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The Detroit Tigers just had Jack Flaherty land on the injured list with a leg injury, and they will now get Justin Verlander back in the rotation to face the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. 

Verlander will be up against one of the hottest teams in the AL as well as one of the youngest in MLB with an average age of 25.8. 

The 43-year-old three-time Cy Young winner has been recovering from left hip inflammation. He only made one start on March 30 this season and has been sidelined from action ever since. 

What to expect from Justin Verlander returning to the rotation

Verlander built up his stamina in Triple-A Toledo, pitching a solid four-tinning simulated game on Monday to demonstrate his readiness to return. Manager A.J. Hinch talked about his veteran starter returning to the mound. 

“This is the next step. He’s worked hard to get back to this point. We’ve pushed him. We’ve pushed the volume; we’ve pushed the intensity. And that adrenaline that he talks about and the energy that comes with that start will be good for him,” Hinch said, via MLB.com’s Steve Schaeffer. “And I think it’ll be good for us.”

Verlander hasn’t pitched for the Tigers at Comerica Park since Aug. 20, 2017, but he’ll make his return on Father’s Day.

In his first rehab start, he tossed 64 pitches in five scoreless innings. His second rehab start wasn’t as sharp, as he gave up five hits, four home runs, two walks and threw 86 pitches in 5.2 innings. His fastball averaged at 92.9 mph and topped at 95.5 mph. His fastball also accounted for four of his six swinging strikes, and his average exit velocity hit 92 mph. 

Patience will be required as he attempts to adjust to MLB action. The Tigers have had several starters return to the rotation and are looking to implement a possible six-man rotation in order to allow for more rest between starts to keep their starters’ arms sharp. As well, Verlander will provide leadership to younger arms in the rotation such as Troy Melton or Keider Montero. 

A Tuesday report said that Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens “is not pleased about the team’s handling of his contract” and only reported to mandatory minicamp this week “to avoid financial penalties.” 

That, along with the fact that Pickens won’t take part in team drills during mandatory minicamp, could lead one to believe he may cause problems for the Cowboys later this summer. It appears that won’t be the case. 

Could George Pickens hold out after signing franchise tag?

As Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams and Jon Machota of The Athletic shared, Pickens confirmed on Tuesday that he won’t hold out. 

“It’s football first, you see what I mean? So definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year, and then worry about, well, let my agent worry about [contract] talk[s],” Pickens said about his mindset. 

While Pickens signed the franchise tag worth roughly $27.3M for the 2026 season earlier this spring, he stayed away from the Cowboys throughout the voluntary portion of the offseason program after it was revealed that he would not be receiving a multiyear contract extension from the club before the July 15 deadline for teams to sign tagged players to such deals arrived. 

On Tuesday, Pickens said that agent David Mulugheta advised him not to participate in voluntary workouts. However, Pickens also said he will report for training-camp practices in late July. 

George Pickens says this is what’s important to him amid questions about his contract

“What’s important to me is winning,” Pickens added. “Like I said from the beginning, I always wanna bring a Super Bowl to a group of guys that never had that feeling. That’s really the most important part to me.” 

Pickens’ latest comments suggest that he plans to play on the franchise tag through the upcoming season before he and the Cowboys evaluate their options. On Tuesday morning, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US noted that “there is concern within Pickens’ camp that he could be franchise-tagged again in 2027.” 

That concern apparently won’t prevent Pickens from playing for the Cowboys when they open the 2026 regular season with a “Sunday Night Football” matchup at the rival New York Giants on Sept. 13. 

After guiding the team to its third Stanley Cup Final, the Vegas Golden Knights are moving on from their head coach. 

According to a team announcement, the Golden Knights will not retain John Tortorella as head coach, and will be looking for their third of the calendar year.

Vegas couldn’t have asked for much more from the 67-year-old coach. After taking over for Bruce Cassidy with eight games remaining in the regular season, the Golden Knights won nearly all of them, closing out the regular season with a 7-0-1 record, capturing the Pacific Division crown.

Despite the better performance, the Golden Knights didn’t enter the playoffs as a true threat for the Stanley Cup. Many analysts predicted that Vegas would fall short against a stronger Central Division opponent, with some theorizing that they might be dispatched by the Utah Mammoth as early as Round 1.

