Didier Fuentes made his much-anticipated return to the majors on Wednesday, but if you blinked, you might have missed it.

Okay, fine, three innings and then an immediate demotion is technically longer than it takes to blink, but for our purposes, the metaphor works. The Braves needed an arm who could provide some depth alongside Martin Perez on Wednesday after Reynaldo Lopez made it through just one inning, and Fuentes ended up getting a surprise start against the Nationals … where he didn’t look great, to be honest.

The stuff looked good, to be fair – he sat at 97 mph with his four-seamer and generated eight whiffs with it, while his slider got six whiffs on 10 swings. He missed a bunch of bats, and that seems to be something we can expect from Fuentes whenever he’s pitching. But the stuff doesn’t look overwhelmingly dominant, and I don’t think we’re dealing with a rookie-year Spencer Strider situation where he’s likely to be an absolute superstar as soon as he gets a real opportunity. The arsenal remains pretty limited – he threw some splitters, exclusively to lefties, but that isn’t a great pitch for him yet. 

And the execution was really lacking. Fuentes did a decent job of pounding the zone, but I didn’t think he commanded well inside of the zone, and he got hit hard as a result, giving up a 95.7 mph average exit velocity, leading to seven hits and four earned runs in just three innings. And it wasn’t a short outing by design, necessarily; Fuentes just labored through those three innings, needing 74 pitches. 

Add it all up, and Fuentes still looks like a work in progress to my eyes. The stuff is good, but I’m not quite sure it’s great yet, and the various pitching models out there seem to agree: TJStats had him with a 104 Stuff+ rating; PitcherList’s PLV metric gave his stuff a “B” rating. That’s not bad – my parents would have been thrilled if I could manage a consistent “B” grade in school – but it doesn’t scream “burgeoning ace,” either. Fuentes is still extremely young, still just 20 for another month-plus, so there’s plenty of room for growth. But seeing as he was sent right back down to Triple-A after this outing, I don’t necessarily think he’s a must-stash player in Fantasy.

And the same is probably true for the Braves’ other top pitching prospect, JR Ritchie, who is getting the call for his MLB debut Thursday. Ritchie is plenty exciting in his own right, of course; he doesn’t necessarily have the same electricity in his arm, but at 23, he’s probably a bit more polished and certainly has a deeper arsenal. I’m excited to watch him pitch against big-leaguers after putting up a 2.38 ERA in his first 16 Triple-A starts dating back to last season.

But his 25.4% strikeout rate is merely good, not great, and his 11.4% walk rate is a few grades below “good” at this point. I think Ritchie is an interesting pitching prospect despite those flaws, and if I thought he was going to stick around in the Braves rotation, I’d be suggesting you go out and add him in most leagues.

But unless Lopez is dealing with an as-yet-unreported injury or the Braves are planning to transition to a six-man rotation, I think this is probably going to end up being a quick cameo for Ritchie. Why is that? Well, even if the Braves want to pull Perez from the rotation, Spencer Strider seems set to make his return to the rotation next week after one more tune-up at Triple-A this weekend. I wrote about the positive signs Strider showed in his most recent rehab start, and he’s likely to slot back into the rotation by next weekend.

That could give either Ritchie or Fuentes a chance to make another start after this week, and anything could happen between then and now; Ritchie could be so dominant Thursday that he makes himself indispensable, or another pitcher could go down with an injury before Strider is back. A wiser man than myself once said, “Life finds a way,” after all. But based on what we can project right now, it just doesn’t seem like there’s an opportunity for either Fuentes or Ritchie to stick around.

That opportunity will come, for both, I presume. But right now, neither Fuentes nor Ritchie looks like they need to be added in most Fantasy leagues. Not yet, anyway. 

Here’s what else you need to know about from Wednesday’s action around MLB: 

Thursday’s top waiver-wire targets

Here’s who we’re looking to add coming out of Wednesday’s action: 

Daylen Lile, OF, Nationals (72%) – Lile has his limitations as a player. Despite being a great athlete, he’s been a pretty lousy base-runner in his MLB career, and seems like a pretty limited defensive player, too. But I’m telling you, this dude can hit. It’s been a pretty underwhelming start to the season, but after homers in three of his past five games, including Wednesday, he’s up to a .282/.333/.437 line for the season. And I don’t think it’s a fluke; he has a .303 xBA (.302 last season) and .350 xwOBA (.348 last season), both of which are very strong numbers. He makes a lot of contact and has enough pop that I think something like 20 homers isn’t out of the question. Lile isn’t quite as extreme a contact hitter as someone like Steven Kwan, but I think he might have more juice in his bat to make up for it, and the overall production could be quite similar. And Kwan is pretty much a must-start player in all formats. I don’t think Lile is far from that. 

