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Ravens claim WR Johnson; could yield extra pick

The Ravens' surprising waiver claim for journeyman Diontae Johnson could result in an additional draft pick for Baltimore.
Johnson, who was waived by Baltimore earlier this season, was claimed by the Ravens one day after the wide receiver was waived by the Houston Texans, it was announced Wednesday.
Johnson won't officially move to the Ravens until Feb. 10 -- the day after the Super Bowl. He qualifies as an unrestricted free agent. By claiming him, the Ravens will have a chance at earning a compensatory selection for the 2026 draft depending on the contract Johnson signs in free agency.
The Ravens have been the best in the NFL in accumulating compensatory picks, earning a league-high 56 of them since the system began in 1994. Baltimore has used comp picks to select the likes of fullback Kyle Juszczyk, punter Sam Koch and tight end Isaiah Likely.
Johnson was waived by the Texans on Tuesday, and sources told ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime that Johnson had asked for his release. The receiver was visibly upset in the locker room after the Texans' wind-card playoff victory against the Chargers, sitting fully dressed at his locker and staring in frustration because of a lack of playing time and targets.
"Unfortunately, with Diontae, it didn't work out," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Tuesday. "We're on to the Chiefs."
Johnson had three catches for 24 yards in two games with Houston after the Texans claimed Johnson off waivers from the Ravens on Dec. 23. Baltimore had moved on from the receiver after he refused to enter a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 1.
Before the Ravens waived Johnson, they suspended him one game for his refusal to play against the Eagles. Baltimore had acquired him in a trade with the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 29, but he played only 39 snaps for the team, catching one pass for 6 yards.
The Panthers acquired Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers before the season. He had 30 catches for 257 yards and three touchdowns for Carolina when he left for the Ravens.
The Steelers drafted Johnson in the third round of the 2019 draft, and he had 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns in Pittsburgh. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 with his lone 1,000-yard season and a career-high eight touchdown receptions in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's final year.
ESPN's Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.
OKC's Hartenstein (calf strain) out at least week

Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein will miss Thursday's matchup of the two teams with the NBA's best records because of a left soleus strain, the team announced.
According to the Thunder, Hartenstein suffered the injury during Tuesday's win over the Philadelphia 76ers and will be reevaluated in approximately one week.
The 33-6 Thunder face the 34-5 Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in Oklahoma City, a rematch of the Cavaliers' Dec. 8 home win that snapped the Thunder's 15-game winning streak.
It will be the second stretch this season that the Thunder do not have either of their 7-footers. Oklahoma City went 3-2 during the span between Chet Holmgren suffering a fractured pelvis and Hartenstein making his season debut, which was delayed by a fractured left hand.
Holmgren, who was injured in the first half of Oklahoma City's Nov. 10 loss to the Golden State Warriors, has begun doing simple basketball activities such as spot shooting as he gradually ramps up to his return.
Hartenstein, who signed a three-year, $87 million contract last summer in free agency to join the Thunder, is averaging career highs of 11.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 blocks.
Oklahoma City has a 22-2 record when Hartenstein plays.
Sources: Suns get Richards in trade with Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are trading center Nick Richards and a second-round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns for forward Josh Okogie and three second-round picks, sources told ESPN.
The Hornets are sending a 2025 Denver second-rounder to Phoenix, which trades a 2026 Nuggets second-rounder and 2031 second-rounders (Denver, Phoenix) to Charlotte, sources said.
The Suns, who rank last in the NBA in points from their starting center, land much-needed help at the position with the 7-foot Richards, who is averaging 8.9 points and 7.5 rebounds in 21 games this season, his fifth with the Hornets.
Richards has been even more productive in his nine starts this season, averaging 11.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in those contests. He's shot 65% from the field over the last four seasons, fifth-best in the NBA during that span (min. 800 attempts), according to ESPN Research.
The Hornets have accumulated significant draft capital over the last year, acquiring two first-round picks and eight second-round picks in trades since January 2024. They'll also receive a look at a defensive-minded wing in Okogie, who, like Richards, has a team-friendly non-guarantee for the 2025-26 season.
Richards is expected to compete to become the starter at center for the Suns, who have primarily played Mason Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro in recent weeks. Veteran center Jusuf Nurkic is currently sidelined due to the flu, but was moved to the bench for back-to-back games on Jan. 6-7 before being taken out of Phoenix's rotation completely.
Richards, coincidentally, played his last two games for the Hornets against the Suns. He posted 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes in the Hornets' 115-104 win over the Suns on Jan. 7 and then had four points, five rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes in a loss Sunday.
ESPN's Bobby Marks contributed to this report.
D-backs have 'potential' for title run with Burnes

