Colorado Rockies left fielder Nolan Jones has had a tough time with injuries as of late. Things started for Jones when he injured his back, and he went down to Albuquerque to play for the Albuquerque Isotopes on rehab. While he was on rehab for the back injury, Jones sustained another injury, this one being to his left knee. Jones is currently on the 10-day/15-day injured list for the Rockies, and he should be resuming his rehab assignment shortly.
“On May 31, Jones was in Albuquerque, but not in the Isotopes’ starting lineup,” The Rockies injury report said. “He is working toward resuming his rehab assignment, possibly as early as June 1. Jones completed his work in Denver with a full session of batting practice, fielding and baserunning on May 29. He finished by practicing diving back into first base on pantomime pickoff moves. The current injury is to his left knee, sustained after a rehab assignment at Albuquerque for his back injury.”
So far this season, Nolan Jones has played 26 games for the Rockies. Colorado has played a total of 56 games, and they are currently in last place in the NL West. Jones is 16-94 so far at the plate this year for the Rockies and he is hitting .243. He has one home run, seven RBIs and nine walks. His slugging percentage is .277.
Hopefully Jones can get back to full strength soon and return from his rehab assignment.
One of the most important players for the Rockies this season has been pitcher Austin Gomber. Gomber has been lights out on the mound this season for the Rockies. He has a 2.76 ERA so far on the year and his ERA in May was .68. His last start was pushed back as Colorado is trying to keep him healthy as he dealt with a sore left elbow, but he will be starting on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Gomber, who was scratched from his scheduled start on Monday, posted a 0.68 ERA in May and has a 2.76 ERA overall,” The injury report said. “He is one of six pitchers in Rockies history to have a sub-3.00 ERA after 10 starts. So to keep him healthy, the Rockies pushed him back a few days when he emerged from his last start on May 22 with soreness at the back of his left elbow. Manager Bud Black announced Gomber’s next starting assignment on Wednesday. Gomber pointed out that he has experienced the issue before, but he has been able to make his following start because the team was on the road, where recovery is easier than at Denver’s altitude. In his last start, Gomber held the Athletics to one run in eight innings. The way Gomber navigated that game is instructive. He relied more on his curveball than he does at Coors, and the lefty is having his best season in terms of adjusting quickly to how his pitches are behaving in a given outing — a requirement for a Rockies pitcher who is bouncing between a unique home atmosphere and the road.”
One of the Rockies’ top prospects, outfielder Jordan Beck, is also dealing with an injury. He has a broken left hand, but he should be able to return to the field soon. He is expected back in June or July.
“Beck was called up on April 30 for his Major League debut, and he was going through the ups and downs of being a rookie before sustaining a broken left hand while making a diving catch on May 25.,” The injury report said. “Dr. Donald Sheridan performed surgery on May 29 to insert a plate in the hand to aid in healing. Manager Bud Black gave a timeline of 4-6 weeks.”
Pitchers Justin Lawrence and Jake Bird should be returning soon as well. Lawrence is dealing with a right shoulder strain and Bird has some right elbow inflammation. Both are expected to be back this month.
“Lawrence has pitched 21 1/3 innings with 20 strikeouts but 15 walks,” The injury report stated. “He began the year as the nominal closer, but struggled in some game-turning situations. After resting his arm, Lawrence will work with coaches to correct mechanical issues that are preventing him from landing pitches in proper locations. Bird (1-1, 6.10 ERA in 19 appearances) struggled mightily with command — 15 walks, including five to first batters. Bird has been rehabbing at the team’s complex in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is expected to return to the mound soon. Last season, Bird, 28, led the Rockies with 70 appearances and was one of the team’s most trusted and consistent relievers.”
These are all the guys that the Rockies should get back this month. We’ll see if this added depth can help them make some progress in the NL West standings.