Obviously, that’s not how things shook out. Under Tortorella’s stewardship, the Golden Knights took out the Mammoth (with two overtime games) and the Anaheim Ducks relatively easily. However, their easiest series of the postseason shockingly came in the Western Conference Final, when the Golden Knights knocked off the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in a four-game sweep. Unfortunately, after taking a lead in the series after Game 3, their postseason came to an end at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s hard to determine whose decision this was. Before joining the Golden Knights at the end of the season, Tortorella was essentially retired from coaching except for a tenure in the international circuit. Given that his coaching career began back in the 1989-90 season, Tortorella may have just wanted one last run at things before retiring for good.

Additionally, it’s even harder to imagine Tortorella, especially at his age, joining the two available options. Currently, outside of Vegas, the only two teams without a head coach for the 2026-27 campaign are the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs. Given his combativeness with the media throughout his coaching career, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for him to take over behind the bench for a team with a feisty media environment.

Still, the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs showed that Tortorella has some fuel left in the tank. If there is another coaching dismissal this offseason, Tortorella would immediately become a candidate, especially for a team on the fringe of postseason contention.

A Tuesday report said that Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens “is not pleased about the team’s handling of his contract” and only reported to mandatory minicamp this week “to avoid financial penalties.” 

That, along with the fact that Pickens won’t take part in team drills during mandatory minicamp, could lead one to believe he may cause problems for the Cowboys later this summer. It appears that won’t be the case. 

Could George Pickens hold out after signing franchise tag?

As Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams and Jon Machota of The Athletic shared, Pickens confirmed on Tuesday that he won’t hold out. 

“It’s football first, you see what I mean? So definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year, and then worry about, well, let my agent worry about [contract] talk[s],” Pickens said about his mindset. 

While Pickens signed the franchise tag worth roughly $27.3M for the 2026 season earlier this spring, he stayed away from the Cowboys throughout the voluntary portion of the offseason program after it was revealed that he would not be receiving a multiyear contract extension from the club before the July 15 deadline for teams to sign tagged players to such deals arrived. 

On Tuesday, Pickens said that agent David Mulugheta advised him not to participate in voluntary workouts. However, Pickens also said he will report for training-camp practices in late July. 

George Pickens says this is what’s important to him amid questions about his contract

“What’s important to me is winning,” Pickens added. “Like I said from the beginning, I always wanna bring a Super Bowl to a group of guys that never had that feeling. That’s really the most important part to me.” 

Pickens’ latest comments suggest that he plans to play on the franchise tag through the upcoming season before he and the Cowboys evaluate their options. On Tuesday morning, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US noted that “there is concern within Pickens’ camp that he could be franchise-tagged again in 2027.” 

That concern apparently won’t prevent Pickens from playing for the Cowboys when they open the 2026 regular season with a “Sunday Night Football” matchup at the rival New York Giants on Sept. 13. 

MANILA – San Miguel Beer import Bennie Boatwright moved on the brink of becoming a naturalized Filipino after the Senate approved on third and final reading the bill seeking his naturalization during a special session on Wednesday.

Senators unanimously approved House of Representatives Bill 6639, or the measure granting Philippine citizenship to Boatwright, with all 13 lawmakers present voting in the affirmative.

Also approved on final reading was House Bill 6644, which seeks to grant Philippine citizenship to Filipino-American wrestler Matthew James Ramos.

The naturalization bills were among the measures caught in the prolonged Senate leadership impasse, which prevented the chamber from acting on pending legislation before going on a break on June 3.

Senator Francis Pangilinan, who sponsored the naturalization measures, welcomed the development and acknowledged the patience shown by the applicants throughout the process.

“They were here every day and witnessed the proceedings – or the lack of proceedings,” Pangilinan said before the vote.

The measure will now be transmitted to Malacañang for the President’s signature.

A versatile 6-foot-10 forward-center, Boatwright has been identified by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas as a potential addition to the Gilas Pilipinas pool of naturalized players.

He last suited up for San Miguel Beer in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, where he averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.

Once signed into law and after complying with the requirements of naturalization, Boatwright would join Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame among the foreign-born players eligible to represent the Philippines in international basketball competitions.