Enyel De Los Santos, RP, Astros (17%) – I think De Los Santos might be the closer now. He got saves on back-to-back days last week, and after Brian King gave up runs in each of his previous two outings, it was De Los Santos who they turned to Wednesday for a four-out save. King still has a high-leverage role, and maybe Bryan Abreu may right the ship and take the job that was supposed to be his. But right now, De Los Santos has been the best pitcher in the Astros pen and looks like the guy to roster while Josh Hader remains on the mend. 

Anthony Volpe, SS, Yankees (25%) – I was never a huge believer in Volpe as a potential superstar, but even I have to admit there are some skills here. He had 21 homers and 24 steals as a rookie, and in his second season, he traded some pop for some batting average and still wound up hitting 12 homers and stealing 28 bags. His numbers were worse with the exception of power in 2025, but I think the shoulder injury he was playing through explains much of why he was worse (and his defense reflected that, too). Something like a 15-20 homer pace and 25 steals with a .250-ish batting average could be within the higher end of the range of possible outcomes for Volpe, and most category leagues can find a spot for a guy like that. 

Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers (46%) – I was once a big believer in Jung, and maybe after all the injuries, he’s back to being a potential difference maker. I’m skeptical, but there are reasons to be optimistic, beginning with a career-low 17.5% strikeout rate, backed up by broadly improved contact skills. And he’s doing that while putting up a 91.4 mph average exit velocity, and .399 expected wOBA on contact, both his best marks since 2023, when he had 23 homers in just 122 games. He’s now homered three times in his past six games, and with the state of third base remaining weak, why not check in and see if he can keep this hot streak going? 

Braxton Garrett, SP, Marlins (6%) – With how much everyone has been clamoring for the Marlins to call up Robby Snelling, I think Garrett is being overlooked. Which is a shame, because when the time comes for the Marlins to make the call, it’s likely to be Garrett, not Snelling, just by virtue of his spot on the 40-man roster. But it might not just be by default, either. Garrett has a track record of success at the MLB level, putting up a 3.63 ERA (3.64 FIP) between 2022 and 2023, and he’s actually throwing about 1 mph harder this season than he was before he had Tommy John surgery in 2024. And he’s overwhelming hitters down at Triple-A right now, tossing a rare no-hitter loss Tuesday and sporting a 0.77 ERA and 27% strikeout rate. There isn’t an obvious spot in the Marlins rotation right now, but it’s also fair to wonder how long they can continue to stomach Chris Paddack‘s struggles even as he is the third-highest-paid player on the team. 

Peter Lambert, SP, Astros (3%) – There might be something here with Lambert, who has struck out 16 batters in 11 innings across his first two starts with the Astros. There isn’t much in his track record to back it up, but Lambert’s stuff looks better than you’d expect for a guy who would fairly qualify as a journeyman at this point. His four-seamer comes in at 95 mph plus, and his changeup, cutter, and slider all generated at least three whiffs Wednesday after missing bats in his first start. Again, the track record suggests this probably isn’t going to last, and the upcoming schedule sees him take on the Orioles and then likely the Dodgers, so that’s only one matchup where you might be willing to use him. But in AL-only leagues and maybe some deeper 15-teamers, Lambert is showing enough to at least be worth a look. 

Wednesday’s standouts

Max Fried, Yankees @BOS: 8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K – I saw an interesting detail from this start: Fried stopped pitching out of the windup midway through and said after the start, he has been struggling to repeat his mechanics out of the windup. Sure enough, his walk rate entering the start was 9.3% with the bases empty, while he hadn’t issued a single walk with runners on base. Not that it’s really affected his pitching much, but it was also nice to see Fried get a bunch of strikeouts after that dipped. He’s awesome. 

Logan Gilbert, Mariners vs. ATH: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – I remain mostly unconcerned here with Gilbert, but I do wonder if the reintroduction of that cutter of his isn’t causing more problems than it’s worth. It doesn’t look like a bad pitch in and of itself, but it’s getting hit hard and not really generating many whiffs right now, and it’s not like his arsenal was exactly screaming for a new pitch. The new changeup has gotten better results, but again, it just seems like added complexity for complexity’s sake rather than filling a specific gap in Gilbert’s arsenal. It’ll probably be fine, but this could be the kind of tinkering that gets a pitcher just a little off his game. That’s what he has been so far. 

Jose Soriano, Angels vs. TOR: 5 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – Even the less impressive starts are still pretty good, and most importantly, still feature very good control and lots of whiffs. Soriano is a sell-high candidate in the strictest meaning of the word, in that he is not going to continue to pitch to a sub-1.00 ERA. But it’s a lot harder to believe he’s going to go back to being a 4.00-plus ERA guy. And he might be more like a low-3.00s ERA guy now. 

