Dončić attempted to take a charge on Knicks forward Mohamed Diawara in the third quarter. After the Lakers star was knocked to the ground and called for a blocking foul, he looked at the nearby official and rubbed his fingers together as he was on the floor, seemingly indicating the referee was paid off.
Dončić has had regular run-ins with officials this season. As of Tuesday, he has picked up 15 technical fouls, one away from an automatic one-game suspension.
The Lakers have 18 games remaining in the regular season and sit fifth in the Western Conference at 39-25. Under the NBA’s 65-game rule, players who miss 18 games will no longer be eligible for season-ending awards. Dončić has missed 12 games so far this season.
We have surpassed the 2025-26 NBA season’s 60-game mark for all 30 teams, which means you, my friends, are due for a third-quarter report card, grading their progress.
We grade here against expectations. Were you meant to be terrible and are terrible, all while developing young talent and/or maintaining a clear vision of a brighter future? You might deserve an A, even amidst a godforsaken season. (See: Pacers, Indiana.)
Were you supposed to be OK and instead are great, establishing yourself as one of the league’s true contenders? You could get an A for that, too. (See: Celtics, Boston.)
Were you designed to be good and instead are bad, lacking any true sense of direction? Is the best player on the team wavering on his commitment? Could everyone be fired at season’s end? You warrant an F. (See: Bucks, Milwaukee.)
(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
Most everyone else falls somewhere in between.
We should note: Grades are for the season to date, not just the third quarter, because we wanted to give you a complete snapshot of the season so far. Had the Charlotte Hornets been assessed on their last 20 games, they would get an A, but that would ignore what has made them such a welcome surprise: They have steadily improved from a D in the first quarter to a C at midyear and a B now. What progress.
Maybe they will warrant an A by season’s end. See how that works?
OK, let’s get to the grades, starting in the Eastern Conference. (West to come.)
Best lineup: Johnson • CJ McCollum • Nickeil Alexander-Walker • Dyson Daniels • Onyeka Okongwu (+86 in 158 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 16-20 • Against losing teams: 17-11
With Trae Young in the fold this season, the Hawks were outscored by 6.8 points per 100 possessions, operating like the league’s worst defense. … Without him, they are now, slightly, outscoring opponents, performing like a top-10 defense. …. Which should give you an idea of why they dealt their All-Star point guard. … There is a statistical All-NBA case for Johnson. … The Alexander-Walker signing was a great one. … They are 3-0 with Jonathan Kuminga. … An interesting team full of interesting wings, including Zaccharie Risacher. … For all the change, back to the play-in tournament for Atlanta, though their current six-game win streak is an encouraging one.
Grade: C
Boston Celtics (43-21)
Three-quarter MVP: Jaylen Brown (29-7-5 on 48/35/78)
Best lineup: Brown • Derrick White • Payton Pritchard • Sam Hauser • Neemias Queta (+76 in 487 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 21-14 • Against losing teams: 22-7
Jayson Tatum is back, and his return has been better than we could have anticipated. … He has looked a lot like himself, only in preseason form, understandably lacking a little lift off his legs, and he has a month to play himself into shape. … Jaylen Brown did his part, holding the fort in Tatum’s absence, even submitting a fringe MVP campaign. … The league’s deadliest wing combo again makes them betting favorites in the East. … Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson called Derrick White “a top-five player.” … They said the Celtics needed an upgrade at center, but how many would be better than Queta?
Grade: A
Brooklyn Nets (17-47)
Three-quarter MVP: Michael Porter Jr. (24-7-3 on 46/37/86)
Best lineup: Porter • Terance Mann • Egor Dёmin • Noah Clowney • Nicolas Claxton (+13 in 307 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 6-34 • Against losing teams: 11-13
The Nets used all five of their first-round draft picks this past June, and it is unclear if they would have drafted any of them if given the opportunity to do it again. … At least Dёmin and Nolan Traore look like keepers. … Porter has been a revelation, playing at an All-Star level, and he could become one of the league’s top assets if he hits the trade market this summer. … Will Detroit regret passing on the opportunity to add Porter? … Brooklyn’s next-best assets are named 1) Lottery Luck and 2) Cap Space. … When last a star chose the Nets, they were encouraging. Will anyone choose them in this state?
