The Philadelphia 76ers announced that star center Joel Embiid is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery next week on his troublesome left knee.

Embiid will be reevaluated in six weeks and is expected to make a full recovery, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.

For the past several weeks, the 76ers and Embiid have been working toward a solution for the knee issues that have dogged him for more than a year and caused him to be ruled out for the season in late February. Those consultations with doctors and specialists ultimately led to the decision for Embiid to have surgery, with the hope being that he can get back to the level he had played at in prior seasons.

"The way I was playing a year ago is not the way I'm playing right now," Embiid said after a 124-104 loss to Boston back in February, shortly before he was shut down for the season. "It sucks. ... I probably need to fix the problem, and then I'll be back at that level. But it's hard to have trust when you're not yourself."

Embiid finished with averages of 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in just 19 games this season for Philadelphia, while never at any point showing the kind of form he had across the prior two seasons, when he won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in 2023 and was on pace to become the second player -- along with Wilt Chamberlain -- to average more points than minutes played in the 2023-24 season before Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga accidentally fell on his leg in a game in San Francisco in January 2024.

He had a procedure on his knee in February 2024 and returned in April ahead of the playoffs, where he averaged 33 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in what became a six-game loss to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs last spring.

Embiid then went on to play with Team USA in the Paris Olympics, though for much of the summer, he struggled outside of playing a significant role in Team USA's fourth-quarter comeback against Serbia in the tournament's semifinal game.

But after he and the team entered the season with championship aspirations, and with a plan to manage Embiid through the regular season by not playing him in back-to-back games, he then missed the beginning of the regular season for the 76ers after his knee didn't respond the way he hoped it would when he returned to the team. He eventually returned on Nov. 12 against the Knicks, playing four games before missing another couple of weeks, and then sat out for a month with both knee and foot issues in January 2025 before returning for his final stint of the season in February.

It has been a disastrous season for not just Embiid, but the 76ers as a whole. The team's prized free agent acquisition, Paul George, has also been shut down for the season and had his own struggles across the campaign, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 43% overall and 35% from 3-point range -- all significantly down from his numbers with the LA Clippers over the past couple of seasons.

Star guard Tyrese Maxey also struggled with his shooting, posting a career-low 43.7% mark overall and 33.7% from 3 -- his lowest number since his rookie year -- while playing in 52 games, and potentially being done for the season with his own set of ailments. And Jared McCain was easily the leading contender for Rookie of the Year when he suffered a torn meniscus in December and saw his season cut short by injury, as well.

Philadelphia's hope now will be that all of this losing will allow the 76ers to keep their first-round pick, which is top-six-protected in this year's NBA draft. If the pick remains in the top six, Philadelphia will keep it. If it is 7 to 30, it will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Al Horford-Danny Green swap five years ago.

Entering Thursday's home game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia has lost nine games in a row, 15 of its past 17 and 26 of its past 30 -- putting the 76ers in fifth place in the lottery standings, two games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets in sixth. That means two teams would, at least currently, have to jump the 76ers in the standings for Philadelphia to lose its pick, and the 76ers have a roughly 65% chance of keeping it.

The hope will be not only to hang onto that pick and add another young player with high upside to the roster, but also get the collection of injured players back next season, and once again attempt to be a team capable of being a factor in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Those hopes, however, will begin and end with Embiid's health, as he has four years and well over $200 million remaining on his contract with the 76ers.

ST. LOUIS -- When Ivan Herrera was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Panama, he was excited to join an organization that featured one of his idols, Yadier Molina.

On Wednesday, Herrera accomplished something that Molina never did -- nor Hall of Famer Ted Simmons or any other catcher in the Cardinals' 123-year history -- hitting three homers in St. Louis' 12-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

"In sports, I think this is the best moment of my career," Herrera said. "I've never hit three home runs in my career. Just doing it here in the big leagues to get us tied, to keep us going, it's a feeling I can't share right now."

Herrera hit a solo homer in the fourth inning off Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi. He took Kikuchi deep again in the sixth, a two-run shot that gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.

Herrera then made history in the eighth when he hit a 2-0 pitch from Brock Burke 425 feet into the third deck of the left-field stands for a three-run homer. He finished 3-for-4 with a walk and six RBIs.

"It's amazing doing something that's never been done before," Herrera said. "Growing up, I didn't have any money or anything. Being able to accomplish these things, it means a lot for me, for my family, for my country. We don't have that many people in the big leagues, but the people that get there do good things, so I'm just trying to keep it that way."

The 24-year-old is the fifth-youngest catcher in major league history to hit three homers in a game, and his 12 total bases broke the franchise record for a catcher of 10 that was most recently achieved by teammate Willson Contreras in 2024.

"That's amazing," Contreras said. "I think when you hit three homers in a game for the first time for a team, and, also, you help the team to win, I think it's the most important thing."

Herrera has not played a full season in the majors since making his debut on May 25, 2022, a week before his 22nd birthday. He is the Cardinals' regular catcher this season after the team moved Contreras to first base.

"He's a confident kid, regardless of how it's going," manager Oliver Marmol said. "He's hit his whole career, and he's doing it against some of the best here. No one knows what that ceiling looks like, but it's high."

Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte has agreed to a six-year, $116.5 million contract extension which begins this season, agent Charisse Dash told ESPN on Wednesday.

