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The Minnesota Twins have three of the 50 best prospects in baseball, according to ESPN's new prospect rankings. However, two of those young stars dropped pretty far from where they were ranked in ESPN's preseason rankings.
Holding the top spot among Twins prospects, once again, is outfielder Walker Jenkins, who came in at No. 9 in the 'midseason' rankings. That is a six-spot drop from where Jenkins was ranked coming into the 2025 season.
A large reason for the drop is injuries. Jenkins has only played two games so far in 2025, both coming back in April for Double-A Wichita. The 20-year-old has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury he suffered in spring training. It is not his first stint in the rehab room since being taken fifth overal l by the Twins in the 2023 draft; he was sidelined for two months last season after suffering a hamstring injury on Opening Day.
The drop by ESPN follows a similar drop from Baseball America, which sank Jenkins to No. 11 from a preseason ranking of No. 5.
Fellow outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez has dropped 10 spots, from No. 27 to No. 37 in ESPN's rankings. The 22-year-old is slashing .234/.375/.387 with just three home runs and 15 RBIs. Rodriguez is in his first full season at Triple-A St. Paul, having played seven games for the Saints in 2024.
Like Jenkins, Rodriguez dropped in Baseball America's rankings from No. 19 to No. 25.
Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall is up four spots to No. 39 from his preseason No. 43 ranking. Keaschall started the season with Triple-A St. Paul, playing 14 games before he was called up to the majors to assist the injury-depleted Twins.
Keaschall got his major league career off to a hot start, recording a hit in each of his first six games. However, that came to screeching halt when he suffered a broken arm when he was hit by a pitch on April 25 against the Angels. He has since been placed on the 60-day injured list.
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Phillies get terrible injury news on ace starting pitcher
The Philadelphia Phillies received the update they did not want to hear on Saturday. Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is going to miss the remainder of the 2025 season due to thoracic outlet syndrome, the team announced. He will have surgery to correct the issue with a recovery time of six to eight months. There is no way to sugarcoat this for the Phillies — this is brutal news and a potentially crushing blow to their World Series chances in the National League. While they still have a strong rotation and two excellent front-line starters in Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez, Wheeler is their unquestioned ace and has been one of the best overall pitchers in the National League since he joined the Phillies prior to the 2020 season. The Phillies are still pretty much a playoff lock at this point and entered the weekend with a six-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East standings. But taking a front-line starter away from them this late in the season is going to be impossible to replace. With Wheeler, Sanchez and Suarez, they would have had a fierce trio to throw at teams in a short series (or a best-of-seven series) that could have stacked up with anybody. Sanchez and Suarez are still going to give them a great chance, but it's definitely not what they wanted. Prior to Saturday's announcement, Wheeler had a 2.71 ERA and was leading the league in both strikeouts (195) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.7) pitched. He also has the lowest WHIP (walks/hits per innings pitched) in the league (.935).
Angry Mike Vrabel vows to find 'rats' within Patriots organization who leaked major news
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wasn't mad about how the backups performed in the team's 42-10 preseason loss to the New York Giants. He was angry that someone had leaked the news that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk would need season-ending shoulder surgery. When asked if he had anything to add to the reports that Polk would miss the season, Vrabel didn't give the media anything aside from his unvarnished feelings. "I'd like to find out where some of these [reports] come from. Some of these rats around here. So, we'll figure that out," he added in a news conference on Thursday. Coaches and reporters are hardly the best of friends on a good day. Often, a coach will deflect if they don't want to add fuel to a report the team hasn't made official, but usually they won't deflect and promise to get the "rats" providing this information. NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news ahead of the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants. According to Schultz, the decision for Polk to undergo surgery was made to ensure the 2024 second-round pick would be healthy for the 2026 season. Polk dealt with health issues throughout the offseason. It was during the second quarter of New England's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders that he took a nasty hit on a one-yard run, leading to the shoulder injury that will sideline him for 2025. Last season, Polk had a tough rookie debut, catching just 12 receptions for 87 yards and recording two touchdowns. The hope for 2025 was that he could redeem himself and become a reliable enough target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Expectations for Maye are much higher now with the return of Tom Brady's old offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. Without Polk to run routes, though, the already-thin wide receiver room is nearly devoid of talent behind veteran receiver Stefon Diggs. The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract in the offseason. However, Diggs has brought some unwanted attention to the team through his offseason antics and is recovering from a torn ACL that ended his time with the Houston Texans. While Patriot fans should feel some hope in the direction of the team under Vrabel — a former defensive star for New England during the dynasty years — this roster is still in the midst of a rebuild. And with such a troubled roster, losses may pile up, and the team's relationship with the media could worsen if another season feels like a waste. So, Vrabel being upset by Polk's injury is fair, but what doesn't feel fair is to single out Patriots staff and players who are potentially talking to reporters as hostile to the organization. It's perhaps not surprising that Vrabel is willing to voice his frustrations, as he's shown no fear when breaking up practice scrums. Still, it's the job of any journalist to build relationships with staff and team members to gain reliable sources who can help them accurately report the news. While the "rats" moniker for those in the building talking to NFL insiders and the New England sports media will be swallowed up by all the other headlines as Week 1 nears, it's notable that Vrabel's time as head coach in New England is already off to a contentious start.