Grade: C
Charlotte Hornets (32-33)
Three-quarter MVP: LaMelo Ball (19-5-7 on 40/36/90)
Best lineup: Ball • Kon Knueppel • Brandon Miller • Miles Bridges • Moussa Diabaté (+188 in 322 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 14-25 • Against losing teams: 18-8
The Hornets started 4-14. Since then, they are 28-19 — a stretch that spans more than half the season — owners of the league’s fifth-best net rating (+7.1) in that timeframe. … That run includes a top-three offense and a top-seven defense. … They are a scary first-round playoff opponent for any of the top-four teams in the East. … Ball, believe it or not, has some of the best on/off numbers in the game. … Miller is a player. …. The case for Knueppel as Rookie of the Year is clear: He has played 12 more games than Cooper Flagg, and all of his minutes are in service of a postseason-bound team.
Grade: B
Chicago Bulls (26-38)
Three-quarter MVP: Josh Giddey (18-8-9 on 46/37/76)
Best lineup: Giddey • Tre Jones • Isaac Okoro • Matas Buzelis • Guerschon Yabusele (-5 in 30 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 16-21 • Against losing teams: 10-17
Since the trade deadline, when the Bulls jettisoned Nikola Vučević, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu for a handful of second-round draft picks, they are 2-11 and nearly being outscored by double digits per 100 possessions. … All of those guys are now kind of integral pieces of competitive playoff rotations. … Chicago’s coach, Billy Donovan, was endlessly frustrated with the team’s lack of direction, so at least they picked one. … Except, by waiting so long to tank, the Bulls will, in all likelihood, draft somewhere around 10th again. … Who else is a building block for the future? Only Buzelis.
Grade: D
Cleveland Cavaliers (40-25)
Three-quarter MVP: Donovan Mitchell (28-5-6 on 48/37/85)
Best lineup: Mitchell • James Harden • Dean Wade • Evan Mobley • Jarrett Allen (+13 in 25 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 18-19 • Against losing teams: 22-6
With Harden in the lineup, the Cavaliers are now 9-2, outscoring opponents by 6.1 points per 100 possessions. … Harden’s honeymoon stage is in full bloom. …. The turnaround, though, really, began before he arrived. … Harden continues to own among the worst defensive on/off numbers of all NBA regulars. … Thank goodness for Mobley and Allen, who, when paired, perform like a top-flight defense. … Mitchell has been incredible once again. He is a surefire future Hall of Famer, among the most talented guards of his generation. … He, like Harden, just needs to win big.
Grade: B
Detroit Pistons (45-18)
Three-quarter MVP: Cade Cunningham (25-6-10 on 46/34/81)
Best lineup: Cunningham • Duncan Robinson • Ausar Thompson • Tobias Harris • Jalen Duren (+134 in 490 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 24-10 • Against losing teams: 21-8
The Pistons lost to the Nets without Cunningham, their only game without him since January, which should tell you a lot about his MVP case. … I would give the award to him if ever Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama do not qualify. … The Pistons are 6.9 points per 100 meaningful possessions better when Cunningham is on the floor. … Duren is among the best roll men in the league. … It is the wing where we wonder about their ceiling. They either lean defense (Thompson), offense (Robinson) or average at both (Harris). … Their ceiling may be Thompson’s.
Grade: A
Indiana Pacers (15-49)
Three-quarter MVP: Pascal Siakam (24-7-4 on 48/36/68)
Best lineup: Siakam • Andrew Nembhard • Aaron Nesmith • Johnny Furphy • Jarace Walker (+17 in 47 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 6-32 • Against losing teams: 9-17
Pacers fans have to be celebrating Tatum’s return, if only because of what it means for Tyrese Haliburton’s comeback over an even longer rehabilitation period. … Indiana took a different course from Boston, leaning heavily into a tank job, and they have done so with great aplomb, taking the East’s worst record into the final quarter of the season. … Siakam, Nesmith, Nembhard and Obi Toppin are still the bones of a good team. … Add a high-end lottery pick in this loaded draft, along with Ivica Zubac, who arrived via trade, plus Haliburton, and the Pacers suddenly have a contender again.
