Oct 16, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) hits a solo home run against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning during game four of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Welcome to the upside down, where four Major League Baseball teams that made the playoffs in 2025 find themselves in last place heading into action Friday.
The postseason underachievers include the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners in the American League, along with the Chicago Cubs in the National League. Also off to a sluggish start are the reigning AL champion Toronto Blue Jays, who aren’t in last place but do have a -22 run differential.
The division races are subject to some volatility, given that we’re not quite two weeks into the regular-season schedule. The sample is small. But, as the saying goes: Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. Some of these slacking teams have real reason to worry their disappointing starts have staying power.
Feelin’ Blue Jays
The Jays not only own the ugly run differential, but they already have some serious injuries to overcome. Even before Opening Day, right-handers José Berríos, Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage were absent from the starting rotation. Yesavage is working his way back with optimism, but the other two bring lingering doubts. The Jays also lost Cody Ponce to knee surgery because of a sprained ACL.
Also: Catcher Alejandro Kirk broke his left thumb on a foul tip. Outfielder Addison Barger sprained his ankle. Great gosh almighty, it’s not even mid-April.
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No, Cubs, No
Jun 24, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a three run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The Cubs are set to receive good news Friday with the anticipated return of slugger Seiya Suzuki, who injured his knee on an awkward slide in the World Baseball Classic in March. Suzuki’s return should take some pressure off Pete Crow-Armstrong to break out of his early season slump (which actually goes back to August).
The Cubs have some serious pitching woes. Three-fifths of the starting rotation is on the shelf, though left-hander Justin Steele has started to face live hitters in his return from elbow surgery. Less-happy news includes recent injuries to left-hander Matthew Boyd (biceps strain) and season-ending UCL surgery for right-hander Cade Horton.
Tigers stuck in cage
The Tigers don’t have a lot of obvious reasons for concern, but their slump and collapse in 2025 wasn’t 100% logical either. This group can just get out of whack for a couple of weeks at a time. Overall, they haven’t played that badly so far, and come in with a -1 run differential. They’ve also only played three home games. The WBC business might have knocked Tarik Skubal off his ideal prep schedule.
Something to keep in mind for the long haul: Injuries have picked away at the Tigers pitching depth, with Justin Verlander joining Reese Olson and Troy Melton on the injured list.
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Sawx need a good warshing
Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws a pitch in the second inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The game was scoreless after three innings.
The Red Sox always seem to be looking for ways to disappoint. They have not played poor defense so far, so they got that going for ’em. Other than that, it’s spotty. He surely will start to hit soon, but whatever is going on with Roman Anthony’s throwing arm bears watching. It looks like the top of the rotation is starting to take shape with Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray stepping forward, but Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello have been disastrous.
They’re not scoring a lot of runs, they’re not hitting a lot of home runs (as many projected). Aroldis Chapman’s velocity is down (he is 38 years old, after all), and the bullpen depth looks shaky for either performance or injury reasons. The Red Sox looked like an oddly constructed team during Spring Training and now they have a disappointing record to reflect it.
Don’t get rattled, Seattle
The Mariners have the worst record and the fewest actual concerns of any of these teams.
Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor and Julio Rodrígez are all slumping, but it won’t last. They’re 1-5 in one-run games, a stat that’s sure to improve. They’re sixth in starting pitcher ERA, which is the expected strength of the team anyway. They’re also playing better defense than they did in ’25. They’re about to rattle off 20 wins in 28 games, or something.
Arslanbek Makhmudov recently caught the attention of the boxing world by wrestling a bear in Dagestan. And from the first round on Saturday night, he seemed to realise that wrestling Tyson Fury was a better option than boxing him. Yet on this occasion, that’s no comment on the wizardry that Fury can produce in the ring, but rather on Makhmudov’s flaws. The story of this fight was that, luckily for Fury, those flaws eclipsed the Briton’s own, increasingly apparent faults.
This wasn’t the triumphant return of the “Gypsy King”, see, but an underwhelming – perhaps even concerning – return to the ring from the former world heavyweight champion, as he emerged from his fifth retirement.
Sixteen months on from his second defeat by Oleksandr Usyk, Fury was back; three-and-a-half years after his last fight on home soil, he was back in Britain. The goal of this points win over Makhmudov was to set up a long-overdue duel with compatriot Anthony Joshua, who watched on from the front row, and while that contest still gets the juices flowing (just), Fury’s performance here did not.
