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Shohei Ohtani's progress on mound has Dodgers changing comeback tune
Riddled by injuries so far this season, the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation could be getting an infusion of Shohei Ohtani sooner than expected.
Ohtani, who underwent Tommy John surgery after making his last regular-season start for the Los Angeles Angels on August 23, 2023, threw three simulated innings on Tuesday in another step toward returning to the mound.
The simulated outing, happening in San Diego before the Dodgers and Padres met in the second game of a clash between National League West rivals, seemed to impress manager Dave Roberts, pitching coach Mark Prior and other members of the Dodgers organization.
Facing live minor league batters, Ohtani recorded six strikeouts in his 44-pitch workout. He allowed one hit and one walk while also uncorking a wild pitch.
Dave Roberts said the chances are “north of zero” that Shohei Ohtani could be back sooner than the post-All-Star break timeline originally anticipated. Both Roberts and Mark Prior noted how good Ohtani looked over his three simulated innings today.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) June 10, 2025
The statement was a big change from a May 29 statement from Roberts when he told David Vassegh of AM 570 in Los Angeles that, "I can safely say he won't pitch for us until after the All-Star break."
While "north of zero" may still not be an overwhelming amount of confidence in Ohtani's pitching debut coming before MLB's All-Star Game in Atlanta on July 15, even the slightest chance that the three-time Most Valuable Player could appear is an important step in Ohtani's return.
Los Angeles could use the boost as the Dodgers currently have eight starting pitchers on the injured list, including Tony Gonsolin, who landed on the IL with right elbow discomfort.
Tuesday's performance was the first time that Ohtani had pitched more than two innings. It was also his first since May 31 when he threw a pair of innings.
While Ohtani has yet to pitch this season, he is still doing plenty to help the Dodgers win. The 30-year-old four-time All-Star entered Tuesday slashing .291/.387/.628 with an OPS+ of 184. His 23 home runs led the National League.
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Mets Fix Bullpen Woes With Two Big Moves
QUEENS, N.Y. — The New York Mets revamped their bullpen Wednesday, acquiring relief pitchers Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants and Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals in separate trades. The moves aim to fortify a relief corps plagued by injuries and inconsistency as the Mets chase a National League East title. In the first trade, the Mets landed Rogers, a 34-year-old submariner enjoying a career-best season. Rogers boasts a 1.80 ERA across 53 appearances, tied for the most in the majors. His unique low-arm delivery induces weak contact, with a 64.4% groundball rate and elite metrics in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate. The Mets sent right-hander José Buttó, outfield prospect Drew Gilbert, and pitching prospect Blade Tidwell to San Francisco. Buttó, a 27-year-old reliever with a 3.64 ERA, was expendable due to his lack of minor-league options. Gilbert, a center fielder, and Tidwell, a 2022 second-round pick, represent high-upside prospects but remain unproven at higher levels. Rogers, a pending free agent, provides immediate stability as a setup man for closer Edwin Díaz. Hours later, the Mets struck again, acquiring Helsley, a 31-year-old flamethrower and two-time All-Star. Helsley, the 2024 National League saves leader with 49, brings a 99.3 mph fastball and a devastating slider. Despite a 3.00 ERA this season, down from his 2.04 mark last year, he remains a high-leverage force with 21 saves in 26 chances. A toe injury earlier this year hampered his mechanics, but recent outings show a return to form. The Mets parted with infield prospect Jesus Baez, and pitchers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt. Baez, a 20-year-old with power potential, hit .242 with 10 homers in High-A. Dohm, a 2022 third-rounder, and Elissalt, a 19th-round pick, offer pitching depth but lack top-tier prospect status. Like Rogers, Helsley is a free agent after the season, making him a rental for New York’s playoff push. The trades address a glaring need. Since June 1, the Mets’ bullpen ranked 25th in ERA at 4.87 and 28th in win probability added. Injuries to relievers A.J. Minter, Danny Young, Max Kranick, and Dedniel Núñez forced manager Carlos Mendoza to overwork his remaining arms. Rogers and Helsley join recent acquisition Gregory Soto, giving Mendoza versatile options to bridge games to Díaz. The Mets, holding a half-game lead over Philadelphia in the NL East, aim to counter the Phillies’ addition of closer Jhoan Duran. Fans on social media buzzed with excitement, praising president of baseball operations David Stearns for aggressive moves without sacrificing top prospects. Some expressed concern over the cost for rentals, but the consensus leaned toward optimism for a fortified bullpen. The Mets remain active in the market, eyeing offensive upgrades before Thursday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline. Steve Cohen is a cookin’
Raiders agree to contract extension with longest-tenured player
Four Raiders remain from the Oakland days of the franchise. The longest-tenured of those four players is now set to stick around in Las Vegas for a few more years, at least. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders are extending left tackle Kolton Miller on a three-year, $66M agreement. The new deal includes $42.5M of guaranteed money. It’s no surprise that Miller is getting a new deal. We knew back in April that he was seeking a new deal as he skipped the team’s voluntary offseason program. Miller was entering the 2025 NFL season on the final year of the three-year, $54M extension he had signed in 2021 to move on from his rookie deal. This time around, he’s received a $4M-per-year raise. There were thoughts that the Raiders might be looking to draft his replacement with options like Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks Jr. in range at No. 6 overall, but the team opted instead for a pair of third-round, developmental linemen in Texas Tech’s Caleb Rogers and William Mary’s Charles Grant. Following the draft, Miller returned to team activities as the Raiders seemingly started to play ball. Miller had made it clear that he wanted to retire a Raider, it was just unclear whether or not the team was going to meet him there. Miller has been a full-time starting blindside blocker for the Raiders since they selected him 15th overall in 2018 out of UCLA. Out of a possible 116 games, Miller has been on the field for all but seven of them. It took a couple of years for his massive 6-foot-8, 325-pound frame to find his mojo in the NFL, but he improved year after year. Vegas opted to extend him before they even needed to make a decision on his fifth-year option, giving him an impressive — though not boundary-pushing — deal that would make him the fifth-highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL at the time. Miller rewarded their faith in him with the best season of his career, in which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) would grade him as the fifth-best offensive tackle in the league out of 83 players graded at the position, commensurate with his salary. Though he hasn’t graded that high in the three years since, rankings of sixth in 2022, 11th in 2023, and 13th last year show that, time and again, Miller is up there with the best bookends in the NFL. Miller’s new deal is, once again, impressive while not encroaching on the league’s highest-paid tackles, who are creeping up slowly on $30M per year. His $22M-per-year average ties him as the 11th-highest-paid tackle with Jordan Mailata and Zach Tom. The three-year term of the deal is short of those we’ve seen for young stars like Rashawn Slater (four years) and Tristan Wirfs (five years), but the contract length is well in line with players closer to his 29 years of age. Laremy Tunsil (28), Dion Dawkins (29), Ronnie Stanley (30), and Taylor Decker (30) all signed three-year deals of their own in the last two years. While kicker Daniel Carlson shared a rookie year in Oakland with Miller, he didn’t join the team until Week 3 after the team that drafted him (Vikings) waived him two weeks into the season. Having worn a Raiders jersey longer than any other player in the locker room, as a result, Miller’s tenure has been extended through the 2028 season. It’s still to be determined whether or not he’ll spend his entire career in silver and black, as he desires, but today’s deal goes a long way in helping him towards that goal.