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The White Sox have released right-handers Noah Syndergaard and Penn Murfee. Syndergaard’s release was announced on Sunday, while Murfee’s MLB.com profile page indicates he was let go on Friday. Syndergaard signed a minor league deal with Chicago in late June, which marked his first contract with any team since he was released by the Guardians in August 2023. Despite some interest from teams during the 2023-24 offseason, Syndergaard ended up not pitching anywhere in 2024, so the Sox started him off with some rookie ball outings just to get acclimated back to game action before reporting to Triple-A Charlotte. Syndergaard had a 2.93 ERA over his 15 1/3 frames of Rookie League work, but then was hit hard for a 10.13 ERA over two outings and eight innings at the Triple-A level. The ugly numbers in Charlotte included only two strikeouts and a rather incredible five homers allowed. While eight innings is obviously a small sample size, it was enough for the White Sox to decide to move on from Syndergaard, putting the former All-Star at yet another career crossroads. Syndergaard turns 33 later this month, and it is fair to wonder if retirement could be a possibility. Despite his past pedigree, the amount of time it took for him to land even a minor league contract could indicate that evaluators simply doubt he can ever regain any of his past effectiveness. A frontline member of the Mets’ pitching staff during his prime years, Syndergaard has never really recovered from a Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for virtually all of the 2020-21 season. He pitched decently well in posting a 3.94 ERA over 134 2/3 innings for the Angels and Phillies in 2022, but rather than approach his old form or at least settle in at a mid-rotation arm, Syndergaard regressed in the form of a 6.50 ERA in 88 2/3 frames with the Dodgers and Guardians in 2023. Murfee is another pitcher whose career was interrupted by a major arm injury. After posting a 2.70 ERA for the Mariners in his first 83 1/3 career big league innings, he underwent UCL surgery in June 2023, and some elbow discomfort kept him from making his return late in the 2024 season as a member of the Astros. The White Sox claimed Murfee off waivers from Houston last November, marking the fourth time in a 13-month period that the right-hander had changed teams on the waiver wire. Murfee made his return to the Show in the form of 12 2/3 innings of 7.82 ball for the White Sox earlier this season. Chicago outrighted the hurler to Triple-A in early May, and while Murfee had a respectable 4.09 ERA over 22 innings for Charlotte, he has recorded more walks (18) than strikeouts (16).
The New Orleans Saints' three-way quarterback competition is narrowing before the team's first preseason contest against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Per Ross Jackson of Louisiana Sports, second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler has looked the best at training camp this summer, going 83-of-114 passing (72.8 percent) for eight touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and four interceptions. Rattler is beating out rookie Tyler Shough. The second-round pick has completed just 62 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions. 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and one Interception. Jackson believes first-year head coach Kellen Moore is priming Rattler as the favorite to start in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. "Over the team’s 10 practices, these three young passers have seen their chance to earn the starting role to begin the season in a rotation of first-team reps," Jackson wrote. "But there are decisions the Saints have made in the process that indicate a favorite. "After looking over individual performance stats, practice rep distribution and the team’s treatment of each quarterback throughout the important and highly-productive scrimmages on camp day 10, it’s become clear that Rattler is comfortably in the lead, for now." Jackson thinks Rattler can fend off his "convincing lead" for the starting job if he plays competently against the Chargers on Sunday. Rattler feels like the safe choice for Moore over Shough and Haener, at least to start the regular season. He appeared in seven games and started in six in 2024. Rattler played inconsistently as a rookie, throwing four touchdowns to five interceptions. However, he's had time to develop. Given his numbers in training camp, Rattler appears to be the most polished quarterback before the regular season. Shough could eventually develop into the Saints' best option, but the rookie's completion percentage against friendly competition at camp is low before he even faces live action in the preseason.
LeBron James wasn't present at Luka Doncic's contract extension news conference. That doesn't necessarily mean anything, and he's more than entitled to some time off the clock just like everybody else. However, given all that has been said about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers, it didn't take long before people speculated whether there was something else going on. The Athletic's Dan Woike reports that there's nothing to it. "James has not asked for a trade or a contract buyout, team and league sources have said. He’ll turn 41 on Dec. 30," wrote Woike. James' agent and friend, Rich Paul, also made it loud and clear that he hasn't even talked about potentially leaving the Lakers, and while he still doesn't know if he'll re-sign with them or will continue to play beyond this season, that's a bridge they'll cross when they get there. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka also shut down rumors by pointing out that he's been in constant talks with James and his camp. “Yeah, so all the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp, Rich (Paul) in particular, have been positive and supportive. So very professional and Rich has been great,” Pelinka said. “The dialogue with him has been open and constant.” The Lakers are doing the right thing by pivoting towards their younger star. Whether this will be the end of the line for James in Southern California remains to be seen.
The uncertainty surrounding the Boston Celtics this offseason, especially at the big man position, has another new wrinkle added, as a free agent made his intentions known about signing with the team. After there was reason to believe he would play overseas, there is a desire to stay in North America, and to do so on the parquet. Additionally, superstar Jaylen Brown has been disrespected in the latest player rankings from an NBA.com insider. The Finals MVP certainly has reason to have been higher on the list, but perhaps his on-court play will do all the talking this season. Finally, the Celtics are urged to sign a 'wildcard' Jayson Tatum replacement. A key insider believes that a 22-year-old wing has yet to show his truest potential, and it can possibly be brought out in Boston. Here’s more information on these stories and all the latest Celtics news (click the headline for the full article): Free Agent Big Man Wants to Sign With Celtics in Shocking Turn of Events Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Lands Shockingly Low in New Player Rankings Celtics Urged to Sign 'Wildcard' Jayson Tatum Replacement Celtics Brutally Disrespected in Latest NBA Power Rankings Former Celtics All-Defensive Teamer Gets Honest About Guarding Lakers' Kobe Bryant Celtics Receive Brutal Grade for Offseason Work Celtics Tweets of the Day: For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.