Tyson Fury after beating Arslanbek Makhmudov on points (Getty Images for Netflix)
In the cold shell of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before a smattering of empty seats, Makhmudov came forward in laboured movements, hurling overhands that Fury could see coming before his opponent had even dreamed them up.
Yet one early entry did trouble Fury enough to elicit an echoing “ooh!” from the stands, as a right hand connected over the top. Early in the second round, there was also a nervy movement for Fury, who was arguably backing up too frequently in a passive start. Maybe there was an element of the 37-year-old simply wishing to stay mobile and remote from Makhmudov in the earliest rounds, in which the Russian is at his most dangerous, but Fury was doing little besides throwing sporadic jabs to the body.
Perhaps they were an investment for the later rounds, though, and in any case, it didn’t take long for him to shift gears. But are there as many gears as before?
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Fury began to let his hands go as round two neared its conclusion, and anticipation rose when he sidestepped Makhmudov and attacked with the 36-year-old trapped against the ropes. By the third round, a trend had emerged, with Fury able to slingshot himself off the ropes at just the right moment, getting close enough to force Makhmudov to overshoot with his right hand.
Still, after continually allowing the Russian to steer him towards the ropes, Fury was caught flush by a left hook, again stirring up some nervousness in round four. However, Makhmudov’s efforts to build on the attack were messy, and although he landed another left before long, Fury again turned him against the ropes and slid a cross onto his chin – which was slack amid another deep breath.
Fury went the distance with Makhmudov but was always a step or two ahead (Getty Images for Netflix)
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The rest of the round was back and forth, with both men taking a punch to land one, while a grappling-heavy round five sucked the atmosphere out of the stadium – a common feeling in Tottenham this season, courtesy of their Premier League travails. In round six, the most-interesting action was in the crowd, as a fight was broken up by security, though Fury did his best to put a dent in Makhmudov with hooks to the body.
The constant chatter in the stands was proof of a disinterested audience at this point, although two clean overhands from Makhmudov brought the fans to attention. Perhaps it was becoming clear, even this early, that Fury was not going to find a finish, despite trainer SugarHill Steward’s desperate pleas between rounds.
For as slow and one-dimensional as Makhmudov looked, Fury was off the pace as well. Two-dimensional, sure, with the occasional southpaw switch and the eventual, effective introduction of uppercuts, but not inventive enough to assert himself in the captivating manner of old – or not sprightly enough to act fully on his inventive impulses.
Fury looked somewhat close to finishing Makhmudov in the final rounds (Getty Images for Netflix)
At one point in the ninth, Makhmudov was a sitting duck against the ropes, and rather than fire off shots at the Russian, Fury simply leaned on him. And while Fury’s uppercut started to serve him well in the later rounds, when he finally did look capable of a finish in the 11th, it appeared as much a result of Makhmudov’s tiredness as Fury’s power – or what’s left of it.
Of course, these faults in Fury could be down to ring rust. Yet they could be down to age and degradation.
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The quirk is that this is okay, as long as he is paired with Joshua next. What Fury vs Joshua has always needed, as a match-up, is a sense of equality, or something close to it. Fury’s current form might just balance out with Joshua’s struggles in and out of the ring; as much as one feels guilty to factor “AJ”’s recent car crash into an evaluation of his chances in a super-fight, one also cannot ignore the grief of losing two of his teammates.
Joshua, 36, has had to reckon with the passings of Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele in recent months, while his last three results read as such: a stoppage of a YouTuber-turned-boxer, a devastating defeat, and a KO of a mixed martial artist. Meanwhile, Fury laboured to victory here, after twice being outdone by Usyk.
Fury calling out Anthony Joshua after beating Makhmudov (Getty Images for Netflix)
Joshua (right) with Saudi boxing matchmaker Turki Alalshikh (Getty Images for Netflix)
Go back further, in Fury’s case, and he was lucky to outpoint the same mixed martial artist that Joshua destroyed, after beating Derek Chisora in an uneven fight the year before. So, in pursuit of Fury’s last clear win, you have to venture back to 2022, and even then it was not an especially impressive result.
