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Mike Trout returned to the Los Angeles Angels lineup Friday night after a month-long spell on the injured list with a bone bruise, but he still came back earlier than the Angels expected him to.
The Angels expected their star to return Monday against the Boston Red Sox after performing more intense rehab over the weekend, but Trout insisted he could make an appearance as the designated hitter against the Cleveland Guardians. He began running the bases Tuesday, and faced a minor league pitcher in game-speed at bats on Wednesday.
“I think I came out of it the other day good,” Trout said. “Wasn’t too sore or anything. I’m gonna go out there and have some good at-bats. Just itching to get out there. … I was getting antsy. I knew I was close.”
Trout landed on the 10-day injured list May 2 after he suffered the bone bruise against the Seattle Mariners April 30, which caused him to leave the game early. The bruise is on his left knee, which he had surgically repaired after a meniscus tear limited him to just 29 games during the 2024 season.
The Angels will likely keep him as the designated hitter during their series against the Guardians, as manager Ron Washington said he is going to see how Trout develops before sticking him back in the outfield.
“We’re gonna go with how Mike feels each day,” Washington said. “And then the plan will work itself out from there.”
Trout admitted he is going to be cautious with his injury, and Washington revealed he doesn't want the three-time MVP stealing bases.
“Bone bruises are tricky,” Trout said. “I know I’m gonna be sore, but I can deal with it.”
Trout went 1-for-5 in his return with a single and two strikeouts, batting lower than third for the first time since 2011. He led the Angels in home runs before his trip to the IL with nine, and is batting .180 after Friday night's win.
For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.
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Mets, Brandon Nimmo Trade Development Emerges on Tuesday
The New York Mets are entering the offseason looking to retool the roster with hopes of returning to the MLB playoffs in 2026. The Mets collapsed during the second half of the year, finishing with an 83–79 record. Despite the disappointing end to the year, outfielder Brandon Nimmo remained a bright spot in the lineup. The 32-year-old veteran posted a .262 batting average, .324 on-base percentage, .760 OPS, 25 home runs and 92 RBIs across 155 games. Nimmo has continued to be a reliable player for New York and just finished playing in his tenth season for the organization. The Mets are the only franchise Nimmo has ever known in his professional career since they selected him in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. However, that could change following a report on Tuesday from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “The Mets are blowing up plenty. It's not just Luisangel Acuña or Mark Vientos or Brett Baty — center fielder Brandon Nimmo (who has full no-trade protection) and utilityman Jeff McNeil can also be had,” Passan wrote. Nimmo’s name surfacing as a trade possibility is a genuine surprise given everything he has meant to the organization. At the very least, the Mets are now faced with a decision on whether to explore moving him. As noted, Nimmo has a full no-trade clause, which gives him the final say on any potential deal. He still has five years remaining on the eight-year, $162 million contract he signed with New York in 2023. While the Mets would likely prefer to keep Nimmo’s bat and leadership in the lineup, trading him could help replenish the farm system or address other areas of need, particularly pitching, which was a major weakness in 2025. A deal would also free up significant payroll space, potentially allowing the team to pursue other upgrades, including a possible reunion with first baseman Pete Alonso. The decision to trade Nimmo is not an easy one, but it is certainly intriguing. He will be entering his age-33 season, and offensive players often begin to decline around that point. Whatever the Mets decide, this offseason is shaping up to be a pivotal one for the future of the franchise.
Islanders-Stars game ends with ejection, review and Patrick Roy screaming
The New York Islanders' 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night ended with complete mayhem that included an ejection, Islanders coach Patrick Roy screaming and a replay review on what could have been a potential buzzer-beating game-tying goal. It is probably the most chaotic ending of the 2025-26 NHL season to date. Here's what happened. Mikko Rantanen ejected for hit that enraged Patrick Roy Things really started to pop off when Stars forward Mikko Rantanen was ejected for boarding Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov with just 27 seconds remaining. Rantanen was assessed a match penalty for the hit, resulting in Roy screaming at him between the benches. Roy is no stranger to these sorts of altercations in his head-coaching career, and he has repeatedly gotten himself into verbal — and nearly physical — altercations with opponents. His first game as an NHL head coach with the Colorado Avalanche nearly resulted in him climbing over the glass to fight then-Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau. He has passion. But that was only the start of the crazy ending. Potential buzzer-beating game-tying goal overturned on replay review As the Islanders were attempting to cling to a one-goal lead, the Stars appeared to tie the game with a buzzer-beating goal that would have sent the game to overtime, completing a wild comeback that started with a goal just one minute earlier. The only problem: The goal was taken away when it was determined that Stars forward Jason Robertson interfered with goalie David Rittich. Robertson definitely makes contact with Rittich in the crease, and he is responsible for making every possible effort to avoid that. But it is also true that Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock gives him a pretty good hit that sends him into the crease and into Rittich. The officials and NHL clearly did not think that was the cause of the interference and overturned the goal, securing the Islanders win. Goaltending interference can be a pretty subjective call. In this case, it did not favor the Stars.
