There have been no seismic shifts from TSN’s 2025 NHL Draft mid-season ranking from mid-January to our Draft Lottery Edition Top 16 rankings from this week TSN’s survey of 10 NHL club team scouts does provide some interesting talking points leading into the NHL Draft Lottery which will be held on Monday night in Secaucus - Erie Otter dynamic defenceman Matthew Schaefer whose season ended with a broken collarbone at the World Junior Championship in December although it’s not quite unanimous this time One of the 10 scouts surveyed by TSN this week has Saginaw Spirit centre Michael Misa at No That single scout went with Misa ahead of Schaefer largely on the basis of positional preference he said there’s little to choose between the potential No 1 NHL defenceman but that he would give the nod to a forward 1 Schaefer and the only two prospects other than Schaefer to get No 2 votes for Misa and one for Swedish forward Anton Frondell — appears to range from “marginal” to “moderate” although a couple of the 10 still saw Schaefer as having a “substantial” lead over the rest of the class - This year’s Draft Lottery Edition top five features the same handful of prospects as in mid-January but the order has changed slightly 2; Brampton Steelhead winger Porter Martone goes from No Scouts seem to be more or less evenly split on the reasoning Some say his play has tailed off; others say he was simply leapfrogged by Misa Martone and Frondell; a few suggest it was a combination of both factors The same five names as mid-January are right back in that same range Moncton Wildcat centre Caleb Desnoyers remains at No 6; Brantford Bulldog centre Jake O’Brien jumps from No 7; Brandon Wheat King centre Roger McQueen slips one spot 9; and Tri-City American defenceman Jackson Smith holds firm at No - McQueen may be the most scrutinized prospect in the Top 10 He missed a large portion of this season with what was believed to be a back injury and then an unspecified lower-body injury but he did return to play regular season (17 total - eight before the injury nine after) and playoff games (three) in March none of our scouts surveyed said they would be comfortable taking McQueen where they currently rated him — eight of the 10 had him between Nos 3 and 10 with two more saying they’ve already red flagged him due the spectre of injury The majority of those eight scouts who see the towering centre as a bona fide top 10 prospect said the final decision would ultimately rest with their team’s doctor - There was also precious little change from Nos but one prospect — Erie Otter winger Malcolm Spence Spence did not get a single vote in the Top 16 and the consensus of our scouts is that he’s slipped to be more of a bottom half of the first round consideration - The only fresh face in the Draft Lottery Edition Top 16 is Barrie Colt defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson - Seattle Thunderbird defenceman Radim Mrtka went from No 12 to 11; Soo Greyhound centre Brady Martin from No 13 to 12; Everett Silvertip winger Carter Bear whose season was ended by an Achilles tendon injury from 15 to 13; Wisconsin Badger freshman defenceman Logan Hensler fell from No 11 to 15 and Moose Jaw Warrior winger Lynden Lakovic dropped two slots - Scouts don’t seem overly concerned with Bear’s injury status certainly not to the same level as McQueen’s but team doctors will be doing their due diligence on that file as well TSN’s final draft rankings survey will take place in June with our final list unveiled in the week prior to the NHL draft which is taking place in Los Angeles on June 27-28 ShareSaveCommentBusinessSportsMoneySad Situation Continues To Unfold For Guardians’ Triston McKenzieByBernie Pleskoff Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Bernie Pleskoff is a former professional Major League Baseball scout Follow AuthorMay 05 OHIO - APRIL 08: Pitcher Triston McKenzie #24 of the Cleveland Guardians runs onto the .. More field during player introductions prior to the game against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on April 08 Sad is the word that best describes the situation in which Cleveland Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie finds himself today was once considered a top Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher But McKenzie has faced injury issues throughout his career McKenzie missed part of the 2018 season and all of 2019 because of forearm Perhaps those were warning signs of things to come as the first signs of shoulder and elbow issues emerged for the lanky pitcher Should he have surgery to repair his elbow ligament or choose rest and rehabilitation to deal with the issue He realized that surgery would cost him time in the prime of his career McKenzie consulted with three doctors before he made his decision to choose rest and rehabilitation CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Triston McKenzie #24 of the Cleveland Guardians reacts after being .. More removed from the game against the Los Angeles Angels during the sixth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 05 The Athletic shared McKenzie’s social media posting regarding his decision to avoid surgery “Am I delaying the inevitable?” “Am I doing what’s right for me I feel good now and I can’t say I made the wrong decision.” McKenzie’s pitching career has spun out of control since he chose to avoid surgery Here are his statistics since last season: He was walking an average of 5.8 hitters per nine innings McKenzie looked very shaky in spring training He pitched as if he had no confidence in where the ball was going after it left his hand McKenzie was given every opportunity to show he belonged in the Guardians starting rotation He finished spring training with a 6.92 ERA McKenzie would pick up needed innings when manager Stephen Vogt felt the opportunity was best for him and his 2.47 WHIP placed the Guardians front office in a very difficult position. OHIO - JUNE 04: Starting pitcher Triston McKenzie #24 of the Cleveland Guardians reacts .. More during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on June 04 He is no longer on the Guardians 40-man roster Any team could have offered to trade for McKenzie His new team would have to put him on their major league roster McKenzie has accepted an assignment to Triple-A Columbus He will try to revive his pitching mechanics McKenzie will try to revive a once promising career as a big league pitcher with a whip-like arm McKenzie has reported to the Guardians spring development camp in Goodyear He will try to begin his renaissance in Goodyear the entire Triston McKenzie situation is sad What would have happened if McKenzie had the surgery The Guardians hope their stellar pitching tutors can bring back the Triston McKenzie that once had a very bright future on the mound in Cleveland MLB Trade Rumors By | April 21 The DFA marks the culmination of a lengthy period of struggle that dates back to 2023 for McKenzie who once looked like a potential building block in Cleveland’s rotation it seems likely that another club will take a chance on him presumably via a minor trade but at the very least via waivers a then-24-year-old McKenzie broke out with 191 1/3 innings of 2.96 ERA ball He punched out 25.6% of his opponents against a terrific 5.9% walk rate That ostensible breakout came on the heels of a four-year run in which McKenzie ranked among the sport’s top-100 prospects but he generated swinging strikes and chases on pitches off the plate at rates well north of the average pitcher Given the right-hander’s prospect status and Cleveland’s penchant for churning out quality pitchers on a near-annual basis McKenzie looked like the next in a long line of homegrown rotation arms to call Progressive Field home The previously mentioned UCL injury limited McKenzie to only four starts in 2023 and he looked like a completely different pitcher in 2024 175-pound righty saw his average fastball freefall to 91.1 mph last year He walked 14.4% of his opponents in 75 2/3 innings after having dished out free passes at a grisly 17.8% clip during that injury-ruined 2023 season He allowed an average of 1.18 homers per nine innings during his standout 2022 season but saw that mark skyrocket to 2.26 per nine frames in ’24 McKenzie opened the 2025 season in the bullpen The Guards surely hoped that he could either find his footing as a reliever or pitch his way back into consideration for a starting role While McKenzie’s velocity is back up to an average of 93.7 mph on his heater that’s likely due to him working in short-relief stints as opposed to being asked to face a lineup two to three times per outing He’s pitched only 5 2/3 innings this season and been clobbered for seven runs Command is still a glaring issue; he’s served up seven hits (including a homer) walked seven of his 30 opponents (23.3%) and already been charged with three wild pitches McKenzie has only set down four batters on strikes Any team to claim McKenzie or acquire him via trade will at this point be rolling the dice on a reclamation project McKenzie hasn’t worked more than 1 2/3 innings in a single appearance this season so he’s also not presently stretched out enough to join someone’s rotation even if they want to take a look at him as a starter but that’s a tough task when already asking a player to switch teams and go through all the inherent associated changes (learning new coaches and catchers making tweaks to delivery and pitch selection The Guardians can trade McKenzie or place him on outright waivers at any point in the next five days meaning his DFA will be resolved within a week’s time at most An acquiring club would be on the hook for about $1.69MM as of this writing (or a bit less depending on when he’s claimed/traded) He’s controllable for two additional seasons beyond the current campaign he’s a former Rangers farmhand whom Cleveland acquired in a March 2024 trade that sent international bonus pool space back to Texas He missed the majority of the 2024 season due to an elbow strain The Guards designated Kent for assignment last summer released him and quickly re-signed him on a new minor league pact (Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers.) Today’s promotion puts Kent in line for his MLB debut He’s healthy again and pitching well in Columbus where he’s tossed 7 2/3 frames of relief and held opponents to a pair of runs though his four walks are higher than he or the team would prefer Kent ranked in the Rangers’ top 30 prospects from 2022-24 and he’ll head to MLB with a solid track record at the top minor league level Kent carries a lifetime 4.00 ERA in 92 innings across parts of four seasons there although that number is skewed a bit by last year’s injury-marred season Kent was rocked for an ERA north of 7.00 in 23 innings there though it seems fair to suggest his elbow injury contributed to those struggles He’s posted strong numbers in each of his other partial Triple-A seasons Subtracting the injury-plagued ’24 campaign Kent has a 2.88 ERA in 68 2/3 Triple-A frames Cleveland Guardians Newsstand Transactions If you are a pitcher and Cleveland can’t fix you and Dodgers are good are reclaiming pitchers wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up with one of them If I was struggling with arm trouble the Dodgers are the last team I would sign with Probably add the Rays to that list as they have a high rate of arm injuries I never saw an official retirement announcement from him but hope he’s doing well with whatever he’s up to Maybe he’s just meant to be a reliever and his arm can’t take a starting pitchers work load It’ possible but stats this year are not good Speed has improved but era is not looking good Mets might have a “pitching lab” against the Cardinals and other bottom feeders That “pitching lab” broke records for the all wrong reasons in the NLCS I mean they only lead all of baseball in ERA but keep going Mets are ahead of the Dodgers in Both hitting and pitching yeah I’d say they are in pretty good shape and they don’t have Manaea back yet Who knows but im pretty confident they will remain in the top of the pack Mets have proven themselves expert in unlocking hidden gems I can’t see him falling down to the Dodgers unless they orchestrate a minor trade to jump the line Seems the Rays would be the best bet to work on him Brewers are definitely not good at reclaim projects they are always weak in the pitching department The mariners have a claim to maximize pitcher’s potential but not hitters as a cubs fan i can tell you the aren’t always weak on pitching Give him a month or two with Pete Walker and let’s see what happens An 11 era means that skinny freak can’t pitch The Guardians aren’t DFAing him because he’s just too awesome And that long line you speak of is really filled with pitchers who were never the same after injuries and surgeries I’d like to see the Tigers give a McKenzie a chance They worked wonders for Lorenzen and Flaherty Mariners probably could turn him into a lights out high leverage reliever He’s out of options and basically unusable at the moment If anyone claims him he’ll be getting DFA’d again in a month or so What is best for him at this moment is either getting regular work in AAA to regain command or finally undergoing that TJ surgery he opted against two years ago He hasn’t been right since he opted not to have it and has publicly questioned his own decision not to get it He’s throwing it harder and spinning it more than he was before the injury He wasn’t throwing heat pre injury either I’m not sure how else you would quantify “throwing harder” I agree with you that no reputable surgeon would perform an unnecessary structural surgery and I’m sure no team that signs him would be onboard without medical evidence that a surgery would improve his situation but he will also have to pay top dollar for rehab because he won’t have the benefits of an mlb teams