Shohei Ohtani made his first appearance on the mound in spring training on Wednesday. He sure looked like Shohei Ohtani.

The two-way superstar threw 4 1/3 shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants, striking out 4 while walking 2 and allowing only 1 hit. He threw 61 pitches total and topped out at 99.9 mph, per Baseball Savant.

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He didn’t hit, however.

Ohtani has spent much of spring training with Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, working only as a designated hitter for a team that came up short against eventual champion Venezuela in the quarterfinals.

Entering Wednesday, Ohtani had played only one spring training game for the Dodgers. However, he has been stretching out as a pitcher behind the scenes and was slated to throw three or four innings Wednesday. Instead, he went out for an extra batter in the fifth inning.

It was initially thought that Ohtani would be able to make only one spring training start after the WBC, but MLB.com’s Sonja Chen notes that Japan’s early exit opened the door for him to make two. The next will likely be in the Freeway Series against the Los Angeles Angels, shortly before the season begins, and he is reportedly expected to both pitch and hit then.

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After spending the first season of his Dodgers career as a designated hitter only and waiting until mid-June to start pitching last year, Ohtani is slated for his first full year as a Dodgers pitcher in 2026. Still, it’s likely the Dodgers will be conservative with him throughout the season to preserve his arm for the postseason, as he has never thrown more than 166 innings in a season, and he has pitched on less than five days’ rest only once.

The Dodgers are slated to break camp with Ohtani in their rotation alongside reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who has already been announced as the Opening Day starter), Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki. Blake Snell and Gavin Stone will begin the season on the injured list, with Justin Wrobleski and River Ryan looming as options for a sixth starter.

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The Milwaukee Bucks and star Giannis Antetokounmpo are reportedly not aligned on whether the forward should play in the team’s final 14 regular-season games. Antetokounmpo, who has already missed 32 games this season due to various injuries, reportedly wants to keep playing as the team limps toward its finish, per The Athletic.

The Bucks have other plans. The team reportedly wants Antetokounmpo to shut it down and sit out the rest of the way. The team sits at 28-40 entering play Wednesday and is 6.5 games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Antetokounmpo, 31, has been limited by calf, groin, ankle and knee issues this season. His most recent ailment occurred Sunday, when Antetokounmpo landed awkwardly after a dunk vs. the Indiana Pacers. He was diagnosed with a left knee hyperextension and a bone bruise and is expected to miss at least a few more days before being reevaluated.

When Antetokounmpo has taken the court this season, he’s produced at an MVP level. In 36 games, Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists.

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But Antetokounmpo’s repeated ailments, combined with the Bucks’ plummeting playoff odds, have put the team in a tough spot with just a few games left. Losing games — something the team has a better shot to accomplish if Antetokounmpo sits — would benefit the Bucks at this point, as it could help the team get a better lottery pick.

The Athletic reached out to the Bucks about the alleged disagreement, with a team source telling the outlet that Antetokounmpo is still injured and not cleared to play at this time.

The alleged feud comes a month after the Bucks decided to hold onto Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline. That decision came after months of rumors suggesting the Bucks could trade Antetokounmpo.

Those rumors have persisted since the end of last season, when the Bucks were once again eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. Following an injury to Damian Lillard late last season, the Bucks’ future prospects looked bleak, leading some to suggest the team would benefit from trading away Antetokounmpo. While the star forward has never officially asked for a trade, he’s stated he wants to play for a consistent winner.

It doesn’t look like the Bucks can make that happen in the near future. The team’s current struggles, combined with the alleged rift between it and Antetokounmpo could finally force the team’s hand.

After going through all of last offseason hearing rumors Antetokounmpo would be shipped off, Bucks fans should prepare to experience some déjà vu once the season comes to an end.

It’s only spring training, but the New York Yankees had a lot on the line during Wednesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox. First and foremost, after missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, ace Gerrit Cole returned to the mound.

And he seemed like he was pretty amped up to be back out there.

Cole showed improved velocity in his first inning of work, hitting 98 mph with his fastball twice in the frame. While he allowed two hits during the inning, he was able to work around them, thanks to a key caught stealing. He finished the inning with 10 pitches, seven of them for strikes.

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Although Cole gave up two hits, one was a bit flukey. To open the game, Red Sox outfielder Braiden Ward dropped a perfectly placed bunt up the first-base line for a single.

Cole was in hot pursuit of the ball and slid to the ground to try to make the play, but Ward proved too fast.

