After hitting his 41st home run of the season over the weekend, outfielder and team captain Aaron Judge has 298 career long balls. He is now just two homers away from becoming the 162nd player to join the 300 home run club.
What sets Judge apart, however, is how quickly he’s approaching the mark; he’s about to join the club far faster than anyone else.
According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, the four fastest players to hit 300 career homers are former Yankee and three-time AL MVP Alex Rodriguez (1,117 games), two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez (1,096), 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard (1,093), and Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner (1,087, the current record).
When Judge went yard on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was playing in his 945th career game. He will play his 947th game Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Angels; if Judge manages to hit two more homers in the Bronx Bombers’ remaining 49 games, he will become the first player ever to reach 300 career homers in less than 1,000 career games played. Considering Judge’s incredible play this season, it is extremely likely that he’ll surpass Kiner’s record in over 100 fewer games.
It is worth mentioning that Judge is steadily seeing fewer good pitches to hit, if he even gets to hit at all; on Sunday, the 6’7″ superhuman was intentionally walked three times in five plate appearances, something that teammate Juan Soto wasn’t a fan of. Even though Judge is so close to a milestone, his status as the most feared hitter in the league can make reaching the mark deceptively difficult, especially when pitchers actively try to avoid being attached to historic home runs.
The Yankees are currently in the middle of a nine-game homestand, which is their longest of the season; after taking two-of-three against the Blue Jays, they will host the Angels and Texas Rangers for three games each before beginning a six-game road trip. With Judge closing in on history, expect fans to come out in droves over the next six days.
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MLB
Red Sox player could make history in upcoming suspended game
Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen is positioned to make MLB history on Aug. 26, when his team finishes a suspended game against the Toronto Blue Jays. That date is when the Red Sox and Blue Jays are scheduled to finish playing a June 26 game that was suspended in the second inning due to weather.
The trick is that, at that point, Jansen was a member of the Blue Jays. In fact, he was even at the plate for Toronto at the time of the suspension. About a month later, Jansen was traded from the Blue Jays to the Red Sox. If Jansen were to enter the suspended game for Boston, it would make him the first player in known MLB history to play for both teams in the same game. Perhaps the best part? There is a plausible pathway to this happening. Reese McGuire, who was catching for Boston in that game, was designated for assignment after the Red Sox acquired Jansen.
Toronto will obviously have to pinch-hit for Jansen, but the Red Sox might have no choice but to insert Jansen as their catcher to finish off the game. Jansen is aware of the possibility, though he does not quite know the specifics. “I don’t even know how this works. I’ve heard about it a couple times,” Jansen said recently, via David Adler of MLB.com. “That’ll be funky, right?” It would be very funky, and there appears to be a real chance of it happening. Anyone who appreciates a good statistical oddity might want to mark their calendar for this one.
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NFL
Steelers Are 1 External Happening Away From Sending Dan Moore Jr. To A New City
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been involved in trade rumors throughout the 2024 offseason. The majority of them have involved the wide receiver position after General Manager Omar Khan dealt Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. Khan also made a move to bring in Justin Fields, while sending Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, as the regular season approaches, fans might remember that the head of the front office was active a year ago before the regular season kicked off.
He traded Kendrick Green to the Houston Texans and Kevin Dotson to the Los Angeles Rams. Khan proved with the moves that he does not feel obligated to keep players around that were drafted by Kevin Colbert. Fans could see more of this trend before the games that count begin. Pittsburgh has invested heavily in the offensive line in the last two drafts which could lead to a three-year starter becoming expendable in the comings weeks. More fuel was added to this fire during Tuesday’s practice, as rookie Troy Fautanu took all of the first-team reps at right tackle, while Broderick Jones and Dan Moore Jr. were splitting reps on the left side.