resources and rehab staff I didn’t see that distinction in the article I mean he was recommended TJS two years ago and elected not to I wouldn’t be surprised if that damage is still there Americans don’t seem to grasp the sheer deadly venality of for profit medical care many surgeons will do unnecessary elective surgeries The only reason it’s difficult to find one here is that TJS is not widely performed and the surgeons making significant money at it (there aren’t many given there are about 300 TJ surgeries related to MLB performed each year with an average cost of around $100k and close to $2m in costs during recovery for MLBers) meaning all of them don’t have a lot of reason to jeopardize that income by doing elective TJS and the bad press that will follow He has to go on the 40 if you trade for him and he has no Options he’s got to be added to your 26 unless you want to attempt to pass him through Waivers Wait for him to clear and then you *might* be able to coax him into signing a MiLB deal He’s getting a minor league deal no matter what if he clears waivers and elects free agency Unless there is a team in desperate need for an arm immediately i doubt he gets claimed He could get traded for another bad contract There is something about a player having three years but less than five years service time being forced to take the demotion or not getting paid if he decides to leave the organization Appears he has more than 3 considering he gets service time while on the DL If he can replicate his results from a few seasons ago even if he’s struggled in the last couple seasons Not shocking at all if you’ve seen him pitch the last two years Has been nowhere near the pitcher he was in 2023 He doesn’t even have the same enthusiasm he had and confidence is shot Hope he works out for someone but he really should have had that surgery two years ago It’s all about the options—and his lack of one Only losing teams should be interested in him Got hurt early 2023 and unfortunately hasn’t looked the same since he’s super likable and was so good in 2022 I would imagine most teams will be interested in seeing if a change of scenery can help him It’s the velo change that concerns me Maybe he *needs* surgery but doesn’t wanna do it That’s World Series champion Dinelson Lamet But he certainly wasn’t hitting 100MPH like he used to only had a handful of appearances for the 2024 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers Let’s see someone complain about the Dodgers’ spending when it’s paying for rings for EVERYONE Front office said last year no arm injury it was all mental with him He looked ro have a good future at one time Not sure if change of scenery is needed or correcting some kind of physical or mechanical issue Think he’s also a 3 years service time but not five year guy so he has to accept the demotion once he clears or lose the money Cleveland fans what is the difference you’ve seen him from before the injury till now baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/triston-mcken… 93.7 average FB velo this year is the hardest of his career based on the savant link you posted His velo is down from his early career avg… but I see your point in that it has risen over the last couple years (when he’s been hurt “more”) maybe a new club finds him a 40 man spot and phantom injury seems that Cleveland would have put him on the 60 day IL if he were truly hurt but jettisoning him altogether instead of the IL and stashing him on the 40 man seems telling Does not miss bats anyone and walks more hitters his fastball was not good the past two seasons – he has increased velocity this season because he’s been pitching out of the pen And chucking 80% 4 seamers with a 41st percentile 4 seamer will get you lit up like a Christmas tree and then him just dropping off after the injury but never knew what the dropoff was seems like a bit of everything damn He looks as lost as any major league pitcher I’ve seen His pitches are as likely to end up in the dirt or the to the backstop as they are to hit the strike zone It reminds me of Steve Blass or Steve Sax – it is like he’s forgotten how to pitch He is reportedly as good guy and a good teammate My observation is that McKenzie’s biggest problem is psychological He’s lost his confidence in everything but the fastball which he struggles to locate In my opinion his best option is to work with a sports psychologist and get his mind right before pitching in any more games at any level More than anything he needs to reboot his mind Front office said all mental no arm injury Orioles probably would like him but they have Gibson on deck If I had a dollar for every guy to get DFA’d and everyone thinks he’ll get claimed or even traded for If he gets claimed it will be by a rebuilding team in a pitcher friendly stadium you expect him to take his talents (or lack thereof) to South Beach Would his game have been improved by another 30 pounds I think Mckenzie probably needed TJ and didn’t get it Probably healed wrong and messed up his arm Doctors literally recommended it and he denied the recommendation a decision he’ll regret the rest of his career/possibly life I could see them stashing him at Louisville and trying to fix him You have to have seen him the last season until now to believe it He makes Ricky Vaughn look like a control artist Harry Doyle would lose his voice calling one of McKenzie’s outings he cant be fixed on the run and without regular work I highly doubt that a MLB team is willing to spend nearly $2 mil to release him in a month This guy doesn’t need his carburetor adjusted there still is the spector of TJS hanging over him Maybe insane to suggest there is racism in the comment You don’t know the age of the commenter calling Triston a kid There was no racism detected in the comment by me However your reply tells me you’re probably younger than Cats or myself It’s a shame you think someone that calls a younger person a kid is a racist Color never entered my mind until you brought up racism He shoulda had tj when the doctors recommended it a couple years ago What a dive for this once no doubt top prospect his style just did not translate to MLB (TJS should have opted for it) That is how tough it is to make it in MLB He will get picked up likely on a minors deal but he should hope for a team known for fixing them as he was on a team that was that The article has the wrong link for Zak Kent Hopefully he can get things straightened out What a disappointing end to a once promising stint in Cleveland Kid never seemed to listen to anybody but himself How are Guards winning with that godawful offense They traded out Naylor for Carlos Santana’s .300 SLG?? because they had Manzardo to fill his offensive production White Sox should be all over this – plenty of salary head room It’s still the wrong link for Zak Kent He didn’t have surgery but that doesn’t mean the UCL isn’t damaged His decreased command could indicate a change in arm slot to compensate None of us truly know what’s entered into the decision-making process of rehabilitating McKenzie over the last couple seasons I have no doubt in my mind that his mechanics have never recovered while his body tried to adapt to both a UCL problem along with the teres major injury he suffered a couple years ago It would be amazingly rare to suffer injuries like that and not have your mechanics almost ruined while trying to avoid pain and adapt your throwing motion The team that sorts those mechanics out won’t be doing it at the top level of the game unless he’s on the IL. I remember back in September 2020 some Guardians fan was defending them trading Mike Clevinger in-season because according to him Triston McKenzie was already better than Mike Clevinger and Clevinger wasn’t even good enough at that time to make the Guardians’ rotation Called me an idiot for saying they should have traded McKenzie instead Made similar comments about them not needing Clevinger because of Plesac and Civale as well The Guardians easily won that trade and in ‘22 the pitchers you mentioned were a pretty good starting rotation along with Shane Bieber The club is still benefiting from that trade while Clevenger is unemployed With the benefit of hindsight there’s no question the Guardians won that trade They still traded their #2 starter in the middle of a playoff race Fans freak out when it happens then act like they supported it all along when it becomes clear that the Guardians got the better end of the deal It is happening right now with the Andres Gimenez trade The Guardians greatest ability is to make trades that appear nonsensical at the moment but trades remain the team’s most consistent source of quality players I still can’t remember the last time a team traded their #2 starter in the middle of the season and then won (or even made it to) the WS that same year The Tigers tried it last year and it didn’t work One would think that a title is worth more than getting every last prospect The Guardians’ rotation that year was Bieber Clevinger only had 4 starts with them all season and had been an issue in the clubhouse (He convinced Plesac to violate team COVID rules and was briefly suspended as a result I had no problem with that trade at the time and I still don’t It was the foundation of our success in 2022 and last year We won the trade and wouldn’t have made the World Series that year with Clevinger in the team Clevinger was the Guardians’ #2 starter at the time of the trade They did not know that he would get injured immediately after it And if they did then Preller probably has grounds for a grievance Yankees fans would riot in the streets if they traded a guy like that in the middle of a playoff race No one is disputing that the Guardians won the trade in hindsight as is the case with most “win later” trades all those pitchers except Civale (ostensibly the worst of the bunch) are currently unemployed I’ve never seen anyone relitigate a trade that was overwhelmingly favorable to CLE the minute it was made Only a Padres fan hugging sour grapes would continue to make a case that CLE was somehow hurting its prospects in a meaningless COVID year when virtually everyone made the playoffs The Padres made a highly questionable bet on an oft-injured highly unstable pitcher and you’re trying to tell us CLE made the mistake it’s deals like that that (and ridiculous signings) that held back the Padres for years Lecturing CLE on how to run a successful franchise is the height of arrogance They were hurting their prospects in the Covid season If the Yankees traded their #2 starter at the deadline last July their fans would have rioted in the streets regardless of how favorable the return was from a value-for-value standpoint Rajai Davis’ home run in the 2016 World Series Francisco Lindor’s home run in the 2017 ALDS and Josh Naylor’s home run in the 2022 ALDS were all “just another home run.” Nothing special about them when compared to literally any other home run Clevinger has had a bit better career overall because he’s been healthier but Mckenzie actually was better for those first couple seasons after the trade Can I borrow your crystal ball seeing as you clearly knew on the day the trade was made that Clevinger would get injured/regress after it There were plenty of Cleveland fans predicting injury back then His motion had the most casual fan questioning how long his body would hold up But you didn’t *KNOW* he would get injured Reminds me of what happened to Matt Harvey but it doesn’t take much to derail a career Would love to see the Tigers sign him & let Fet work with him But having him available down the road for pitching depth seems low-risk the astros will probably snatch him up they like pitchers that are injured Massive upside potential for any team who claims him Even if he physically can’t handle starting anymore he has the stuff to become a shutdown reliever Log in Register MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball Register CLEVELAND -- Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie who has been plagued by arm injuries since making 30 starts in his breakout 2022 season McKenzie was moved to the bullpen in spring training but he posted an 11.12 ERA over his first four appearances this year The right-hander hasn't appeared in a game since he allowed four runs in one inning on April 16 at Baltimore McKenzie went 3-8 with a 5.11 ERA over the past two seasons He spent three months on the injured list in 2023 with a right shoulder strain then missed three months last year with a right elbow sprain "It was really difficult to find innings for Triston and that's what led to the decision," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said "It was tough because of his history here." was long viewed as a potential ace by the Guardians He went 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 2022 making two starts in the postseason while becoming a fan favorite Cleveland has seven days to either trade or place the 6-foot-5, 185-pounder on waivers. Right-hander Zak Kent was brought up from Triple-A Columbus to fill McKenzie's roster spot before the team opened a three-game series against the New York Yankees regardless of if he gets claimed or stays with us," Vogt said Vogt also reaffirmed his support for three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase on Monday "I haven't even had the thought" of replacing him The right-hander has allowed nine runs and 20 hits in 10⅓ innings for a 7.84 ERA including three in one inning Sunday in Pittsburgh when he blew his second save in six chances won the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award as baseball's best reliever in 2022 and 2024 leading the league in saves in each of the last three years He went 4-2 with 47 saves and a 0.61 ERA last season and there are things he needs to work on," Vogt said "But Emmanuel Clase is going to get the ball in the ninth inning when he's