Braxton Ashcraft, Pirates @TEX: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K – The combination of the slider and curveball racking up whiffs (eight of 14 here) and the four-seamers filling up the zone has worked well so far. He generates a decent amount of weak contact with the four-seamer, and while the sinker gets hit hard sometimes, it does its job of keeping the ball down and generating early outs. The very good control is in line with what he was doing for much of his minor-league career, and a strikeout rate right around one per inning doesn’t seem unreasonable. There are some mild concerns about platoon-heavy lineups, I suppose, but Ashcraft looks pretty legit right now, at least as a mid-3.00s ERA breakout. 

Ranger Suarez, Red Sox vs. NYY: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K – What’s tough about Suarez is, it’s often hard to tell why things are going well or not for him. He doesn’t typically have big changes in his arsenal, velocity, or movement profiles. It usually just comes down to “is he executing or not?” Which is frustrating, because it’s true of every pitcher, but it’s more true of Suarez than most, because he relies so heavily on finely tuned command more than overwhelming stuff. But it’s also the kind of thing that tends to turn on a dime, which makes it hard to ever give up on him. I wouldn’t, despite the underwhelming start to his Red Sox career. 

Tanner Bibee, Guardians vs. HOU: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – Good start against a tough matchup. I still don’t think it fundamentally changes the story about Bibee, which is that he’s just a matchup-dependent pitcher now. That doesn’t mean you have to drop him, but it also doesn’t mean you have to hold on to him if something more interesting comes along. If we get word that Payton Tolle is going to stick around in Boston’s rotation, I think I’d be fine dropping Bibee for him. 

Casey Mize, Tigers vs. MIL: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K – Mize more or less looks like the same guy as always. He’s actually lost about 1.3 mph on his four-seamer this season, but it is generating more whiffs than it did a year ago. Go figure. I think he’s just a pretty good pitcher, someone I expect a mid-to-high-3.00s ERA and a decent enough WHIP to not harm you. His 2.51 ERA to date doesn’t change that for me. 

Matthew Boyd, Cubs vs. PHI: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K – For a first start back from the IL, it’s hard to complain. It would’ve been nice to get that last out and get the win, though. 

Janson Junk, Marlins vs. STL: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – You might notice Junk was pulled after 56 pitches despite his success. I didn’t see any reason to think this was anything other than the Marlins being overly cautious about exposing him to the third time through the lineup penalty. That’s frustrating on a day when he was clearly cruising, but it does speak to how Miami views Junk, and it’s probably how you should view him: A potentially useful pitcher, but not a great one. 

Clay Holmes, Mets vs. MIN: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – Given how Holmes’ season eventually fell apart and the lack of strikeouts so far, this feels pretty easy to dismiss. Again, he can be useful against the right matchups, but I think he’s a fringe-y starter even in a two-start week against the Angels and Nationals. 

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.

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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.

PRO WRESTLING STARS CHRIS SABIN, ALEX SHELLEY TALK POSSIBILITY OF WWE USING TNA’S GIMMICK MATCHES

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.”

Spain forward Lamine Yamal will miss the remainder of Barcelona’s season but is expected to be fit in time for the World Cup.

The 18-year-old sustained a hamstring injury in his left leg during Wednesday’s 1–0 victory over Celta Vigo.

He had given Barcelona the lead from the penalty spot in the 40th minute but then immediately signalled to the bench before falling to the ground, clutching his left hamstring.

He was helped off the pitch by medical staff and headed straight down the tunnel.

The club confirmed the injury on Thursday, stating that Yamal “will follow a conservative treatment plan” and will miss the remainder of the league season, though he is “expected to return in time for the World Cup”.

Barcelona, the reigning La Liga champions, are top of the table and nine points clear of rivals Real Madrid, who they play at home on 10 May as one of their remaining six games.

Spain begin their World Cup campaign in Group H against Cape Verde on 15 June, before facing Saudi Arabia on 21 June and Uruguay on 27 June.

Floyd Mayweather is officially set to return to the ring this summer before he collides with Manny Pacquiao later in the year.

It came as a shock earlier this year when it was announced that Mayweather was due to end his near decade-long retirement and return to competitive action to face former foe Pacquiao at The Sphere in Las Vegas on September 19.

In recent weeks there have been doubts raised over the contest though, with Mayweather claiming that the fight is set to be an exhibition rather than a professional contest, while Pacquiao insists it will be a fully sanctioned bout.

As confusion continues over that match-up, one thing that is for certain is Mayweather is scheduled to compete before that showdown with Pacquiao, after he confirmed details surrounding an exhibition in June.