Grade: A
Miami Heat (36-29)
Three-quarter MVP: Bam Adebayo (19-10-3 on 45/33/77)
Best lineup: Adebayo • Davion Mitchell • Norman Powell • Pelle Larsson • Andrew Wiggins (+62 in 110 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 14-22 • Against losing teams: 22-7
Man, the Heat just do not go away. I had written them off in the post-Jimmy Butler era, but here they are, still vying for a guaranteed playoff seed. … Adebayo is an automatic top-five defense. It’s unbelievable, really. … His partnership with Kel’el Ware is bearing fruit, outscoring opponents by 8.3 points per 100 possessions. … That unique offense, the one without many screens, is still the league’s fastest, though it has settled into an average outfit. … Tyler Herro is not average. What a scorer. … The Heat need Powell back from his groin injury. … Miami fields a group of good players in need of a great one.
Grade: B
Milwaukee Bucks (27-36)
Three-quarter MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo (28-10-6 on 64/36/65)
Best lineup: Antetokounmpo • Ryan Rollins • Kevin Porter Jr. • A.J. Green • Myles Turner (+44 in 173 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 11-27 • Against losing teams: 16-9
The seats are hot in Milwaukee, both on the bench and in the front office. … The Bucks are, apparently, trying to thread a needle, hoping to find some way they can convince Antetokounmpo to stay. … What would that require? A miracle, first in the draft lottery, where they receive the worse of their own pick or New Orleans’ selection, and then on the trade market, where only high-risk options may be available to them. … And still that may not be enough to convince Antetokounmpo to stay. … Look at the roster. Who moves a needle? Not Turner, who they are, essentially, paying $50 million annually.
Grade: F
New York Knicks (41-25)
Three-quarter MVP: Jalen Brunson (26-3-7 on 47/38/84)
Best lineup: Brunson • Josh Hart • Mikal Bridges • OG Anunoby • Karl-Anthony Towns (+34 in 390 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 21-20 • Against losing teams: 20-5
After all the ups and downs this season, including concerns over Towns, the Knicks are right about where we expected them to be, around the top of the East standings. … Would they have taken a top-three offense and a top-seven defense to this point? I think they would. … The Brunson-Towns pairing is still a defensive concern, and the Knicks are operating closer to a middling outfit when they share the floor. … Bridges and Anunoby are rounding into form at the right time. … Josh Hart is always in form. … Jose Alvarado, another perfect Knick, is a savior in the absence of Deuce McBride.
Grade: B
Orlando Magic (35-28)
Three-quarter MVP: Paolo Banchero (22-9-5 on 47/31/77)
Best lineup: Banchero • Jalen Suggs • Desmond Bane • Franz Wagner • Wendell Carter Jr. (+39 in 126 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 14-21 • Against losing teams: 21-7
Banchero, the former No. 1 overall pick, is the opposite of an advanced analytics darling, ranking between Alexander-Walker and Alperen Şengün in Estimated Plus-Minus. … Wagner may be the greater floor-raiser, but he cannot stay on the court (an ankle injury is his latest ailment), making a partnership with Banchero all the more difficult. … Suggs, statistically, is the real key, as the Magic are 12.4 points better when he is on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass. … An upgrade at Carter’s center position feels like a necessity. Might Anthony Davis have been an interesting fit with Orlando?
Grade: C
Philadelphia 76ers (34-30)
Three-quarter MVP: Tyrese Maxey (29-4-7 on 46/37/89)
Best lineup: Maxey • VJ Edgecombe • Kelly Oubre Jr. • Dominick Barlow • Joel Embiid (+39 in 153 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 14-24 • Against losing teams: 20-6
Maxey is an offensive dynamo, but the 76ers are scoring only 115.4 points per 100 possessions — a middling figure — when he is on the floor. … Edgecombe is just as dynamic, and the Philadelphia faithful can hope to root for this backcourt for years to come. … Embiid is still a beast, when healthy, averaging a 30-8-4 since mid-December, but he cannot stay healthy. This time it’s an oblique injury. … When Maxey, Edgecombe and Embiid share the floor, the Sixers are outscoring opponents by six points per 100 possessions, operating like an elite offense. … With help needed on the wings, could Paul George’s return from suspension make them a frightening first-round opponent?
