We knew Jaylen Brown was battling a knee injury during the Celtics’ playoff run. Now we know the severity of the ailment that has hampered the Boston star since March.

Brown played the last part of the season with a partially torn meniscus in his right knee, according to ESPN’s Ramon Shelburne. Brown will be evaluated this week to determine if he’ll need to undergo surgery during the offseason.

Brown started receiving injections in his knee back in March to help with the injury, and missed six games over a 13-game stretch late in the season to rest up before the playoffs. He was able to play through the injury and suited up for all 11 of Boston’s postseason games, and though Brown lacked his usual explosiveness, he was still able to average 22.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per contest for the Celtics. 

“I don’t make excuses,” Brown told reporters after Boston’s season-ending loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night. “Obviously, it’s tough the way we went out like tonight, but the way we finished the year, personally, the way I finished the year, persevering through some physical stuff that I was battling through, I’m proud of our group.”

News of Brown’s injury further complicates an already iffy offseason for the Celtics. The team is already facing the likelihood of playing all of next season without superstar forward Jayson Tatum, who underwent surgery for a rupture Achilles last week in New York. With Brown’s status now in question, there’s a chance the Celtics will be without their two best players to start the 2025-26 NBA season.

After taking home MVP honors in the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals last summer, Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and a career-best 4.5 assists over 63 regular-season games for Boston in 2024-25.

Jaylen Brown staying optimistic after Celtics postseason loss

The Celtics’ title defense ended Friday night with a blowout loss to the Knicks in New York in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. Boston became the sixth straight defending champ to lose in the second round. 

Brown was obviously disappointed with the result, and the Celtics are likely heading into an offseason of change given the team’s massive payroll and the uncertainty with Tatum and Brown’s injuries. But Brown remains optimistic the Celtics will be back in the contender’s seat in the near future. 

“Losing to the Knicks feels like death. But, I was always taught that there’s life after death. So, we’ll get ready for whatever’s next, whatever’s next in the journey I’ll be ready for,” Brown said Friday. 

“You just take this with your chin up. I know Boston, it looks gloomy right now, obviously, with JT being out and the end of the year. But there’s a lot to look forward to, and I want the city to feel excited about that,” added Brown. “This is not the end. I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

The No. 14-seeded Boston College Eagles (26-28, 11-19 ACC) baseball team starts its run in the 2025 ACC Baseball Tournament against the No. 11-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish (32-20, 14-16 ACC) on Tuesday night. 

The Eagles are looking to bounce back and keep their season alive after a series loss to the Cal Golden Bears this weekend. Boston College dropped the opener 8-6 and finale 4-3, however took the middle game 10-9. 

The Fighting Irish are looking to continue the momentum from the weekend as it earned a series win over the Miami Hurricanes. Notre Dame won the first game 3-2 and the finale 12-2. The team dropped the middle game 15–1. 

This will be the fourth game played between the two teams this season. Earlier in the year, the pair played a three-game series from April 11-13 that Boston College won, dropping the first game 2-0 and winning the next two 6-5 and 4-3. 

Below is all the information for the upcoming matchup. 

How to Watch: Boston College Baseball vs. Notre Dame in ACC Tournament: 

Who: Boston College Eagles and Notre Dame Fighting Irish 

When: Tuesday, May 20 at 9 p.m. ET 

Where: Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham, N.C. 

TV: ACC Network

Last Outing, Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish earned a series win over the Miami Hurricanes this weekend. Notre Dame took the opening game 3-2 and finale 12-2. The team dropped the middle game 15-1. 

Last Outing, Boston College: The Eagles suffered a series loss to the Cal Golden Bears this weekend, dropping the first game 8-6 and finale 4-3. Boston College took the middle game 10-9. 

Last Meeting: The last time these two teams met was for a series earlier in the season from April 11-13. Boston College won the set, dropping the first game 2-0 and winning the next two 6-5 and 4-3. 

BOSTON — Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story is on pace to play 151 games.

But will he hit enough to justify playing nearly every day for the rest of the season?

It hasn’t gone well for Story so far this year. Meanwhile, 22-year-old shortstop Marcelo Mayer, Baseball America‘s No. 8 overall prospect, is making a case at Triple-A Worcester with his OPS up to .819 after a slow start to the season.

Story entered Saturday with the 22nd worst OPS (.627) in the major leagues. He was batting .234 with a .276 on-base percentage and .351 slugging percentage in 44 games (181 plate appearances). He has only eight extra-base hits (six homers, two doubles).

“Physically he feels great,” manager Alex Cora said before Boston’s game against the Braves on Saturday. “And he worked his (expletive) off in the offseason to get to this point. He wanted to play a lot of games, more than 150. And I think he’s on pace to do that. But obviously I gotta be smart, too. Not only with the production, but also the body.”

Saturday marked Story’s 45th game, the most games he has played in a season since 2022. He missed most of 2023 following elbow surgery, then was limited to 26 games last year after fracturing the glenoid bone in his left shoulder during the opening road trip.

“All the metrics, all the information that we have — the bat speed is there, his hands are where they’re supposed to be. Everything looks OK,” Cora said. “The only thing we’re not doing right now is hitting the ball forward.”

Story is the bottom 10th percentile among major league hitters in chase percentage (36.7%), strikeout percentage (30.9%), walk percentage (3.9%) and squared-up percentage (17.9%).

Cora said the Red Sox felt better about Story’s at-bats Friday when he went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the ninth. Story also has a walk and single in Saturday’s game so far.

“Just missing his pitches,” Cora said. “That’s the bottom line. I know he’s swinging a lot but he’s getting pitches in the zone and he’s fouling them off. And after that, they (pitchers) get to work.”

Cora said Story also hasn’t taken advantage even after he gets ahead in the count.

“2-0, 3-1, misses his pitches and then they bury him,” Cora said. “Early on, he wasn’t doing that. He was actually connecting and hitting the ball hard. And lately it hasn’t happened.”

Story’s 47.8% hard hit percentage is in the 73rd percentile among major league hitters. He’s also been an above-average baserunner. But all his other advanced offensive stats on Baseball Savant are between the poor and average scale (mostly poor).

Cora said it’s important for Story to make in-game adjustments.

 “When he’s really good, he’s hitting the fastball. We know that,” Cora said. “And one thing that he did his first year (with the Red Sox in 2022), he was driving the ball to right-center. And I always talk about hitting the ball hard the other way. And then whatever soft is in the zone, he was able to pull.”

Story has struggled mightily on fastballs this season, going 18-for-87 (.207) with a .218 slugging percentage and just one extra-base hit (double).

Story’s best years offensively were 2018-21 — and he was able to feast on fastballs each of those seasons.

vs. fastballs:

• 2018: .306 batting average, .572 slugging percentage.
• 2019: .298 batting average, .570 slugging percentage.
• 2020: .304 batting average, .507 slugging percentage.
• 2021: .273 batting average, .498 slugging percentage.

“Right now he’s fouled them (fastballs) off,” Cora said. “Yesterday was a good sign. He stayed on a good pitch by Chris (Sale). Fouled it off but he stayed with it. And then the base hit up the middle, that was good.”

As Cora mentioned, the Red Sox feel OK with Story’s bat speed — but he ranks in the 28th percentile in that category (70.6).

Cora was asked how long the Red Sox can continue on this path with Story if he’s not producing.

“Right now, he’s not the only one struggling,” Cora said. “KC (Kristian Campbell) has struggled for 50 at-bats and we’re not talking about that. It’s a lot. Like right now, I think offensively we got some holes and it’s not because they’re bad players or bad hitters. They’re just going through a stretch right here. And we just have to get ‘em going. Start doing the little things, hit the ball the other way, get your walks. And if we start doing that as a group, we’re gonna be better.”