Oilers GM Stan Bowman offers massive Connor McDavid update
One of the major storylines heading into the 2024–25 season is the uncertainty surrounding Connor McDavid’s future in Edmonton. The 28-year-old superstar is entering the final year of his contract, and while a departure still feels unlikely, the mere possibility of him reaching free agency next offseason has sparked plenty of speculation. But don’t count Oilers general manager Stan Bowman among the concerned. According to a TSN report, Bowman said that extension talks with the team’s franchise player are progressing. Speaking with "Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer" on CHED 880 Edmonton, Bowman said he is “very encouraged” by the initial discussions he’s had with McDavid’s agent, Judd Moldaver. “I’ve had really good conversations with Judd since the season ended, and I’ve tried to give Connor his space, and I think that it’s important,” Bowman said. “You know, a lot of this is respecting the athlete and their timeline. So, we haven’t had any of those types of detailed discussions yet, but we certainly will, and I think we’re very encouraged by all the conversations I’ve had to date. And when the time comes, the time comes.” McDavid, who has one year left on his deal that comes with a $12.5M AAV, became eligible for an extension on July 1. While there is speculation on what McDavid’s next contract would demand annually, it’s fair to assume he’ll seek to at least match teammate Leon Draisaitl’s deal that comes with a $14M AAV over the next five seasons. In 67 games last season, McDavid recorded 26 goals and 100 points, marking the seventh 100-point campaign of his already illustrious career. He added a league-high 33 points in the postseason — the second consecutive year he led all players in playoff scoring — but he and the Oilers were once again defeated by the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. Despite the disappointment, along with McDavid’s postseason admission to the media that he was in no rush related to extension talks, Bowman believes an extension with his captain is imminent. “He’s a huge part of everything we do here, and so I don’t have a timeline update, but I do expect to have some conversations with them soon and. And hopefully get that wrapped up,” he said.
Former lottery pick should be cautionary tale for Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga
Amid his contract impasse with the Golden State Warriors, restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga has suggested he'll take the $7.9M qualifying offer. Nerlens Noel might caution against that move. When Kuminga posted "I'll bet on myself all day," it was a not-so-veiled threat to the Warriors that he would take their one-year, $7.9M offer for next season, and its accompanying no-trade clause. The Warriors have reportedly offered Kuminga a two-year deal worth $21.7M next season, more than the $19.8M he'd start with elsewhere, but with a team option on the second year and no no-trade clause for 2025-26. But Kuminga would be wise to take as much guaranteed money as he can get, at least for next season. The NBA's restricted free agency rules are severely tilted towards teams, not players, so Kuminga lacks leverage. That was also the case for former No. 6 overall pick Nerlens Noel. In 2017, the Dallas Mavericks traded for Noel and offered him a four-year contract for $70M. Noel refused the deal and chose to take the $4.1M qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2018. Noel fell out of the Mavericks rotation and suffered a thumb injury that kept him out for months, going on to sign a minimum contract in 2018. Noel regretted the decision so much that he had an unsuccessful attempt to sue his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, for the lost wages. He went on to earn just over $30M for the remainder of his NBA career, which ended in 2023 — a big step down from $70M. The Warriors are playing hardball because Kuminga's primary suitors, the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, can't sign Kuminga to an offer sheet outright. They need to put together a sign-and-trade deal, and so far, the Warriors don't like what they've been offered in return for their 22-year-old forward. Ideally, Kuminga and his agents would convince the Kings to increase their offer to the Warriors, as they are so far offering second-year guard Devin Carter, big man Dario Saric and a conditional first-round pick. The deal might get done if the Kings substituted guard Keon Ellis and/or an unprotected first-round pick. The Suns are offering Royce O'Neale, Nick Richards and four second-rounders, a non-starter thanks to O'Neale's long deal, but it's unclear if they have anything else to sweeten the deal. But if he can't make his way to Sacramento, Kuminga should grit his teeth and take the sure money with Golden State, especially as they seem willing to move Kuminga after the season starts, and they can take a higher salary back in return. He may be frustrated with staying, even temporarily, but he has about 14 million reasons to do so.
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