Cole might have been a little peeved about the first-pitch bunt, as he immediately tried to pick Ward off first base. After two unsuccessful attempts, Ward stole second.

But Ward was a little too greedy on the base paths later in the inning. Following a flyout, he was thrown out trying to steal third base. It was a crucial play, as Cole gave up what would’ve been a run-scoring single to Jason Delay right after Ward’s out. Delay smacked a 98-mph fastball from Cole into left field for a single. The ball was scalded off the bat, with a 104.2-mph exit velocity.

Cole needed just one more pitch to get out of the inning, getting Nathan Hickey to ground out on a knuckle curve.

Overall, it was an encouraging start for Cole, who showed improved velocity on all his pitches in limited work. His slowest fastball of the day came in at 96.1 mph, which is slightly up from his 2024 average, when his fastballs came in at 95.9 mph.

It was more promising that Cole was able to reach back and hit 98 mph with both his four-seam fastball and sinker when needed. Both of those pitches came as Cole was trying to put away Delay, a sign that the Yankees’ ace can already reach back for more velocity when going for a strikeout. Cole also had a 97.2-mph fastball earlier in the at-bat.

It wasn’t just his hard pitches that saw better velocity. His two knuckle curves were also faster than in 2024, as was his slider, which was up nearly a full mile-per-hour during the inning.

There are, of course, a few caveats to those figures. It was Cole’s first competitive appearance since last March, and he was likely full of adrenaline, which might have led to better velocity. He also knew it was going to be a short outing and might have gone out there trying to throw as hard as possible, knowing he wouldn’t have to deal with the fatigue associated with a longer stint.

Despite the low workload, Cole was removed from the game after just one inning. He’ll presumably continue to increase his workload ahead of his eventual regular-season return, which is expected in late May or early June.

It’s key to any successful fantasy baseball season to correctly identify sleepers and breakouts. Below, we break down some of the top sleepers and breakouts at outfield.

Daylen Lile, Nationals (214.5 ADP)

The market is giving you a giveaway draft price here; please take advantage. Lile wasn’t overmatched in his first run through the majors, slashing .299/.437/.498 with nine homers and eight steals over 91 games. And the steal count is going to rise — he possesses a speed score in the 92nd percentile, and he had a silly 11 triples in 91 games last year. Some say the triple is a dying play in modern baseball — Lile is single-handedly bringing it back. His stolen-base success rate will rise as he gains experience.

The Nationals were patient with Lile at the front of his debut, but he was hitting cleanup at the end of last season. This year, he’s slotted in the No. 3 spot, after James Wood and CJ Abrams and ahead of Dylan Crews. I probably can’t sell you on the bottom of the Washington lineup, but the top needs little defense.

Lile was far from the fantasy radar at this time last year and arrived at the 2025 All-Star break having hit .234 with two homers in his initial 111 career at-bats. But things clicked over the summer, as he improved in each of the final three months and loudly broke out in September (.391 BA, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 20 R, 1.212 OPS). Lile has strong contact skills and a line-drive stroke, and his overall .299 batting average was well-supported by a .302 xBA. Although he lacks the ceiling of the more heralded Crews, Lile is a more polished hitter and is nearly a full year younger. He’s also faster, as Lile hasn’t yet put his 92nd percentile sprint speed to full use. As mentioned, the rebuilding Nats will likely make their outfield trio of Lile, Crews and James Wood the foundation of their lineup.

Ramon Laureano, Padres (213.9 ADP)

Laureano was probably the most underrated outfielder in fantasy baseball last year — he was the No. 29 outfielder in 5×5 value — and I initially had him as a double-digit value on my tiered rankings. I’m a little concerned the Nick Castellanos signing could create a logjam in the San Diego outfield, and ultimately, I decided to be prudent with Laureano’s ranking, mindful that he’s in his 30s and has never logged 500 at-bats in a season. Still, he’s an above-average hitter, and hopefully the Padres will give him some leash.

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Nobody picked outside the top 200 is a sure thing, but Laureano has already shown upside to be excited about.

Kerry Carpenter, Tigers (203.4 ADP)

Carpenter doesn’t take many walks and he’s never hit left-handed pitching much — the Tigers have generally platooned him — so at first glance, you’re thinking he’s a capped-ceiling player. But Carpenter showed some progress in limited work against lefties last year (three homers, .400 slugging) and Detroit is considering giving him more exposure to southpaws this season.

So you have two paths to make your money on Carpenter this year. If he approaches 500 at-bats, 30-plus homers and 85-plus RBI are reachable targets. And if the platoon sticks, at least he can focus on what he normally does: mashing right-handed pitching. Carpenter is also in the prime part of his career arc, stepping into his age-28 season. Carpenter is probably a better pick for leagues that allow for regular lineup tinkering, but no matter your format, consider his positives.

Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox (208.3 ADP)

I’m not going to cheat and call Abreu a breakout player, because we’ve seen growth the last two years (and he was great in limited action for the WBC champion Venezuelan team).

If he doesn’t get hurt in the second half of 2025, Abreu likely gets home with 30 homers and 100 RBI. His .256 career average isn’t a problem, and although Boston’s outfield is congested — this roster is still begging for one more trade — Abreu’s Gold Glove defense marks his spot in the lineup. If Abreu didn’t get hurt last year, his ADP would surely be 30-50 slots higher this spring.

Justin Crawford, Phillies (203.5 ADP)

The ADP is on the rise but it’s still going to be reasonable all spring, so consider the upside case with this intriguing rookie. Crawford hasn’t developed power yet, but he was a .334/.411/.452 player at Triple-A last year, with 46 steals in 112 games. And that came while navigating his age-21 season; time is on his side.

Crawford is in camp as a non-roster invitee, given a chance to win the bigger half of Philly’s center field platoon. But with Johan Rojas facing a PED suspension, Crawford has a shot to take this job all for himself. Crawford’s defense is MLB-ready — the Phillies will appreciate having a good defender join their outfield, for once — and he’s not going to have the bat knocked out of his hands.

Crawford also checks the pedigree box, as he’s the son of former All-Star Carl Crawford. You’ll see similarities in their games.

Alec Burleson, Cardinals (173.9 ADP)

I’m putting Burleson towards the bottom of today’s list because he might be more of a value pick than a true sleeper. Again, amigos, I’m not hung up on definitions. I’m just trying to give you some appealing players to target in your drafts, guys you can make a profit on. Burleson applies.

Burleson figured out lefties in 2025 and no longer has any worry about being platooned. His contact skills are excellent and he still might grow into a 25-30 homer guy. He also qualifies at first base, which has quietly become a difficult fill in recent seasons. The Cardinals will probably have Burleson in the No. 3 slot all year, ideal for volume and run production.

Dylan Crews, Nationals (200.4 ADP)

Once one of baseball’s best prospects, Crews has thus far sputtered in the majors, logging a .634 OPS in 412 at-bats over two seasons. But this youngster has such a fantasy-friendly skill set that even with little success at the dish, he has still managed to produce 13 homers and 29 steals. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft has been hamstrung by a .248 BABIP, and the combination of better luck and improved skills will lead to a breakout campaign. For the cost of a late-round pick, managers could find themselves with a 24-year-old who hits .260 with 20 homers and 35 steals.

Dominic Canzone, Mariners (Undrafted)

Despite doing some excellent things at the plate last season, Canzone is a complete afterthought in most drafts. The slugger hit .300 with 11 homers in 269 at-bats, thanks to elite marks in average exit velocity (92.4 mph) and barrel rate (14.5%). His success at the dish was well-supported by his expected marks, and his .533 xSLG was even higher than his .481 SLG.

The left-handed hitter also put himself in position to be considered for a full-time role by posting a respectable .712 OPS against southpaws. The Mariners have a top-heavy lineup and could really use someone to emerge as the No. 6 hitter. Canzone currently looks like their best bet.

Evan Carter, Rangers (Undrafted)

After breaking out by posting a .917 OPS during the Rangers’ World Series run in 2023, Carter has dealt with significant injuries over each of the past two seasons. But he is healthy right now, and with 15 homers and 19 steals over 400 career at-bats, the 23-year-old has already proven to have the diverse skill set that is coveted in category formats. Despite going undrafted in practically all Yahoo leagues, Carter has 20-20 potential if he can stay off the injured list. Additionally, he should immediately improve on his career .235 average, since he made massive improvements on his strikeout rate last year.

Matt Wallner, Twins (Undrafted)

Wallner is the definition of an all-or-nothing masher, as is evidenced by his career 32.3% strikeout rate and 15.7% barrel rate. He dealt with terrible luck last season, as his .228 BABIP seemed nearly impossible for someone who hits the ball so hard.

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Even in a down year, he still managed to produce 22 homers in 336 at-bats, thanks to his penchant for producing pulled fly balls. Wallner also logged some time on the IL last year, and this time around he will use better durability and improved luck to hit .250 with 30 home runs.

Jesús Sánchez, Blue Jays (Undrafted)

A Sánchez breakout may not be as spectacular as that of the others on this list, but it still could happen for someone who has become an afterthought in fantasy drafts. By being traded twice since last summer and ultimately moving from Miami to Toronto, Sánchez received an upgrade in both supporting cast and home ballpark. A poor finish to the 2025 season with the Astros hid the fact that he improved his walk rate last year, while maintaining strong marks in average exit velocity (91.3 mph) and barrel rate (11.1%). The Blue Jays made a point of acquiring Sánchez on the eve of spring training, and he should occupy a premium lineup spot against righties. He has averaged 14.5 steals over the past two years and should finally produce a 20-homer season.

For months, the projected top three of the 2026 NBA Draft has been firmly established:

AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer. 

Whichever way they’re ranked boils down to personal preference, but that trio is widely considered to comprise the first three names being called in June. 

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However, someone is knocking on that door and trying to get in. 

Darius Acuff Jr., the 6-foot-3 lead guard out of Arkansas, is reaching the point where he is becoming outright undeniable. 

NBA-caliber shot-making

Acuff is one of the nation’s most impressive scorers and arguably the most skilled shot-maker from the guard spot in the entire draft. 

The 19-year-old has canned 44.5% of his 3-point attempts this season and is putting up 22.9 points per game. He’s doing this on a wide array of spot-ups, pull-ups, drives, fadeaways, lean-ins and about 80 other different ways. The youngster is seemingly born to score — and with ease. 

Except, that isn’t all he does. Despite being just a first-year player, Acuff understands the power of attention. He uses his 195-pound frame to get into the paint and make plays for teammates, knowing defenders overplay him due to his scoring prowess. 

His 30-point, 11-assist game against Vanderbilt on Sunday, in which the Razorbacks won the SEC championship, illustrated perfectly why he’s high up on NBA Draft boards. 

His fluidity was on full display, scoring from outside and in, creating on his own and snaking his way through defenders to an extent that reminded of a young Damian Lillard. 

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Could he be a franchise leader?

Acuff’s ascension in John Calipari’s system shows plenty of signs that he could become a star at the pro level — and maybe even more than that. 

His aforementioned efficiency is one thing, but that’s only aided by the fact that he’s a low-turnover guard who plays with his head on a swivel. His 10.3 TOV% ranks in the 78th percentile in the nation, and that number only grows more impressive when you consider how much he handles the ball. 

Acuff ranks in the 98th percentile in assist percentage and 96th percentile in assist-to-turnover ratio. 

He’s a formidable floor leader who knows when to break out of the structure of the offense to seek his own, but virtually never does so without a reason. 

When the team is rolling, he’s far more inclined to apply himself as a table-setter and more opportunistic scorer, whereas he’ll command the ball more when Arkansas needs a spark. 

His game and IQ indicate he can reach a level in which he can be the best player on an NBA team, and that should be enormously attractive for franchises who are looking for a leader. 

Is he good enough to be chosen ahead of Boozer? Time will tell, but right now it’s certainly a fair debate. 

Finally, he’s yet to have a game this season in which he hasn’t hit double-figures, which is a strong indicator of consistency, a trait that NBA teams have put a premium on in recent years. 

If Acuff can hit the NBA with a pro-ready game, which certainly seems to be the case, and a franchise can expect him to perform at a consistent level, well, that’s a game-changer. 

We’ll see how he and the Razorbacks fare over the next few weeks, but one thing should be certain: Acuff already has a resume that should have plenty of teams considering moving him up their draft boards. 

HOUSTON — A few hours before the Lakers’ gritty 100-92 win over the Rockets on Monday evening, head coach JJ Redick spoke at length about the responsibility of his players to be stars in their defensive roles. That would be the theme of the night.

The overwhelming takeaway from the contest was Los Angeles’ ability to neutralize Kevin Durant in the halfcourt, limiting the future Hall of Famer to just 1-for-5 shooting in the second half, with six turnovers. But that approach took more than just aggressive play-calls and schemes from the coaching staff to be successful. The Lakers have won nine out of their last 10, with the league’s No. 2 defense, and are outscoring opponents by 14.6 points per 100 possessions. They’re playing their best brand of basketball at the right time, and Luka Dončić, for all of his offensive brilliance, remains a critical figure at the other end. 

