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The St. Louis Cardinals have fallen out of playoff contention in recent weeks, sitting at 58–58, and have shifted toward a clear rebuild after trading All-Star closer Ryan Helsley at the deadline. One name that surfaced in trade rumors but will remain with the club through season’s end is veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado. Now in his fifth season with St. Louis after being acquired from the Colorado Rockies ahead of 2021, the 34-year-old is enduring the worst offensive stretch of his 13-year career. Through 96 games, Arenado is hitting just .235 with a .660 OPS and 10 home runs — all of which are career lows for a full season. Cardinals provide Nolan Arenado update To make matters worse, Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 1 with a right shoulder injury. Ahead of Wednesday’s series finale against the Dodgers, manager Oliver Marmol announced that Arenado will report to Jupiter, Florida, on Friday to begin a rehab assignment. The club hopes that once his shoulder strengthens, he’ll be able to return to game action soon. Arenado’s legacy remains one of the game's best Despite the down year, Arenado’s career remains incredible. Between his time with the Rockies and Cardinals, he’s earned eight All-Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves — cementing his status as one of the best defensive third basemen ever — and five Silver Slugger awards. Since joining St. Louis five seasons ago, he’s batting .266 with a .779 OPS, 116 home runs and 415 RBI, helping the team reach the postseason in 2021 and 2022.
The Green Bay Packers are excited to find out what a whole healthy season from running back MarShawn Lloyd can contribute to their offense. Sure, the Packers have an elite running back as the top option on the ground in the form of Josh Jacobs, but Lloyd presents an exciting potential that remains untapped, in large part because of health setbacks. Lloyd played in only one game in 2024, his first season in the NFL. In the 2024 offseason, he dealt with hip and hamstring injuries. In Week 1 of the 2024 season, the former USC Trojans star running back suffered an ankle injury that landed him on the injured reserve. Just when he was about to get back to action, he was hospitalized for an emergency appendectomy. Lloyd looked forward to the 2025 offseason and was among the most noticeable players in training camp until suffering a non-contact injury that has since sidelined him. Despite all that he’s gone through, Lloyd remains optimistic. Lloyd determined to make an impact in Year 2 with Green Bay Packers “It did. It does,” Lloyd said when asked about whether the setbacks had bothered him (h/t a video posted by Dominique Yates of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Packers, Lloyd knows that it’s “going to be fun” once he gets unleashed on the field again. “But at the end of the day, I just got to stay in my face, you know, I feel like everything happens for a reason when, you know, when it’s time, you know, like I said, God’s gonna give me the strength to be able to do things I need to do. And when he lets me loose, it’s going to be a fun one. It’s going to be a good one. I’m excited to play with, you know, guys like Josh Jacobs, guys like Amalia Wilson, and guys like Chris Brooks. So it’s going to be, it’s going to be fun. I’m excited.” It remains to be seen whether Lloyd will get the green light to see some snaps in this coming Saturday’s preseason game against the New York Jets at Lambeau Field. But at least he’s already started rehabbing, which is a good sign for his chances to play in the Packers’ 2025 season opener at home against the Detroit Lions.
In a summer dominated by LeBron James and Luka Doncic headlines, the Los Angeles Lakers may have quietly struck gold once again in the UDFA market, this time with former Villanova standout Eric Dixon. After initially agreeing to a two-way contract following the 2024–25 NBA Draft, Dixon’s path to the professional ranks was temporarily delayed due to injury, forcing him to miss Summer League. The Lakers, however, remained invested in the 24-year-old forward, eventually signing him to an Exhibit 10 deal, a move that keeps him in the pipeline and positions him as a potential breakout candidate through the G League. Dixon brings one of the most decorated resumes in college basketball. The 6-foot-8, 255-pound forward led all Division I scorers last season, averaging 23.3 points per game while shooting an impressive 40.7% from beyond the arc on 7.2 attempts per contest, a remarkable transformation for a player once seen as a traditional low-post presence. He concluded his five-year career at Villanova as the school’s all-time leading scorer, finishing with 2,314 points and etching his name into Big East history. While concerns around his age and lateral quickness may have contributed to him being passed over in the draft, Dixon’s refined skill set and ability to stretch the floor make him a strong fit in today’s NBA. He delivered in big moments throughout the season, including a 38-point outburst against Maryland on Nov. 11, and consistently carried the offensive load for the Wildcats. With his Exhibit 10 deal, Dixon is expected to begin the season with the South Bay Lakers, where he’ll aim to prove he’s healthy and ready to make an immediate impact. If he performs as expected, a return to a two-way contract, and possibly NBA minutes, could be on the horizon. The Lakers have developed a reputation for identifying and nurturing overlooked talent, with Austin Reaves and Alex Caruso emerging as prime examples. Dixon, with his offensive versatility and physical readiness, could be next in line. In a loaded Western Conference, unearthing low-cost contributors is more important than ever. Dixon might just be the next hidden gem to emerge from the Lakers’ development pipeline.
Seventy players qualified for the first round of the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, but only 69 will tee it up at TPC Southwind this week. That's because Rory McIlroy, who ranks second in the FedEx Cup standings behind only Scottie Scheffler, is skipping the first playoff event to prepare for the BMW Championship and Tour Championship. The PGA Tour isn't thrilled with his contentious decision. Peter Malnati, a PGA Tour pro and player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, told Golfweek he's "very concerned" the new playoff format allows top players in the standings to skip playoff events. "I think there is stuff in the works, and I'll leave it at that," he said. The PGA Tour must make changes because McIlroy won't face any repercussions for skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship. As the No. 2 player in the FedEx Cup standings entering the postseason, McIlroy is guaranteed to qualify for the Tour Championship. Before this year, he would've been incentivized to improve his spot in the standings because of the advantage the starting strokes format gave the No. 1 player. That's no longer the case. This year, the Tour Championship will operate like every other tournament on the PGA Tour schedule. There will be no starting strokes advantage for the top players, so every player from No. 1 to No. 30 will have an equal chance to win the $10 million prize. It doesn't matter where McIlroy resides in the standings. It just matters that he makes it to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, and he's already locked up his spot in the season finale. Why spend a week in scorching-hot Memphis when you could stay home and prepare for the tournament that actually matters, right? The new playoff format will make the Tour Championship more entertaining for fans, but it renders the other two playoff events irrelevant for the PGA Tour's top players. The Tour must make playoff events mandatory to prevent other stars from following McIlroy's lead.
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