available." Coalition frontbencher walks back claim that Russian defence minister and Chinese leader had said publicly they did not want Peter Dutton as prime minister Bridget McKenzie has admitted she was wrong to say Russia and China wanted Labor to win the election On Wednesday afternoon the Coalition frontbencher claimed China and Russia would prefer an Albanese victory on 3 May citing statements by foreign politicians that could not be found online “The defence minister of Russia and the Chinese leader both have made very public comments they do not want to see Peter Dutton as the prime minister of our country,” McKenzie told the ABC “There’s two world leaders who don’t want to see Peter Dutton become prime minister of our country (…) that’s Russia and China.” But several hours later McKenzie reversed her claim A spokesperson for the Nationals senator said “the statement she made on Afternoon Briefing was wrong” Anthony Albanese earlier accused Dutton of “verballing” Indonesia’s president around questions over Russian military encroachment in the region condemning the Liberal leader for “extraordinary overreach” before the facts were clear Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Senior ministers came out swinging against the opposition leader for “reckless” comments, with the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, saying Dutton had “fabricated” a statement from the Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto During the leaders’ debate on Wednesday evening, Dutton also admitted he had made a mistake in attributing the statement to Prabowo “The reference I was making should not have been to the president it was in relation to sources from the Prabowo government,” Dutton said “It was a mistake and I am happy to admit [that] The respected defence publication journal Janes reported on Tuesday that Russia had filed an official request with Jakarta to base Russian aerospace forces aircraft on Manuhua air force base on Biak island in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region – about 1,400km from Darwin It did not report that any such request had been granted The Australian prime minister claimed at a press conference on Wednesday there had been “no basis for assuming” the report from Janes was correct Dutton, in a Tuesday press conference shortly after the report was noted in Australian media, had asked: “Did the prime minister know about this before it was publicly announced by the president of Indonesia?” He told the ABC on Tuesday that he had “seen commentary” about discussions between Russia and Indonesia, and that it would be a “catastrophic failure” if the government had not known in advance about the request. “That’s obviously come from the administration,” Dutton said. When asked if he had seen Prabowo confirm the discussions, Dutton said there was “comment that’s come out of the administration, out of the Prabowo administration”. Prabowo had not made any such public announcement. Read moreDutton later claimed he was referring to a statement from Indonesia’s government that was reported in Janes Australia’s defence minister and deputy prime minister said in a statement on Tuesday night that he had spoken to his Indonesian counterpart “[He] said to me in the clearest possible terms reports of the prospect of Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia are simply not true,” Marles said Indonesian media reported on Wednesday that Sjafrie said no official request had been made by Russia “This is absolutely untrue,” he said in a statement, according to the News of Indonesia website. Free daily newsletterOur Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters “Indonesia adheres to the principle of an independent and active foreign policy. We do not allow foreign military bases on our soil.” Albanese said on Wednesday he would not provide a “running commentary” as to what Australia knew, and when. “What we saw from Peter Dutton yesterday was an extraordinary overreach. He verballed the president of Indonesia,” he told the press conference. “Verballing” is a term for the misattribution of a statement to another person. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, went even further and claimed Dutton’s comments were a “disqualifying moment” for his bid to win government. “He is temperamentally unfit to manage our relationships in the world and to manage our economy here at home,” Chalmers said. Chalmers also claimed Dutton “lies in ways that are bordering on the pathological about the Australian economy”. Read moreWong told the ABC that Dutton had “fabricated a statement” by Prabowo and that the government had engaged with Indonesia through “the appropriate channels” to confirm that Indonesia would not allow Russia to base planes there “Peter Dutton fabricated a statement by the Indonesian president,” Wong said this is an extraordinary thing for a man who wants to be the prime minister to do – to actually try and verbal the president of Indonesia in order to make a domestic political point “He is simply too reckless and too aggro.” was asked later about Wong’s accusations on ABC News Breakfast and said the comment was “bizarre” and “very defensive” “Clearly she was blind-sided by this report and has been on the back foot since,” she said Matthew Sussex, a strategic and defence studies centre fellow at the Australian National University, wrote in the Conversation that Indonesia and Russia have been deepening military ties since Prabowo came to power in October Moscow has tried “on numerous occasions to pivot to Asia to give itself more economic heft and leverage in the region” “The Kremlin is also cognisant that Europe won’t be a friend for the foreseeable future it’s even more pressing for Russia to establish itself as a player in the Indo-Pacific region – and with that comes a military and security presence.” Federal Election 2025NewsConservative candidate booted after CTV News uncovers audio of joke about Justin Trudeau and the death penaltyBy Stephanie Ha and Vassy KapelosOpens in new windowUpdated: April 01, 2025 at 7:41PM EDT Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved Learn about our initiatives in Africa and MENA Learn about our Pacific Alliance initiative   Podcasts Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie announced today that Scott Levine has joined the Firm as a Tax Partner in Washington An accomplished and well-recognized practitioner Scott's arrival further expands the capabilities of the Firm's market-leading Tax practice Scott joins Baker McKenzie following his service as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Tax Affairs at the US Department of the Treasury where he led the office's work on international tax affairs and the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS negotiations on Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 Scott spent more than 25 years in private practice advising clients on the tax aspects of corporate transactions including cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions he has experience negotiating private letter rulings with the IRS in the corporate "Scott comes to us with firsthand insight into recently issued US corporate tax guidance as well as the evolving international tax landscape," said Salim Rahim Chair of the Firm's North America Tax Practice Group "His insights and experience will be a tremendous asset for our clients as we counsel them on tax structuring as well as strategic acquisitions Baker McKenzie's Tax Practice is one of the most highly regarded in the world With more than 730 tax practitioners in over 40 countries the practice collaborates across borders and specialties to stay abreast of changing tax landscapes worldwide The Firm's Tax advisory practice works closely with the Firm's M&A Practice on transactions assisting clients with post-acquisition integrations and pre-disposition restructurings and consulting with clients on a wide variety of domestic and international tax issues Scott was deeply involved in issues related to the OECD and the future of the global corporate minimum tax," said Chair of the Washington "His knowledge and perspective from that time will be a significant value-add to our clients as they navigate the US tax legislative landscape and begin preparing for global tax changes as well as possible countermeasures by the US Administration." “I am thrilled to join Baker McKenzie’s premier Tax Practice and look forward to collaborating with colleagues across the Firm to provide holistic guidance to clients on their international tax structuring and transactions Among the many qualities that drew me to Baker McKenzie is the Firm's global footprint unmatched by any other law firm."  Scott has been an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington and the International Tax Center at Leiden University in the Netherlands He has frequently lectured and participated as a panelist at programs for the American Bar Association and other organizations on a wide range of topics and policies Scott is an active member of the ABA's Tax Section where he has previously served as a Council member He had been a two-term member of the DC Bar Tax Section’s Steering Committee and Chair of the Section’s Corporate Tax Committee Scott received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania and his JD from American University Washington College of Law Attorney Advertising | © 2025 Baker McKenzie Kaiden McKenzie is a powerhouse of an offensive line prospect for the Panthers a tackle trending toward guard at the next level Georgia 6A is one of the most loaded with D-I talent in the country and McKenzie shows no signs of struggle in handling himself in the trenches McKenzie has announced offers from Miami of Ohio What stands out in McKenzie's sophomore season highlights is his consistent knockdown power proving through sheer force he can put defensive linemen on their backs he shows the ability to kick out and provide sound pass protection while he provides his offense with a serious body-mover and punishing drive blocker It'll be interesting to watch this young player develop as an offensive lineman over the coming years * QB Angelo Renda (Southlake [Tx.] Southlake Carroll)* WR Dylan Wester (Sarasota [Fla.] Booker)* LB/S Marus Jennings (Detroit [Mich.] Cass Tech)* S Isaac Patterson (Westerville [Ohio] Westerville South) * WR Jacob Thomas (Pembroke Pines [Fla.] Flanagan)* RB Tyler Reid (Miramar [Fla.] High School) Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more! 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Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience John Randall Williams age 78 of McKenzie passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by loved ones on May 2 He obtained a double major in biology and psychology from Troy University and a Master of Education from Troy University Randy most notably served as Principal of McKenzie High School Williams was well known to his community for his commitment to Education His commitment to our Lord and Savior was evident in his daily servings Many days teaching his Grandson the love for the game He never missed an opportunity to spend an afternoon with his family enjoying all the laughter with his children and grandchildren Abby Ward (Charlie) of Evergreen; granddaughter Clark Ward of Evergreen and great grandson Tate Kelley of McKenzie as well as many beloved nieces and nephews Williams is preceded in death by his parents Joe and Ada Belle Williams and sister Martha Jo Huggins In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Shackleville Baptist Church 347 Starlington Rd There are four games on the college basketball schedule on Monday that feature SWAC teams the Brooklyn Nets (21-39) take on the Atlanta Hawks (27-33) at 6 p.m.… The Kansas Jayhawks versus the Houston Cougars is one of two games on Monday’s college basketball slate that… There are several strong matchups on today’s NHL schedule including the Tampa Bay Lightning playing the Florida Panthers.… There is no shortage of excitement on Monday in SWAC action including a Southern Jaguars squaring off against… The first Panther of the Week is going to McKenzie Oslanzi from the softball team The sophomore pitcher from Marseilles went 3-0 against Western Illinois this weekend in Macomb Oslanzi allowed only nine hits and two runs Oslanzi’s record is now 19-12 throughout the 2025 season The second Panther of the Week is going to Abbi Hatton from the softball team The freshman utility from Neoga recorded seven hits Hatton recorded one run in every game– Tuesday against the Fighting Illini Saturday’s doubleheader against the Leathernecks and Sunday against the Leathernecks Hatton’s home run happened during Sunday’s 11-1 win over the Leathernecks Hatton recorded her home run in the third inning also securing the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship Zaria Flippin can be reached at 581-2812 or at zhflippin@eiu.edu The student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston Cantillo head to Triple-A as Guardians look for bullpen helpRelief corps takes another hit as Sewald exits Monday's game with right shoulder inflammationApril 29th CLEVELAND -- is sticking around. McKenzie, whom the Guardians designated for assignment on April 21 has cleared waivers and accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus With his DFA last week McKenzie was removed from the Guardians’ 40-man roster and Cleveland had seven days to trade him or place him on outright or unconditional release waivers McKenzie had the option to not accept the outright to Columbus his tenure with the Guardians organization -- which began in 2015 when Cleveland selected him 42nd overall in the MLB Draft -- will continue McKenzie was out of Minor League options this season and he made the Guardians’ Opening Day roster as a long reliever after almost exclusively starting from 2020-24 He struggled in limited duty while almost exclusively pitching in mop-up duty (11.12 ERA in 5 2/3 innings over four appearances) Each of McKenzie’s appearances came with at least four days between them When the Guardians needed a fresh arm in their bullpen last week they made what manager Stephen Vogt called a "difficult decision” to DFA McKenzie -- a well-liked player in the clubhouse and community it was really difficult to find innings for Triston,” Vogt said last Monday “And that’s really what led to the decision With the way our bullpen’s throwing the ball but this is why sometimes you have to make these really difficult decisions.” McKenzie was one of the most promising young starters in the Majors as recently as 2022 when he recorded a 2.96 ERA in 31 games (30 starts) on a surprise Guardians team that reached the postseason He made just four starts in 2023 after suffering a right elbow sprain which he opted to rest and rehab instead of undergoing surgery Cantillo down, Bolton upThe Guardians optioned lefty to Columbus on Monday and recalled right-hander -- whom they acquired from the Mariners for cash on April 8 Cleveland needed a fresh arm out of its bullpen amid a grueling stretch on the schedule The Guardians played nine straight days before Thursday’s off-day last week as well as a doubleheader on Saturday. They’re scheduled to play each of the next eight days, following Monday’s series opener against the Twins. Cantillo (who has a 2.35 ERA in 15 1/3 innings over 11 appearances this season) has Minor League options and threw 55 pitches in Sunday’s loss to the Red Sox “It's never fun to send someone like Joey out,” Vogt said ‘I'll stay ready.’ No doubt about that Cantillo had been almost exclusively a starter before this season but made Cleveland’s Opening Day roster as a reliever Vogt noted the plan right now is for his role to remain the same we haven't closed the book on Joey being a starter again at any point,” Vogt said “But for where we are right now in the season Joey is really valuable in the role that he's been playing for us.” Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball Bolton has allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in six innings over six relief appearances with Columbus He’s made 33 career big league appearances (all in relief) when he recorded a 4.34 ERA over 18 2/3 innings “He's got really good stuff,” Vogt said of Bolton He's a guy that can give us up to two innings which is what we needed coming out of the weekend.” Sewald exits exited Monday’s game against the Twins in the fifth inning with right shoulder inflammation Sewald fired a 90.7 mph four-seam fastball to Ryan Jeffers in the fifth inning Monday and immediately appeared in discomfort He signaled to the Guardians’ dugout and exited with a trainer shortly after “He's going to get some more testing tomorrow,” Vogt said Monday night, after the Guardians’ 11-1 loss to the Twins Sewald is in his first season with Cleveland and he has a 6.17 ERA in 11 2/3 innings over 14 appearances which is tied with Cade Smith for the team lead The 34-year-old has added a veteran presence to the Guardians’ bullpen for the middle-to-late innings and Sewald has pitched in a variety of situations His appearances have spanned the fifth through 10th innings Some of the original McKenzie’s recipes were purchased by the Tastee Donuts chain May marks 25 years since the closing of the McKenzie's Pastry Shoppes chain sweet memories of which still remain for generations of New Orleanians Daniel Entringer and Henry McKenzie opened a bakery on Canal Street Entringer later sold his interest to McKenzie who in 1929 opened his own bakery in the 4900 block of Prytania Street His name can still be seen on the building Entringer bought out his former partner but retained McKenzie as manager and kept his name on the business because of his good reputation Entringer and his family would expand the chain to 49 locations throughout the metro area employing 400 people at the time of its closing McKenzie’s became known for its extensive product line the chain closed amid declining sales and health code violations at its baking plant on Desire Parkway "It's sort of like losing part of the family," renowned chef Paul Prudhomme told The Advocate "Almost every neighborhood had a McKenzie’s their cakes and their pastries have been part of our tradition and family life for a long Morris Jeff began a long career with the New Orleans Recreation Department in 1947 Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It was a somber day at Arbor View High School as the community gathered to mourn the tragic loss of 18-year-old senior McKenzie Scott who was struck and killed by a car just feet from campus on Friday morning McKenzie was reportedly stopping by the school to pick up her cap and gown in anticipation of her upcoming graduation Her family sharing with Channel 13 that her future was bright—she had plans to attend the University of Nevada Las Vegas this fall on a full scholarship and was looking forward to senior prom WATCH | Alyssa Bethencourt talks to loved ones and friends about the loss of CCSD high school and community members visited a growing memorial near the scene of the crash At a candlelight vigil held Friday evening loved ones shared heartfelt stories about McKenzie—remembering her as someone who “brought light to every room,” who “listened more than she spoke,” and who had a unique way of making others feel seen and valued "Every person that she came in contact with they were happier in her presence," said Adrianna Ornelas "It's surreal to think about the fact that 24 hours ago there were 200 kids here on campus helping the student council participate in the senior event so prepared for prom and graduation and now that's all going to be a little different because we lost an important senior who was an important part of our class." The emotional gathering underscored the deep impact McKenzie had on those around her Las Vegas Metropolitan Police confirmed the driver involved remained at the scene after the collision Authorities believe the driver was impaired and have since taken the individual into custody McKenzie’s mom has created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs and support the family during this difficult time Report a typo by Martha Cruz Las Vegas (KSNV) — A tragic accident claimed the life of an 18-year-old high school senior Friday morning in Las Vegas The incident occurred just before 11:30 a.m on the 7500 block of Whispering Sands Drive According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was transported to University Medical Center in critical condition but later succumbed to her injuries likely heading to her car parked in a nearby neighborhood MORE | Arbor View High School mourns loss of classmate tragically killed in crash remained at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of impairment Jackson was driving the Chevrolet when he failed to yield the right of way the Chevrolet sideswiped a 2007 Toyota Camry that was parked unoccupied on the east side of Buffalo Drive Scott was a promising student who had secured a full-ride scholarship and aspired to become a CIS investigator A memorial has started to grow outside the high school who is the Student Council President at Arbor View High School was at the memorial with other students on Friday evening She was emotional talking about McKenzie and said "It's surreal to think that 24 hours ago there were 200 kids here on campus helping the students participating in this event We lost an important senior who was an important part of our senior class." The Clark County School District released a statement about the incident: "The Clark County School District (CCSD) is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a student from Arbor View High School earlier today and the entire Arbor View High School community as we grieve this unimaginable loss,” said CCSD Superintendent Jhone Ebert The District is offering support services to students and staff impacted by this tragedy including counselors on-site at Arbor View High School I urge our community to come together,” Superintendent Ebert continued The safety of our students is a shared responsibility and we must continue working together to protect and support them.” The Clark County School District extends its deepest condolences to the student’s loved ones and will continue to support the Arbor View community in the days ahead." Scott's death marked the 59th traffic-related fatality in the jurisdiction of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department this year The incident is currently under investigation by the department's Collision Investigation Section A GoFundMe has been set up for. Click here if you would like to support CLEVELAND -- Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie has accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus after clearing waivers on Monday The right-hander was designated for assignment last week after posting a 11.12 ERA in four appearances out of the bullpen this season McKenzie -- a first-round pick by Cleveland in 2015 -- has gone 3-8 with a 5.11 ERA over the past two seasons as he has struggled with injuries 6vs17Yale SzwastWomen's Lacrosse Falls To Yale In Ivy Final May 04 the next wave of hockey talent will arrive in the NHL the league's draft will be held in Los Angeles for the second time ever the official order will be set — and the expectation is that whichever squad lands the No center Michael Misa is also heavily expected to go No league insiders and analysts have some differing opinions on how the draft will shake out with some valuing certain prospects over others based on potential team fits 📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Here's a look at some of the top recent NHL mock drafts from ESPN MORE: Explaining the odds, rules for the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery Doerrie's mock draft was released on April 24: *Doerrie's mock draft included only the top 16 picks Pronman's latest mock draft was released on April 24: Horn's latest mock draft was released on April 25: *Horn's mock draft included only the top 16 picks McKenzie's latest big board was released on May 2: *McKenzie's rankings were a top-16 big board that did not include team selections Here's a look at which teams have the best chance to land the No where they would presumably select Schaefer Daniel Mader joined Sporting News as an editorial intern in 2024 following his graduation from Penn State University high school and local sports beats for NBC Sports with a love for baseball that’ll never fade but could also talk basketball or football for days Guardians make 'difficult decision' to DFA McKenzieApril 21st CLEVELAND -- The Guardians designated for assignment on Monday, a move that potentially spells the end of the right-hander’s time with the organization It wasn't easy,” manager Stephen Vogt said Whether he gets claimed or goes elsewhere or he stays with us we're going to continue to support him and root for him along the way “One of the best people I've gotten to know in this game is Triston and [I] wish him well if he indeed does end up somewhere else.” McKenzie was the second-most tenured player in the Guardians organization Cleveland selected him in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft Only José Ramírez (who signed with Cleveland on June 19 After falling short in the Guardians’ fifth starter competition this spring McKenzie made the Opening Day roster this season as a long reliever He made just four appearances and recorded an 11.12 ERA with seven walks and four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings Cleveland knew in recent days it would need to make a move to add bullpen reinforcements The club is in a stretch of nine games in nine days and each of his outings came in mop-up duty with at least five days between them It presented a challenging situation as he worked through his early struggles while transitioning to a new role it was really difficult to find innings for Triston,” Vogt said It wasn’t long ago that McKenzie appeared set to anchor the Guardians’ starting rotation for years to come 2 starter in the Guardians’ rotation as recently as 2022 McKenzie recorded a 2.96 ERA in 191 1/3 innings over 31 games (30 starts) that season He memorably struck out eight in six scoreless innings in Game 2 of the 2022 AL Wild Card Series to help the Guardians advance to the ALDS McKenzie made just four starts in 2023 after missing significant time due to a right elbow sprain He returned to Cleveland’s rotation last season and posted a 5.11 ERA over 16 starts and He spent the rest of the season with the Clippers McKenzie leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball compared to just 16 curveballs and eight sliders “I know his history here goes well beyond my time here,” Vogt said Then we saw at the beginning of Spring Training [this year] “And then towards the end of Spring Training and the early parts of the year Kent has allowed two runs on three hits and four walks with 10 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings over five appearances with Columbus this season He was a non-roster invitee for the Guardians this spring and Cleveland initially acquired him from Texas for cash on March 28 The Guardians DFA’d him on June 29 last year released him on July 5 and then re-signed him to a Minor League deal on July 16 “We saw a really good version of Zak during Spring Training,” Vogt said really good stuff and just a really good demeanor about him We needed somebody that can go multiple innings Investigative journalist says ‘legal strategy’ he referred to in secret recording was reference to war veteran allegedly telling his ex-wife to lie to court Investigative journalist Nick McKenzie has denied in a Sydney court that he saw privileged communications between