Grade: B
Toronto Raptors (36-27)
Three-quarter MVP: Scottie Barnes (19-8-5 on 50/30/83)
Best lineup: Barnes • Immanuel Quickley • RJ Barrett • Brandon Ingram • Jakob Poeltl (+36 in 255 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 15-21 • Against losing teams: 21-6
Barnes has comparable numbers to Banchero, but he does not catch nearly as much grief. Maybe we expect more from a No. 1 overall pick. Or maybe it’s just the fact that the Raptors are 8.4 points per 100 possessions better when Barnes is on the floor. … It is still hard to believe Toronto put two players on the All-Star team, but Ingram has been that good, averaging a 21-6-5 on 45/42/74 shooting splits since the break. … Another guy to like: Jamal Shead, who does the dirty work on a team that needs it. … Credit coach Darko Rajaković for forging a top-10 defense from this group.
Best lineup: Sarr • Justin Champagnie • Bilal Coulibaly • Bub Carrington • Kyshawn George (+4 in 44 minutes)
Against .500 teams: 4-31 • Against losing teams: 12-16
Sarr is a player, and that is a start. It would just be nice to see how he might impact a winning environment, if at all. … It would be nice to see how all of the Wizards perform on a winning team, but they have to create one first. … Another start: Washington is outscoring opponents by 8.1 points per 100 possessions, playing like the league’s best offense, in the short amount of time that Trae Young has taken the floor for them. … Imagine what they might look like with Anthony Davis in the mix. Competitive even. … Tre Johnson, scorer — and floor-raiser? A rookie has the team’s best on/off numbers.
(Washington, D.C., March 10, 2026) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it has awarded over $26.8 million to grant projects through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). The program helps local and regional food entities develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises.
There are only 20 NBA players averaging more than 20 points and five assists per game, and Team A is the only one in the league that employs three of them. This team has the best record and offensive rating, and second-best net rating, in games where the score was within five points in the final five minutes; it has been arguably the best crunch-time squad in the NBA. This team is on pace for 50 wins and sits just a game out of third place in its conference, led by an MVP candidate, one of the greatest players of all time, and an ascendant offensive star poised to receive a massive new deal as soon as this summer.
Team A sounds like a contender. Team B sounds like an also-ran.
In the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, the Lakers face a daunting final stretch. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS
The thing is — if you haven’t already figured out my clever ruse — they’re actually the same team.
“I think when we play good — like, really good — we [are] looking like a championship team, you know,” Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura recently told reporters. “But when we [are] not — like, we have a lot of time that we [are] not — then we look like we’re just literally [an] out-of-a-playoff team.”
(Somebody give that man a column.)
That’s been kind of the story of the season, really, for the Lakers, who enter Tuesday’s meeting with the rival Minnesota Timberwolves in the thick of the Western Conference playoff chase: the understandable yet unavoidable degree to which they’re two teams. They’re navigating the precarious now, an interregnum between what has been and what will be.
Off the court, the ever-roiling internecine drama of the Buss family has begun to give way to investment-firm billionaire Mark Walters’ efforts to turn forum blue and gold into something a little more blue and white. On it, the franchise continues its transition from an era revolving around LeBron James — one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and the driving force behind the Lakers’ most recent NBA championship, and also the central figure in what’s been, all things considered, a fairly tumultuous eight years — to another revolving around handpicked standard-bearer Luka Dončić (and, potentially, Austin Reaves).
It’s been a somewhat fitful shift, as the organization and its signature stars have sought to manage what James’ longtime agent Rich Paul famously called “the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future.”
When James missed the first 14 games of the season dealing with a sciatica issue, the Lakers went 10-4, with Dončić quickly establishing himself as an MVP candidate and Reaves making it clear that he was ticketed for a bigger role and a bigger payday in the not-too-distant future. The winning continued once James returned: L.A. went 13-7 in the first 20 games following his season debut, with LeBron continuing to hold Father Time at arm’s length, averaging nearly 22 points and seven assists per game on 51% shooting as he blew past his 41st birthday into the new year.
