Braves land Joey Bart from Pirates

The Atlanta Braves acquired catcher Joey Bart from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton on Thursday night.

Atlanta made room for Bart on the 40-man roster by designating catcher Sandy León for assignment. The Pirates assigned Stratton to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Bart was batting .259 with two homers, six RBIs and a .670 OPS in 21 games with Pittsburgh. He grew up in the Atlanta suburbs and played college ball in the city at Georgia Tech before being selected second overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2018 amateur draft.

Garcia out 6-8 months

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Adolis García will undergo surgery to repair a torn lat and could be sidelined for six-to-eight months, the team announced Thursday.

García is expected to be ready for the start of the 2027 campaign.

The 33-year-old exited a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 10 with a pulled muscle in his right shoulder. He was later determined to have a tear, and Philadelphia subsequently put him on the 60-day injured list.

Babcock gets NHL clearance to return

The NHL announced Thursday that it has concluded its investigation into Mike Babcock and cleared him to return to coaching in the league.

"The league has completed its review of Mike Babcock's tenure in Columbus, and of certain alleged conduct associated therewith," the NHL said in a statement. "Our investigation has concluded that, even in a light least favorable to Mr. Babcock, there is no current basis to restrict his employment in the league."

Alphonso Davies to join Team Canada

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch says captain Alphonso Davies is available to play in his team's World Cup match against Qatar on Thursday.

Marsch provided the update to reporters, including TSN's Matthew Scianniti, following Canada's training session Wednesday. He added that the state of the game will dictate whether Davies sees the field at Vancouver Stadium.

Davies hasn't played since suffering the latest in a series of hamstring injuries with Bayern Munich in early May. He wasn't among the substitutes for Canada's 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in the co-host's tournament opener, but since Marsch named his squad, the coach has been clear that he expects the star left-back to feature at some point during the competition.

Home Run Derby to ditch the clock format

For the first time in over a decade, the Home Run Derby is changing formats.

Major League Baseball will ditch the timed setup it's used since 2015 and bring back limited swings for each participant at this year's event in Philadelphia.

Sluggers will reportedly be allowed to take 20 swings in the first round and 15 in the second round and final while trying to hit as many homers as possible.

Sabres trade Kesselring to Sharks

The Buffalo Sabres are moving up seven spots in the 2026 NHL Draft after trading defenseman Michael Kesselring to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.

The Sabres dealt Kesselring and the 27th overall pick to the Sharks for the No. 20 selection, the teams announced.

Buffalo acquired Kesselring and Josh Doan from the Utah Mammoth last offseason in exchange for JJ Peterka. Kesselring was widely considered the centerpiece of the return at the time, but his lone season with the Sabres didn't go as planned.

Trae Young may decline his player option

Washington Wizards guard Trae Young appears set to hit the market as he plans to decline his $48.97-million player option for next season.

The Wizards remain the front runner for Young's services, but the four-time All-Star expects to attract interest from multiple teams, Spears reports.

Brunson & Hart throw first pitch at Yankee Stadium

The New York Knicks’ victory tour following their first NBA championship since 1973 made another stop Wednesday night when Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart threw out ceremonial first pitches at Yankee Stadium.

Before the Yankees played the Chicago White Sox, Brunson and Hart were met with a standing ovation and loud cheers from fans as they took the field to a montage of highlights from the title run.

Standing in front of the mound and wearing Yankees pinstripes, Brunson made his toss to backup catcher J.C. Escarra while Hart threw to utilityman Max Schuemann.

Leafs hire Jim Hiller as next head coach

The Toronto Maple Leafs have tabbed Jim Hiller as their next head coach, the team announced Wednesday.

Hiller posted a 93-58-24 record as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings for parts of the last three campaigns before being fired in March. The Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 of the 2024 and 2025 playoffs under his guidance.

Messi all time scoring record

No man in history has scored more World Cup goals than Lionel Messi.

On the same night he became the first player to feature in six World Cups, the Argentina icon made an indelible mark on this summer's competition by recording the first World Cup hat-trick of his career in the Albiceleste's 3-0 win over Algeria on Tuesday.

The three goals moved him to 16 all time at the World Cup, level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose for the most in tournament history.