Houston Astros right-hander Luis Garcia has suffered yet another setback in his return from Tommy John surgery.
The team shut down Garcia on March 20 due to elbow soreness in his throwing arm, and a recent MRI showed inflammation. He’s shut down from throwing indefinitely.
Via Brian McTaggart:
“RHP Luis Garcia received an MRI, and it revealed inflammation in his right elbow. He is shut down from throwing and will be reevaluated in four weeks.”
Another brutal update for Garcia. He had the operation in May of 2023 and has dealt with numerous setbacks since then. The righty was on a minor league assignment last summer but felt soreness in his elbow. The Astros had him face hitters in September, but he was shut down once again.
As McTaggart said, Houston will reevaluate Garcia in four weeks and see where he’s at. When healthy, the 28-year-old has been an effective starter in the Astros’ rotation. He made 56 starts between 2021 and 2022, compiling a 3.60 ERA. Garcia only made five appearances in ’23 before tearing his UCL, ultimately leading to surgery.
Honestly, considering he’ll be shut down for a minimum of four weeks, it feels unlikely Garcia will be back on the mound for the Astros in the first half. Barring any more setbacks, post-All-Star break seems realistic. He’ll need to begin a throwing program again, ramp up to live BP, then eventually, face hitters in games in the minors.
While this is far from ideal for Garcia, the Astros’ rotation will be fine. Lance McCullers Jr is finally healthy and should be back soon. He’s on a rehab assignment in the minors right now. Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, and Spencer Arrighetti headline the staff, followed by Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesnecki.
Houston is off to a 2-4 start and will face the Minnesota Twins this afternoon at Target Field.
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The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
It’s wild how quickly the NBA narrative can flip. A year ago, Zion Williamson was in every trade rumor possible. People were questioning his health, his work ethic, even his future in New Orleans. And the Pelicans? They didn’t really deny any of it. It felt like both sides were one step away from walking. But things have shifted this offseason — quietly, but clearly. The Pelicans could’ve pulled the plug. Zion’s contract gave them outs, and the trade market might’ve still brought back some real value. Instead, they stuck with him. And based on what one of their own just said, they’re not just keeping him around — they’re still betting big on him. In a recent interview with Spotrac’s Keith Smith, an anonymous Pelicans executive made it crystal clear. “Zion is still our guy. We’re all in on him. We think he’s going to have a huge year. We’ve had some bad injury luck and some things that just haven’t worked out. This partnership hasn’t even come close to reaching our best yet.” That’s not something you say if you’re halfway in. They backed it up with their offseason moves, too. They traded CJ McCollum and brought in Jordan Poole, a high-usage creator who can take pressure off Zion. They drafted Jeremiah Fears with the No. 7 pick, a dynamic young guard. They added Kevon Looney, a reliable veteran who brings playoff experience and toughness. Those aren’t tear-it-down moves — those are “let’s try this another way” moves. Of course, Zion’s health is still the question. That never really goes away. He played just 30 games last season, but in those games he looked solid: 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per night on 56.7 percent shooting. The explosiveness was there. The playmaking was sharp. And the hope for New Orleans is that this time, he can finally sustain it. What’s interesting is how the front office is trying to create a better environment around him. Joe Dumars has stepped in to lead basketball operations and is reportedly building a closer relationship with Zion — dinners, real conversations, not just surface-level stuff. It feels like, for once, the team is trying to meet him halfway. It’s a risk, sure. But it’s a calculated one. The West is brutal and the margin for error is thin. Still, if Zion can stay healthy for 60 games, and if Poole finds a rhythm and guys like Trey Murphy and Herb Jones keep improving — this team has a shot to be in the mix. The quote from the exec says it all. They could’ve hit reset, moved on, cleaned house. But they didn’t. They’re still in. And now it’s on Zion to hold up his end of the deal. After everything that’s happened, they’re telling the world they still believe. Now it’s time to find out if they’re right.
The Milwaukee Bucks' decision to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard sparked even more Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors on social media. There were already reports that Antetokounmpo was considering his options and potentially forcing his way out of Milwaukee, and the Lillard move did little to alleviate the situation. Nevertheless, the weeks have gone by, and Antetokounmpo is still a Buck. More importantly, the team believes that's not going to change any time soon. "We have no indication that anything is really changing as far as our relationship with the player we think is the best in the world," a Bucks front office executive told Spotrac's Keith Smith. "We rebuilt on the fly, in a really challenging situation, but we think we did it as well as it could be done." Antetokounmpo trade rumors have cooled off around the league, and while anything can happen in the NBA, that doesn't seem likely at this point. "Do I think the star guys like Giannis (Antetokounmpo) or LeBron (James) are going to go anywhere? Nope. Is it possible? Sure is," said a Western Conference executive. Giannis chose to stay in Milwaukee with one of the most lucrative contract extensions in NBA history. He was overly critical of the team's effort last season, and another early playoff exit may have driven him to the edge. Even so, he's talked about how he wants to win "the right way," as opposed to chasing rings. That said, with head coach Doc Rivers' long list of questionable postseason performances and a championship window that could be closing right before their eyes, Giannis trade rumors will flood social media again if the Bucks get off to a slow start during the 2026-26 campaign.