But while the overall record and individual statistics looked great, the fundamentals of how the team operated left much to be desired. An underwhelming .500 stretch heading into the All-Star break featured blowouts by the Spurs, Cavaliers and Hornets, double-digit defeats at the hands of the Knicks, Kings and Trail Blazers, and a loss to the defending champion Thunder after which James made plain what he saw as the difference between L.A. and OKC: “That’s a championship team right there. We’re not. We can’t sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes, and they can.”
Said questions and concerns could have propelled Lakers brass to take an aggressive tack toward hunting for help on the trade market. Instead, they made a comparatively minor move, trading Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for veteran sharpshooter Luke Kennard. While Kennard has played well and shot the cover off the ball since arriving, perhaps his most attractive trait from Rob Pelinka and Co.’s perspective is that his $11 million salary comes off the books after this season — in keeping with the Lakers’ reported preference to keep non-Dončić (and, presumably Reaves) money off their books beyond the end of next season and “preserve cap space for 2027, when the team expects to have space to sign a max-salary free agent.” (Again: a tale of two teams.)
While the bulk of that up-and-down pre-All-Star-break stretch came with Reaves sidelined by a calf strain, even when head coach JJ Redick has had his full big three available, chemistry has remained difficult to come by.
While the Lakers have scored at elite levels whenever Dončić, James or Reaves have run the show solo with the other two on the bench, according to PBP Stats, they rank a comparatively underwhelming 10th in points scored per possession for the season — due partly to managing to score like a bottom-10 offense in Dončić/James/Reaves minutes. As prodigious as their respective offensive gifts clearly are, the Lakers’ top trio has too infrequently deployed them in service of elevating one another.
“The bigger challenge is when they’re all on the court together,” Redick told reporters last week. “Because they all want the basketball, and the reality … people have to sacrifice.”
As we discussed on a recent episode of The Big Number, and as my podcast partner Tom Haberstroh recently teased out on The Finder, the most successful iterations of the Lakers to date feature Dončić and Reaves playing without James (minutes in which they’ve outscored opponents by 10.4 points per 100 possessions) or James playing without Dončić and Reaves (plus-7.5 points-per-100) in lineups that have frequently featured more complementary, lower-usage and (sometimes) defensively superior options like Smart, Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes.
Maybe Redick looks to more aggressively stagger his big three coming down the home stretch, with an eye toward surrounding Dončić and Reaves with more shooting and flanking James with bigger, stouter defenders. Maybe he sees more value in going the other way — trying to get them more reps together (they’ve played just 879 minutes across 44 outings going back to last season) in hopes of finding the synergy that could serve as a rising tide to lift all boats.
Or maybe — with the Lakers coming off arguably their best win of the season, with a chance to rise back into third place in the West by knocking off the Wolves on Tuesday, sitting in strong tiebreaker position with most of the teams with whom they’re jostling for position in the middle of the Western pack and with a shot at securing a top-four seed still alive — Redick thinks his squad is becoming a little more Team A than Team B at the right time of year.
“My job is not to overreact,” Redick told reporters after the win over the Knicks. “We’re 15-9 in our last 24 [games]. We’re top-10 offense and top-15 defense [in that span] — that’s what we wanted to be coming into the season with this group, and that’s where our group is right now.”
If they can stay there — if the recent shift toward heavier doses of zone defense has the intended effect, if Dončić continues to dominate at an All-NBA First Team level, and if he, James and Reaves can find that elusive chemistry — the Lakers could have a chance to make some real postseason noise. If they can’t, though — if the final month brings more of the same inconsistent execution and defensive work — then a team that never quite figured itself out might find itself getting another early start on what could wind up being a transformative summer.
Early Tuesday morning, Australia government officials issued humanitarian visas to five members of Iran’s national women’s football team. The players refused to sing the Iranian anthem while at the Women’s Asian Cup last week. if the visas had not been granted, the five players potentially faced serious punishment on their return to Iran, as Iranian media has labeled them “traitors”.
Zahra Ghanbari in 2022. Image: Parisa Pourtaherian.
Tony Burke, Minister for Home Affairs of Australia, sent a message on X on Tuesday stating that the five players were “welcome to stay in Australia, to be safe and have a home here”. The players are Zahra Ghanbari (captain), Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, and Mona Hamoudi.
