Sports
Dodgers put Yoshinobu Yamamoto on 15-day injured list because of triceps tightness
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was put on the 15-day injured list Sunday because of triceps tightness, an injury that forced the Dodgers right-hander out of Saturday night’s 7-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals after two scoreless innings.
Yamamoto was undergoing further medical testing Sunday, the results of which were not immediately available. The hope among the Dodgers is that the injury isn’t serious, but Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander experienced similar triceps tightness before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020.
“Right now, as I sit here, no, I don’t think so,” manager Dave Roberts, speaking before Sunday’s series finale against the Kansas City Royals, said when asked if the injury could be a precursor to something more serious.
“And I think that he was smart enough to notify us when there was some tightness in his triceps. We’ll know more with the testing and him talking to the doctors, but I don’t think so. I really don’t.”
Yamamoto gave up only one hit Saturday night, but there was a noticeable dip in the velocity of the 28 pitches he threw. His four-seam fastball ranged from 92.9 mph and 95.9 mph with an average of 94.2 mph, down 1.3 mph from his season average of 95.5 mph entering the game.
Yamamoto threw 29 pitches that were clocked at 97 mph or higher in his previous start in which he blanked the New York Yankees on two hits over seven innings on June 7. The velocity of his secondary pitches were also down Saturday, his curve by 2.4 mph and his split-fingered fastball by 2.9 mph.
“The most important time of the season is yet to come, and his health is paramount,” Roberts said. “So for us to be proactive and put him on the IL, kind of reset him, seems like the smartest thing to do.”
Yamamoto, whose durability and dominance during his seven years in Japan were two of the reasons the Dodgers signed the 25-year-old to a 12-year, $325-million deal in December, said through his interpreter that he began feeling tightness in his triceps last week, as he was recovering from his Yankee Stadium gem.
“That was the reason” his scheduled Thursday night start against the Texas Rangers was pushed back to Saturday night against the Royals, Yamamoto said.
Yamamoto completed his between-starts workout in the bullpen Thursday and said he was not experiencing any triceps tightness on Saturday. The discomfort flared up during pregame warmups, but Yamamoto said “it was not that serious at that point. … Then, as I was pitching [in the game], it started [to get worse].”
There was some confusion after the game, with Yamamoto telling reporters that he informed pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness that he felt some discomfort while warming up and Roberts saying that he “didn’t know until the second inning that [Yamamoto] couldn’t go back out there for the third inning.”
Roberts said he gained some clarity on the situation later Saturday night.
“I did talk to Mark, and the conversation [with Yamamoto] was, ‘How do you feel?’” Roberts said. “And [Yamamoto said], ‘I don’t feel 100%. I don’t feel frisky, but I feel fine.’
“There are many conversations that happen every day in the big leagues with the pitching coach, where you’re not going to expect to feel frisky every start and you get through it. So again, that’s the communication that was relayed to me. … I still stand by the fact that I wouldn’t put a guy out there in harm’s way. I’ve never done it.”
Though the Dodgers will be losing one of their best pitchers for at least two weeks, one who is 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 14 starts and has struck out 84 batters and walked only 17 in 74 innings, Yamamoto’s injury won’t leave a gaping hole in the rotation.
That’s because Bobby Miller is scheduled to return from a two-month absence because of shoulder inflammation to start Wednesday night’s game at Colorado, eliminating the need for the Dodgers to employ a six-man rotation. The Dodgers also expect erstwhile ace Clayton Kershaw to return from shoulder surgery in mid-July.
“Part of constructing the roster is getting an abundance of starting pitching,” Roberts said. “Everywhere in baseball, guys go down at different times, and you’ve got to be able to backfill. To know we’re getting Bobby back and Clayton is starting a rehab assignment [this week] is certainly helpful.”
Yamamoto wasn’t the only Dodgers right-hander to be sidelined. Reliever Michael Grove was put on the 15-day IL because of a right intercostal muscle strain, an injury that is not expected to sideline the right-hander for more than a few weeks.
To replace Yamamoto and Grove on the roster, the Dodgers recalled relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Michael Peterson, both 31-year-old right-handers, from triple-A Oklahoma City.
Peterson, whose fastball touches 98 mph, had a 1.31 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 22 ⅓ innings of 23 triple-A games. Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 17th round in 2015, Peterson has yet to pitch in the big leagues.
Royals rally for win
Saturday night’s game turned on an epic 12-pitch battle in the top of the sixth inning between Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen and Royals left fielder MJ Melendez, who fouled off six two-strike pitches and took a ball to work the count full.
Melendez then drove the 12th pitch of the at-bat over the wall in right field for a grand slam that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 Kansas City lead.
The Dodgers had taken a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning when Gavin Lux grounded a bases-loaded, two-out, two-run single to center field.
Dodgers right-hander Yohan Ramirez retired the side in order in the fifth, and Treinen, who returned from a shoulder injury to open his season with 14 scoreless appearances in which he struck out 19 and walked only two in 13 innings, took over in the sixth.
The veteran right-hander got Bobby Witt Jr. to fly out to the warning track in left for the first out but uncharacteristically walked the next three batters, prompting a visit from Roberts.
Treinen struck out pinch-hitter Adam Frazier with a wicked 83-mph slider, but he could not retire the stubborn Melendez, who boosted Treinen’s ERA from 0.00 to 2.63 with his game-turning slam.
Treinen didn’t have usual command of his slider, so nine of the pitches he threw to Melendez were cut-fastballs.
“The cutter was probably the pitch I had the most feel for tonight, but it also handcuffed me because I can’t keep throwing the same pitch over and over again to anybody in this league,” Treinen said.
“The biggest thing was just the walks. When I walk people, they make you pay. You can live with solo shots, you can live with a couple knocks, but when you give up three bases, it’s a frustrating one from that perspective.”
The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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