The Steelers aren’t going to bench Jones after he earned a starting spot halfway through his rookie campaign in 2023. Fautanu working with the first team on the right could imply that the organization is already coming close to benching Moore permanently. It makes sense to have your back-to-back first-round picks ready to start on the line in 2024. Moore has 49 starts under his belt in three seasons and would be welcomed on many rosters. He isn’t necessarily looked at as a swing tackle, but one injury during camp or a preseason game for another team could lead to interest in Moore.
The San Francisco 49ers also are having contractual issues with future Hall of Famer, Trent Williams. Moore would never replace him, but is a nice piece for the 49ers to have in case of injury or any kind of holdout. Ray Fittipaldo held a fan chat on Tuesday and echoed the sentiment that Moore could be benched sooner rather than later. A starting duo of Jones and Fautanu could be on the horizon. “I think Fautanu entering the starting lineup will happen much sooner than Broderick Jones last year. I think it still happens before the start of the regular season,” Fittipaldo wrote. If the pairing does end up being the team’s 2023 and 2024 first-round picks, it might be worth it for the Steelers to get something for Moore while they still can.
He will be a free agent after the 2024 campaign. It might not be imminent, but injuries are inevitable. If the wrong left tackle goes down anywhere throughout the league, Khan could make a call and offer up Moore’s services for an early day three pick in 2025. Steelers Unlikely To Re-Sign Moore In 2025 If He Isn’t Traded Based on Moore’s experience, he will be due for a relatively large contract in 2025 once free agency rolls around. Pittsburgh is clearly going in a different direction based on recent drafts, so a team making a move for Moore now could also act as a one-year tryout. There are a lot of options when it comes to the lineman, but the overall takeaway should be that Khan won’t be afraid to move him. If something unfortunate happens elsewhere, Moore could be gone rather quickly.
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NFL
Three must-draft wide receivers in fantasy football
The 2024 NFL season is rapidly approaching, which means fantasy football drafts are about to ramp up.
The wide receiver position has never been more important in fantasy than it is today. While it’s imperative to attack the position early in drafts, there are still plenty of talented wideouts available outside of the first two rounds. With that in mind, here are three wide receivers you shouldn’t leave your 12-team ESPN PPR fantasy draft without. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
The 25-year-old was one of the most disappointing selections in fantasy drafts last season. Even though the Dolphins boasted the second-highest scoring offense in the NFL, Waddle, who caught 72 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns, finished as the WR34 overall after being drafted as a top-12 wideout. However, missing three games due to injuries and Miami’s emergence of one of the league’s top rushing attacks played a significant role in Waddle’s lackluster fantasy output. While he still won’t be the No. 1 option in the Dolphins passing game, Waddle’s fantasy outlook for 2024 is extremely promising, especially for a player being drafted in the fourth round on ESPN.
On the surface, Waddle’s 2023 stats indicate he regressed considerably from 2022, though his per-game stats and underlying metrics suggest there shouldn’t be much cause for concern. On a points-per-game basis, Waddle finished as the WR21 last season (14.2 PPR ppg), which isn’t a dramatic decline from the 15.2 PPR points per game he averaged in 2022 when he finished as the WR8 overall. Additionally, Waddle ranked eighth among wideouts in yards per route run in 2023 with a career-high 2.52, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Dolphins should remain one of the NFL’s top passing offenses in 2024, and they could get into more shootouts after losing star DT Christian Wilkins in free agency, boosting their offensive players’ fantasy values. As one of the focal points of an elite passing offense, expect Waddle to bounce back in the touchdown department this season and, in turn, have a similar fantasy finish to his 2022 season. Tank Dell, Houston Texans Quarterback C.J. Stroud’s sensational 2023 rookie season made the Texans offense a surprise fantasy goldmine, producing breakout stars Nico Collins and Dell. After acquiring four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs earlier this offseason, Houston’s offense should be even more explosive in 2024, but its now crowded receiving corps presents a dilemma in fantasy drafts.