DALLAS, Texas – Supporters of the Japanese national soccer team have won admiration for their cleanup activity at a recent FIFA World Cup match in the United States, showing the Japanese custom of leaving a place cleaner than they found it.

Supporters filled plastic bags with garbage after a Group F game between Japan and the Netherlands on Sunday near Dallas, Texas, which ended in a 2-2 draw. The 2026 World Cup is being hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

FIFA praised their civic-minded behavior, pointing out that supporters of the Japanese team, nicknamed Samurai Blue, always clean up after themselves.

Trash-picking efforts by Japanese supporters have become a hallmark of their presence at FIFA tournaments. The same behavior was evident at the 2018 World Cup in Russia as well, even after Japan lost.

When the practice was reported during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said: “For Japanese people, it’s just a matter of course. You have to leave a place cleaner than when you arrived.”

This time, an unexpected supporter joined the cleanup activity. Jameis Winston, a quarterback for the New York Giants of the U.S. National Football League, was seen lending a hand while wearing the blue uniform of the Japanese team.

Videos showing him joining the cleanup went viral, further highlighting the significance of the Japanese supporters’ conduct. Winston is attending the World Cup as a commentator for Fox Sports.

Jalen Brunson’s status as one of the greatest small guards in NBA history crystallized. A New York Knicks franchise starved of eternal glory exorcised its demons, finally basking in the cathartic elation that accompanies a league championship.

The Knicks wrote the final chapter of a storybook season that included a 13-game playoff win streak, part of which came at the expense of San Antonio Spurs wunderkind Victor Wembanyama. The otherworldly Frenchman’s talent was on display during an NBA Finals that, despite lasting only five games, proved cinematic.

The series finished as the most-watched NBA Finals since Michael Jordan capped his “Last Dance” with the Chicago Bulls in 1998, according to ESPN PR.

This year’s Finals averaged 20.6 million viewers, a 100% increase in viewership from last year’s championship series, which saw the Oklahoma City Thunder outlast the Indiana Pacers in seven games, per ESPN. For reference, as reported by Sports Media Watch, Jordan’s Bulls defeating the Utah Jazz in six games in ’98 drew an average of a whopping 29.04 million viewers. That year, of course, Jordan collected his sixth ring, cementing his case as the NBA’s GOAT.

While this iteration of Knicks-Spurs is firmly behind that fabled Bulls series, at least in terms of ratings, it did surpass the 2017 NBA Finals in that category. A series that featured a rematch of LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers against a dynastic Golden State Warriors squad averaged 20.41 million viewers, per Sports Media Watch, the year after the Cavs completed their unprecedented 3-1 comeback.

The 2026 NBA Finals set an ABC and ESPN audience record, according to ESPN, which cited Nielsen. It’s important to note that Nielsen shifted to a new methodology last fall that couples its traditional panel with “Big Data” from smart TVs and set-top boxes. Plus, Nielsen didn’t begin factoring in out-of-home viewing in its estimates until 2020 and started doing so in 100% of markets only a year ago, according to Sports Media Watch.

Nevertheless, the numbers this year’s Finals did are still undoubtedly monumental.

Game 3 stood out. It’s the only contest the Spurs won in the series. They stole the game on the road at Madison Square Garden. The esteemed arena was hosting its first Finals game since 1999. Donald Trump was in the house, making him the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game. The showdown pulled in an average of 23.8 million viewers, the largest NBA Finals Game 3 audience since 1998, according to ESPN.

This year’s version of Knicks-Spurs also secured the largest NBA Finals Game 5 audience since 1998, per ESPN. In New York’s closeout game at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center, Brunson — like Jordan in Game 6 of the ’98 Finals — erupted for 45 points. While earning NBA Finals MVP honors, he lifted the Knicks to their first NBA title since 1973. His performance headlined an outing that averaged 24.5 million viewers, peaked with 33 million viewers and put a bow on one of the more spectacular playoff runs in both league and sports history.

SANTA CLARA, California, June 17 : Austria coach Ralf Rangnick saluted the quality of the World Cup’s debutants after his team rode their luck in a 3-1 win over Jordan on Tuesday.

Austria were at times exposed by a bold Jordan side playing their first World Cup game and, despite going into the contest as favourites, only wrapped up victory with substitute Marko Arnautovic’s penalty in the 12th minute of second-half stoppage time.

Expectations for Austria had been raised by an impressive performance at Euro 2024 but they may be tempered by Tuesday’s display, especially ahead of a game against Group J leaders Argentina, who beat Algeria 3-0.

Rangnick, however, credited Jordan for keeping his side in check.

“I think it’s due to the opponent,” the coach said when asked why Austria struggled.

“Jordan did a fantastic job throughout the match. We expected a difficult opponent, we knew that they were going to be anything but easy, but today they displayed a very brave kind of football. They exceeded my expectations.

“I know that some of you thought that we would be the favourite in this match, but we were definitely not.”

Rangnick said he welcomed the fact that the World Cup’s expansion to 48 teams gave more countries a chance to participate, calling it “an enriching experience”.

But he also said the so-called smaller nations were not just making up the numbers, referring to Spain’s shock draw with Cape Verde, Australia’s surprise win over Turkey and Haiti’s gritty performance against Scotland.

“It’s not that easy to win during this tournament – we have 48 teams and there is not going to be one easy opponent,” he said.

“The teams now have really caught up in the last 15 years or so, so there are really no easy teams.”

SANTA CLARA, California, June 16 : Austria celebrated their long-awaited return to the World Cup with a 3-1 win over determined debutants Jordan on Tuesday, with substitute Marko Arnautovic the difference in a gritty, end-to-end Group J match.

On a brisk night in the San Francisco Bay Area, Austria went ahead with a 21st minute thunderbolt from Romano Schmid before Jordan fought back after the break through Ali Olwan’s exquisite strike in off the post.

The introduction of Arnautovic at halftime was decisive for Austria.

The 37-year-old striker had a goal disallowed in the 69th minute, then pressured defender Yazan Al Arab into an own goal seven minutes later before converting a penalty deep into stoppage time.

Austria midfielder Konrad Laimer said they knew coming into the match how tough their opponents would be.

“We knew that this was going to be a difficult match … there were situations where we did a good job, there were phases where we underperformed,” he added.

“What’s important is the mentality of the entire team – we never gave up, we kept going until the end and finally we came out on top.”

28-YEAR WORLD CUP ABSENCE

Jordan defended resolutely and were fierce on the break, with the pace of forwards Olwan and Mousa Al-Tamari a constant threat to Austria, who were playing at their first World Cup in 28 years.

The match got off to a frenetic start, with Jordan causing a scare two minutes in with a counter-attack that led to captain Ehsan Haddad blasting low into the side netting.

Austria soon got into their stride, with Marcel Sabitzer the central figure in a succession of attacks, and they broke the deadlock on 21 minutes when Schmid found the top corner from outside the box.

Jordan pressed hard and found the leveller five minutes after halftime when Olwan powered down the left before firing a sumptuous shot in off the far post.

Austria thought they were back in front when Arnautovic prodded home a loose ball from close range, but the goal was ruled out due to a handball by Stefan Posch following a VAR review.

They got the decisive goal when Sabitzer’s corner went in off Al Arab, then put the game beyond Jordan through Arnautovic’s penalty 12 minutes into stoppage time. 

“We didn’t deserve to lose in our first-ever World Cup appearance – a historic participation for us,” Jordan’s Olwan said. 

“We still have two matches ahead, and based on what I saw from our team today, we are capable of qualifying.”

June 17 : Fit-again fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph have returned to the West Indies test squad for the upcoming two-match home series against Sri Lanka, while Joshua Da Silva has been drafted in to replace wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach.

Both Alzarri (back) and Shamar (shoulder) missed the previous tours of India and New Zealand but made their competitive return during the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.

Following Imlach’s recent struggles with the bat against New Zealand and India, selectors have recalled Da Silva as reward for the 27-year-old’s rich vein of form in domestic cricket.

“Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead,” head coach Daren Sammy said in a statement.

“For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”

Top-order batter Amir Jangoo, who was dropped after making his test debut in Pakistan in 2025, has also earned a recall to the side.

The two-test series is scheduled to get underway in North Sound on June 25.

West Indies:

Roston Chase (captain), Jomel Warrican, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.