PHOENIX -- Even though it had been nearly three weeks since ace right-hander Corbin Burnes had agreed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a $210 million, six-year deal, it was still a little stunning to see him in the team's jersey at Chase Field on Wednesday.
The D-backs usually aren't among baseball's big spenders.
For Arizona owner Ken Kendrick, the four-time All-Star and 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner was a worthy investment. A slight hometown discount might have been a factor, too.
"We have the potential to be a championship team," Kendrick said. "Our job is to try and do everything we can to put the best team on the field possible that we can afford. We're stretching the budget. It won't be the last time."
The move keeps the Diamondbacks competitive in a loaded NL West that includes the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers - who won last year's World Series - and the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. Arizona has reason to be confident it can be successful after making it all the way to the World Series in 2023.
The D-backs won 89 games last season but missed the postseason after losing a tiebreaker to the New York Mets. Arizona had a payroll of roughly $143 million opening-day payroll last season, which ranked in the middle of MLB.
"We're looking to push forward, to put the best team possible on the field this year and beyond," Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said. "There's no better way to do that than to add a No. 1 starting pitcher to the top of your rotation.
"We know that's what wins in the postseason and we know that's what gets you to the postseason."
The 30-year-old Burnes - who is originally from California - moved to Arizona in 2018 when he played for the Milwaukee Brewers, partially so he could be close to the Brewers' spring training facility. He and his family liked the area so much they stayed, and it was a big factor in his decision to sign with the Diamondbacks.
Burnes played his first six seasons with the Brewers before his one and only season with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024. He had plenty of success, finishing 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA.
But the franchise's East Coast location was never a great fit for his family life. The pitcher would constantly fly back home to Arizona in between starts and he nearly missed the birth of his twins in June because of plane trouble.
Now he'll spend most of the year near home.
"When we heard this could be an opportunity, we got really excited," Burnes said. "This is something you dream about - what happens if the Diamondbacks call? We had to take it. We were fortunate they were interested."
The righty joins a starting rotation that could be one of the best in baseball. The D-backs bring back All-Star Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt, who have all enjoyed big league success.
Burnes said he realized the D-backs were one of the game's up-and-coming teams in 2023. He pitched well against Arizona early in the year but was knocked around later in the season as the team's young core improved. Manager Torey Lovullo focused on speed, defense and pitching, putting pressure on opposing teams with their aggressive demeanor.
"They're playing a different style of baseball and I think we're starting to see that around the league," Burnes said. "But to me, the Diamondbacks were the first team to do that. They've drafted well, developed well. I'm happy to be a part of it."
The D-backs hope the Burnes deal works out better than many of their recent forays into the free agent pitching market.
Lefty Madison Bumgarner signed an $85 million, five-year deal before the 2020 season but lasted just 3 1/2 disappointing seasons before getting released in 2023. Last year's big money deals for Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery were also duds, with both pitchers battling ineffectiveness, injuries or both.
But Hazen wasn't scared to dive back into the free-agent pitcher market, especially when Burnes was an option.
"You might as well go do another job if we're going to be scared about bringing in a guy of this caliber," Hazen said.
SS Peña, 17, nets $5 million bonus in Mets deal

NEW YORK -- Elian Peña, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic who turned 17 in October, agreed to a $5 million bonus with the New York Mets on Wednesday that was the largest amount on the first day of the 2025 international signing period.
Peña was rated the No. 3 prospect in the international class for this year by MLB.com behind Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who must agree to a deal by Jan. 23, and Dominican shortstop Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, who agreed with the San Francisco Giants to $2,997,500.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, all hoping to sign Sasaki, did not finalize any contracts with bonuses of more than $10,000, which count against their signing bonus pools. Just half of the 30 teams finalized deals of more than $10,000 in the opening hours of the signing period.
Dominican outfielder Cris Rodriguez, ranked fourth, signed with the Detroit Tigers for $3,197,500, and Andrew Salas, a shortstop and outfielder ranked fifth, signed with the Miami Marlins for $3.7 million. Salas was born in the U.S. and moved to Venezuela.
Hoping to become a two-way player just like Shohei Ohtani, 18-year-old Shotaro Morii made the rare decision to bypass Japanese professional baseball entirely and agreed with the Athletics at $1,510,500.
Other agreements included Dominican infielder Johan De Los Santos and the Pittsburgh Pirates ($2.25 million), Venezuelan catcher Gabriel Davalillo and the Los Angeles Angels ($2 million), Venezuelan infielder Brayan Cortesia and the Washington Nationals ($1.92 million), Dominican infielder Darell Morel and Pittsburgh ($1,778,600), Venezuelan infielder Leon Santiago and the Minnesota Twins ($1,697,500), Dominican outfielder Maykel Coret and the Tampa Bay Rays ($1.6 million), Venezuelan outfielder Breyson Guedez and the Athletics ($1.5 million), Dominican outfielder Elian De La Cruz and the Arizona Diamondbacks ($1.1 million), Dominican shortstop Christopher Acosta and the Milwaukee Brewers ($1.1 million), Dominican infielder Raymer Medina and Tampa Bay ($1.1 million), Venezuelan catcher Daniel Hernandez and Washington ($1.1 million) and Dominican infielder Warel Solano and Tampa Bay ($1.05 million).
Players born from Sept. 1, 2007, through Aug. 31, 2008, are eligible to sign during this year's period, which ends Dec. 15. Teams have signing bonus pools ranging from about $5.1 million to $7.6 million; signing bonuses of $10,000 and under don't count against a team's cap.
'Blessed' Djokovic breaks Federer record in Melbourne win

