Connect with us

Published

on

NEW YORK — Stephen Strasburg‘s status for 2023 is up in the air after a series of injuries that limited him to one start this season, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday.

“It’s still a little bit of a mystery,” Rizzo said about the 2019 World Series MVP before the Nationals were scheduled to play a doubleheader at the New York Mets. “I know that he’s working hard strengthening his core and the other parts of his body. We’re just going to have to see. With the type of surgery and rehab that he’s had, it’s unfamiliar to us. It’s unfamiliar to a lot of people. We’re going to have to take it day by day.”

The 34-year-old right-hander has thrown a total of 31⅓ innings across just eight starts over the past three seasons combined. He had carpal tunnel surgery in 2020, then needed an operation to correct thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021.

After his only start of 2022, he went back on the injured list with a stress reaction of the ribs.

“We’ll have to see where the rehab process takes us later on in the winter,” Rizzo said. “We’re going to monitor him. He’s local, so we’ll see him all the time and we’ll see where he’s at going into spring training mode.”

Strasburg is a three-time All-Star who signed a $245 million contract after helping Washington win a championship in 2019.

He is 113-62 with a 3.24 ERA for his career.

Meeting with reporters toward the end of a rough season — Washington entered Tuesday with a majors-worst and Nationals-worst record of 55-104 and shipped away the team’s best player, outfielder Juan Soto, at the trade deadline — Rizzo talked about doing “an autopsy of the organization.”

“I look at the season as a disappointment,” Rizzo said. “I’ve always said that you are what your record says you are, and our record says we’re the worst team in the league right now. It’s hard to argue with that. The flip side of that is we’re in a process.”

Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were given contract extensions during the season. Martinez said Tuesday his entire coaching staff will return next year.

Continue Reading

Sports

D-lineman Lole flips pick from Oklahoma to Texas

Published

on

By

D-lineman Lole flips pick from Oklahoma to Texas

Texas has landed a transfer at a key position of need, with former Louisville defensive lineman Jermayne Lole announcing on social media Thursday that he has flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to the Longhorns.

Lole, who is entering his seventh season of college football, began his career in 2018 at Arizona State and played in 23 games in his first two seasons there. He missed the 2021 season with a triceps injury, then transferred to Louisville. After appearing in one game in 2022, Lole made 12 appearances last year with 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks. His best season came in 2019 at Arizona State, where he had 71 tackles (10 for loss) with 6.5 sacks.

The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Lole will join Arizona transfers Bill Norton and Tiaoalii Savea as Texas tries to buffer the losses of first-round pick Byron Murphy II and second-rounder T’Vondre Sweat. After Texas’ spring game April 20, coach Steve Sarkisian highlighted defensive line as a spot where he still wasn’t happy with the team’s numbers.

“I think obviously the depth on the defensive line is not where we need it to be, and so hopefully we can address that,” Sarkisian said. “We don’t have enough bodies. There’s not enough big humans. It’s simple math, so we’ve got to address it.”

Texas added UTSA star defensive end Trey Moore earlier in the spring along with five-star recruit Colin Simmons. The Longhorns also have a key returning player in defensive tackle Alfred Collins, who came back for his final season after appearing in 48 career games with six starts.

Continue Reading

Sports

Ex-Buffs RB McCaskill headed to Arizona State

Published

on

By

Ex-Buffs RB McCaskill headed to Arizona State

Former Colorado tailback Alton McCaskill has committed to transfer to Arizona State, he told ESPN. McCaskill expects to have three years of eligibility remaining for the Sun Devils, as he has taken a medical redshirt and a traditional one the past two years.

After playing just four games for Colorado last season, McCaskill will emerge as an option at tailback for Arizona State as he tries to recapture the form from his breakout 2021 freshman season at the University of Houston.

McCaskill had 14 carries for 59 yards at Colorado in those four games last season before asking coach Deion Sanders to be redshirted. Sanders granted that wish. McCaskill missed the 2022 season after tearing his ACL in the spring of 2022.

That came in the wake of a promising opening season at Houston in 2021, when he earned AAC Rookie of the Year honors. He ran for 961 yards and hauled in 113 receiving yards. His 16 rushing touchdowns that season led all true freshmen and set Houston’s true freshman record for rushing touchdowns. He accounted for 18 total touchdowns for the Cougars.

McCaskill came to UH as a four-star recruit in the class of 2021. His scholarship offer sheet lists USC, Oklahoma State and many of the top programs in the country.

He’ll join a talented running back room at Arizona State, which is headlined by senior Cam Skattebo, who rushed for 783 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Sun Devils after transferring from Sacramento State.

Continue Reading

Sports

Giants place OF Soler on the 10-day injured list

Published

on

By

Giants place OF Soler on the 10-day injured list

DENVER — The San Francisco Giants on Wednesday placed outfielder-designated hitter Jorge Soler on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain and filled his roster spot by recalling outfielder Heliot Ramos from their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento.

Soler, whose placement on the IL was made retroactive to Sunday, had missed the last three games. He was hitting .202 with five home runs and 8 RBI. Soler joined the Giants in the offseason, signing a three-year, $42 million deal as a free agent. “Every time he’s been in the cage and tried to swing, it has bothered him so there’s no way it’s a couple days away,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “We’ll try to let him rest and get past this thing.”

Ramos was the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 2017. In 30 games with Sacramento this season, he was batting .296 with eight home runs.

He appeared in 34 games with the Giants over the past two seasons, hitting .158.

Continue Reading

Trending