At least Fury’s boxing tools worked better than the microphone that was handed to Joshua, after Fury had formally called him out. But even when AJ was given a working mic and hinted that he would face Fury next, there was some room for doubt. It was telling that, when boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh beckoned Joshua’s promoter into the ring, Eddie Hearn would not budge.
Fury vs Joshua is not a done deal, but it must be made immediately, before both boxers are done. Deal?
Randers will entertain FC Copenhagen at Cepheus Park in the Danish Superliga on Sunday. Both teams are fighting to beat the drop and must finish in the top four of the relegation round to make it.
Randers vs FC Copenhagen Preview
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Randers finished ninth in the regular season to qualify for the relegation round. Out of 22 matches, they won only seven, drew five times, and lost 10 matches, to end the regular season with 26 points. It was not an impressive campaign, but the hosts will be looking to conserve their place in the top flight.
Hestene had a better campaign last season, finishing fourth out of 12 teams and earning qualification to the championship round. However, they finished fourth on 48 points, 15 points shy of Copenhagen, who won the league. It has been rocky for the hosts, but they still have the chance to save their season.
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FC Copenhagen are battling an underwhelming trend. More was expected from them than what they have shown so far this season, considering their impressive form last term. They finished seventh in the regular season, just below the qualification zone for the championship round.
ByensHold are the most successful team in the league, having won the title a record 16 times, including their accolade last season. However, they will miss the opportunity to defend their title this time. Randers prevailed over FC Copenhagen 2-1 on the road in the sides’ last meeting.
Randers vs FC Copenhagen Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
Randers have won once and lost four times in their last five matches against Copenhagen.
Randers have won once and lost four times in their last five matches at home against Copenhagen.
Randers have won thrice and lost twice in their last five matches at home in all competitions.
FC Copenhagen have won once, drawn once, and lost thrice in their last five matches on the road.
Randers have won twice, drawn once, and lost twice in their last five matches, while FC Copenhagen have won twice and lost thrice. Form Guide: Randers D-L-W-W-L, FC Copenhagen -W-L-L-W-L.
Randers vs FC Copenhagen Prediction
Randers will be fighting to avoid dropping to the bottom two spots, which is synonymous with relegation to the First Division.
FC Copenhagen are eying a ticket to a European competition. If they finish atop the table, they could qualify for the European play-off match.
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FC Copenhagen are the favorites to win this match based on experience and individuality.
Barcelona fans online were left surprised by Ferran Torres’ performance in their 4-1 win over Espanyol in LaLiga on Saturday (April 11). Torres scored a brace in the game, marking his first time scoring since January.
Ferran Torres was in the starting XI for Espanyol as the main striker and scored a brace in the first 25 minutes (9′ and 25′), both assisted by Lamine Yamal. Things did not slow down for Barcelona in the second half, with Yamal (87′) and Marcus Rashford (89′) finding the back of the net. Pol Lozano (56′) denied the Catalans a clean sheet.
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Ferran Torres delivered an excellent performance in 74 minutes of gameplay, scoring twice from two shots on target. He was offside once, which denied him a hat-trick, delivered two key passes, and had a 100% passing accuracy in his own half.
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Fans took to X to react to Ferran Torres’ performance, with many being surprised by his showing after a goal drought for almost three months. One Culer wrote:
“Better than Vini and Mbappe in my books.”
Many Culers agreed and shared their takes online:
Barcelona fans continued to share their thoughts on the matter:
Following tonight’s brace, Ferran Torres has scored 18 times in 43 outings across competitions. The Spaniard is not a regular starter, with Robert Lewandowski being preferred for important games. However, Torres will be expected to maintain this form for the upcoming Champions League quarter-final second leg vs Atletico Madrid, as Barcelona will look to overcome a two-goal deficit.
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Ferran Torres opens up after ending three-month goal drought for Barcelona in 4-1 win vs Espanyol
Ferran Torres – Source: Getty
Speaking to reporters after the 4-1 win vs Espanyol (h/t Barca Universal), Ferran Torres shared his thoughts after scoring a brace in the game. The goals marked an end to Torres’ goal drought for the Catalans for the last three months. He said:
“I know that strikers are measured by their goals, and I hadn’t scored in a while. I knew that I would eventually return to scoring form if I had patience.”
