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MIAMI — Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara took the mound on Tuesday for his first live batting practice since the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner had Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his elbow last October.

Alcantara threw about 20 pitches at 97 to 99 mph as he targets a return at the start of next season.

“I’ve been getting tired of just throwing bullpen,” Alcantara said before the Marlins faced the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night. “I think today was a big step for me to be out there. One inning. 20 pitches. Live BP. Everything feels good.”

The Marlins ace said the focus was to see how he felt throwing his fastball, adding that it “felt good.”

A handful of Alcantara’s teammates gathered in the dugout to watch him throw. Manager Skip Schumaker praised his progress, saying that Alcantara looked like he was in “opening day form.”

“It was really impressive. All the hard work that he’s put into this thing, the training staff, the pitching coaches. It was a really big day,” Schumaker said.

The 29-year-old Alcantara has not pitched in the majors since he experienced discomfort during a start against Washington on Sept. 3, 2023. After a stint on the injured list, Alcantara made a minor league rehab start that was cut short when he again felt discomfort. He had surgery in October.

“It’s been hard for me being out, sitting, watching,” Alcantara said. “A guy like me, who always likes to compete, it’s hard for me. At the same time, it feels good because I’ve been traveling with the team and supporting them, and we’ve had fun together.”

Alcantara finished 14-9 in 2022 with a career-best 2.28 ERA and threw a major league-best six complete games to become the Marlins’ first Cy Young Award winner.

He said he doesn’t know when he’ll have another live batting practice but is focused on being ready for opening day on March 27 against Pittsburgh.

“I’ve just got to be working, get ready for spring, and compete for a spot,” Alcantara said. “It’s been a long time since I touched the mound. Today was the first day. We’re going to have time for opening day.”

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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