MLB

Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant is not considering retirement despite a back ailment that has placed him on the injured list, marking his ninth IL stint since 2022.

“I want to be on the field. I want to play the game,” Bryant told reporters Sunday at his Coors Field locker, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “I want to talk to doctors, see if there’s anything else we can do. But I’m not gonna give up.”

Bryant has played just 11 games this season and none since April 12. He was placed on the injured list on April 13 due to lumbar degenerative disk disease. Beth Harris of the Associated Press provided more information regarding the issue.

"Degenerative disk disease involves the breakdown and deterioration of the spinal disks, which act as cushions between the vertebrae," Harris wrote.

"It’s a natural part of aging, but can also be accelerated by injury, overuse, and lifestyle choices. While DDD itself isn’t a disease, the resulting disk degeneration can lead to pain, nerve compression, and other symptoms."

Bryant has dealt with numerous injuries since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Rockies in 2022. He's played in just 170 total games since then and never more than 80 in a single season (2023).

Bryant was once one of the game's brightest stars. The four-time All-Star shined brightest in 2016, when he helped lead the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series victory in 108 years. Bryant won the National League MVP award that season and hit .308 in the playoffs (.923 OPS) with three homers and eight RBI. During the regular season, Bryant scored a National League-leading 121 runs to go along with 39 homers and 102 RBI. He'll forever be a legend in Chicago for his efforts on the North Side.

Bryant's career in town ended as the Cubs broke up the core from that 2016 team earlier this decade. He was eventually traded to the San Francisco Giants in 2021 before signing with the Rockies in 2022.

Bryant has dealt with various ailments since then, but back issues have been at the forefont.

"Back issues have been persistent for Bryant, who served two separate stints on the IL last season with a back strain; Bryant also missed nearly two months with back issues in 2022," Jared Greenspan and Andrés Soto of MLB.com noted.

Unfortunately, the back issues seem fairly serious at this point. Per Saunders, Bryant said he wakes up on some days barely being able to move, calling it "extremely frustrating. When asked about the potential of back surgery, Bryant said "the doctors aren’t there yet" before adding:

“A back surgery is a pretty big surgery,” Bryant noted, per Saunders. “Obviously, I’m not an expert on it. Maybe I should be by now, with all the problems I’ve had. I want to see all my options, too … so that I’m not, like, in constant pain and nauseous, where I can’t eat, which was the situation today. I just woke up not feeling great, so it’s just extremely frustrating.”

Bryant hasn't been able to experience a prolonged stretch away from the IL for years, and the light doesn't seem to be at the end of the tunnel right now. It's ultimately quite cruel for Bryant, a once-great player whose career has been curtailed by injuries but clearly wants to be back out there and performing up to his tremendous capabilities.

Hopefully Bryant finds some answers soon and is able to finally enjoy a string of good health that he sorely deserves.

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo is predicting a breakout for Juan Soto following their 7-4 win over the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday.

"He’s going to be as hot as a firecracker here pretty soon," Nimmo said, per Newsday Sports' Tim Healey.

The right fielder has gotten off to a slow start this season, holding a .256 average and .821 OPS compared to his career .284 average and .949 OPS.

However, in Sunday’s win, Soto went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and three RBI as the Mets improved to 15-7 on the season.

After his breakout performance, Mets fans finally saw a glimpse of the Soto they signed to a 15-year, $765 million deal before the season—and Soto himself is finally able to take a breath.

"I've been working on a lot of things. I've been working on a lot of things, and I think today we found something that clicked on after the first at-bat, so I think it was pretty good," Soto told reporters after the win.

On a tyeing RBI in the bottom of the fifth, Citi Field rose to their field to celebrate the arrival of Soto.

The support did not go unnoticed by manager Carlos Mendoza.

"That’s who we are, that’s who the Mets fans are. We feel it and the other team feels it. I’m sure Juan felt it," Mendoza said after the game, per SNY's Phillip Martinez. "He’s a really good player. We’ve seen it so many times here, especially when they’re struggling."

Shortstop Francisco Lindor added to the hype, reflecting on his own slow start around the same time last year before winding up the NL MVP runner-up.

"The crowd is embracing Soto, and I love that," Lindor said, per Martinez. "He’s going to be with us for a very long time, he’s a fantastic player. I know at any point he’s going to make something happen. Every at-bat, he’s in the moment. You kind of expect it, he’s that good…I’m glad he was able to come through today."

With Soto's newfound confidence after an eyebrow-raising start to his Mets career, the 26-year-old will look to continue playing at the MVP-caliber level he's accustomed to.

Ronald Acuña Jr. had some interesting thoughts on social media on Sunday after Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said he didn't speak to outfielder Jarred Kelenic after he was thrown out at second base, largely because he admired the ball off the bat, assuming it would be a home run.