Torres also spoke about his celebration after scoring, dedicated to his naysayers.
“My celebration? There’s always some external noise about me, and pretty much always negative. It f*cks them up to see me score, so that message is for them,” he said.
With tonight’s win, Barcelona are nine points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the LaLiga table. There’s a fair chance of them winning the league this season if they continue this momentum.
However, the Catalans have a big challenge ahead of overcoming their two-goal deficit in the UCL quarter-final second leg away from home vs Atletico Madrid. Flick’s side will focus on continuing such form in the Champions League to make the comeback possible.
Tyson Fury shook off the ring rust to make a successful comeback by registering an emphatic points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Anthony Joshua watched from ringside ahead of a potential all-British showdown later this year as Fury secured his first win since defeating Francis Ngannou in October 2023.
A dominant display after coming out of retirement for the fifth time was rewarded with scores of 120-108 120-108 119-109 from the judges.
Makhmudov was outclassed by Fury’s footwork, hand speed and ringcraft and the Canada-based Makhmudov’s plodding, upright style was tailor made for the former two-time world champion.
The rugged Makhmudov was tiring as early as the fourth round and his limitations made him an ideal opponent for Fury after 16 months of inactivity, providing tough rounds without ever threatening an upset.
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There was no pomp and ceremony from the bear-wrestling Makhmudov as he marched straight into the ring to the sound of an air raid siren.
In contrast, Fury’s entrance for his Netflix debut began with ‘Blue Moon’ being played as a tribute to his late friend Ricky Hatton before he put on a show by dancing on stage while fireworks and flames went off around him.
The pyrotechnics ended there as once the action got under way Makhmudov advanced with crude, one dimensional attacks that were easily evaded.
Makhmudov is at his most dangerous in the early stages and while he continued to stalk Fury around the ring, shots were piercing his defence by the end of the second round.
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His pace had already slowed and Fury was beginning to find his rhythm, showing far better footwork and hand speed.
There were warning signs in the fourth as Makhmudov landed, although Fury showed a flash of class when he punished one lunging attack and he finished the round strongly.
There was a gulf in class in their skill levels with the one-paced Makhmudov showing strength in the clinches while proving an easy target, although he was absorbing the blows without being hurt.
There was plenty of respect between the rivals as they touched gloves at the end of each round and even during the rounds, but as the halfway stage came it was becoming increasingly one-sided.
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The eighth was Fury’s strongest round yet as he landed telling blows that troubled Makhmudov, including sharp right uppercuts.
Makhmudov had completely run out of ideas beyond wrestling the taller man and in the 10th he was beginning to wobble as crisp shots found their mark when he was pinned against the ropes.
There could be no disputing Makhmudov’s bravery as he plodded back to his corner in exhaustion at the end of the 11th and a round later it was all over with the 12th ending with a wild exchange of blows.
Fury and Joshua exchanged words after the fight with ‘The Gypsy King’ calling out his rival from the ring upon grabbing the microphone, with Joshua replying “I’ll tell you when I’m ready”.
Tyson Fury marked his return to the heavyweight mix with a composed points win over Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before immediately turning ringside to call out long-time rival Anthony Joshua.
The 37-year-old Briton – out of his latest retirement after 15 months away – was not at his sharpest and it was far from vintage Fury, but he had enough ring IQ and technical control to outbox Makhmudov across 12 largely one-sided rounds.
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Fury had to be watchful at times as Makhmudov did land occasional overhand rights, but the Russian was largely one-dimensional as Fury took a wide decision with scorecards of 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109.
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But before the scores were read out, Fury crossed the ring to speak to Joshua, who was talking to him from the other side of the apron but refusing to get into the ring.
“I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me next. Do you accept?” he said.
Joshua initially seemed reluctant to engage, before replying: “I punched you up when we were kids and I’ll punch you up again. You aren’t going to tell me what to do, I’ve been chasing you for 10 years.
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“I’m the boss, you work for me. I’m the landlord. You work for me.”
Fury responded: “You [Anthony Joshua] are next. You are getting knocked out. Believe it.”
A bout that should have happened in both men’s primes, it now lingers as boxing’s great what-if – but it appears it may finally be made a reality.
In his first fight since successive defeats to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, Fury moves to 35 wins, two losses and one draw. For Makhmudov, 36, it was a third defeat in 24 fights.