Ben Roberts-Smith and his lawyers during the proceedings of the war veteran’s failed defamation case against him and Nine The court also heard a “secret” recording where McKenzie allegedly told a witness in the defamation proceedings that Roberts-Smith’s ex-wife and her friend Danielle Scott were “actively briefing us on his legal strategy in respect of you” It was not revealed who made the recording It is part of a two-day hearing in which the war veteran is arguing an appeal should be reopened in light of new evidence showing a “miscarriage of justice” caused by McKenzie’s alleged “misconduct” Roberts-Smith brought the defamation proceedings, which ran for a year, against McKenzie and Nine newspapers over a series of stories published between June and August 2018. The stories alleged Roberts-Smith was guilty of murder and war crimes. Asked on Friday if the “legal strategy” he was referring to in the recording was information gleaned via legally privileged communications between Roberts-Smith and his lawyers “I never received or had legally privileged information and that’s why I’m confident I wasn’t referring to that,” he told the court when being cross-examined “By legal strategy what I meant was in respect of what Danielle had told me… Things like Emma had been told by Roberts-Smith to lie in court The court heard McKenzie flew to Cairns to meet Scott in March 2021 and also met Roberts alongside his lawyers in the same month. McKenzie was questioned about a screenshot he was sent by Scott in which Roberts had informed her: “[Mark O’Brien lawyers] just sent BRS an email saying AFP wants to speak with him”. Arthur Moses SC, representing Roberts-Smith, asserted that this was McKenzie receiving information gleaned from emails exchanged between the war veteran and his lawyers. But the journalist said he did not agree. McKenzie told the court he believed the information had been found out because “Ben got the warrant to appear, shat himself, told his wife, she told her best friend, who much later told me”. Asked about other information shared by Scott, he said he believed it had come from Roberts “gossiping” to her “best friend”. The court heard McKenzie gave to his own lawyers the information received from Scott and Roberts that he deemed would be relevant. He said he was unaware how or whether that was used in the defamation proceedings. He also agreed under questioning from Moses that he had “proactively” asked Scott for any evidence Roberts had. He said the request related to an anonymous tip he had received that “BRS was crawling through his back yard at night and burying stuff and stashing stuff”. Moses also put to McKenzie that the witness – Person 17 – had threatened legal action against him and Nine newspapers after Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation trial. Read more“She threatened to sue you and Nine in respect of your conduct in the proceedings before Justice Besanko The court was on Friday played the 85-second “secret” recording of an earlier conversation between McKenzie and Person 17 who was at the centre of an allegation of domestic violence against Roberts-Smith with Besanko determining her testimony was not “sufficiently reliable” McKenzie told the court he was “utterly surprised” to learn about a month ago the recording existed after it was sent by an unknown person via an encrypted email service to Paul Svilans with the subject line: “Secret McKenzie recording” after telling the witness about knowing about the legal strategy I’ve just breached my fucking ethics in doing that.” was wavering and he was trying to assure her Roberts-Smith sat alongside his parents in the court When McKenzie walked out of the court on Friday afternoon after finishing his evidence he and Roberts-Smith exchanged a sustained stare Anna Katzmann and Geoffrey Kennett was due to finish on Friday the Guardians took a series from the Yankees suffered consecutive drubbings against the Red Sox and Twins had position players pitch on back-to-back days rain-free rain delay and cycled through a slew of relievers They each came and went after one appearance during the homestand José Ramírez became the league’s first third baseman to record 250 home runs and 250 stolen bases (and not all of them came during this homestand) The last time the Guardians played a road game Triston McKenzie and Lane Thomas were members of the active roster let’s examine some Guardians trends as they head to Toronto He’d be the first Cleveland hitter with a 40-homer season since Travis Hafner in 2006 Manzardo looks like a legitimate middle-of-the-order hitter precisely what the Guardians were dreaming of when they flipped Aaron Civale to the Rays for him two years ago meaning he’s patient enough to force the pitcher to throw him something in the zone that he can clobber His strikeout rate (25.7 percent) isn’t unbearable Those qualities allow him to wiggle free from a funk quicker than an all-or-nothing type of slugger it’s also an encouraging sign when Manzardo can whack a belly button-high fastball up the middle for an RBI single The Guardians could have stuck with McKenzie in their bullpen seeking opportunities for him to pitch in low-leverage situations the Guardians could have stuck him on the staff at Triple-A Columbus and let him attempt to work through his struggles in the minors high-leverage,” said Cleveland pitching coach Carl Willis every hitter you face — it’s leverage to you because you’re trying to get big-league hitters out Maybe (this takes) away a little bit of the urgency to get the results you’re looking for and (he’ll) be able to focus on the process to really attack what he needs to attack.” McKenzie will be sweating because the temperature in Goodyear is approaching triple digits not because he’s standing atop the mound with the bases loaded and with a lack of confidence in his curveball and slider The Guardians want him to spin those secondary pitches into the strike zone more often to keep hitters from sitting on — and feasting on — his fastball This should provide him a low-pressure setting to take a deep breath and chart a path back to pitching with conviction in the big leagues Ortiz had a wretched spring and a nightmarish regular-season debut with the Guardians he has submitted four solid-to-splendid outings in his last five starts with 34 strikeouts and a .196 opponent average in 27 1/3 innings He’s searching for consistency with his command and the right mix for his five pitches Manager Stephen Vogt gushed about Ortiz’s sinker after the righty blanked the Twins for 6 1/3 innings on Tuesday compared to 92.9 mph in his five previous starts Ortiz has boosted his strikeout rate and ground ball rate this season His whiff rate has soared to the 78th percentile from the 13th percentile last year There’s a lot to build on for a guy settling in with a new team but it’s easy to see why the Guardians targeted him on the trade market We’re waiting for Gavin Williams to get in a groove There’s a fine line between Ortiz and Williams this season that there’s an actual fine line between their sections in this piece.) Williams’ six starts this year have gone Williams teased everyone with an electric spring whether blowing away hitters in live batting practice sessions or making quick work of hitters at Goodyear Ballpark He has showcased that ability in certain starts this year He fared well against the Royals in the club’s second game of the year but went only three innings against the Angels He pitched brilliantly against the Yankees but was yanked after two innings against the Twins One of Williams’ best starts as a big-leaguer came against the Royals last September when he held Kansas City to one hit across seven innings he failed to escape the first inning at Dodger Stadium For the Guardians to reach the heights they want to reach they need Williams to emerge as a steady force “We’ve challenged those guys,” Willis said “We talked to Gavin after the Yankees start (and said) This should be your expectation of yourself every fifth day.” “You can’t take a guy in one day and introduce a new pitch or totally clean up a delivery in one shot Vogt said a starting pitcher is equipped with his “A stuff” for 20 percent of his outings and with “nothing” for 20 percent of his outings leaving him to figure out how to convert the 60 percent in the middle into quality efforts “We’re looking for consistency,” Willis said sometimes that takes a while to show itself.” Though Gabriel Arias started at shortstop Tuesday and Wednesday Vogt insisted Brayan Rocchio is still the club’s starter at the position some base running gaffes and uncharacteristically subpar defense Rocchio’s 11-for-33 showing in the 2024 postseason seems like a distant memory Rocchio’s .240 slugging percentage ranks fifth-worst in the majors Among players with at least 500 plate appearances since the start of the 2024 season Rocchio ranks second-to-last in OPS (.599) slugging percentage (.305) and extra-base hits (29) and fourth-last in batting average (.206) He’s probably fortunate that Juan Brito is sidelined for a couple of months following thumb surgery But it’s worth noting Vogt commended the recent play of Arias and Daniel Schneemann and it’s worth monitoring how the reps are divvied up moving forward Nolan Jones pinch-hit for Rocchio (and not Austin Hedges who was on deck) to lead off the seventh with the score tied on Thursday it’s difficult enough to roll out of bed without a backache or knee soreness imagine uncorking thousands of swings throughout a summer Santana posted a .219/.300/.295 slash line He logged a .280 slugging percentage through April in 2014 But it’s fair to wonder if this latest sluggish start is more habitual or age-related He’s appeared in more games than any active player Jake Westbrook started for Cleveland in Santana’s big-league debut We’ll see if he can continue to defy Father Time (Top photo of Kyle Manzardo: Ken Blaze / Imagn Images) Support NYU Law NYU Law’s Alumni of Color Association (LACA) held its 47th annual spring dinner on Friday was centered on the theme of “Bravely Forging Ahead ’00 observed that this year’s dinner underscores an urgent theme at a critical time after the Trump administration has issued a series of executive orders targeting diversity equity and inclusion programs in both the public and private sectors “This is a moment that requires courage,” he said “It is only required when something is in jeopardy It is only required when something’s at risk.” Music from artists like Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and A Tribe Called Quest was part of the walk-on soundtrack for the evening’s speakers. When Dean Troy McKenzie ’00 he was accompanied by Bob Marley & The Wailers’ defiant 1973 classic “Get Up McKenzie underscored how LACA “has always stood for collective effort McKenzie spoke of the legacy of civil rights attorney Charles Swinger Conley ’55—who worked on the landmark First Amendment case Times v Sullivan and was elected as the first Black circuit court judge in Alabama And it meant risks to his life,” McKenzie said in reference to the violent backlash to the civil rights movement McKenzie also paid tribute to Conley’s wife who was instrumental in establishing the Honorable Charles Swinger Conley Scholarship within the AnBryce Scholarship Program A video dedication to late civil rights activist and NYU Professor Derrick Bell who served as a full-time professor at the Law School for two decades was introduced by NYU Law trustee Lisa Marie Boykin ’95 three NYU Law graduates were honored with Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards: Deirdre Hykal ’00 executive vice president and general counsel product and distribution at the financial services group TIAA; Joanne Lin ’97 executive director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs; and Tom Shropshire ’98 general counsel and company secretary for the multinational alcoholic beverage company were honored with Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards A range of scholarships were also presented to NYU Law students: Emily Luong ’26 and Priya Prasad ’26 each received the Derrick Bell Scholarship for Public Service; Christopher Offoha ’26 was awarded the Rasheed McWilliams Scholarship; and Addie Walker ’26 was recognized with the Lisa Marie Boykin Scholarship Melissa Murray who dedicated most of his address to paying tribute to the late Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson ’92 As the first-ever Black district attorney in Brooklyn Thompson pioneered the use of conviction review units to re-examine potential wrongful conviction cases “But his impact really spread far and wide but it’s your legacy too because he always talked about this community.” After reflecting that today “there’s so much criticism of gatherings like this”—dedicated to celebrating and lifting up people of color—Bragg concluded his remarks by referencing a Biblical verse “We all need a push at our back for togetherness And I kept on coming back to the letter from Paul to the Galatians,” he said “And his direction to another group that was under duress—and that is my charge to you tonight—‘Grow not weary in doing good.’ Keep up the fight.” The Tennessee Titans have hired Reggie McKenzie as Vice President/Football Advisor who spent the past six seasons (2019 – 24) with the Miami Dolphins as Senior Personnel Executive where he was raised in Knoxville and played linebacker at the University of Tennessee After a professional playing career that included time with the Raiders (1985-88) Phoenix Cardinals (1989-90) and San Francisco 49ers (1992) he spent 1993 as a graduate assistant for the Volunteers McKenzie embarked upon a career working in NFL front offices that is now entering its 32nd campaign He totaled 18 seasons (1994 - 2011) with the Green Bay Packers rising in the ranks from Pro Personnel Assistant (1994-96) to Director of Pro Personnel (1997-2007) and finally Director of Football Operations (2008-11) three conference championships and two Super Bowls (XXXI and XLV) while totaling the second-best record (185-103) in the NFL over that period of time the Raiders hired McKenzie as General Manager a role he maintained for seven seasons (2012-18) McKenzie was named the NFL's Executive of the Year by Sporting News The MMQB and the PFWA (Pro Football Writers Association) as the Raiders posted a 12-4 record and their first playoff appearance in 14 years This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page McKenzie was also questioned over his communications with Roberts-Smith’s ex-wife Investigative journalist Nick McKenzie has agreed in Ben Roberts-Smith’s bid to reopen his appeal for his defamation case that he has used “deceptive methods and subterfuge” to obtain information “on occasion if it is in the public interest”. McKenzie was cross-examined on Thursday afternoon by Roberts-Smith’s lawyer, Arthur Moses SC. It’s part of a two-day hearing in which the war veteran is arguing the appeal should be reopened in light of new evidence that he claims shows there was a “miscarriage of justice” in the defamation proceedings caused by McKenzie’s alleged “misconduct”. In 2023 Justice Anthony Besanko ruled Roberts-Smith on the balance of probabilities had murdered unarmed civilians while serving in Afghanistan McKenzie was repeatedly asked by Moses to justify his methods as an investigative journalist specifically in relation to a 2010 incident where he was charged alongside two colleagues for unlawfully accessing a Labor party database for a story published in the Age McKenzie accepted his methods had been unlawful but asserted he had not crossed a line and had been upfront about those methods in the published story Asked if it would be improper of him to access somebody else’s information unlawfully McKenzie responded that that was “a very broad position” “There are instances where it is our job to find information that has been hidden,” McKenzie said McKenzie agreed that once the litigation had commenced in the Roberts-Smith case he had continued to search for evidence which would contribute during the case When asked if it was fair to say that he was “highly motivated during the proceedings to dig up anything” his legal team could use because he was “desperate to achieve a breakthrough” McKenzie said he wouldn’t say it “in those terms” “Throughout the whole proceeding I was really anxious to prove that Ben Roberts-Smith was a war criminal and we had to find evidence to do that,” he said after being asked how he would describe it Two of those conversations were had with Scott in August 2020 and Asked by Moses if he was aware those recordings were not discovered in the trial McKenzie said he provided them to his lawyers and he was not aware whether they were exhibited in a schedule as a privileged communication The court heard that McKenzie had forgotten that the recordings existed until the latest bid to reopen the appeal and he couldn’t recall if he kept a copy of them At the centre of Roberts-Smith’s bid to reopen his appeal is a “secret” recording made without McKenzie’s consent or knowledge and which on Thursday was ruled admissible evidence According to an affidavit filed by one of Roberts-Smith’s solicitors McKenzie in the recording allegedly told a witness in the defamation proceedings that Roberts-Smith’s ex-wife and her friend were “actively briefing us on his legal strategy in respect of you … we anticipated most of it McKenzie also said in the recording: “I shouldn’t tell you The court heard the recording was sent on 15 March this year by an unknown person via an encrypted email service to Paul Svilans Nine barrister ​​Robert Yezerski SC argued the recording should be rejected by the court because it was recorded without McKenzie’s knowledge or consent and whoever published it was guilty of an offence Yezerski said the recording was “more likely than not” made in Queensland where is it is not an offence to record a conversation in private but it is an offence to publish that recording He also argued the 85-second recording was a “snippet or extract” from a conversation that could have lasted between 15 and 45 minutes and that “whoever sent the recording” did so with a “view to assisting” Roberts-Smith “What we don’t know is whether any of the middle has been cut out … or whether there has been slicing and editing within the recording,” Yezerski told the court “The intention of whoever made the recording and edited it did so with a view of causing maximum benefit to the appellant and maximum harm to the respondents generally “There is real reason to treat it with great caution.” argued that the recording should be admissible because there was no evidence pointing to who sent the recording “All we have is the evidence before us,” he told the court Moses also argued the evidence had probative value because it “contains an admission by McKenzie of a serious nature” The applicant requests approval of a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the designation of the subject property from Forest to Rural Residential Exception Area (RREA) and a corresponding Zone Change to rezone the subject property from Forest Use 2 (F2) to Multiple-Use Agricultural (MUA10) The total area subject to the request is 58 acres The applicant states that the purpose of this request is to ultimately be brought into the City of Sisters Urban Growth Boundary so the applicant can develop a needed housing residential development that has 30% NET developed units that meet a definition of affordable housing to meet the City's future housing needs this application request does not include a request to expand the City of Sisters UGB identified on Deschutes County Assessor’s Map 15-10-05 Portion of MCKINNEY RANCH ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY The initial Hearing's Officer hearing was held on April 7 The Hearing's Officer closed the oral testimony portion but left the written record open in accordance with the following deadlines: Final Legal Argument (Applicant Only) - Monday Open record period submittals must be received by the County's servers (if electronic) by 4pm on the date of the deadline The County cannot retrieve information from a website link or personal cloud storage service All open record period submittals should be directed to Haleigh King (haleigh.king@deschutes.org) The April 7, 2025 hearing recording can be viewed by visiting www.deschutes.org/meetings By Jenn Hatfield The Harvard and USC grad played in three other leagues after getting cut last spring Entering her second WNBA training camp, McKenzie Forbes knows a lot more about what to expect than she did as a rookie But there have also been new challenges this time around — like figuring out how to get her car from California to Texas Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers Join today “She just has an edge about her,” Carrie Moore Forbes’ head coach for her senior season at Harvard … I don’t think you can really teach that I think you just either have it or you don’t.” Forbes is joining some familiar faces in Dallas: The Wings’ general manager is Curt Miller And Wings head coach Chris Koclanes was Forbes’ position coach for her graduate year at USC in 2023-24 The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news historical deep dives and projections about the game we love Forbes, a 6’ guard/forward, had long been considered a potential WNBA prospect. She was the No. 35 recruit in her high school class, and at least one future WNBA scout saw her in her two years at Harvard, where she transferred after starting her college career at Cal “I watched her be just elite in how she competed and elevated that program at Harvard,” Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley told reporters in April 2024 … [We were] seeing her be excellent in the role that she was in and also celebrating the role that was by her and next to her “We are ecstatic that she dropped to [No.] 28,” Miller said in the same press conference The transition to being a professional was “kind of overwhelming” at times rookies have to juggle moving with workouts and final exams they’re learning lots of new plays and terminology and adjusting to WNBA rules They’re also trying to wrap their heads around suddenly seeing their dreams come true starting their adult lives and playing alongside players they may have idolized growing up “It’s definitely a lot kind of running around in your brain,” Forbes said She prepared for the Sparks’ training camp with Koclanes who had coached under Miller in the WNBA for several years before moving to USC It also helped that she wasn’t moving far: USC is less than 3 miles from Crypto.com Arena Forbes felt like she performed at her best in camp, and early on, Miller told the Los Angeles Times that Forbes was “beyond her years with basketball knowledge.” But she was cut on May 12 the day before WNBA teams had to finalize their opening-day rosters Subscribe now to our sister publication The IX and receive our independent women’s sports newsletter six days a week Learn more about your favorite athletes and teams around the world competing in soccer hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers Readers of The Next now save 50% on their subscription to The IX She figured she would keep training there in case a WNBA team needed her on a hardship contract later in the season Mason was in Australia playing for the Waverley Falcons in the NBL1, the country’s top semiprofessional league He told his sister that he thought he could convince the Falcons’ women’s team to sign her “He kind of did the wheeling and dealing from over there,” Forbes said with a laugh Everything came together quickly, in about 48 hours. During that time, Forbes ran the idea by several people, including Koclanes and Australian Stephanie Talbot she stepped straight from the California summer into the Australia winter a change she called “harsh.” She also arrived in the middle of the Falcons’ season so she had to catch up quickly on the court while adjusting to a whole new country “They kind of already had their thing going,” Forbes said pointing to the presence of WNBL veterans Rebecca Cole and Carley Ernst on the roster (The WNBL is Australia’s professional league and one of the best leagues in the world.) “They kind of added me in to make some threes.” The Falcons had started the season 2-8 with three of those losses coming by 25 points or more But by the time Forbes debuted on June 7 with 13 points and six rebounds insane run,” winning their final 13 games to claim the NBL1 South and NBL1 national championships in August In 16 games with the Falcons, Forbes averaged 16.0 points 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 27.8 minutes per game She shot 37.4% from 3-point range on 7.7 attempts per game Only Ernst took more total threes than Forbes’ 123 even though Forbes only played about half the season Forbes also had at least 20 points and five assists in all three games of the national championship run Forbes signed a contract to join a team in New Zealand “What impresses me most,” Pouakai head coach Paul Flynn said in the team’s press release “is her strong leadership qualities and how she has proven time and again she can lift her teams to succeed on the big stage.” Forbes spent about two weeks at home after winning the NBL1 national championship before flying back across the Pacific Ocean for preseason. With Pouakai, Forbes shouldered more responsibility than she had with Waverley. In 13 games, she averaged a team-high 18.5 points 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.1 minutes per game about half of which came from behind the arc “A lot more pressure was on me to make shots and make plays And the defensive scout would be focused on me kind of have that level of pressure on yourself Congratulations to McKenzie Forbes for scoring a LEAGUE RECORD 39 points last night 👏Kenzie’s historic night earns her yesterday’s ProBuild ITM Pouākai MVP!#FlyFearless@TauihiNZ @skysportnz pic.twitter.com/lReCgNeLBa Forbes led Pouakai to an 8-4 regular-season record, including a memorable win over the Tokomanawa Queens in late November in which she scored a league-record 39 points. But Pouakai lost to the Queens in the league semifinals in December Forbes enjoyed her stint in New Zealand both on and off the court The slower pace of life there felt like a salve after she’d rushed from place to place for months After returning home just before Christmas she trained in Sacramento for about a month before yet another league needed her “But … AU was kind of perfectly timed in terms of just breaking up my training a little bit With the Athletes Unlimited season overlapping with WNBA free agency there was plenty of chatter in Nashville about WNBA opportunities especially those in similar situations as Forbes checked in with each other about whether they’d heard anything from teams.  