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CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown
The 2025 college football regular season kicked off on Saturday, headlined by a ranked Big 12 matchup across the pond in Ireland. With Week 0 in the books, here are our winners and losers from the first weekend of the college football season. Winner: Going for it on fourth down with a chance to win the game Arguably, two fourth-down decisions were the most consequential in Associated Press No. 22 Iowa State Cyclones' 24-21 win over Big 12 rival No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats. Let's start with the good. With 2:26 remaining in the fourth and facing a fourth-and-3 from Kansas State's 16-yard line, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell elected to keep his offense on the field instead of kicking a field goal and taking a six-point lead. The decision was correct on multiple fronts. By settling for a field-goal attempt, Campbell would have given Kansas State, which had no timeouts, over two minutes to score a possible winning touchdown. The risk of failing to convert was offset by allowing Kansas State the ability to extend the game with a field goal as opposed to needing a touchdown to win. And again, if the Wildcats got in the end zone, would it really have mattered if Iowa State lost by one instead of four points? The Cyclones didn't have to worry about that. Instead, quarterback Rocco Becht found running back Carson Hansen, who picked up the first down, allowing Iowa State to run out the clock. Loser: Going for it on fourth from your own 30-yard line in a three-point game Conversely, Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman's fourth-down call from his own 30-yard line with 8:19 remaining was much less excusable. While his defense had just allowed two long scoring drives, putting them on the field with only 30 yards to defend was setting the unit up to fail. As much of a rhythm as Iowa State's offense may have found, it also had three three-and-outs and two fumbles to that point, so we're not exactly talking about 2019 LSU here. Rather than forcing the Cyclones to drive the field, Klieman handed them a golden scoring opportunity. Winner: Kansas State defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi It wasn't all bad for the Wildcats. Osunsanmi, a junior edge-rusher, established himself as a name to watch in the Big 12 with two first-quarter sacks. The class of 2022 recruit had 3.5 sacks all of last season and could eclipse that early in 2025. Loser: Dan Mullen trading the studio for the sideline The former Mississippi State and Florida head coach returned to the sideline on Saturday for his first game leading the UNLV Rebels. While he notched a win against FCS Idaho State, it didn't come easily. UNLV trailed, 31-24, in the fourth, before scoring 14 unanswered points in a 38-31 win. For someone who most recently spent his Saturdays in the fall watching games as an ESPN analyst, his new job is already exceptionally more pressure-inducing. Just wait until the Rebels play FBS competition. Winner: Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels This is the Daniels that was promised. After breaking through in 2022 when Kansas snapped a 13-year bowl drought, Daniels was limited to three games in 2023 due to injury. Last season, he was healthy for the Jayhawks' disappointing 5-7 campaign and threw a Big 12-high 12 interceptions. He was outstanding in a 31-7 win over Fresno State, going 18-of-20 for 176 yards and three touchdowns while adding 47 yards rushing. If this is the Daniels that Kansas gets all season, it could make serious noise. Loser: Refs' judging of Clay Patterson's dance moves Stanford defensive lineman Clay Patterson celebrated a 12-yard sack late in the first half against Hawai'i by breaking out a TikTok dance, which officials apparently weren't fond of, hitting him with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, resulting in an automatic first down. It's another reminder that no one despises fun more than college football referees. But until they discover a sense of humor, it would be best for Patterson to save his moves for TikTok.
Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay providing drama atop Tour Championship leaderboard
ATLANTA -- Tommy Fleetwood is still in position to win his first PGA Tour tournament — one of the biggest — but he's sure making it interesting. Fleetwood lost his lead at the Tour Championship after hitting it in the water on the par-3 15th hole in the third round of the FedEx Cup playoff finale at East Lake Golf Club on Saturday. He ended up making double bogey to fall to 14-under par. At the same time, Patrick Cantlay made the second of two straight birdies on the 17th hole to move to 15-under and take the lead that Fleetwood had enjoyed all day, at times by as many as three strokes. At the end of the day, Fleetwood overcame the mishap and he and Cantlay stand tied for the lead at 16-under going into Sunday's final round. Fleetwood (67) bounced back from the water ball with a birdie on the 16th hole to move back into a tie with Cantlay at 15-under. Cantlay (64) answered back with birdie on the 18th to move to 16-under. Fleetwood then birdied the 17th and parred the 18th. Cantlay, the 2021 FedEx Cup champion, birdied the final three holes and four of the last five. Russell Henley (69), who shared the second-round lead with Fleetwood, is third at 14-under. Keegan Bradley (63) is fourth at 13-under. Scottie Scheffler is still lurking. The world's No. 1 golfer and leader in the FedEx Cup point standings started the third round five shots back of Fleetwood and Henley. He trended in the wrong direction with bogeys on the first two holes. However, birdies in five of the next eight holes righted his round. He stands in fifth at 12-under (66). Bradley added suspense with big drama inside the tournament. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain stands at 13-under to move into serious contention. His round included an eagle from the fairway on the par-5 sixth hole and ended with three straight birdies. Bradley has six captain's picks to make for the Ryder Cup team on Wednesday. The question is whether he should choose himself, becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. That year's international competition was also played at East Lake. "I was so tired Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday," said Bradley, who admitted to being preoccupied with Ryder Cup decisions and strategy this week. "I was really just truthfully trying to get through this week. This is a bit surprising, but just I really played spectacularly today. I'm really proud of this round." Fleetwood is close enough to taste his first PGA Tour victory -- again. His near misses have been well documented. He entered the Tour Championship fifth in the points standings, the highest-ranked player in the 30-player field without a win. In the past two weeks, he has finished tied for fourth and tied for third in the playoff events, the St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship. Fleetwood also has seven top-10 finishes this year and a total of 30 top-fives without a victory. Rain fell throughout the day, necessitating the preferred lie rule for the third straight day, but play was never in jeopardy of being halted. Scoring was up significantly in the third round after two days of record scoring. In the first two rounds, a tournament record was set with 13 rounds of 64 or better, reached after just 36 holes. Only Bradley and Cantlay went that low on Saturday. In the first two rounds, only five players shot over par. On Sunday, nine players did so. --Chris Vivlamore, Field Level Media
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