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“Overall he’s been a good defender for us,” Redick said after the game. “When he gets switched on to the ball — I don’t know what the updated numbers are after the last three games — it’s been under 0.9 [points allowed per possession]. It’s been one of the best, if not the best of all our perimeter guys.

“He’s been more active with rotations and being physical with our switching groups. With him, it’s to be solid, engaged, do our rules, and he’s smart and can execute that at a high level. When he’s fully on defensively, he can guard the basketball. We’ve seen him do it against everybody in this league. We trust him.”

The narrative of Dončić’s defense and the evolution of his ability to contribute positively has been trending up over the last few seasons. It had been a consistent knock against him since entering the league nearly a decade ago, and with the 2024 Finals when Dončić was routinely targeted by the Boston Celtics. His defense became an inflection point for both him and the Dallas Mavericks as an organization. (Dončić’s defensive shortcomings were also reportedly one of the reasons for the silliest trade in professional sports history, but that’s neither here nor there.)

His arrival in Los Angeles, joining an offensive-leaning Austin Reaves and an aging LeBron James, didn’t come without questions about the Lakers’ viability. Adding Deandre Ayton in the offseason, another scoring big, also gave the impression that the organization was eschewing one side of the ball for the other. On the season, they rank 20th in defensive rating, a reminder of the difficulties associated with roster construction. 

But Dončić, who reportedly lost over 20 pounds during the offseason, came into training camp with an improved physique and conditioning, putting him in prime position to function as a key cog in Redick’s shape-shifting defense. 

On paper, the Lakers don’t have a plethora of defensive specialists. This isn’t a great rebounding or shot-blocking group (25th in blocks, 28th in rebounds) by any means. And outside of Marcus Smart, there is a dearth of physical point-of-attack aggressors. What Redick has done to account for the lack of roster tools is compose a scheme good enough to keep opposing offenses honest.

The Lakers’ defense is a true sum of its parts. It relies heavily on zone (fourth in frequency, per Synergy tracking); encourages switching to slow teams down (second most in the league); keeps multiple bodies within a decent proximity of one another (ninth in medium defensive shell usage). But the Lakers are also hell-bent on helping each other — top-10 in rotations, second in digs and sixth in loading up in the paint.

An understanding of Redick’s scheme means contextualizing Dončić’s defensive skill set, highlighting what he is good at and attempting to mask what he’s deficient in. Contesting shots, arguably the second-most important aspect of defense outside of positioning, is a strength of his, with Dončić in the 95th percentile in shots contested per 100 possessions and 87th percentile in rim contests. This particularly manifests itself as an isolation defender, when teams try to pick at him; Dončić is allowing just 0.844 points per possession in 109 isolations this year, a hairline below Amen Thompson, and a better mark than Jaden McDaniels and OG Anunoby. He is now quick enough to move his feet with ball-handlers in space and has an improved burst, which helps with his reaction time. 

(It’s important to note that this is all happening at the same time as one of the most heliocentric seasons in recent NBA history. Dončić is seventh in touches per game, second in time of possession, third in usage rate among players who have logged at least 1,000 minutes and, oh yeah, first in the league in scoring. Combine that with some of his advanced metrics — ninth in DARKO, seventh in EPM, sixth in LEBRON — and the sheer fact that Dončić is no longer simply taking plays off on defense is worth mentioning.)

Trusting Dončić in defensive space, combined with Redick placing him on low-usage forwards and standstill shooters, affords the best version of the Slovenian, allowing him to take chances in passing lanes. His 4.2 deflections per 100 possessions rank in the 82nd percentile, according to Databallr, and a healthy amount of steals, blocks and a positive stop rate ensure he’s not regarded as a weak link in the Lakers’ setup. 

This month, Los Angeles has amassed some quality wins as the playoffs edge closer, defeating Denver, Houston, Minnesota and New York. More importantly, the Lakers have remained a consistent closing group in fourth quarters, with the league’s ninth-best defensive rating in that span. 

Dončić isn’t going to ever make an All-Defensive ballot, but his improved effort, consistency and productivity on that end of the floor give the Lakers an edge and Redick some peace of mind, and make them quite the interesting contender as the postseason nears. 

“It’s time to lock in,” Dončić said of the importance of late-game defense. “That’s when you win games. That’s when teams show up and show what kind of team they are.”