During Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs' starter Matthew Boyd made an unreal catch on a line-drive hit by JP Crawford coming right for Boyd on the mound.
J.P. Crawford couldn't believe that Matthew Boyd caught this liner pic.twitter.com/bL3wQtirBK
— MLB (@MLB) June 20, 2025
Although the catch will be in highlight reels, the pitcher contorted his body in an unusual way to make the catch and wound up injured afterward.
Initially, Boyd made the catch as he fell to the ground, made his way to his feet, and walked off the mound with a smile after the phenomenal play. But after five innings and just 76 pitches, the Cubs starter did not return for the sixth inning, which raised concerns.
After the game, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said it was Boyd's left shoulder that was bothering him after the play.
"Obviously, it was a very hard hit. And the shoulder, he caught the ball, obviously, but the shoulder - his left shoulder - took the brunt of it," Counsell said (h/t ChiCity Sports). "So had a pretty big bruise on his left shoulder, kind of on the front of his shoulder, and it just stiffened up pretty quickly. So there was no way to go back out there."
Although the injury ended Boyd's outing on Friday, the Cubs pitcher didn't seem to think it would be anything long-term, which is great news for the Cubs.
"My glove was up against my shoulder, and it kind of got me in a spot a little bit," Boyd said via the Chicago Tribune. "It swelled up a little bit, and as the half-inning went on it tightened up. It was more precautionary than anything ... I don't foresee it being an issue."
Outside of Shota Imanaga, Boyd has been the Cubs' best starting pitcher in 2025. He boasts a 2.84 ERA across 85.2 innings pitched this season.
Despite the positive news of a near Imanaga return, the Cubs can't afford to lose Boyd for an extended period of time. But Boyd seems confident that the injury was more of a scare than anything else. We'll see in the coming days how his shoulder responds and the severity of the injury.
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One of the unsung heroes of the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2025 season has decided to test out his market. According to his transaction log page, right-handed pitcher Nabil Crismatt has officially elected free agency after spending a brief (but productive) stint with the D-backs in the latter end of the 2025 season. Arizona Diamondbacks' Nabil Crismatt Elects Free Agency Crismatt's short-lived tenure was his second with the D-backs' organization. He made one relief appearance for Arizona in the 2023 season before bouncing around between the Dodgers, Padres, Rangers and Phillies organizations. He joined the D-backs on August 9, following yet another injury to Arizona's starting rotation. The D-backs had traded Merrill Kelly and lost interim starter Anthony DeSclafani to a thumb injury. Crismatt joined the rotation having never served as a major league starting pitcher. He had one career start in MLB prior — back in the 2022 season. He'd been primarily a starter in the minor leagues in recent seasons. Crismatt himself noted he enjoyed the opportunity to start — feeling as if his unconventional method of pitching (utilizing a slow changeup primarily) was better suited to the preparation and process that went into pitching out of the rotation. "I feel more like who I am as a starter," said the righty in an interview with Diamondbacks On SI. "To be honest, I've been loving it. Being a starter, that's what I feel more comfortable with." Related Content: How Diamondbacks' Unsung Hero is Finding Unconventional Success He was quite proficient in his five starts for Arizona and made two successful relief appearances, sporting a 2.61 ERA through his first 31 innings. A five-run blowup against the Dodgers in his final bulk relief outing of the season ballooned his ERA to 3.71, but Crismatt's efforts were quite the positive boost to a needy D-backs' pitching staff. Following that blowup, Crismatt was designated for assignment. It was not a move born out of dissatisfaction, but rather a roster crunch. With just three games remaining, Arizona needed to bring up a fresh arm, while Crismatt's bulk workload would have made him unavailable for multiple days. The veteran righty did clear waivers, and was later outrighted to Triple-A Reno on September 28, but the minor league season had long concluded. Arizona faces rotation questions ahead of 2026. While Crismatt might not have been a long-term solution, perhaps a reunion deal to bring him back — either in long relief or as a spot-starter — could be beneficial to a team that may be down its top two rotation arms heading into next season. Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News
The Montreal Canadiens are ready to start the 2025-26 season, with high expectations around the team with a reinforced young core. On Wednesday, Heavy.com proposed a trade between Columbus and Montreal. The Canadiens would acquire Yegor Chinakhov, with a cap hit of $2.1 million, and the Blue Jackets would receive Patrik Laine, with a cap hit of $8.7 million. The outlet had previously proposed an alternative, where the Canadiens obtained Chinakhov for a package of Josh Anderson and Arber Xhekaj, freeing up $4.7 million in cap space. The Columbus coach confirmed that Chinakhov will be a healthy scratch in the Blue Jackets' season opener. Chinakhov requested a trade in July, so a change is not seen as improbable. Blue Jackets' Yegor Chinakhov would fit in well with the Canadiens This trade pitch makes sense because Chinakhov needs a change to get stable minutes on a top-nine team. In Montreal, he could benefit from an environment that maximizes its young offensive players. The Russian's profile would also fit Martin St. Louis' system, as he shoots well and plays well without the puck. In a system that prioritizes possession, the volume and quality of his shots should improve. As he is a restricted free agent (RFA) in 2026, Montreal could maintain contractual control if his production improves. It is a buy-low with upside, as he has recorded a season with 16 goals. This would reduce the risk in relation to larger contracts. The Canadiens could offer a development environment without demanding immediate results. He would not have pressure to be the "savior." Furthermore, not all benefits would be for the player. The Habs are looking for more talent for their wings and scoring depth without sacrificing their defensive structure. The Russian would add shooting threat and quick transitions, especially with centers who gain the zone of control, which could be Suzuki or Kirby Dach.