The Green Bay Packers’ defense dominated 2-minute and third-down periods during the second practice of training camp on Thursday. Here are the highlights from the second of three consecutive practices. Jordan Love’s Day Jordan Love is off to a solid start to his third training camp as Green Bay’s starter, going 9-of-14 on the day after going 8-of-12 on Wednesday. The 9-of-14 doesn’t accurately portray his day, though. Love’s first throw of the day was a bullet to receiver Jayden Reed, who was arrowing across the field for a big gain. In a live setting, safety Xavier McKinney would have hit Reed to the middle of next week. On the next pass, Love connected with receiver Mecole Hardman underneath; defensive end Lukas Van Ness charged unblocked into the backfield and safety Evan Williams almost made a diving interception. On the next play, Javon Bullard, who lined up in the slot, beautifully read an out to Romeo Doubs and broke up the pass. Love’s final segment of practice was a third-down period consisting of five plays. Love was 3-of-4 passing, with the three completions moving the chains. On third-and-9, it was Love to Doubs. On third-and-7, Love coaxed the defense offside and threw incomplete on a free play. On third-and-5, it was Love to Tucker Kraft for a first down. On third-and-4, Love fielded a low snap – a theme for the day – and overthrew Josh Jacobs, who had gotten behind Carrington Valentine and Xavier McKinney. Finally, on third-and-3, Love extended the play and used a lightning-fast release to connect with Matthew Golden between Bo Melton and Isaiah McDuffie for the first down. Player of the Day At cornerback this offseason, the Packers let Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell walk in free agency and released Jaire Alexander. Their lone big addition was Nate Hobbs, who signed a four-year, $48 million contract in free agency. During a third-down period, Jordan Love got Hobbs to jump offside on third-and-7. On the next snap, third-and-5, Hobbs got his revenge. On an out to Dontayvion Wicks, Hobbs made a diving interception at the sideline and let the offense know all about it. “It was third down, I knew my personnel and I knew it was 87 (Romeo Doubs), I wanted to jump him, make him get into his route and apply the pressure on him so the quarterback knew he can’t just hold the ball, surprise him a little bit. The first hard count I didn’t go for. The second hard count, I’m like OK, cool, and I jumped offsides. A mistake we can’t have. “But I knew if I was to jump offsides, I had to make that (next) play to get us off the field, so I told my teammates, ‘That’s on me. I promise I’ll make that play.’ That builds trust. When your teammates are looking around and are like, that could lose a game, you’ve got to know as a man you’ve got to be accountable. I just told my guys, ‘I’ve got you all. I promise.’ That builds trust.” It was a big-time play for Hobbs, who also was all over a checkdown to Josh Jacobs early in practice. “He’s done a great job,” coach Matt LaFleur said before practice. “You can really see the guy’s a competitor, and that’s why we loved him on tape. He’s tough. He was primarily a nickel with the Raiders, and so it’s been pretty cool to watch him come in, played a lot more outside corner, but also we know what he can do, you know, if we want to put him inside.” Play of the Day During a backups-vs.-backups 2-minute drill, rookie quarterback Taylor Elgersma completed his first pass to set up a third-and-4 from the 31. Elgersma rifled a seam shot to tight end Ben Sims, which first-year safety Omar Brown grabbed for an interception. “We were in man. It’s been a while since I’ve been in man. I’m usually in the post,” Brown said. “Just playing man and playing ball, pretty much. Seen the throw, slipped it and caught it.” Brown, who intercepted eight passes at Northern Iowa before finishing with two seasons at Nebraska, went undrafted in 2024 and signed with the Broncos, who gave him $250,000 guaranteed. He failed to make their roster, though, and spent all of last season on Green Bay’s practice squad. He played special teams in two games. “It means something to me,” he said of the interception. “It’s my second camp so every pick means something to me. I just can’t wait to do it in a game, honestly.” Packers Injury Updates Training camp opened with seven players on injury lists. That’s down to five, as rookie seventh-round cornerback Micah Robinson (knee) and linebacker Quay Walker (ankle) passed their physicals. While Robinson returned to action after missing minicamp, Walker remained in the background, watching the defense from far behind the formation. Coach Matt LaFleur wouldn’t put a timeline on Walker’s return to practice. “It’s just good to get him back acclimated with the guys, communicating in the huddle, seeing it from that position,” LaFleur said. Six players did not practice: Walker (ankle), receiver Christian Watson (knee), linebacker Collin Oliver (hamstring), running back Amar Johnson (hamstring) and offensive lineman John Williams (back) and center Elgton Jenkins (back). Left guard Aaron Banks, the team’s big-ticket free agent, was on the field but did not participate during the second half of practice for unknown reasons. Packers Practice Highlights - Focusing on cornerback during training camp, Bo Melton made a pair of impressive plays on back-to-back snaps. First, he was in position to thwart a bootleg and scramble by Malik Willis. On the next play, he broke up a crossing route from Taylor Elgersma to Savion Williams. “Day 1 was good, did some nice things,” coach Matt LaFleur said before practice. “I just love the attitude and what he’s all about, what he represents. His story is awesome. Just how he’s had to earn everything in this league. And I think that’s a good lesson for all our players, whether you’re a first-rounder or seventh-rounder, a UDFA. It doesn’t matter. You got to earn it every day and he definitely has done that.” - With Elgton Jenkins missing a second consecutive day, both of the backup centers, Jacob Monk and Trey Hill, had wayward shotgun snaps. After Hill’s was wide right of Willis, he was briefly benched. - Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness had a race to the backfield to devour Josh Jacobs on a running play. On the next snap, the defense would let Jayden Reed turn the corner on a jet sweep. - On the first play of the second-team’s 2-minute drill, Isaiah Simmons rushed into the backfield, got his hands up and deflected Malik Willis’ pass, which was intercepted by Carrington Valentine. “Just playing what I was supposed to do on the call and just trusted what I was supposed to do and let my instincts take over,” Simmons explained. - The 2s got a re-do. On the first play, Willis threw a splendid corner route that was thrown just a few inches beyond receiver Julian Hicks. After a third-down completion from Willis to Savion Williams for a first down, second-year linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper blew up a screen to MarShawn Lloyd, which helped kill the drive. - This was quite a sequence by the defense. Edgerrin Cooper turned on the jets to tackle Jacobs near the line. On the next play, Jordan Love faked a toss and completed a pass to Dontayvion Wicks, but Rashan Gary might have had the sack. On the next play, Love was sacked by Isaiah McDuffie. - Much has been made of first-round pick Matthew Golden’s speed. His elusiveness was on display on a third-and-3 catch. First, he juked cornerback Gregory Junior. Then, he sidestepped Hopper. It led to a long catch and run. - The day ended with rookie defensive tackle Keith Randolph sacking Sean Clifford. We’ll have a story on Randolph this weekend. Packers Lineup Notes - The No. 1 offensive line consisted of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Aaron Banks at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Jordan Morgan at right guard and Zach Tom at right tackle. Jacob Monk got some first-team snaps at center, which allowed Rhyan to move to his customary spot at right guard. With Banks missing about half of practice, Travis Glover stepped into the action. His goal is to “re-earn trust” after being benched in the playoff loss to the Eagles, when replaced Elgton Jenkins. Morgan has not taken any snaps at left tackle. - The No. 2 line consisted of Anthony Belton at left tackle, Donovan Jennings at left guard, Monk at center, Glover at right guard and Kadeem Telfort at right tackle. The No. 3 line consisted of Brant Banks at left tackle, J.J. Lippe at left guard, Trey Hill at center, Tyler Cooper at right guard and Belton at right tackle. - Once again, the first reps at safety in the base defense went to Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams, signaling that Williams is ahead of Javon Bullard. The first reps in nickel went to Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs at corner and Bullard in the slot. - In the punt-return rotation, it was Jayden Reed, Keisean Nixon, Matthew Golden, Mecole Hardman, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Hardman’s experience in that role is obvious; Wicks’ muffed one right off his private area. Packers Training Camp Schedule The Packers will practice again at 10:30 a.m. Friday. After an off-day on Saturday, the Packers will practice at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday and Monday. Monday will be the first in full pads. Quote of the Day Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs, on the empty banner alongside all the championship banners on the hallway leading from the locker room to the field. “They need to take them 1930s and ’40s down. Nah, I’m kidding. I’m playing. I’m playing. But I feel like it’s been too long. From 2010, there’s a big old gap. That’s not good enough. That’s not the standard, that’s not the Green Bay standard. If you’re coming here to just work and get better yourself, you’re wrong. There’s no point in coming here.”
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