Snitker responded to Acuña's comments, noting in particular that he didn't realize before seeing the replay of the Kelenic incident that he hadn't been running hard initially:

Acuña had reason to hint at a double standard in his since-deleted post—in 2019, he was pulled from a game for admiring what he thought would be a home run, only for it to stay in the yard and leave him with only a single. He was then thrown out at second base during a steal attempt.

Kelenic, meanwhile, remained in Saturday's game and was in the starting lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Minnesota Twins as well, both wins for Atlanta. He told reporters he apologized to Snitker for the lack of hustle.

Acuña, 27, has yet to play this season as he recovers from a torn ACL. It isn't a great sign that the four-time All-Star, 2018 NL Rookie of the Year and 2023 MVP is publicly calling out his manager, even if he since removed the comment.

The one thing the disappointing Braves cannot afford—the team started 5-13 before sweeping the three-game series against the Twins—is strife between their manager and biggest star.

After splitting the first two matchups of their three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Cincinnati Reds closed things out in a big way in Sunday's finale.

The Reds exploded for a 24-2 victory over the Orioles to improve to 11-11 this season. Star slugger Elly De La Cruz hit a solo home run that kicked off a seven-run third inning.

Fans on social media were impressed by Cincinnati's blowout victory against Baltimore:

In addition to De La Cruz making his presence felt, 10 out of 11 batters registered at least one hit for the Reds, and they got major production from the bottom of the lineup.

Catcher Austin Wynns, who is getting playing time with Tyler Stephenson on the injured list, went 6-for-7 from the No. 9 spot with a three-run home run, six RBI and two runs.

Third baseman Noelvi Marte, who was recalled on Thursday, was just as impressive in the No. 8 spot, going 5-for-7 with a grand slam, seven RBI and three runs.

Wynns and Marte are now the first Reds teammates to have six or more RBI in the same game since 1920.

While Cincinnati's hitters garnered most of the attention for Sunday's offensive explosion, five pitchers combined to keep the Orioles at bay in a bullpen game. Brent Suter and Randy Wynne pitched three innings apiece in the victory, with the latter earning his first career save.

After starting the year with seven losses in their first 10 games, the Reds appear to have found the right formula for success. But they will need to be more consistent if they are to earn their first trip to the playoffs since 2020.

Cincinnati will try to stay hot when it meets the Miami Marlins (9-12) in Game 1 of their three-game series on Monday.

Max Fried's bid for a no-hitter ended on Sunday... due to the official scorer.

Fried was carrying a no-hitter into the bottom of the eighth inning when the official scorer changed a Paul Goldschmidt error in the sixth inning to a hit, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.

It was a bit of a moot point, ultimately—Fried gave up a single to the first hitter he faced in the eighth.

The Yankees' broadcast on the YES Network certainly wasn't thrilled with the ruling, even if it appeared that Chandler Simpson was clearly going to beat Fried to the bag regardless of Goldschmidt's failure to field the ball.

The Yankees went on to win the game 4-0 behind Fried's excellent performance, as he gave up just two hits and two walks in 7.2 innings, striking out two.

All four Yankees' runs came on homers, as Cody Bellinger hit a two-run shot in the sixth, Trent Grisham went yard in the sixth as well and Austin Wells hit a dinger in the ninth.

The 31-year-old Fried has gotten off to an excellent start this season, going 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in five starts and 31-2 innings. Thus far, the Yankees have to be feeling very good about the eight-year, $218 million deal they signed him to this offseason.

Led by Fried and Aaron Judge (seven homers, 25 RBI, 1.202 OPS), the Yankees have started 14-8 and sit atop the AL East by two games. The rest of the starting rotation has struggled at times, hampered by injuries to Garrett Cole, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, but Fried has been as advertised.

Things went fairly well for the New York Yankees and manager Aaron Boone for the majority of Sunday's 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Until the top of the eighth inning.

Boone was not happy with a called strike three on slugger Aaron Judge and let the umpire know about it, which cost him the rest of his afternoon. Boone was ejected, and there may have been some carry-over frustration as Judge just missed a home run when a ball hit down the line was called foul:

Judge's long ball appeared to be fair on the video replay, which would have extended the visitors' lead to 4-0.

"The audacity of the call standing is remarkable," Boone told reporters. "It's a home run."

The umpire may have missed the call down the line because the Rays are playing their home games this season in George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, after Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field. There are fewer seats in the outfield, which may have thrown off the eyelines when making the call.

Fortunately for the Yankees, they had a 3-0 lead in the eighth inning when Boone was ejected.

Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger each launched solo home runs, while starting pitcher Max Fried pitched 7.2 shutout innings. Fried allowed just two hits and struck out two after taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

It was exactly the type of performance the Yankees were looking for from their starting pitcher after they lost Saturday's game 10-8 in extra innings. That loss snapped a five-game winning streak, so Sunday was an opportunity to start a new streak.

As for Judge, he hasn't hit a home run since Wednesday's win over the Kansas City Royals. The long ball would have snapped a bit of a drought by his incredible standards, although he still has seven homers on the season.

At least he knows his manager had his back Sunday.