Campusano washes out, those two will be the first options for the Padres.
Top prospect Ethan Salas will get lots of work this spring in a run up to his minor league season where he hopes to re-establish himself as a top prospect in baseball.
Bench
The Padres bench in 2025 consisted of Gurriel as the DH and fill-in for first base (he hit .111 before his release). Iglesias and Sheets provided infield depth with Sheets also filling in for Heyward in left field. Lockridge was the fourth outfielder. Maldonado was the backup catcher.
For 2026, the bench options are Castellanos, Andujar, Johnson, Ornelas, Campusano, Mason McCoy, France, Will Wagner and the newly acquired infielder Sung-Mun Song from Korea. Song was primarily a third baseman in Korea but has voiced a willingness to work all around the field for the Padres. He will get work at first base and the outfield, as well as at second and third base.
The only position Song hasn’t been mentioned for is shortstop. It isn’t clear who the primary backup at shortstop will be. Cronenworth is the most experienced player on the team at that position to back up Bogaerts.
As Bogaerts will be gone to the WBC for a lot of spring camp, we will see who gets the bulk of playing time for the Padres. McCoy and Wagner are both shortstops by trade and Wagner is left-handed. This could be the best opportunity for one of them to make the roster.
So there you have it. The floor of talent for this team far exceeds the one put on the field for the start of the 2025 season. The ceiling for this team is yet to be determined. Much will be discovered as the spring goes on and Preller continues to make adjustments to the roster.
The competition should be fierce and entertaining to see who rises to the challenge and pushes their way onto the 26-man roster for the 2026 Padres.