Mayweather had been set for exhibitions against both Mike Tyson and Mike Zambidis this year, and while there have been no further updates on the Tyson clash, Mayweather has posted on social media to officially reveal the details for his battle against Zambidis.

“IT’S OFFICIAL. June 27 – Athens, Greece History will be made. I’m stepping in the ring with Mike Zambidis. One night. One stage. An all-out bout you don’t want to miss.”

Zambidis is a Greek kickboxing legend having claimed a number of world titles during his time in that sport, but he has only ever competed once in professional boxing, earning a win back in March 2019.

The fight against Zambidis gives Mayweather a chance to keep busy, but most boxing fans will be keen for the issues surrounding his bout with Pacquiao to be resolved as the two boxing legends look to renew their rivalry from their first encounter in 2015.

We’re tracking players from the West selected in the 2026 NFL Draft in the table below.

The searchable list includes the round, overall pick number, team, school, and position. Players will be added as they’re selected.

Over the past few days, we have previewed the top defensive and offensive 2026 NFL draft prospects in the region.

We have also published lists of All-Time First-Round NFL Draft Picks by Schools in the West and Overall No. 1 NFL Draft Picks for Programs from the West, and All-time Top 5 NFL Draft Picks for Schools in the West.

You’ll find  2026 NFL Draft History Capsules for Schools in the West here.

The TV times and networks for the three-day event appear below, followed by the tracker itself.

The 2018 Clemson football team routed Alabama in that season’s College Football Playoff National Championship, cementing its place in the sport’s lore.

The undefeated season, punctuated by a 44-16 rout of Alabama in the title game, pushed the Tigers into the all-time-great debate. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer argued another team was superior to Clemson that year, pointing to Nick Bosa’s 2018 injury as the key reason the Buckeyes fell short of a title.

“Nick Bosa is one of the best football players I’ve ever been around. I’d put Percy Harvin No. 1… maybe Nick Bosa No. 2. If Nick Bosa is playing for Ohio State (in) 2018, I think Ohio State wins it all. That’s how good a player he was,” Meyer said during a recent edition of “The Triple Option” podcast, which he co-hosts with former Alabama standout Mark Ingram II and Rob Stone.

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Urban Meyer stands on the sidelines before the Peach Bowl semifinal game between the Oregon Ducks and Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 9, 2026. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)

Meyer acknowledged the logic behind preparing Nick Bosa for the NFL Draft but admitted the choice still stung as the Buckeyes chased a title.

FORMER LSU COACH ED ORGERON CROWNS COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S ALL-TIME BEST TEAM

“He got hurt (in) game 3. When he was getting close to maybe be able to come back, they decided to get him ready for the NFL Draft… which that broke my heart. But I get it.”

Ohio State went 13-1 in 2018, with its only loss coming in Big Ten play against Purdue. The Buckeyes were left out of the playoff but rebounded with a Rose Bowl win over Washington in January 2019. Three months later, the San Francisco 49ers took Bosa No. 2 overall.

Clemson and Alabama built a pseudo title-game rivalry in the mid-2010s. After dominating Ohio State in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl semifinal, the Tigers edged Alabama for the championship, redeeming a 45-40 loss to the Crimson Tide to close the 2015 season.

Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa sacks TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson during the Advocare Showdown at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2018. (Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire)

Meyer also highlighted the depth of Ohio State’s 2018 defensive line, noting the presence of both Bosa and Chase Young.

“We had Chase Young and Nick Bosa (at defensive) end,” Meyer continued. “Our defense really struggled that year because Chase Young was hurt most of the year, and then Nick Bosa… he played three games and that was it. The offense was one of the top two (or) three offenses in the country.”

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young looks on during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl semifinal game against the Clemson Tigers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Dec. 28, 2019. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)

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Meyer concluded by declaring that year’s Ohio State team “was a national title team.” Meyer won three national championships as a coach, winning twice at Florida and once at Ohio State.

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In Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain, led by a brace from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and a goal from Désiré Doué, extended their lead at the top of the table to four points after beating Nantes (3–0) in their rearranged match from matchday 26.

In the Premier League, Manchester City defeated Burnley (1–0) to move back above Arsenal, with Erling Haaland scoring the winner. Burnley are relegated to the Championship after their 22nd defeat of the season.

Chelsea sacked Liam Rosenior after 104 days in charge, during which he recorded 11 wins in 23 matches.

In La Liga, Barcelona beat Celta Vigo (1–0) but lost Lamine Yamal to injury, while Atletico Madrid were defeated at Elche (3–2), their fourth consecutive loss.

Finally, Paul Seixas won La Flèche Wallonne at the age of 19, Bourg-en-Bresse claimed a 72–60 win at Besiktas in the first leg of the EuroCup final, and France will host the 2031 FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup.