
How a 64-team college football tournament would play out
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior WriterMar 18, 2024, 09:00 AM ET
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- Joined ESPN.com in 2007
- Graduate of the University of Tennessee
We’re finally up to 12 teams in the College Football Playoff, which means the expanded field in 2024 will feature some of the not-so-usual suspects.
At ESPN, we expanded the college football postseason a long time ago and will again count down from 64 teams in our fictional 2024 NCAA football tournament.
At the very least, the real world in college football is slowly catching up.
Here’s the format: We’ve seeded the teams 1 through 64, and the seeds are based largely on ESPN’s latest SP+ projections for the 2024 season.
The top four seeds are Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas (only Texas made the actual four-team playoff field a year ago). With the Longhorns being the fourth No. 1 seed, they will be forced to travel to the East Region.
Seeds are just seeds, and all that matters is what happens on the field, so get ready for some upsets. We’ll do our best to create some compelling storylines, even though the basketball committee insists it doesn’t engage in such contrived methods when putting together its bracket.
We’ve done our homework and looked over the rosters, especially with so many new faces at new schools — not to mention Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh no longer coaching in the college ranks — but we always endeavor to have a little fun.
Today, we examine the field and work our way through the first two rounds of the tournament, narrowing the pool from 64 to 16. We’ll play the rest of the games and crown a national champion Wednesday.
The bracket
1-seeds: Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas
2-seeds: Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame
3-seeds: Ole Miss, Florida State, Oklahoma, Missouri
4-seeds: Arizona, Tennessee, LSU, Utah
5-seeds: Clemson, Kansas State, Louisville, Miami
6-seeds: Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, USC
7-seeds: NC State, Kansas, Iowa, Auburn
8-seeds: Iowa State, SMU, Florida, Virginia Tech
9-seeds: Washington, Kentucky, TCU, Memphis
10-seeds: Nebraska, Texas Tech, Maryland, Liberty
11-seeds: West Virginia, Oregon State, Minnesota, South Carolina
12-seeds: Colorado, UCF, Boise State, Rutgers
13-seeds: UCLA, Duke, Georgia Tech, BYU
14-seeds: North Carolina, Washington State, South Florida, Appalachian State
15-seeds: Illinois, Wake Forest, Arkansas, Northwestern
16-seeds: Fresno State, James Madison, Miami (Ohio), UNLV
First four out: Baylor, Cal, Louisiana, Arkansas State
South Regional
First round
(1) Georgia 42, (16) UNLV 7: A year ago, Trevor Etienne was carrying the football for rival Florida. He’s now one of the focal points of Georgia’s running game and pounds his way to 165 rushing yards against a UNLV defense that simply can’t hold up against the Bulldogs’ massive offensive line.
(2) Notre Dame 35, (15) Northwestern 20: David Braun did as good a coaching job as anyone in 2023 after taking over for Pat Fitzgerald in an interim role, then being promoted toward the end of the season and leading Northwestern to an 8-5 finish. The Wildcats follow up with another winning season in 2024, but fall behind early to the Irish and can’t make up the deficit.
(3) Missouri 30, (14) Appalachian State 28: Appalachian State leads the whole way in this one in what has upset written all over it, and the fans in Boone, North Carolina, are giddy about taking down Eliah Drinkwitz, who left App State following just one season. But a late 78-yard touchdown drive engineered by Brady Cook breaks the Mountaineers’ hearts.
(4) Utah 34, (13) BYU 24: There’s nothing like rivals clashing in a postseason game, and with Utah joining the Big 12 in 2024, that means we get to see these two go at it twice. The Utes win the regular-season game at home comfortably, but in the rematch, they need a forced fumble late in the third quarter to break open a close game.
(12) Rutgers 28, (5) Miami 24: Greg Schiano and Mario Cristobal, longtime friends and former colleagues, find themselves paired against each other for the second straight season after Schiano’s Scarlet Knights beat Cristobal’s Hurricanes in the Pinstripe Bowl to close the 2023 season. The old No. 5 vs. No. 12 curse strikes again, as Rutgers pulls off the first upset of the tournament.
(6) USC 31, (11) South Carolina 20: After all the pregame back-and-forth over who is the real “USC,” it’s settled on the field (for now) when the Trojans of the West Coast play their best defensive game of the season to hold the Gamecocks of the East Coast to one second-half touchdown.
(10) Liberty 35, (7) Auburn 34: Kaidon Salter was in the transfer portal at one point this offseason but withdrew his name. It’s a good thing for Liberty, as Salter accounts for four touchdowns and scores the game-winner in the final minutes to spearhead the upset victory over his old coach, Hugh Freeze, and the Tigers.
(8) Virginia Tech 28, (9) Memphis 23: Brent Pry’s third season at Virginia Tech is his most successful. The Hokies hold their own with the ACC’s best and win their last four games. In the postseason opener, Antwaun Powell-Ryland racks up three quarterback sacks to keep the Tigers on their heels every time it looks like they’re going to generate some offensive momentum.
Second round
(1) Georgia 35, (8) Virginia Tech 10: Georgia’s ability to make offenses one-dimensional has been a staple under Kirby Smart. Virginia Tech is unable to generate any running game, and the Bulldogs’ pass-rush feasts on a Hokies offensive attack that continually finds itself in third-and-long. Virginia Tech’s only touchdown comes on the 40-yard return of a blocked punt.
(2) Notre Dame 43, (10) Liberty 23: Riley Leonard transferred to Notre Dame to play in big games like this, and as Notre Dame’s second transfer quarterback in as many years, he delivers with three touchdown passes after starting the contest by completing his first nine passes.
(3) Missouri 34, (6) USC 28: Two of the most electric receivers in college football are on display in this one — Luther Burden III for Missouri and Zachariah Branch for USC. Of the two, Burden has the more seasoned and experienced quarterback, and Cook connects with Burden twice on third down to keep a game-clinching drive alive in the fourth quarter.
(4) Utah 28, (12) Rutgers 21: Determined to prove its first-round upset of Miami was no fluke, Rutgers leads most of the way against a Utah team that hurts itself with turnovers. But tight end Brant Kuithe saves the Utes with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown receptions, the last one coming between two Rutgers defenders in the corner of the end zone.
Regional semifinals
(1) Georgia vs. (4) Utah
(2) Notre Dame vs. (3) Missouri
Midwest Regional
First round
(1) Ohio State 45, (16) Miami (Ohio) 20: This battle of Ohio has rarely been close in their six previous meetings, but the RedHawks put together another strong season after winning the MAC in 2023. They just don’t have the firepower to compete with an Ohio State roster laden with NFL talent.
(2) Michigan 31, (15) Arkansas 28: Sherrone Moore’s first NCAA tournament game as Michigan’s coach goes down to the last few possessions. The Hogs take a 28-24 lead on Landon Jackson‘s strip sack and 24-yard touchdown return. The Wolverines answer, though, thanks to two fourth-down conversions and a late 10-yard touchdown run by Donovan Edwards.
(3) Oklahoma 37, (14) South Florida 21: The improvement at South Florida in two seasons under Alex Golesh is hard to ignore, but so is the enormous talent of Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold. The Sooners sophomore doesn’t flinch in his first NCAA tournament game, throwing for 325 yards and three touchdowns.
(4) LSU 20, (13) Georgia Tech 14: It’s the SEC vs. the ACC in this first-round game that is played in a driving rainstorm. The teams combine to turn the ball over six times, and both defenses make stops with their backs at the goal line. The Tigers hold on to advance after a fourth-down pass into the end zone by Georgia Tech’s Haynes King is batted away.
(5) Louisville 30, (12) Boise State 20: Jeff Brohm guided Louisville to the ACC championship game in his first season back at his alma mater a year ago. That was just a teaser, as the Cardinals again get to 10 regular-season wins and see to it that there’s no drama in their postseason opener by building a 20-0 lead in the first half and cruising the rest of the way.
(6) Texas A&M 35, (11) Minnesota 24: Darius Taylor stays healthy for the whole season and establishes himself as one of the top young running backs in college football. He keeps Minnesota in the game with 145 rushing yards, but Texas A&M pulls away with Conner Weigman throwing a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes.
(10) Maryland 24, (7) Iowa 20: This is one of the biggest wins of Mike Locksley’s tenure at Maryland. Not only do the Terps advance to the Round of 32 by holding the Hawkeyes to 212 total yards, but they extend their winning streak to five straight games — one of those a win over Iowa the next-to-last week of the regular season in College Park.
(8) Florida 42, (9) TCU 24: The Gators needed something good to happen in Year 3 under Billy Napier, and they get it with one of their most impressive outings of the season in their NCAA tournament opener. Florida passes for more than 300 yards and rushes for more than 200 in a convincing victory.
Second round
(1) Ohio State 31, (8) Florida 10: Quarterback Will Howard bolted Kansas State for Ohio State with the hopes of playing for college football’s top prize. The Buckeyes move a step closer to doing just that even though Howard doesn’t have to play a huge role in a game that’s dominated by defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and an Ohio State defense that shuts out the Gators in the first half.
(2) Michigan 23, (10) Maryland 20: The Wolverines are living dangerously in the postseason, but there’s something to be said for finding ways to win when your season is on the line. For the second straight game, Michigan makes enough clutch plays in the fourth quarter to advance, none bigger than Will Johnson‘s one-handed interception on the sideline.
(3) Oklahoma 38, (6) Texas A&M 20: With the ever-changing landscape in college football, there will be an increased number of intraconference matchups in the tournament. Oklahoma’s first foray through the SEC includes a few hiccups, but the Sooners are playing their best football of the season and put the Aggies away by reeling off 21 unanswered points.
(5) Louisville 28, (4) LSU 24: The matchup everyone was anticipating going into this game was LSU’s offensive tackles vs. Louisville’s pass-rushers. There’s NFL talent on both sides, but the best player on the field is Louisville defensive end Ashton Gillotte. He’s the difference in this game with his ability to consistently pressure LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
Regional semifinals
(1) Ohio State vs. (5) Louisville
(2) Michigan vs. (3) Oklahoma
West Regional
First round
(1) Oregon 45, (16) James Madison 13: Dan Lanning’s third season at Oregon is his best yet, with the Ducks earning a No. 1 seed in their first year in the Big Ten. They play like a No. 1 seed in their NCAA tournament opener with more than 500 yards in total offense and three forced turnovers in a runaway victory.
(2) Penn State 33, (15) Wake Forest 17: Despite considerable turnover on a defense that led the country in sacks (49) and tackles for loss (111) in 2023, Penn State again flexes its muscles on that side of the ball under first-year coordinator Tom Allen. The Nittany Lions record five sacks in their first-round win over the Deacons.
(3) Florida State 34, (14) Washington State 21: It’s a new world for Washington State in a Pac-12 conference reduced to two teams. The Cougars play 11 nonconference games in Jake Dickert’s third full season as coach. Florida State, still smarting from its playoff snub a year ago, jumps out to a 17-point lead before putting together a seven-minute touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to end Washington State’s comeback bid.
(4) Tennessee 38, (13) Duke 28: A pair of former California star high school quarterbacks duel in this entertaining first-round contest that sees a total of six touchdown passes. In the end, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava has more talent around him, and the Vols advance despite Maalik Murphy playing one of his best games of the season for the Blue Devils.
(12) UCF 28, (5) Kansas State 23: Some of the best news for UCF in the offseason was running back RJ Harvey announcing that he was returning for his senior season. And what a season it is, as Harvey goes from one of the more underrated players in the country to one of the best. He rolls up 178 rushing yards and three touchdowns in an upset win over the Wildcats.
(6) Oklahoma State 28, (11) Oregon State 24: Similar to the 2023 season, Oklahoma State gets off to a slow start. But by the time the calendar flips to November, the Cowboys are peaking. That’s bad news for Oregon State, which hangs around and has a chance to win at the end under first-year coach Trent Bray. But the Beavers are stopped on first-and-goal inside the 10 in the closing minute.
(7) Kansas 31, (10) Texas Tech 30: Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels deserved an injury-free season after being plagued by injuries in 2023 and 2022, and he gets his wish. He makes big play after big play to counter a 204-yard rushing performance from Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks to lead the Jayhawks to a thrilling win that isn’t decided until the final seconds.
(9) Kentucky 27, (8) SMU 23: Winning in the postseason is always a lot easier when you’re dominant in the defensive front. Kentucky’s Deone Walker is among the best interior linemen in the country and proves to be the difference in this tightly contested first-round game. The 6-foot-6, 348-pound junior is a one-man wrecking machine against the Mustangs.
Second round
(1) Oregon 31, (9) Kentucky 16: The Ducks post their second straight convincing victory in the tournament, this one coming after a slow start that leads to a fiery halftime lambasting by Lanning. It’s all Oregon in the second half with Tez Johnson twice getting open for deep touchdown receptions.
(2) Penn State 28, (7) Kansas 17: Daniels and Kansas manage to keep it close in the first half and have a chance to take the lead early in the third quarter, but a short field goal is blocked. The second half belongs to the Penn State running game, namely Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, as the Nittany Lions play keep-away and mash their way to two long scoring drives.
(3) Florida State 33, (6) Oklahoma State 23: Jared Verse was a difference-maker at defensive end a year ago for the ACC champion Seminoles. Now that he has gone to the NFL, Florida State will need others to step up. The good news is there’s depth at defensive end, and that depth shows up as five players record sacks against Oklahoma State.
(4) Tennessee 37, (12) UCF 27: Josh Heupel faces his old team, a UCF club that’s playing with a lot of confidence after upsetting Kansas State in the first round. Iamaleava plays mistake-free football for the Vols and doesn’t have to shoulder too much of the burden, as Dylan Sampson and Cameron Seldon each rush for 100 yards.
Regional semifinals
(1) Oregon vs. (4) Tennessee
(2) Penn State vs. (3) Florida State
East Regional
First round
(1) Texas 42, (16) Fresno State 14: The Longhorns fell one game short of playing for the national championship in 2023. In their first season in the SEC, they don’t take their foot off the gas and breeze through their first-round game. Several transfers make big plays, including former Alabama receiver Isaiah Bond catching two touchdowns (but none on fourth-and-31).
(2) Alabama 30, (15) Illinois 13: The postseason debut for Kalen DeBoer at Alabama is a successful one as the Crimson Tide’s defense steals the show. They hold Illinois to one touchdown and score one of their own when linebacker Deontae Lawson returns a tipped pass 42 yards for a touchdown.
(3) Ole Miss 38, (14) North Carolina 21: Lane Kiffin has his best roster yet at Ole Miss, especially on defense, and the Rebels use a balanced attack on offense and some game-changing plays on defense to put this first-round game away midway through the third quarter. Afterward, the focus shifts to whether Hall of Famer Mack Brown plans to retire as UNC’s coach.
(4) Arizona 35, (13) UCLA 24: Jedd Fisch left a talented roster at Arizona to take the Washington head-coaching job, and Brent Brennan was more than happy to come in and coach the players Fisch left behind. The Wildcats’ first-round win over their former Pac-12 mates is especially sweet for the Big 12, which gets a postseason win over the new-look Big Ten.
(5) Clemson 27, (12) Colorado 24: It’s Dabo vs. Prime, and the game more than lives up to its billing. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is brilliant for the Buffaloes with 380 passing yards. They’re able to move the ball, but the Tigers’ red zone defense is the difference. Twice in the fourth quarter, All-America linebacker Barrett Carter comes up with third-down stops to thwart Colorado drives.
(11) West Virginia 24, (6) Wisconsin 20: Neal Brown took a small pay cut before the season so West Virginia could invest more in his coaching staff. That kind of selfless approach permeated the Mountaineers’ team, and they once again exceed outside expectations to move into the second round after holding the Badgers to 130 total yards in the second half.
(10) Nebraska 23, (7) NC State 21: It was a disappointing finish for Matt Rhule and Nebraska in his first season in Lincoln. The Huskers lost their last four games, but Rhule has been able to overhaul the roster. No addition was more important than getting quarterback Dylan Raiola to flip from Georgia. Even though he’s a freshman, Raiola plays like a veteran in a comeback win over the Wolfpack.
(8) Iowa State 31, (9) Washington 24: Don’t forget about Iowa State’s Rocco Becht when you start reeling off the top young quarterbacks in college football. Becht follows up a terrific redshirt freshman season with an even better sophomore campaign and throws touchdown passes to three receivers to move the Cyclones into the second round.
Second round
(1) Texas 24, (8) Iowa State 21: This was once a battle of Big 12 schools, and make no mistake, this game is the epitome of a battle. The Cyclones don’t back down against the heavily favored Longhorns and keep making clutch third-down stops on defense. But Texas’ defense makes the most important stand of the game when Becht’s fourth-down pass from the Longhorns’ 43 sails incomplete in the final seconds.
(2) Alabama 40, (10) Nebraska 21: Jalen Milroe does a little bit of everything for Alabama in its second-round win, even catching a touchdown on a throwback pass. The Crimson Tide’s offensive line sets the tone early, giving Milroe time to throw and clearing the way for Justice Haynes to rush for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
(3) Ole Miss 31, (11) West Virginia 20: The Portal King, aka Lane Kiffin, continues to have success plugging in new players and having them be a fit. One of the more highly coveted transfers in the 2024 class, defensive lineman Walter Nolen, keeps West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene bottled up the whole game, and the Rebels surge into the Sweet 16.
(4) Arizona 28, (5) Clemson 26: The Noah Fifita-to-Tetairoa McMillan connection gives opposing defenses fits all season. Clemson’s defense is no exception. Fifita’s third touchdown pass of the game, all to McMillan, puts the Wildcats in the lead for good early in the fourth quarter. It’s Arizona’s sixth straight win and Brennan’s biggest yet in his first year as the Wildcats’ coach.
Regional semifinals
(1) Texas vs. (4) Arizona
(2) Alabama vs. (3) Ole Miss
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Sports
Sources: Dodgers’ Betts out due to fractured toe
Published
2 hours agoon
May 31, 2025By
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Alden GonzalezMay 30, 2025, 08:17 PM ET
Close- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts stubbed a toe in his left foot during an off-the-field incident and missed the opener of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ highly anticipated series against the New York Yankees on Friday.
Betts is not expected to go on the injured list, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, but he will not start against the Yankees on Saturday or Sunday. Roberts said the hope is that Betts will return to the lineup shortly thereafter.
“For me, right now, it’s just day-to-day,” Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 8-5, come-from-behind win.
The incident, which affected the tip of Betts’ second toe, was believed to have occurred late Wednesday night, after the Dodgers returned from a six-game road trip, when Betts banged his toe against a piece of furniture at his house. Betts called Roberts to inform him about his toe on Friday morning, then underwent X-rays at Dodger Stadium later that afternoon.
Those X-rays revealed a fracture, a source told ESPN, confirming what Betts told the Los Angeles Times after Friday’s game. The Dodgers’ training staff will spend the weekend attempting to get the swelling down on his toe. At this point, the Dodgers don’t believe he can make the injury any worse by playing on it.
Said Roberts: “It’s going to be one of those situations per his [pain] tolerance.”
Betts’ injury isn’t the Dodgers’ most serious at the moment. Late-inning reliever Evan Phillips, who was rehabbing a forearm injury, didn’t feel right playing catch earlier this week and will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, knocking him out for all of 2025 and most of 2026.
Phillips, 30, was released by the Baltimore Orioles in August 2021 and designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays less than two weeks later. The Dodgers picked him up and turned him into a valuable late-game option. From 2022 to 2024, Phillips posted a 2.21 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, saved 44 games and struck out 206 batters in 179 regular-season innings.
But Phillips dealt with arm issues during last year’s postseason run and was left off the team’s World Series roster. He then went on the IL because of a rotator cuff strain in the middle of March, returned a month later, notched seven scoreless appearances, then went back on the IL on May 7 because of what the team called forearm discomfort. Platelet-rich-plasma injections did not take. Phillips never got better.
“As we started getting into it, it wasn’t really responding,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “We felt like this could be a possibility, so as he got deeper into the process and it wasn’t really getting better, the decision to do it was pretty much evident with our information.” The loss of Phillips is coupled with the Dodgers having four other high-leverage relievers on the IL — Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech, all of whom are right-handed.
The Dodgers tried to backfill some of that depth by trading for former All-Star closer Alexis Diaz on Thursday. But Diaz, who struggled so badly this season that the Cincinnati Reds optioned him to Triple-A, will initially work out of the Dodgers’ spring training complex in Glendale, Arizona.
The Dodgers also have three starting pitchers — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki — recovering from shoulder injuries, with Shohei Ohtani not expected to join the rotation until sometime after the All-Star break.
The lineup, at least, had been healthy. Until now.
Betts, 32, got off to a slow start but was still slashing .254/.338/.405 with eight home runs and five stolen bases while slotting between the hot-hitting Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in the No. 2 spot. More notably, Betts had proved to be a capable major league shortstop after working during the offseason at the position.
The hope is that the toe injury doesn’t set him back much longer than the rest of this weekend.
In the meantime, Miguel Rojas will continue to get starts at shortstop.
“It’s a good part about having depth,” Gomes said. “Keep the train moving.”
Sports
Trout returns in new spot, has hit in Angels’ win
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2 hours agoon
May 31, 2025By
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Associated Press
May 30, 2025, 11:58 PM ET
CLEVELAND — Mike Trout originally expected to return to the Los Angeles Angels‘ lineup Monday in Boston.
But the timeline was moved up one series and three days.
Trout was activated off the injured list and went 1-for-5 as the designated hitter in Friday night’s 4-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians. The Angels slugger missed 26 games because of soreness in his left knee that was eventually diagnosed as a bone bruise. The three-time American League MVP had two operations last year on the knee after tearing his meniscus.
“Felt good. Struck out on two at-bats, but other than that, felt all right,” said Trout, who batted fifth for the first time in 1,532 starts.
Trout lined a base hit to left-center in the fourth inning. He thought he had a hit in his first at-bat in the second inning, but Cleveland third baseman José Ramírez made a nice grab on a low line drive.
“I thought he had some good at-bats, considering that he hadn’t seen live pitching in a while,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He hit the ball hard three times today. They made some good pitches when he struck out. But welcome back, Mike.”
Trout’s return also helped the Angels snap a five-game losing streak and improve to 28-30.
It was the first time since Sept. 26, 2011, Trout’s rookie season, that he started a game hitting lower than third.
Washington is happy to have Trout back, especially because he noted Trout wasn’t aggressive in rushing in his return. Washington also knows that Trout isn’t ready to return to his normal spot batting second or third.
“He hasn’t seen anything. So when you look at what we have, that’s where he sits,” Washington said before the game. “It doesn’t make sense for him to protect [Logan] O’Hoppe. So, I’ll put Mike behind him to protect O’Hoppe. He’s not ready to be at the top of the lineup, especially with those guys up there. As we go along the next couple of days, he’s not going to remain fifth.”
The 33-year-old Trout is hitting .180 with 9 home runs, 18 RBIs and a .712 OPS in 30 games. He will be the designated hitter for the weekend series against the Guardians before possibly returning to right field when the Halos head to Boston on Monday for a three-game series.
Even though Trout has shied away from wanting to be the designated hitter, he has done well in that spot. In eight games this season, he is 9-for-33 (.273) with 6 home runs and 9 RBIs.
Trout said whether he plays more games than originally planned at DH the remainder of the season is something that remains to be seen.
“Bone bruises are tricky. I know I am going to be sore, but I can deal with it,” he said. “I definitely have to be cautious, especially the first couple games.”