Tuesday afternoon, however, the rest of the Iranian national women’s soccer team travelled to Gold Coast airport by bus. As of Tuesday morning, authorities said these remaining Iranian women’s soccer team members had not requested asylum, though were welcomed to do so. Protesters surrounded the bus and some were lying on the ground to stop the bus, and had to be moved by police. Due to reported threats from Iranian media and officials, in Australia, local police worked with the authorities and provided a safe place for the players to stay, as well as increased presence when the players were traveling.
The Tokyo Dome generated an electric moment Tuesday during the 2026 World Baseball Classic for a Czech electrical worker who just so happened to become a fan favorite pitcher in Japan.
It was quite the encore performance three years after he famously struck out Shohei Ohtani, a world icon and one of the most impressive athletes in sports history.
So when Satoria walked off the field for the final time in his WBC career, it was fitting that he heard a symphony of applause from Japanese fans providing a standing ovation for one of the event’s lesser-known stars.
Moments like this will last a lifetime ❤️
Team Japan and the Tokyo Dome crowd give a standing ovation to Ondrej Satoria for an inspiring career! 👏 pic.twitter.com/R91sd7238X
As for that fateful moment in the 2023 WBC when Satoria punched out Ohtani, it didn’t necessarily go as planned. Satoria misfired on his changeup, as reported by MLB.com. It was headed for the dirt and only at 72 mph. His fastball, after all, isn’t that far north of 80 mph.
But the misplaced pitch threw off Ohtani, who was already in an 0-2 hole. He swung and missed so badly that his helmet started to fall off like it would in a cartoon.
Ohtani went on to win the WBC that year, striking out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to clinch the title. Over the next three MLB seasons, he collected three MVP awards and two World Series rings.
But for one at-bat, Satoria had him fooled. And that moment made Satoria something of a celebrity in Japan, where he’s asked to sign balls and take photos with fans.
Ohtani even asked Satoria for a jersey back in 2023.
Satoria works as an electrical controller at ČEZ Group in Ostrava, which is located on the border of Poland, per MLB.com.
Many of his teammates also work day jobs. He admits that he’s not nearly as noticeable in his home country.
Satoria said the attention he has garnered in Japan is “like a reward for my whole life playing baseball because nobody knows me in Czechia,” according to MLB.com.
He added, via MLB.com: “I’m just a regular dude from Ostrava, but here they respect me and have me sign balls. It’s really nice to be back here.”
Although Satoria reportedly plans to continue to pitch for his club in Ostrava, his WBC days are now behind him. He didn’t get a chance to face Ohtani this time around, as Japan’s superstar was resting with a spot in the quarterfinals already secured, but Satoria still brought his best stuff.
The Cincinnati Reds will be without right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene until July, as the team’s ace needs elbow surgery.
Greene, 26, will have arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to remove bone chips from his right elbow. The team expects him to be out 14-16 weeks, which could see him return before the All-Star break.
After reporting stiffness in his right elbow, Greene left Reds spring training camp in Arizona on Monday and returned to Cincinnati to undergo an MRI and see specialists, including Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
Greene landed on the injured list in August due to elbow soreness and took a PRP injection, recommended by ElAttrache, in October. While he didn’t report any issues in the offseason, Greene told the team a week before spring training that the discomfort in his right elbow had returned.
Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Tuesday that while Greene will have bone chips and loose bodies removed, the pitcher’s UCL is clean.
Greene made 19 starts last season for the Reds, finishing with a 7-4 record, a 2.76 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 107 2/3 innings. He has played four MLB seasons and spent time on the IL in each of them.
“He’s probably frustrated that he hasn’t pitched a full season,” Krall said, via Charlie Goldsmith. “He has said it to [the media] that his goal was to pitch so many innings this year. Obviously it’s something that’s weighing on him.”
With Greene out, Andrew Abbott will be the Reds’ Opening Day starter against the Boston Red Sox on March 26.
The 2026 MLB season is almost here and that means you’re likely prepping for your fantasy baseball draft. One of the best ways to prepare is to do as many mock drafts as possible. Of course, sometimes it’s tough to find an accurate representation of your league settings by using the public mock draft lobby.
