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The Boston Red Sox bullpen could soon be whole for the first time all season.
Coming into 2025, the bullpen was one of Boston's biggest question marks. After an implosion in the second half contributed to the team's fall out of the playoff race, the Red Sox watched two of their big guns, Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin, depart in free agency.
Rather than spending big on a closer over the winter, the Red Sox held an open competition for the ninth-inning role, and at the start of the spring, many believed three-time All-Star Liam Hendriks was the favorite. Hendriks hadn't pitched in the majors since 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Unfortunately, Hendriks got rocked in his spring training outings and lost the job comfortably to newcomer Aroldis Chapman. Worse, he wound up with elbow inflammation that placed him on the 15-day injured list just as the season began. Finally, some good news is coming his way.
According to MassLive's Chris Cotillo, Hendriks will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Thursday. He won't likely return at the first possible opportunity (he was placed on the 15-day IL on Mar. 27), but he is at least trending in the right direction.
The 36-year-old Hendriks became a national fan-favorite from 2019 to 2022 as he won two American League Reliever of the Year Awards and showcased his fiery competitive persona on the mound, wearing his emotions on his sleeve.
He's had a rough go of things since 2022, fighting off a Non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis that winter, returning to make four appearances for the Chicago White Sox in 2023 before suffering the torn UCL that has kept him out of action since.
Last season, Hendriks made six rehab appearances, allowing one earned run in five innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He gave up seven earned runs on 14 hits during 7 1/3 innings of spring training action.
Soon, Hendriks will get his long-awaited chance to make an impact on the Red Sox, more than halfway through his two-year contract. But can he be a difference-maker for a group that has had a decent, but not excellent start to the season?
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Yankees Have Trade Pieces for Tarik Skubal Deal
The New York Yankees will be without their ace Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to start the season. Ryan Yarbrough coming back could lessen the blow in the short term, but if the Detroit Tigers end up trading Tarik Skubal, not only will one of the best pitchers in baseball sure up the pitching depth to start 2026, but the combination of Cole, Skubal, and Max Fried in the postseason would be a three-headed monster. The Trade Chips According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Yankees have the firepower to get a deal done. "The Yankees have the upper-level pitching depth Detroit lacks," Passan writes. Ultimately, it will be up to the Tigers to trade him. Passan also says that Detroit will follow the market and see what's out there. "In the end, the Tigers' decision will be informed by the markets that surround it. If teams can upgrade with a player who is 75% of Skubal at 50% the price, they will. Until that is no longer an option, teams simply won't bend over backward to overpay, regardless of how appetizing a rotation helmed by the ace of aces would be. Anyway, they've got plenty of other options." The other teams Passan sees as having a shot at Skubal are the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, and potentially the Chicago Cubs. The Mariners have the prospects for Skubal, but he sees them as having little desire to trade for him. The Athletic's Jim Bowden also linked the Yankees to Skubal. "Expect the big-market teams with strong farm systems and the financial wherewithal to sign Skubal long-term to make their interest known, teams like the Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Giants, and, yes, the Dodgers," Bowden says. The Boras Dilemma The Tigers may find themselves in the same position the San Diego Padres did when they traded Juan Soto to the Yankees after the 2023 season. Skubal, also a Scott Boras client, will command a massive deal, and spending his whole career in Detroit won't get them any hometown discounts. That usually tends to be the case with Boras' guys outside of Jered Weaver with the Los Angeles Angels, and he is more of an outlier than anything else. It's hard to guess what other teams value, but if this is about the top arms in the Yankee farm system, Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz would likely have to be included. Bryce Cunningham and Ben Hess might be a part of the deal, too. If the Yankees think they have a shot at signing Skubal long-term, then clearing out the farm system does make sense. They probably thought they would with Juan Soto, but the Yankees may have better luck here. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! National Scout Gets Real About Top Yankees Prospect for 2026 Cubs Star Might Not Fit Yankees Yankees' Aaron Judge Wins AL MVP Award Jeff Passan Reveals Best Offseason Move for Yankees Yankees Predicted to Land Padres All-Star
In LeBron James' historic season debut, Lakers storm past Jazz
Luka Doncic scored 37 points with 10 assists and LeBron James added 11 points in 30 minutes of his season debut as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 140-125 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Austin Reaves scored 26 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 points with 14 rebounds. Jake LaRavia had 16 points as Los Angeles won its third consecutive game. However, the game was historic for James and the NBA After missing the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica on his right side, James took the court to become the first player in NBA history to play in 23 consecutive seasons. Keyonte George scored 33 points and Lauri Markkanen added 31 for the Jazz, who lost for the fifth time in their past seven games. Svi Mykhailiuk and Ace Bailey each scored 13 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 10 points with 10 rebounds in Utah's only road contest in a stretch of seven games. The Lakers didn't take their first lead until going up 89-88 on a Doncic layup with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter. The basket was part of an 8-0 run that gave Los Angeles a 91-88 advantage. The Lakers dominated from there. They led 104-93 through three quarters after trailing by as many as seven points earlier in the period. Doncic scored 17 points in the third quarter alone when Los Angeles had a 37-22 scoring advantage. It was more of the same in the fourth quarter as the Lakers had a 36-32 advantage and finished with a season high in points. The Jazz led the entire first half, taking an 11-2 lead 3:19 into the game and going up 16-6 five minutes into the opening quarter. James had a turnover in the opening minute and missed his only shot of the first quarter as Utah took a 36-27 lead. James' first basket of the season came on a 3-pointer with 8:20 remaining in the first half. He scored seven points in the second quarter, while going 2 of 2 from 3-point range in the period. The Jazz led 71-67 at halftime by shooting 55.3% from the floor as George had 23 points and Markkanen added 22.
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.
'The Energy Feels Great' – Toronto Raptors’ Brandon Ingram Dishes on His Solid Start With the Team This Season
Don’t look now, but the Toronto Raptors are currently third in the Eastern Conference with a 9-5 record. They’re on a four-game winning streak following their 110-108 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, and Brandon Ingram has been instrumental in the team’s early success. Ingram is off to a positive start with the Toronto Raptors, averaging 20.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 48.6 percent shooting from the field in his first 14 regular season games. After Monday’s match, the one-time NBA All-Star said he is enjoying his time with his new team thus far. “The energy feels good, especially from my teammates, my coaches, training staff, from the fans. The energy feels great, and I’m able to come in and just get better every single game,” Ingram stated via Adam Laskaris of Offside. He had 27 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks on 9-for-21 shooting from the field last Monday, including his nasty poster dunk on Ryan Kalkbrenner in the final quarter. Toronto Raptors News: Darko Rajakovic lauds Brandon Ingram’s two-way performance vs. Charlotte Hornets Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic was all smiles after beating the Charlotte Hornets, and he made sure to give Brandon Ingram his plaudits after a strong outing. “He’s with us for a reason,” Rajakovic said of Ingram via Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. “We love the guy. We love his game. I think he’s continuously improving with us. Defensively, he was very good for us today as well, with his ball pressure, hand activity, and protecting the rim.” The Toronto Raptors will aim for their fifth consecutive victory when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday evening.
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