The victory also meant the Serb became the first man over the age of 30 to reach 150 Grand Slam singles wins.
Djokovic can make further history still in Melbourne - win the title and he would claim a 25th major, moving him clear of Australia's Margaret Court as the sole leader of all-time Grand Slam singles titles.
The seventh seed, who has three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in his coaching box, will face Czech 26th seed Tomas Machac in the third round.
Norwegian sixth seed Casper Ruud became the biggest casualty in the men's draw, losing 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 to 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik.
World number 48 Mensik and Joao Fonseca, the 18-year-old Brazilian qualifier who stunned ninth seed Andrey Rublev on Tuesday, are the first teenagers to beat top-10 opponents at the same Grand Slam since Djokovic and Murray at Wimbledon in 2006.
Meanwhile, German second seed Alexander Zverev claimed an assured 6-1 6-4 6-1 victory over Spain's Pedro Martinez to set up a third-round meeting with Britain's Jacob Fearnley.
'Like a football match' - Dart wants more crowd respect

Britain's Harriet Dart said the atmosphere during her Australian Open second-round defeat was "like a football match" and called for greater "respect" from fans.
Lucky loser Dart, who only discovered she had a place in this year's main draw one hour before her opening match on Monday, took the first set against Croatia's 18th seed Donna Vekic but was beaten 4-6 6-0 6-2.
Dart's issue with the court 14 crowd came on a day when rowdy supporter behaviour fell under the spotlight amid other incidents at Melbourne Park.
"I felt like I was at a football match. Obviously it's great to have lots of people there watching and everything but I also think there has to be respect towards both players," said Dart, 28.
"I think a few people were about to be kicked out. I can only really compare it to the Billie Jean King Cup and I don't even think I've had it be like that before.
"I think [the umpire] did as best as she could - maybe there should be a stricter policy in terms of if people are doing something, if they do it more than once they are out, but I don't make those rules."
Dart had struck the first blow in the deciding set before world number 19 Vekic won five straight games to complete her victory.
Elsewhere, the chair umpire had to make several appeals for respect towards the players during Jack Draper's match against Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis on John Cain Arena.
The home crowd attempted to unsettle Draper throughout the four-and-a-half hour contest, but the British number one said the "electric atmosphere" gave him energy and he responded by cupping his ear to the crowd on several occasions.
Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime's match against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was moved from court eight because the players complained about the noise coming from neighbouring courts.
Boisterous French crowds gathered to watch Arthur Cazaux against Britain's Jacob Fearnley on court six, which has a bar, and on court three, where Ugo Humbert was facing Lebanon's Hady Habib.
"I actually didn't really look at the court before I went on, so when I saw the bar I was thinking it's going to be a pretty rowdy atmosphere," said Fearnley.
"I blocked it out as much as I could. Obviously there was some supporters who were extremely drunk, but it was a great atmosphere, amazing atmosphere."
Draper wins thriller to join Fearnley in third round