Trout has missed 404 of the Angels’ 665 games — almost 60% — since May 17, 2021, when he tore his calf muscle against Cleveland and was sidelined for the rest of that season. This is the fifth straight year he has had a stint of at least 25 games on the IL.
He missed five weeks of the 2022 season because of a back injury, and all but one game after July 3, 2023, after he broke a bone in his hand on a foul ball. Trout played in 29 games last season before the meniscus injury.
“There’s so many games that any sense of newness or something to make you excited is something that you’d latch on to. So, today is definitely a moment like that,” O’Hoppe said about Trout’s return. “He’s the heart of this organization. So, we’re happy to have our heart beating again for sure.”
Sports
L.A.’s Betts day-to-day after stubbing toe in mishap
Published
8 hours agoon
May 31, 2025By
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Alden GonzalezMay 30, 2025, 08:17 PM ET
Close- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts stubbed a toe on his left foot during an off-the-field incident and was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ lineup Friday night for the opener of a highly anticipated weekend series against the New York Yankees.
Betts was scheduled to undergo X-rays at Dodger Stadium before first pitch. Until then, the team will hope for the best.
“It’s day-to-day right now,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So, that’s where we’re at.”
The incident — affecting Betts’ second toe — was believed to occur late Wednesday night, after the Dodgers returned from a six-game road trip through New York and Cleveland. Roberts didn’t find out until Betts called him Friday morning. He was vague on the details.
“I really don’t know,” Roberts said when asked how the injury occurred. “I think it was at home. It’s probably a dresser, nightstand, something like that. It’s just kind of an accident. I think that Mookie will be able to give more context, but that’s kind of from the training staff what I heard. So hopefully, it’s benign, it’s negative. Not sure, but I feel confident saying it’s day-to-day … but putting on a shoe today was difficult for him.”
Betts’ injury isn’t the Dodgers’ most serious at the moment. Late-inning reliever Evan Phillips, who was rehabbing a forearm injury, didn’t feel right playing catch earlier this week and will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, knocking him out for all of 2025 and most of 2026.
Phillips, 30, was released by the Baltimore Orioles in August 2021 and designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays less than two weeks later. The Dodgers picked him up and turned him into a valuable late-game option. From 2022 to 2024, Phillips posted a 2.21 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, saved 44 games and struck out 206 batters in 179 regular-season innings.
But Phillips dealt with arm issues during last year’s postseason run and was left off the team’s World Series roster. He then went on the IL because of a rotator cuff strain in the middle of March, returned a month later, notched seven scoreless appearances, then went back on the IL on May 7 because of what the team called forearm discomfort. Platelet-rich-plasma injections did not take. Phillips never got better.
“As we started getting into it, it wasn’t really responding,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “We felt like this could be a possibility, so as he got deeper into the process and it wasn’t really getting better, the decision to do it was pretty much evident with our information.”
The loss of Phillips is coupled with the Dodgers having four other high-leverage relievers on the IL — Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech, all of whom are right-handed.
The Dodgers tried to backfill some of that depth by trading for former All-Star closer Alexis Diaz on Thursday. But Diaz, who struggled so badly this season that the Cincinnati Reds optioned him to Triple-A, will initially work out of the Dodgers’ spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz.
The Dodgers also have three starting pitchers — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki — recovering from shoulder injuries, with Shohei Ohtani not expected to join the rotation until sometime after the All-Star break.
The lineup, at least, had been healthy. Until now.
Betts, 32, got off to a slow start but was still slashing .254/.338/.405 with 8 home runs and 5 stolen bases while slotting between the hot-hitting Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in the No. 2 spot. More notably, Betts had proven to be a capable major league shortstop after working during the offseason at the position.
But the toe injury could set him back, in much the same way a broken left hand robbed him of nearly two months in 2024.
At this point, Roberts said, “I don’t see it being long term.” But the Dodgers can’t say that definitively yet.
“We need to see the doctors and kind of get a better sense of it,” Gomes said. “It happened pretty recently, so it’ll take some time before we have a better understanding.”
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