The Cleveland Browns are 1-4 on the season and just underwent a big change after they traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, ahead of their Week 6 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they are facing some issues with their roster. On Wednesday, the Browns released their injury/participation report for their latest practice. One player (Shelby Harris) did not participate due to rest, while nine had limited participation due to various reasons. Among the players who were limited was Cleveland defensive star Myles Garrett, who is still nursing a nagging ankle injury. It's worth noting that Garrett missed a practice and was limited in two leading up to their Week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings. With that said, there were concerns about his availability for the contest. The good news is that Garrett was able to play, recording three tackles in the 21-17 Cleveland loss. Sure enough, Garrett's condition will be worth monitoring heading into the showdown with Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Garrett's defense remains a big weapon on a Browns team that is still figuring out its offense and quarterback of the future. The one-time Defensive Player of the Year already has 21 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, eight QB hits and four sacks. Even Rodgers himself admitted that the Steelers are wary of Garrett, whom he described as "one of the few players in the league" that "you game plan for and you watch the film," per 93.7 The Fan. The Browns really need Garrett to be at 100% if they want to beat the Steelers in Week 6. If he continues to be bothered by his ankle injury, it could spell trouble for the team once again. Cleveland plays Pittsburgh on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
The Washington Commanders have an extra day this week to prepare for the Chicago Bears and heal up, which is needed for some of the injuries on the team. The team has been getting healthy at the right time, but they're still missing three key players who have missed time over the last few weeks. They would love to get them back for a primetime NFC matchup against the Bears, who are getting their own impact players back from injury. The biggest name for the Commanders to watch this week is wide receiver Terry McLaurin, and we got our first update on Wednesday. Terry McLaurin did not practice on Wednesday Everyone is wondering when McLaurin will make his return, especially with Jayden Daniels back from his own injury, and the hope is this week, with the extra day. Head coach Dan Quinn said on Monday that the team was optimistic about McLaurin's return, along with right guard Sam Cosmi and wide receiver Noah Brown, but they had to wait until the team practiced to see their availability. Well, the team showed up to practice on Wednesday, and McLaurin did not participate like Quinn warned right before the players took the field in his press conference. "You'll see Noah out at practice today," Quinn said. "Terry won't. And then with the extra day, we'll just kind of work our way through with Terry to see where we're at and just kind of watch as we're going through it with him and Noah both.” The team will practice again on Thursday before taking Friday off as a recovery day, then take the field again on Saturday and Sunday to get a final game status on players' availability for Monday night, including McLaurin. McLaurin didn't need surgery and avoided going to the IR, which would've put him out for four games, and the team is going into the third game since he was injured, making his return likely this week or next. The good news, however, is that Brown looks like he will be available this week for the first time in a while. Noah Brown is back at practice Regardless of whether McLaurin returns or not, getting Brown back would help the offense while Deebo Samuel and Luke McCaffrey have been carrying the load over the last two weeks. Brown is the one who caught the Hail Mary touchdown last season in this matchup, and who knows what plays he could make on Monday. The more weapons, the better. The offense should continue to lean on the run game, especially against a really bad Bears' run defense, but getting more weapons back for Daniels, who looked much better last week, will long a long way on Monday night. Hopefully, that includes McLaurin, but we will have to wait and see through the rest of the week.
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