If you want to draft a piece of the Texans offense this season, prepare to pay a premium. As per ESPN’s draft rankings, Collins is ranked as the WR15 and No. 26 overall player in fantasy, whereas Diggs is coming off the board as the WR25 and No. 46 overall player. With the upgrades made to the receiving corps, it’s hard to imagine Collins replicating his 1,297-yard, eight-touchdown 2023 season in 2024 and living up to his fantasy price tag.
Not to mention, it’s unclear where the 30-year-old Diggs will find himself in the pecking order for targets or if he can rebound from the disappointing finish to last season. As a result, Dell — ESPN’s WR28 — is the best Texans wideout to target from a value perspective. Dell, a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, showed why Stroud asked Houston to select him, catching 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games as a rookie. From a points-per-game standpoint, Dell finished as the WR19 in PPR scoring formats.
He might not have the same massive spike weeks he had last season, but Dell should still have several outings with at least 20 PPR points, making him an ideal WR2 or FLEX in fantasy. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs Rice’s legal issues have forced him to fall dramatically down fantasy draft boards. The SMU product is facing eight charges due to his involvement in a multi-car accident in March. Rice was also a suspect in an assault that took place at a Dallas nightclub in May, though no charges were filed. In all likelihood, Rice will receive a multi-game suspension, but that doesn’t mean it will come this season.
Last month, Chiefs HC Andy Reid told reporters that he hadn’t “heard anything” regarding a potential Rice suspension. Considering the first civil suit against Rice will begin trial on Dec. 9 (h/t KMBC 9 News), it’s possible Rice won’t be disciplined by the NFL until 2025. We saw a similar situation unfold with Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who was suspended for the first three games of last season due to his February 2022 battery arrest. Unless his situation changes before your fantasy draft, Rice, who was the WR4 overall from Week 12 to the end of last season, should be a target in the late seventh round. While Rice faces competition for targets from new additions Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy, he should still be the top wideout on an offense with the potential to be the NFL’s best.
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NFL
Chiefs agree to record-setting extension with specialist
One item from the Chiefs’ remaining extension to-do list has been checked off. Kansas City has reached an agreement to make Harrison Butker the league’s highest-paid kicker, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds this pact will be four years in length and carry a value of $25.6M. $17.75M of that total is guaranteed. Butker was set to enter the final year of his pact, but Monday’s move means he will be tied to Kansas City through the 2028 campaign. Kansas City’s top extension priorities have been laid out, with general manager Brett Veach naming center Creed Humphrey, right guard Trey Smith and linebacker Nick Bolton as players he hopes to keep in place beyond 2024.
It remains to be seen what happens with the members of that trio, but in any case, Butker’s Chiefs tenure will continue for the foreseeable future. The 29-year-old entered the league as a Panthers seventh-rounder in 2017, but his only appearances have come with Kansas City. Butker sports an accuracy rate of 89.1 percent on field-goal attempts and a 94.5 percent mark on extra points. This new pact carries an annual average value of $6.4M, which moves Butker ahead of Justin Tucker in the position’s pecking order.
The Ravens All-Pro and the Eagles’ Jake Elliott were previously the only kickers attached to a $6M AAV. Butker led the NFL in attempts in 2017 and 2019, topping the league in made field goals during the latter campaign. The Georgia Tech alum has demonstrated his leg strength on a number of occasions and his 62-yarder in 2022 was the longest made field goal in the NFL. His accuracy rate that season (75 percent) was the lowest of his career, but he rebounded last year by going 33-for-35 in the regular season. Butker also made all 19 of his playoff kicks.
The Chiefs have been the league’s elite on offense during much of the Patrick Mahomes era with the future Hall of Fame quarterback obviously being at the heart of that success. Butker has played his part by remaining consistent throughout his career, though, achieving an accuracy rate of at least 88.9 percent on field goals in six of his seven seasons. He was due to receive $3.84M in 2024 on his previous deal, but now he has a raise and long-term security in hand.