The odds weren’t in their favor. There were 31 players drafted from U.S. colleges in 2022 and 2023 who were healthy but didn’t stick on a WNBA roster in their draft year. Just seven of them were invited to a training camp the following season, according to data tallied from Across the Timeline and Basketball-Reference Forbes felt confident a WNBA team would give her another shot “I was super relieved and grateful for the opportunity to be with Chris and under Curt,” she said “I really enjoyed playing under Curt when I was in LA and I feel like they have a similar system [in Dallas].” colleges in 2024 who were healthy but didn’t stick on a #WNBA roster last year Just six of them were invited to a training camp again this year — and three are past Ivy League players she believes she’s improved her ball-handling her shooting and her understanding of how to get to her spots against pros “I’m very much confident that I have a legitimate chance to make this team,” she said Moore believes Forbes can carve out a role in the WNBA similar to that of Naz Hillmon who Moore coached as an assistant at Michigan Hillmon was a second-round pick in 2022 and hasn’t been a star for the Atlanta Dream Hillmon is the type of person and teammate every organization wants to keep around so the more [Forbes] can just really stay in and continue to get opportunities to make a name for herself I think that can only help,” Moore said in March “… She’s got such a great presence about her and she’s just an incredible addition to any type of organization that I think especially if they need somebody that’s going to stretch defenses and be able to knock things down and be that kind of versatile guard.” Tune in to Locked On Women’s Basketball Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube Forbes will look to show she’s a knockdown shooter — something she thinks the Wings need her competitiveness on defense and her value as a teammate Her mindset this time around will be that she already made the roster — not because she’s cocky but because she knows she needs to think that way “Everyone says if you’re not [drafted in the] first or second round you’re not going to make it,” Forbes said “And you kind of just have to ignore all of that and fully dive in headfirst Because if you don’t treat every day like that Forbes already beat the odds once to get invited to training camp this season Using all she’s learned over the past year she’ll try to beat the odds again and make the opening-day roster Jenn Hatfield is The Next's managing editor Washington Mystics beat reporter and Ivy League beat reporter She has been a contributor to The Next since December 2018 Her work has also appeared at FiveThirtyEight You must be logged in to post a comment Contact Us About Us Privacy Policy We have upgraded our membership system.Please check your mailbox for a secure link to sign in and set up a new password If you have any question or need help, please email editors@thenexthoops.org put the finishing touches on her wire-to-wire victory on Sunday while Maxim McKenzie of Chilliwack secured a come-from-behind win to each take the 2025 NextGen Pacific Championship at Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford Buoyed by a three-under 33 during Friday’s opening nine Liu didn’t take her foot off the gas over the weekend firing rounds of 68-69-70 to finish seven strokes better than her closest chaser “I try my best to just stay in my own bubble and not think about it… I’m really proud of myself for trying to stay in my own bubble and not let other distractions get to me,” said Liu following her final round.   Liu kept her composure on Sunday to claim an exemption into the 2025 Canadian Junior Girls Championship set to take place Aug 16-18 at Club de golf Sainte-Marie in Sainte-Marie After posting birdie at the difficult par-3 second before dropping back to even-par on her round with bogey at the fifth The blemish went on to be just one of two mistakes Liu made in her final round on Sunday playing the next 12 holes at one-under par despite finishing with bogey on 18.   Liu used the word “meaningful” to describe what Sunday’s victory meant to her Committed to taking her talents to the university level in a year’s time Liu has eyes on grabbing more victories as a junior golfer in the near future.   “Playing events like Golf Canada really affect me,” said Liu “Ledgeview is a wonderful golf course and when I look back [on today] I won’t have any regrets.”   The margin of victory was much slimmer in the Junior Boys division however with McKenzie battling Manpreet Lalh of Nanaimo The two British Columbians took turns with the lead despite Lalh sitting in a tie for first place alongside Team Canada NextGen member Austin Krahn of Christina Lake Starting his final round at even-par and two strokes behind the co-leaders McKenzie vaulted all the way up the leaderboard with three birdies in his first five holes to lead Lahl by two strokes after the latter stalled out with an early bogey on the fifth hole.   was unable to build around the 66 he carded in the second round following a pair of bogeys on the front nine The opening allowed Lalh to make a move on the back nine grabbing a birdie at the 11th to move into solo first before being derailed by bogeys at holes 12 and 14.   McKenzie definitively capitalized on his playing partners’ miscues with a timely birdie at the par-4 13th to regain his two-stroke lead The back nine separated McKenzie from his chasers on Sunday to secure his first win in the NextGen Championship series playing six of the nine hardest holes on the property at one-under par and taking advantage of the tournament’s most scorable conditions.   “It means a lot to me,” commented McKenzie on his win Sunday at his home course “All the hard work I put is paying off so just keep doing what I’m doing Coming from behind is obviously great,” he added.   The win is a long time coming for McKenzie at his home NextGen Championship after finishing back-to-back years in the top ten of the leaderboards including a T3 finish in 2024 at Summerland Golf & Country Club in Summerland His final round four-under 66 is his best performance at the tournament and grants him automatic exemption into the 2025 Canadian Junior Boys Championship set to take place Aug 11-15 at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst getting the win this week is pretty big in the right direction.”   NextGen Pacific Championship – Advancing to 2025 Canadian Junior Boys Championship  NextGen Pacific Championship – Advancing to 2025 Canadian Junior Girls Championship  The circuit continues next week at Black Bear Ridge Golf & Resort in Belleville for the playing of the NextGen Ontario Championship Practice rounds will get underway on Wednesday followed by 54-holes of golf set to kick off on Thursday May 8 and wrap up on Saturday For the final leaderboards from the NextGen Pacific Championship, please click here.   About the NextGen Championships  The NextGen Championships are a high-performance junior golf series which totals six competitions six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2024 national championships NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf I understand I can unsubscribe at any time Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application She was the daughter of Robert James Grabenstein and Ruth Virginia (McCormick) Grabenstein Frostburg; and one daughter Laura Ashley (McKenzie) Pingatore and husband Nicholas of Frederick  Linda graduated from Beall High School in 1972 graduated from Allegany Community College’s nursing program She would spend the next 44 years of her life dedicated to helping others as a nurse and administrator Linda served several different roles in Allegany County throughout her lifetime Beginning as staff and Intensive Care (ICU) nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital then moving to home health care nursing & team leadership with Sacred Heart/Western Maryland Health System She next transitioned to community health and wellness at Allegany Health & Rehabilitation Center Linda’s greatest pleasure in life was spending time with her close friends and neighbors Whether it was annual trips with “The Ya-Ya’s,” monthly dinners with “The Coney’s,” casual conversations with Braddock Estates neighbors or much anticipated lunches with best friends from high school  A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday Interment will be in Saint Michael’s Cemetery Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors By | April 28 Triston McKenzie has passed through waivers unclaimed. He has accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus. Tim Stebbins of MLB.com was among those to pass along the news Cleveland designated McKenzie for assignment last week That the right-hander cleared waivers points to how far his stock has fallen as he’s battled injuries over the past couple seasons McKenzie is a former top prospect who seemed to break out as a high-end starter in 2022 He posted a 2.96 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning over 31 appearances three years ago He seemed to be a mid-rotation arm at the very least with a chance to develop into a #1 or #2 starter that’s not how things have played out A teres major strain in his shoulder shelved him for a couple months to begin the season He returned in June but quickly suffered a UCL sprain in his throwing elbow McKenzie avoided surgery but did not return until the final week of the season Hopes for a rebound last year did not materialize McKenzie’s fastball velocity dropped to a career-low 91.1 MPH Opponents blitzed him for a 5.11 ERA across 16 starts and he spent the second half of the season on optional assignment to Columbus The results weren’t any better in the minors as he allowed 5.23 earned runs per nine while walking almost 14% of his opponents That was his final minor league option season Cleveland signed him to a $1.95MM arbitration contract in November That indicated they had some hope that he could turn things around as his out-of-options status meant he’d need to stick on the active roster or be exposed to waivers He worked out of the bullpen through the season’s first few weeks McKenzie’s average fastball speed has jumped closer to 94 MPH in short stints but neither the command nor the results were there He allowed seven runs on as many hits through 5 1/3 innings He walked seven batters and threw three wild pitches while recording just four strikeouts McKenzie has between three and five years of major league service time That means he could decline an outright assignment but would have needed to forfeit the approximate $1.6MM remaining on his salary to test free agency The 29 other teams all passed on a chance to add him to their big league roster suggesting he probably would’ve been limited to minor league offers if he hit the market That made accepting the assignment to Columbus an obvious call He’ll try to work his way back onto Stephen Vogt’s staff and would become a minor league free agent at the end of the season if the Guards don’t call him up before then Cleveland Guardians Transactions Funny the little kids on here were acting like teams would be lining up for his services I hope you posted your big prediction before this happened but I wasn’t gonna be shocked if someone took a chance on him He’s been bad for too long and has no options so you have to hope he figures it out quick and he’s not super cheap You act like it’s asinine for people to expect teams to want him When we just saw the brewers give up a significant overpay for Quinn Priester not to long ago It’s obvious McKenzie is not the same pitcher but I thought at least the White Sox would take a flier cr4: He’s EXACTLY the type of player the Sox sign: Cheap and useless I would say don’t be so butt hurt by differing opinions If he accepts the reality that he will not be a starter any time soon and focuses on being a two pitch relief arm I’m guessing you need to eat quite a few Hiflew – asking if a skinny guy finally ate a sandwich is hilarious but asking a fat guy if he eats too many sandwiches is terribly unfunny the only difference is that one was pointed at you and it seemed to strike a nerve Except he is clearly skinny and I am not fat I guess I am far more stupid than fat because I choose to spend my time in conversation with the likes of you Maybe you’ll enjoy your time here a bit more if you show up with thoughtful intelligent comments Or maybe you should leave and go eat a sandwich I wonder if he would consider getting TJS now I wonder if it’s the shoulder that’s impacting his preformence than the elbow Either way should have definitely got the surgery in hindsight Given that he has been pitching (albeit not well) I’m gonna take a wild guess that his UCL is no longer damaged and he doesn’t need the surgery And as easy as it is for us to say that he should’ve just had the surgery in the first place we need to acknowledge that the doctor(s) felt at the time that he was better off rehabbing the injury instead of having surgery The Guards were lucky he didn’t accept when they offered him an extension in 2022 It was 2023 spring training it was 5 minutes from signing extension He got hurt and extension was pulled off table by the front office That certainly seemed like the most likely outcome but hopefully it ends up being the best for him It really doesn’t seem like he is in a spot where being on a major league roster is going to help get him back on track Reading the article the poor kid has had the kids of death with injuries in 2023 No one freaking talks about it but true shoulder injuries always apparent to be something pitchers can’t bounce back from which prob contributed to his elbow injuries by overcompensating with poor machanics And now he’s fighting his arm to keep him in the show as long as possible The Braves are all too familiar with guys recently that had all the potential but shoulder injuries really changed their trajectory Ian Anderson has been fighting shoulder stuff for a while now but can’t over come the lingering shoulder issues Even Mike Soroka to a degree fits that bill Now Mike had other freak injuries that played a bigger factor but he has had lingering elbow issues also I just cringe when I hear shoulder issues guys come back strong as ever and yea it sucks cause they will be out for like 18 months but they come back to a true picture of their old self Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website When you have experienced the loss of a loved one you can trust us to guide you through the arrangements necessary to create a meaningful time 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Upgrade now. the attention that he is receiving from MLB scouts his quest for a state championship with Corinth