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A comfortable comeback – how did Fury look?
A poignant and emotional start to Fury’s ring walk saw a tribute to boxing legend Ricky Hatton, with Blue Moon playing in his honour following his death in September.
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The atmosphere in north London was then charged by the familiar Fury theatre – swagger, showmanship and singing – with fireworks erupting over the stadium as he danced to a medley before sprinting to the ring.
The bout was broadcast globally on Netflix to its 325 million subscribers, landing just hours before the release of At Home with the Furys season two.
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Fury – who briefly retired after the Usyk losses – had not fought in Britain since December 2022, when he stopped Derek Chisora at this venue to retain the WBC title.
With 16 of his 19 knockouts inside three rounds, Makhmudov carried early danger on paper and landed an overhand right on Tyson Fury’s ear in the opening round.
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But Fury quickly found rhythm, picking apart Makhmudov’s high guard and limited movement with counters, switching between southpaw and orthodox.
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“He’s tiring already. Take your time,” Fury’s trainer SugarHill Steward told him.
One pre-fight concern had been complacency – Fury has previously struggled with awkward underdogs – but despite Makhmudov connecting again with a looping right in the fourth, Fury’s ring savviness, while a bit rusty, was proving too much.
Makhmudov’s corner urged him to beat Fury to the jab, while Fury’s team praised him for boxing “smart”.
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Despite pre-fight talk of sluggish ticket sales, the 62,000-capacity stadium looked close to full, though whether through strong sales or late complimentary distribution was unclear.
Fury upped the tempo in the latter rounds, varying his attack and threading in several uppercuts, but Makhmudov absorbed them without ever really being shaken.
Whether the power that once dropped Deontay Wilder multiple times has waned, or Makhmudov simply showed a stubborn chin under sustained pressure, Fury couldn’t find the breakthrough.
Sensing that a stoppage was unlikely, sections of the crowd began drifting out before the final bell. Fury closed strongly, finishing the fight firmly on top.
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After the long lay-off, his corner appeared content simply to bank the rounds and re-establish rhythm rather than chase the finish.
MULLANPUR: In a game dominated by big hits and rapid shifts in momentum, it was a quieter moment of trust that stood out. Shreyas Iyer, reading the situation rather than the script, turned to part-timer Shashank Singh for an over at a time when Sunrisers openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head were taking apart the frontline Punjab bowlers with ease.
It wasn’t the most obvious move in a high-scoring contest, but it reflected a captain willing to back instinct and a player ready to take responsibility. That brief exchange in the middle overs, as Iyer would later explain, ended up shaping the course of the game.
“All of us came together, and Shashank approached me and said, ‘give me an over’. Ricky Ponting came and asked me, ‘what’s your thoughts? I said, ‘I’ll go with Shashank.’ I needed someone to take the pace off,” Iyer said, recalling the moment that shifted momentum.
That faith was rewarded instantly as Shashank sent back both the Sunrisers openers. “He lived up to my expectations; he lived up to what he said, kudos to him. At the end of the day, we all know we’ve got the skills. All we need is a strong mindset,” Iyer added.
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We’re missing Cummins: Aaron
Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach Varun Aaron struck a measured tone as he addressed the twin realities that shaped his side’s outing against Punjab Kings. One, the absence of regular captain and premier fast bowler Pat Cummins; the other, an innings that promised more than it ultimately delivered.
“There’s no two ways that we’re missing Pat (Cummins),” Aaron said, underlining the void left by the Australian quick. “We’re obviously missing him because he is one of the best fast bowlers in the world. He’s been on top of his game for a while now. And he’s somebody who can get us wickets with the new ball, in the middle, and even at the death.”
“I’m sure he is going to be back soon and join the team,” Aaron added.
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If that was one part of the story, the other lay in how Sunrisers’ innings tapered after a flying start. “The way we started, we thought we would get a few more runs. There’s no two ways about it that we were some runs short,” Aaron admitted. “But you have to understand that even the opponents have come to play. They bowled really well through that middle phase, hit their lengths well and didn’t make it easy for our batsmen.”
Tyson Fury cruised to a unanimous decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday evening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Anthony Joshua having a front-row seat for the dominant display
Tyson Fury secured a unanimous decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday night, following a truly dominant display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There will be more to follow. We’ll bring you the very latest updates on this breaking news story.
