Rockies' Robert Stephenson: Rejoins team

General manager Matt Arnold said Wednesday that Ashby will be behind the Brewers' other starting pitchers in camp while he contends with left shoulder fatigue, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. The Brewers are going to take things easy with Ashby to start spring training, an approach that makes sense given...

Benson was traded from the Guardians to the Reds on Wednesday. It was a swap of outfielders, with Justin Boyd heading to the Guardians in return. Cleveland will also get a player to be named later or cash considerations. Benson, the 14th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, went just 10-for-55 (.182) over his first 28 major-league games during the 2022 regular season. But he possesses decent power and speed and has put up a shiny .873 OPS in 116 career games at the Triple-A level. The 24-year-old should have a clearer path to a regular role in Cincinnati, and his skillset figures to play well at Great American Ball Park.

Lopez was designated for assignment by the Reds on Wednesday. This move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Will Benson, who was just acquired via trade from the Guardians. Lopez has shown a good amount of defensive versatility, but the 26-year-old owns a career .262/.307/.321 batting line with only one home run in 179 total major-league plate appearances.

Astros general manager Dana Brown announced Wednesday that Valdez won't pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. Valdez and the Astros agreed to have the southpaw sit out the WBC after he pitched a career-high 201.1 innings in 2022, nearly...

Purdy is slated to meet with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Feb. 21 before undergoing surgery to repair the complete tear of the UCL is his right throwing elbow on Feb. 22, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Purdy suffered the injury during the 49ers' loss in the NFC...

Teammates and coaches are mourning the loss of a former collegiate tennis star who died suddenly at the age of 31 over the weekend. Former University of Georgia standout Lilly Kimbell reportedly died on Sunday, according to her family. Kimbell's family says that she had been experiencing kidney issues that led to a heart attack. CPR was performed at her home and she was transported to the hospital, but her family tragically were forced to make the decision to take her off of life support.

"That's foreign to me," new Broncos coach Sean Payton said of former Seahawks QB Russell Wilson's entourage having access to the team's facility. "That's not going to take place here.''

The world of college basketball is mourning the loss of one of its own this week after it was reported that a member of the 1989 national title-winning Michigan Wolverines basketball team has died at the age of 53.

Jalen Hurts will try to become the eighth starting quarterback to win the championship within his first three seasons when he guides the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57 on Sunday. Hurts, who made his debut in 2020 after being selected in the second round of that year's NFL Draft, will attempt to be the first No. 1 signal-caller to accomplish the feat since Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to the crown in his third year in 2019. Philadelphia (16-3) is seeking its second Super Bowl title, while Kansas City (16-3) is in search of its third.

A new bracket is up, and again there is a change on the top line. Texas jumped both Kansas and Arizona to take over the third overall seed on the strength of a win at Kansas State on Saturday. The Longhorns are at Kansas on Monday night, so more change could be in the offing.

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana -- the player who was universally accepted as the NFL's greatest of all time after winning four Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVPs and two NFL MVPs with the San Francisco 49ers -- has a hard-line stance about who the next long-term 49ers starting quarterback should be. He has voiced his opinion about the position before, saying Jimmy Garoppolo should be the guy over the more mobile Trey Lance, the quarterback San Francisco spent four draft picks -- three first-round picks and a third-round pick -- to select third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Everyone who travels to Las Vegas dreams of hitting it big, but Ronnie Rivers doesn't have to dream about that anymore because the Rams rookie actually DID hit it big over the weekend. The running back was playing three-card poker when he came up with a royal flush (For you...

The Cardinals designated Naile for assignment Wednesday. Naile loses his roster spot to make room for newly acquired Anthony Misiewicz, whom the Cardinals traded for Wednesday. With a 5.00 ERA across nine innings in his debut season in 2022, Naile could earn a call-up at some point during the 2023 campaign.

Brantley (shoulder) said last week that he's hopeful of being ready for Opening Day, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Brantley required surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder last August, and even a minor setback could cause a delay in his availability for the early part of the Astros' regular-season schedule. He's trending in a positive direction at the moment, but this is something to monitor throughout spring training. The veteran outfielder re-upped with Houston in December on a one-year, $12 million contract.

Hildenberger was re-signed by the Giants on Monday to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports. Hildenberger was limited to just six appearances in the minors last year with four of those coming with Triple-A Sacramento. The right-handed hurler has not pitched in the majors since 2021, when he made two appearances with the Mets. He provides some relief depth for the minors and isn't likely to be a factor for the Giants again in 2023.

There are sleepers, and there are breakouts. So what's the difference?. Sleepers might be slipping through the cracks a little more, going later in drafts on average. Their defining characteristic is that they're underappreciated. Breakouts are more widely known but still harboring untapped upside. They may also be underappreciated, but their defining characteristic is that they're about to be better than they've ever been before.

Beasley will not play in Wednesday's game against the Timberwolves and is set to join the Lakers after being part of a three-team trade, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. One of the top high-volume three-point shooters in the NBA this season, Beasley will be joined by Jarred Vanderbilt and D'Angelo Russell in Los Angeles, while the deal also sends Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to the Timberwolves. The trio will be absent for Utah on Wednesday which will allow ample opportunities for Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker and Ochai Agbaji. Once he's up to speed with the Lakers, Beasley will likely vie for a backup role on the wing, but he could also push to start. The Lakers' next game is on Thursday, but it would be surprising if Beasley would be able to go.

Russell Westbrook has played his last game as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. After months of speculation, the veteran point guard is in the process of being dealt to the Utah Jazz as part of a bigger deal that will net the Lakers D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. Of course, just because Westbrook is heading to Salt Lake City that doesn't mean he'll be staying there. According to Yahoo's Chris Haynes, he will likely receive a buyout, and that will allow him to sign with a new team as a free agent.

Jackson signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on Wednesday. Jefferson joined Dallas last offseason and failed to appear in a game during the 2022 campaign, but he'll have another shot to secure an active roster spot in 2023. The 26-year-old has operated mostly as a special-teams option over his five-year professional career.

Booker will miss Thursday's game versus the Hawks to manage a left groin injury, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports. Booker returned to action Tuesday after more than a month on the sidelines and displayed some rust, knocking down only six of his 15 shot attempts and going just 2-of-8 from beyond the arc. He'll take a night off to rest up in the first game of a back-to-back set Thursday but seems likely to retake the floor Friday at Indiana.