Holders and where he has grown the most as a player Healthy McKenzie channels lessons from tough '24February 21st -- He was there in Progressive Field’s lower bowl his 6-foot-5 frame an exclamation mark that gave him away in that sea of red-clad dots There would be no anonymity for when he attended two of the Guardians’ home playoff games last October “I wasn't really happy about being in the stands,” McKenzie says now Had things gone as McKenzie intended in 2024, he would have been out there -- as a key member of the Guardians’ rotation in their return to October, two years after his terrific pitching helped punch their ticket to the 2022 ALDS That’s where McKenzie spent the rest of the season. So all he could do was watch as his boys beat the Tigers in the ALDS and advanced to the ALCS against the Yankees the stands are not where McKenzie aspires to be It’s a new season now, and it begins Saturday with the opening of Cactus League play at Goodyear Ballpark against the Reds the 27-year-old McKenzie will be where he’d rather be: on the mound In his bullpen and live BP sessions on the back fields McKenzie (who trained at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida over the winter) has been up to 95 mph with his fastball -- an enticing sign for a player who is out of Minor League options and whose every outing will be monitored closely as he tries to reclaim the rotation spot he lost in 2024 “He finally had a healthy offseason for the first time in a while,” manager Stephen Vogt said His reflections on last year are just incredibly mature Just to see where he is today versus a year ago and we're excited to see what Triston can do.” McKenzie is more focused on the glove pop than the potential elbow pop a nuanced sport where you have to do one thing very well over and over and over I felt like last year I was doing six different things as opposed to just focusing on what made me really good trusting that the one thing that we’re doing is the thing that’s going to work instead of bouncing between a bunch of different ideas.” It was a bit surprising that McKenzie himself didn’t bounce back to the Majors in the second half last year There were needs and opportunities in the rotation throughout the Guardians’ season so the club could have brought him back into the fold even for a spot start if it felt he was well-positioned for such an assignment he stayed with the Clippers and put his work in “What kind of kept me focused throughout everything was reminding myself that the work we’re putting in down there isn’t useless,” McKenzie said “[Returning to the Majors] wasn’t something I needed to worry about Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Now that it is “next year,” McKenzie hopes to seize the moment -- and the rotation spot -- that allows him to be a postseason participant instead of a spectator. “I think last year we were kind of hurting for starters in terms of consistency,” he said. “Tanner [Bibee] did a great job, and that’s what I’m trying to provide this year, just being able to go out there and hopefully be a guiding force.” the right-handed pitcher had an injury-filled 2023 season and an underwhelming 2024 campaign and hasn't looked like the same pitcher since These struggles ultimately led to McKenzie being designated for assignment by the Cleveland Guardians The organization announced on Monday night that McKenzie had cleared waivers and has accepted his outright assignment to join the Columbus Clippers (Triple-A) Triston McKenzie has cleared waivers and accepted his outright to Triple-A Columbus But in four games out of the bullpen during the 2025 season McKenzie posted an 11.15 ERA and a 2.47 WHIP Sticks recorded a 5.11 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP in 16 starts before being sent to the minors for the remainder of the year McKenzie was out of options entering the 2025 season so it was a make-or-break situation for the former standout pitcher there were some questions about whether another team would take a flier on the right-handed pitcher the Guardians are still able to keep him in the organization and have a chance to help McKenzie work through his struggles Cleveland Guardians Triston McKenzie (24) throws a pitch in the first inning of a Cactus League game between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians / Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThe Guardians still have one of baseball's best pitching development departments and McKenzie still has some encouraging underlying statistics with his fastball velocity Cleveland can work with the 28-year-old to be a productive league pitcher again whether that's in the bullpen or as a starter MORE: Guardians Promote Power-Hitting Prospect To Next Level MORE: Guardians Add Fresh Arm To Bullpen In Latest Roster Moves MORE: Guardians' Polarizing All-Star Trade Was Clearly the Right Move MORE: Three Guardians Prospects Performing At An Elite Level Right Now MORE: Takeaways From Cleveland Guardians Series Loss vs. Boston Red Sox TOMMY WILD Photo by: Mark MincolelliMcKenzie Blake Named One Of 25 Tewaaraton Nominees April 17 is poised for improved operational efficiency thanks to the official opening of its new $16-million matron’s quarters which will see the matron assigned to the facility residing on the compound three-bedroom residential unit was handed over last Thursday by Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie who noted that Hanover is only the second parish in Jamaica that can boast of having a matron’s quarters as its infirmary In an address during the ribbon-cutting ceremony McKenzie said the new housing unit forms a part of a series of improvements that have been taking place at that infirmary over recent years He noted that the aim was to improve the living condition of the more than 60 residents and staff at the facility In outlining the scope of the improvement work that has taken place at the facility in recent times McKenzie pointed to the construction and equipping of a new kitchen area Speaking specifically to the new matron’s quarters McKenzie said the expenditure was justified considering the difference the matron’s quarters would make to the operations at the infirmary “Some people would ask why would you spend $16 million to build a matron’s quarters one of the provisions that is embodied in the Poor Relief Act is that the matron must be on 24 hours call,” said McKenzie in noting that constructing the matron’s quarters was to meet the specified requirement While noting that the Hanover Infirmary is one of the smallest in the country this infirmary is in the top three,” said McKenzie in praising the dedication and commitment of the staff As it relates to future projects at the infirmary McKenzie said the next target is to do some improvement work on the facility’s laundry that we are going to be providing over $7.5 million to carry out extensive repairs on the laundry which should complete a circle of improvement at this Hanover infirmary,” he stated noting that he would be making a further announcement in his upcoming Sectoral Debate presentation editorial@gleanerjm.com View the discussion thread. A former two-time American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, earning the honor under Frost during his first stint at UCF in 2017, Milton led the Black and Gold to a 27-6 overall record as the starter under center and led the Knights to two AAC Championships and consecutive New Year’s Six Bowl Games. “I'm beyond excited to be back in Orlando and part of the UCF family once again," Milton said. "UCF holds such a special place in my heart, and to return as quarterbacks coach is truly an honor. I couldn’t be more excited to work alongside Coach Frost, who has been such a pivotal figure in my career. “I can't wait to help develop the next generation of Knights and build on the incredible tradition of success we've established here at UCF. Charge On!" Milton joins the Knights following two seasons as an offensive analyst at Tennessee, helping the Volunteers compile a 10-2 record this season and earn a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. A native of Kapolei, Hawaii, Milton threw for 8,683 yards and 72 touchdowns during his time in a UCF uniform. His 9,761 yards of total offense rank third in program record books. He was responsible for 92 touchdowns and owned a 61.8 completion percentage, the sixth best in program history. Milton enjoyed an historic 2017 National Championship campaign to lead the Knights to a perfect 13-0 season, highlighted by a victory over Auburn in the Peach Bowl. He set UCF single-season program records for passing yards (4,037) and passing touchdowns (37). He ranked in the top 10 nationally in both statistics, finishing fourth in passing TDs and seventh in passing yards. Additionally, he was second in passing efficiency with a 179.3 mark and ninth in passing yards per game (310.5) in 2017. Milton was fourth in the country in total offense, averaging 357.7 total yards per game. Milton was named the winner of the 2017 Touchdown Club of Columbus Archie Griffin Award.  The award, named for the Ohio State football legend and only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, is the only nationally-recognized award presented at the conclusion of all bowl games and represents college football's Most Valuable Player for the entire season. Following the 2018 season, Milton finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting and was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He passed for 2,663 yards with 25 touchdowns and was a semifinalist for the Maxwell, Walter Camp and Davey O’Brien Award. Milton finished the regular season ranked third nationally in passing yards per completion (15.57) and ninth in passing efficiency (161.0). After suffering a major injury in 2018, Milton made his return to the field in 2020 and earned the 2021 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year. Milton earned his undergraduate degree from UCF in sport and exercise science in December 2019 before completing a master's degree in educational leadership in May 2022. ShopLas Vegas Aces Forbes spent her freshman season (2018-19) at California-Berkeley before transferring to Harvard. After sitting out 2019-20 due to transfer rules and the cancelation of 2020-21 due to COVID, the Folsom, Calif., native debuted for the Crimson in 2021-22, earning All-Ivy League Second Team honors. Following a senior season which saw her average 13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, Forbes transferred to the University of Southern California for the 2023-24 season. During her graduate season, Forbes led the Trojans to their first Pac-12 Tournament championship and scored 26 points in the title game to garner the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honors. She was named to the 2024 All-Pac 12 Team after averaging 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting .374 from three. After being waived by the Sparks at the end of training camp in 2024, Forbes went on to play professionally in Australia and New Zealand. She most recently played for Mainland Pouakai of New Zealand’s Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa, averaging 18.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals over 13 games. Dallas Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Curt Miller was the Sparks Head Coach at the time Forbes was drafted by LA, while Wings Head Coach Chris Koclanes was on the USC staff during her time with the Trojans. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website At some point along the way last season he struggled to locate the ball to a pretty extreme degree in 2024 everything seemed to miss the plate or find the middle of it It wasn't always trending in the wrong direction. At one point in May, he had lowered his ERA to 3.23 He appeared to be heading for a terrific season He failed to reach the fifth inning in his final three starts By the time he was optioned to Triple-A in an effort to allow him to work on his delivery and command without the pressures of a major league setting he led the American League in both home runs allowed (19) and walks (49) Once his delivery began to fall out of sync There's sort of a rhythm or a flow or whatever that case is and I think a majority of pitching is finding what your tempo is finding that pace and extending it into your bullpens and your games." Top 5: Cleveland Guardians top 5 prospects ranking, who to watch in 2025 spring training McKenzie and the team's pitching department continued to search for answers with his delivery They found a disconnection between his lower and upper halves It was almost as if a car transmission was misfiring "I thought last year I was moving very stagnantly but feeling like I was just caught up over the rubber a lot," McKenzie said "My goal going into the offseason and into this year is really just to use my lower half to move down the mound just try to sync and time everything up because from a health standpoint and an intensity standpoint Guardians Opening Day starting rotation options include Triston McKenzieMcKenzie had a 3.68 ERA entering 2023 and was in line to be the No he's dealt with a series of injuries and inconsistency He's now fighting for a spot in the 2025 starting rotation Because of McKenzie's injuries in 2023 and command issues in 2024 — the two could be linked considering the disjointed offseason he had between them — the Guardians coaching staff is effectively wiping all of it away and starting anew in spring camp "I think it's a clean slate," manager Stephen Vogt said "You go off of what you know about him from last year but you want to give him an opportunity to have that clean slate … We never really saw the best version of Triston he has an opportunity for a rebound in 2025 — if he can rediscover his rhythm and return to the top form that made him a rotation regular.