The deal, which runs through 2030 and includes a player option in 2031 for $11.5 million, replaces the five-year, $76 million contract that he signed in 2022. With incentives, the entire package for the new deal could be worth up to $149.5 million.

Marte, 31, is a cornerstone player for Arizona, finishing third in MVP voting last season after compiling a .932 OPS in 136 games, hitting .292 while setting career highs with 36 homers and 95 RBIs.

He has a career .815 OPS, spending the past eight seasons with Arizona after beginning his career in Seattle. He has played both infield and outfield for the Diamondbacks, settling in at second base over the past few seasons.

He has a career .280 batting average and .348 on base percentage to go along with 143 home runs and 515 RBIs over his 11 big league seasons. Heading into Tuesday's game against the Yankees, he's 6-for-22 with four walks this season.

Marte finished fourth in MVP voting in 2019, when he produced a 6.9 bWAR. He had a 6.8 bWAR last year while earning his second All-Star bid.

His extension is the latest in a string for the Diamondbacks, which locked up pitcher Brandon Pfaadt to a five-year, $45 million deal last week. Previously, the team extended shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (4 years/$45 million) and reliever Justin Martinez (5 years/$18 million) after signing free agent pitcher Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million megadeal during the winter.

The Diamondbacks missed out on the playoffs last season due to a tiebreaker after making it to the World Series in 2023. They set a record for payroll this season, which just increased with Marte's new contract.

Raducanu has been hampered by a series of fitness issues over recent seasons, while she recently took time off after being targeted by a stalker at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.

The 2021 US Open champion plans to do a training block over the next two to three weeks.

She has pulled out of the Rouen Open, which starts on 14 April, and it is unclear when she will return to match action.

Great Britain face the Netherlands and Germany in a new BJK Cup round-robin format between 10-12 April.

Raducanu was part of the British squad that reached the semi-finals of last year's BJK Cup.

Her withdrawal means British captain Anne Keothavong is assessing her options, but likely to call up another player next week to join Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Harriet Dart and Olivia Nicholls.

"Of course you always miss a player of her quality on the team. But I have the utmost belief in the players who are travelling," said Keothavong.

The leading nation from the qualifying ties in The Hague will seal a place in the Finals later this year.

The other two teams will go into the play-offs for the chance to return to the qualifiers in 2026.

Earlier on Wednesday, world number two Iga Swiatek pulled out of Poland's qualifying ties against Switzerland and Ukraine, saying it was a "difficult decision" and she would instead be "focusing on myself and my training".

After emerging from Cardiff's junior ranks, Young joined Gloucester before switching to Wasps in 2014 under his father Dai.

Young returned to the Arms Park from Wasps for the 2022-23 season, where Dai was then in charge.

He will leave Matt Sherratt's Cardiff, with Dragons boss Tiatia adding: "We're looking forward to Thomas joining up with us. He's a talented loose forward with international experience who brings a competitive edge and is someone who will drive standards.

"Thomas is a player who plays at a high level and has a huge influence on games, both in attack and in defence."

Dragons have not specified the duration of Young's contract but hope he will help improve their standing in Welsh rugby. They currently lie bottom of the United Rugby Championship amid ongoing struggles on the field.

TORONTO -- The NHL and Rogers Communications announced a new 12-year national media rights deal Wednesday to air games on multiple platforms in Canada.

The agreement, which was first reported Monday, is valued at $11 billion Canadian dollars, or roughly $7.7 billion U.S. The new deal runs through the 2037-38 season.

In Canadian dollars, it is worth more than double the previous contract signed in November 2013 that cost Rogers $5.2 billion in the local currency. Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri said the company is proud to continue its partnership with the NHL.

"Hockey is Canada's game and we're proud to be the home of hockey," Staffieri said in a statement. "Sports are core to our company, and these rights are the most valuable sports rights in Canada."

This is the league's latest source of revenue after contracting with ESPN and Turner Sports in 2021 for the current U.S. TV and streaming rights deal for $4.5 billion over seven years combined.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was asked during Wednesday's news conference about doing the deal in relation to the political climate between the United State and Canada, with the NHL going with a Canadian company rather than including Amazon, which also has a deal with the NHL.

"I don't personally think it's appropriate for us, when we're focusing fans on hockey, to weigh into the political spectrum," he said. "I don't think people want us to do that. I think they want to use sports as an escape. I hope that what we're seeing is a moment in time and things can get back to a normal reality."

Bettman did acknowledge economic concerns and how any turmoil would affect the league.

"I have concerns from a business standpoint for the league that if the Canadian economy suffers by what's going on, that will impact the way we have to do business from an economic standpoint," Bettman said. "As I think you all know, our teams in Canada pay their players in U.S. dollars, and if the Canadian dollar drops, that will be an issue that we'll have to deal with. But I'm hoping we're focused on a moment in time and these two great historical allies can get past where they are at the moment."

Bettman said the league and Rogers have a shared commitment to best serving Canadian fans and the unmatched passion that they have for the game.

"For more than a decade, Rogers has done an incredible job of conveying what NHL hockey, our players, and our teams mean to hockey fans and their communities from coast to coast to coast," Bettman said.

The deal includes national rights across all platforms, including TV, digital and streaming, for all national regular-season games, in all languages, as well as out-of-market rights for all regional games.

It also includes national rights to all playoff games, the Stanley Cup Final and all special events and tentpole events, in all languages.

The agreement allows for strategic sub-licensing for a subset of the rights, including national French-language and a single-night exclusive national package.

Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.