Barely anyone outside of British tennis circles had heard of Fearnley this time last year.
While eyes were on the pinnacle of sport at Melbourne Park, he was playing events on the third-tier ITF Tour and still finishing his kinesiology degree in the United States.
Last April he left Texas Christian University and then came the stunning rise which has been one of the quickest in ATP history.
Winning five ATP Challenger events in 2024 propelled him into the top 100 and enabled him to qualify directly for this year's Australian Open main draw.
Like every other test he has faced over recent months, he has not been fazed by the experience.
After beating 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios in front of a partisan home crowd on Monday, Fearnley might have been forgiven for thinking it would be a quieter evening on the outside courts.
But, with a vocal French support backing Cazaux and also galvanising the British fans, his college tennis experience helped him once again.
Fearnley trailed 2-0 before a rain delay and quickly went another break down when they returned to court an hour later in cool and windy conditions.
He lost serve again early in the second set, but immediately clawed the break back and swung the momentum in his favour.
His fluid and fast groundstrokes were too much for Cazaux to handle, enabling him to confidently win the final two sets before looking stunned when he clinched victory.
"I was extremely nervous at the end because I started hitting some double faults. I really didn't want to serve out the match," Fearnley said.
"When I did it was a little bit emotional."
ITTF Unveils Enhanced Racket Control Process

In a significant step toward promoting fairness and integrity in table tennis, the ITTF has announced an updated Racket Control process, set to be implemented progressively from 2025. Approved by the ITTF Council in February 2024, this enhanced procedure introduces a critical post-match inspection, complementing the existing pre-match checks.
Whats New?
The updated Racket Control process aims to address potential irregularities more effectively after the match, ensuring compliance with the ITTF Equipment Regulations.
Pre-Match Control:
- Rackets will be checked by designated racket testers for flatness, covering thickness, VOC levels, and conformity with the approved LARC list.
- Players whose rackets fail pre-match inspections may opt to switch to a compliant backup racket.
- In cases of uncertainty regarding compliance, players can either proceed with the questionable racket under the condition of post-match inspection or switch to a second racket, which will undergo pre- or post-match control depending on timing.
Post-Match Control:
- A key addition to the process, post-match inspections will be conducted immediately after matches for rackets flagged during pre-match checks or deemed suspicious.
- With the referees permission and the players presence, the racket covering will be removed to allow direct examination of the blade and covering thickness.
- Final compliance decisions will be based on these meticulous inspections, ensuring no equipment irregularities go undetected.
Piloting the New Process
To prepare players and their teams for this transition, the ITTF conducted trial runs of the updated procedures at the Asian and European Table Tennis Championships in October 2024. During these events, random racket checks were carried out up to the quarterfinals, and comprehensive inspections using the new post-match methods were conducted from the quarterfinals onward. Players received feedback on potential reasons their equipment may have failed earlier tests, such as blade flatness issues impacting compliance measurements.
Implementation
In 2025, the updated Racket Control process will be introduced at a selected number of ITTF and WTT events, starting from beginning of the event (random check if the pre-controls result shows strong suspicious) but mandatory from quarterfinal stage.
The ITTFs enhanced Racket Control process reflects its unwavering commitment to fairness and transparency. By educating players and their entourages on the updated regulations, the ITTF ensures that all participants are equipped to meet the highest standards of compliance.
This development marks another milestone in the ITTFs ongoing efforts to safeguard the integrity of the sport, providing a level playing field for all athletes as they compete at the highest levels.

Gray, 30, is one of five second rows named by Townsend, alongside Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Marshall Sykes and Gregor Brown - but there is no place for Max Williamson as he returns to full fitness.
There is also a recall for hooker Dave Cherry, who has not been in a squad since making an early exit from the 2023 World Cup after being concussed when falling on stairs.
The return of the 34-year-old Edinburgh forward means another disappointment for Glasgow's try-scoring hooker Johnny Matthews.
Kyle Steyn is absent with a knee injury but could play a part in the later games in the championship so the back-three options are Blair Kinghorn, Duhan van der Merwe, Darcy Graham and Kyle Rowe.
Adam Hastings is injured, facilitating the call-up for Burke, who is one of three stand-offs in the pool along with Russell and another New Zealand-born playmaker, Tom Jordan.
Burke, who was understudy to All Blacks superstar Richie Mo'unga at Canterbury Crusaders and is also eligible for England, has leapfrogged Edinburgh pair Ross Thompson and Ben Healy to earn a place in the squad,
There are three scrum-halves in the squad - Ben White, George Horne and Jamie Dobie - while Tuipulotu is joined by four other centres - his regular midfield partner Huw Jones as well as Stafford McDowall, Matt Currie and Rory Hutchinson.
Flanker Andy Christie, a star of last year's Six Nations, and precocious back rower Freddy Douglas are both injured, while back-three option Harry Paterson has only just returned to fitness.
Scotland begin their campaign at home against Italy on 1 February, with defending champions Ireland the visitors to Murrayfield eight days later.
Scotland won twice in the 2024 Six Nations but lost tight games against France and Italy to finish fourth in the table.