Not to fear! If you’re a Yahoo Fantasy+ subscriber, you have access to the Instant Mock Draft tool, allowing you to practice your draft in seconds. You can test different strategies, pick from various draft slots and experiment with roster construction as many times as you want, anytime, instantly. Now is a great time to subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy+, so you can use the wealth of tools for your draft prep.
Experimenting with strategy: Again, we entered this draft with a goal of acquiring mostly players with an OPS of .800 or greater from 2026. The entire roster can’t fit that mold, of course, so anyone whose OPS was under .800 last season at least has a history of reaching that mark in their career at some point (Alvarez, Robert, Torres). Or they’re a younger player who could improve from last season’s results (Torkelson, Durbin).
Sticking to the plan in Round 1: Before we dive deeper into my mindset for this mock, we’ll go over the Ramírez pick.
Zinkie hates J-Ram this season because the Guardians don’t offer a quality offense and at some point, Ramírez has to regress, right? Well, in terms of this strategy, Ramirez is the gold standard. He has a career .857 OPS in 13 seasons. Is he the sexiest pick in the first round? Definitely not. But I don’t think he regresses enough where it kills your season.
When I had to pivot: Five players in my starting lineup had an OPS of .800 or better last season. So we’ll go over the outliers a bit and the thinking around that. Second base was tough once you get past the first few rounds. Only two players met the OPS requirements from last season (Ketel Marte, Jazz Chisholm Jr.). So I waited a bit and went with Torres, who had an .800 OPS a few seasons ago with the Yankees. He’s also surprisingly only 29 years old. Donovan was another middle infielder I was eyeing. He’s also 29 and was top-five in OPS among 2B in 2025. Perhaps a move to Seattle in a better offensive environment will boost him above the threshold.
Alvarez and Robert are both bounce-back candidates I’ve discussed in previous mocks. If you take out last season, when Alvarez was injured, his career OPS is an astonishing .978 over the six previous seasons. When healthy, he’s one of the best hitters in baseball. That said, it was risky selecting him in the fourth round. I would have liked him to drop a bit. Robert heads to New York where he’ll be a part of what should be a very good Mets lineup. Injuries have been an issue but in 2023, Robert was an All-Star and had an .857 OPS. He’s also only 28 years old.
Torkelson and Durbin don’t meet the requirements but are both still young, each 26 years old. Tork has a shot at reaching .800 OPS for the first time in his career and has a lot of pop with 30+ homers in two of the past three seasons. Durbin played well for the Brewers as a rookie in 2025 with a 2.8 WAR. He has a low strikeout rate and heads to a hitter-friendly stadium in Fenway Park.
Calculated risks: It was over in Japan, but Okamoto has reached the .800 OPS threshold in every season since 2018. He’s also a part of a solid Toronto lineup. Stanton is Stanton. He’s not going to be healthy all season but when he’s at the plate, he’s one of the most feared hitters in baseball. He may struggle to reach 100 games but I know I’m getting a high OPS while he’s out there. Realmuto is the weakest of this bunch but he’s my backup catcher, so it’s not an overly important role (I can stream some options). Also, he did have an .820 OPS not too long ago in 2022.
Plan of attack on the mound: We’ll go over pitching next because I really like how the staff shook out. I was able to grab a couple of high-end starters in Gilbert and Cease, both at the top of the rotation for good teams. Bednar has a chance to lead the AL in saves. I wanted to pair Megill with Abner Uribe but wasn’t able to. Again, not the end of the world; we can stream RPs. Leiter has a lot he needs to improve but he’s got a high pedigree and is still young, set to turn 26 in April. Pepiot should benefit from the park change, while Strider and Nola are similar to Alvarez and Robert — both bounce-back candidates at SP.
Takeaways with drafting No. 6: This was a lot of fun. We’re halfway through this series and this was my favorite mock yet. You have to do more prep work to figure out targets based on OPS but that isn’t that heavy a lift. The J-Ram-Schwarber 1-2 punch as my offensive anchors feels very solid and it doesn’t really feel like this roster has any holes, maybe up the middle and at catcher. I highly recommend this strategy and again, be sure to check out the rest of Fred’s ways to attack your draft here.
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