The Toronto Blue Jays have lost yet another important player to injury. Leadoff hitter George Springer suffered a fractured left big toe during Saturday afternoon’s game against the Minnesota Twins (GameTracker), the team announced. They have yet to reveal a timeline for his absence.
Springer suffered the injury when he fouled a pitch into his toe in the third inning. He stayed in to finish the at-bat, grounded out to third base, and ran gingerly down to first base. In the lineup as the designated hitter, Springer was replaced by a pinch-hitter for his next at-bat.
According to the Baseball Prospectus Recovery Dashboard, hitters with a fractured big toe have missed anywhere from two to six weeks, depending on the severity of the fracture. If it’s a hairline fracture, Springer could return before the end of the month. If it’s a more significant fracture, he will be sidelined well into May.
Springer is a full-time DH these days. Not having to play the field could hasten his return.
Yesavage is currently on a minor-league rehab assignment and will make at least one more rehab start. The team will then decide the next step. Berríos has begun facing hitters in live batting practice and is nearing a rehab assignment. Bieber is expected to begin throwing off a mound this weekend and is further behind.
Because of those injuries, the Blue Jays signed veteran lefty Patrick Corbin and inserted him directly into the rotation this week without a minor-league tune-up start. Max Scherzer, who exited his last start with forearm tendinitis, is expected to start Sunday. It is mid-April and the Blue Jays are already pushing the limits of their depth.
Springer, 36, was off to a slow start this season, taking a .189/.283/.377 line into Saturday’s game. Last season, he set new career highs in batting average (.309) and on-base percentage (.390), and posted his second-highest slugging percentage (.560). This is the final year of his six-year, $150 million contract.
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The Blue Jays entered Saturday with a 6-7 record and the third worst run-differential in baseball (minus-16).
Apr 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) hits a walk-off solo home run in the ninth inning to defeat the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the first 10-win team in the majors, and they largely have gotten there with a potent offense.
The Dodgers, who host the Texas Rangers on Saturday night in the second contest of their three-game series, lead the majors in hits (134), batting average (.297) and homers (25).
Four of those homers came in Friday night’s 8-7 win over the Rangers. Max Muncy went deep three times — including a walk-off blast in the ninth inning — and the torrid Andy Pages also homered.
Pages has been a hot hitter from the first game of the season. He is batting .449 and after going 3-for-3 while driving in four runs on Friday to boost his team-leading totals in hits (22) and RBIs (16).
Muncy moved into sixth place all-time in career home runs as a Dodger with 213, and Shohei Ohtani is now the record holder for most consecutive games reaching base at 44. Ohtani’s single on Friday gave him the record after he broke a tie with Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
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“It’s great,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani. “He’s taking walks, getting hits and he hasn’t really got going yet. For us to win the games we’ve won, score the runs we’ve scored … and Sho isn’t going, he’s going to get hot. That’s a good thing for us.”
The Dodgers will turn to right-hander Emmet Sheehan (1-0, 8.00 ERA) to make the start on Saturday.
Sheehan is looking for a better performance after having allowed four earned runs in each of his first two starts of the season. He has an 11-4 career record and has eight strikeouts to five walks this season.
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Sheehan lost the only game he’s ever started against Texas, with eight runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings in his first major league loss in July 2023.
The Rangers, after a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners, pitched well as a team in that series. But they allowed more runs Friday night at Dodger Stadium than they did over the three games with Seattle combined.
The Texas bullpen allowed five runs on 10 hits over 3 2/3 innings of relief against the Dodgers, though left-hander Jalen Beeks pitched a scoreless inning.
Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford each hit a home run for the Rangers on Friday, Seager belted his team-high fourth of the season. But Langford left the game with right quad tightness after five innings.
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It’s unclear of the severity of the injury.
The scheduled starting pitcher for the Rangers on Saturday is right-hander Jack Leiter (1-0, 2.45 ERA). Leiter has given up nine hits in 11 total innings of work and has 17 strikeouts to just two walks.
Leiter is facing the Dodgers for the first time in his career. He’s come up with an effective cut fastball to add to his arsenal, with the goal of “going deeper into games and throwing more innings this year,” he told MLB.com.
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