CFP rankings: SEC in great shape after third reveal
The third College Football Playoff rankings of the 2025 season were released on Tuesday night with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A M, Georgia and Texas Tech making up the top five. The Bulldogs and Red Raiders each move up one spot with Alabama falling down to 10th after a 23-21 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. Ole Miss, Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama round out the top 10. The Big Ten and SEC continue their dominance by claiming eight of the top-10 spots, but the SEC looks to be in the best position of any league with five teams in the top 10, even with Alabama's second loss of the season. Alabama clings to playoff spot as SEC's outlook only grows stronger Here is a look at what the 12-team bracket would look like as of Tuesday: The biggest takeaway from this week's rankings is the position the SEC finds itself in. Texas A M, Georgia and Ole Miss appear to be in excellent shape, while Oklahoma and Alabama still find themselves in the projected field. Texas was the biggest loser, falling seven spots to No. 17 after its loss to Georgia. Even for Alabama, which suffered its second loss on Saturday, it could still find itself in the SEC Championship game depending on how everything plays out over the final two weeks, which could only strengthen its case even more. Miami remains the highest-ranked ACC team at No. 13, ahead of No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 19 Virginia. With the five highest-ranked conference champions guaranteed to make the 12-team field, Miami would inherit the 11-seed as things currently stand. Following South Florida's loss to Navy, Tulane moves up to No. 24 and the 12th-seed as the highest-ranked Group of Five team. No. 11 BYU would be the first team out following the third reveal. There are two ranked matchups this weekend as No. 8 Oklahoma hosts No. 22 Missouri and No. 15 USC takes on No. 7 Oregon. With only two weeks of regular-season play remaining, time is running out to add quality wins to resumes, something each of these two games will certainly do. Assuming there are no more hiccups, the SEC has a realistic shot at getting five teams in the field. Week 12 presented an opportunity for other teams to move up, but after Texas A M completed its remarkable comeback over South Carolina and with Alabama remaining in the top 10, that does not bode well for the rest of the field.
Former Heisman winner has bold take on James Franklin, Virginia Tech
It makes sense for the Virginia Tech Hokies to be excited about the addition of James Franklin as their new head coach. Franklin was fired by Penn State for failing to live up to the championship expectations in Happy Valley. For a program looking to get back on its feet and reestablish itself in this new era of college football, though, Franklin is a home run hire. Virginia Tech now has a bona fide head coach who can win games and recruit at a high level. Let's not talk about winning "the big one" for now. Right now, the Hokies just need to get back into that conversation, and Franklin is great for them in that regard. Getting into the conversation is one thing. Staying there is another, and it's worth noting that one college football commentator, former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III, thinks this will be the move that helps put VT back in that stratosphere. “Virginia Tech will become an ACC contender year in and year out with James Franklin as Head Coach,” Griffin said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. James Franklin will need time to turn things around at Virginia Tech It's one thing to be excited about this move for the Hokies because it is a big-time hire for them. To say that they'll be a contender "year in and year out" is a bit of a premature statement at this moment, though. Franklin can absolutely get them there, but it's going to take time for him to rebuild this program. The Hokies have pledged to put $229M into the athletics budget over the next four years, and you can bet a ton of that is going to go to Franklin so that he can hire good coaches and attract players with big-time NIL deals on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal. The Hokies haven't had a 10-win season since 2016, though, so even in this era when quick turnarounds are possible, giving Franklin a year or two of cushion would be smart. His getting VT to the top of the ACC every season is an idea that also flies in the face of the reputation that he earned at Penn State. Sure, the ACC is in no way as stacked as the Big Ten, but Clemson, Florida State and Miami are huge brands with a ton of money and momentum behind them that won't be going anywhere. Though Franklin did get PSU into the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff last season, it's worth remembering that he was 4-21 against AP top-10 opponents at Penn State and 1-18 against top-10 opponents from within the Big Ten. That's a .160 winning percentage against AP top-10 teams, and that's not going to get magically better just because he's coaching in the ACC now. If he's going to get Virginia Tech back into the college football limelight, it's going to be much harder than just showing up when "Enter Sandman" starts playing. He's certainly talented enough of a coach and recruiter to do it, but let's pump the brakes and let him get settled into his new office before we start talking about Virginia Tech once again being a top program.
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