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3 years ago

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6:42 PM ET

  • Jeff PassanESPN

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      ESPN MLB insider
      Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports”

Outfielder Masataka Yoshida and the Boston Red Sox agreed on a five-year, $90 million contract Wednesday, sources told ESPN, adding the most productive bat in Japan over the last two seasons to a quickly retooling Red Sox team.

Yoshida, 29, locked in a deal with the Red Sox on the first day he was eligible to sign after the Orix Buffaloes, the reigning Japan Series champion, posted him. A corner outfielder, Yoshida hit .335/.447/.561 with 21 home runs, 80 walks and just 41 strikeouts in 508 plate appearances this year.

Earlier in the day, Boston agreed to a two-year, $32 million contract with closer Kenley Jansen, bolstering a bullpen that was one of the worst in baseball last season. Yoshida is expected to have an even greater impact — and the Red Sox paid a price higher than expected to secure him.

In addition to the $90 million due to Yoshida, the team will pay a $15.4 million posting fee to the Buffaloes, bringing the total outlay by Boston to $105.4 million. The posting system allows players under contract with foreign teams to sign with Major League Baseball club, with the MLB team paying a fee based on a percentage of the guaranteed salary.

Yoshida spent seven seasons with Orix, distinguishing himself as one of the best players in Japan. Over his career, he has batted .326/.419/.538 with just 307 strikeouts in 3,251 plate appearances. Minnesota Twins leadoff man Luis Arraez was the only player in MLB last year with a lower strikeout rate than Yoshida.

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Sources: ASU’s top WR Tyson expected back

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2 hours ago

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November 22, 2025

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Sources: ASU's top WR Tyson expected back
Nov 22, 2025, 02:48 PM ET

Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State‘s leading receiver, is expected to return from a hamstring injury and play Saturday when the Sun Devils visit the Colorado Buffaloes, sources tell ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Tyson is expected to participate in pregame warmups, and barring any setbacks, he’ll be cleared to play against his former team.

Tyson suffered the injury Oct. 18 in Arizona State’s upset win over then-undefeated Texas Tech. He finished that game with 10 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown but has not played since.

Despite missing the past three games, Tyson leads the Sun Devils in catches (57) and yards receiving (628), and he is the team leader with eight touchdowns.

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UAB: Player arrested after stabbing 2 teammates

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2 hours ago

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November 22, 2025

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UAB: Player arrested after stabbing 2 teammates

  • Jake TrotterNov 22, 2025, 02:36 PM ET

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      Jake Trotter is a senior writer at ESPN. Trotter covers college football. He also writes about other college sports, including men’s and women’s basketball. Trotter resides in the Cleveland area with his wife and three kids and is a fan of his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder. He covered the Cleveland Browns and NFL for ESPN for five years, moving back to college football in 2024. Previously, Trotter worked for the Middletown (Ohio) Journal, Austin American-Statesman and Oklahoman newspapers before joining ESPN in 2011. He’s a 2004 graduate of Washington and Lee University. You can reach out to Trotter at jake.trotter@espn.com and follow him on X at @Jake_Trotter.

A UAB football player stabbed two of his teammates Saturday morning at the football facility ahead of the Blazers’ home game against USF, a university spokesperson told ESPN.

The suspect has been arrested, and both injured players are in stable condition after being taken to UAB hospital. The school has not released the names of any of the players involved.

UAB’s game against USF began as scheduled at 3 p.m. ET.

A UAB official said an investigation is ongoing.

“UAB’s top priority remains the safety and well-being of all of our students,” the school said in a statement.

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Sources: Ohio St. to be without WRs Tate, Smith

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7 hours ago

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November 22, 2025

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Sources: Ohio St. to be without WRs Tate, Smith

  • ESPN News Services

Nov 22, 2025, 09:32 AM ET

Ohio State wide receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith are not expected to play against Rutgers on Saturday due to lower-body injuries, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Tate will miss his third straight game. Smith played in last week’s win over UCLA but missed the second half after being seen limping before halftime. Both are considered day-to-day, sources said, ahead of a potential return next week against rival Michigan.

On Tuesday, coach Ryan Day would not rule out either wide receiver but also did not want to go into specifics on their availability.

“Our policy is we don’t discuss specifics on injuries, and once you start going down a little bit here, a little bit there, you can create a problem,” Day said. “So for a number of reasons, we don’t discuss those things.”

Smith leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the nation with 10 touchdown catches while ranking third in the conference in receiving yards per game (90.2) and second in catches per game (6.9). Tate is fifth in the Big Ten with 88.9 receiving yards per game.

Brandon Inniss started in place of Tate against UCLA and led No. 1 Ohio State with six catches for 30 yards during a 48-10 win.

The 5-5 Scarlet Knights are looking to beat Ohio State for the first time in their 11th try since joining the Big Ten in 2014.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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