
I Dig Sports
Sources: Giannis (calf) out through All-Star break

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be sidelined for the next week because of a left calf injury, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Sunday.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers confirmed that Antetokounmpo will not play in next weekend's All-Star Game.
Antetokounmpo already had been ruled out of Sunday's 135-127 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, and sources said he will also miss matchups with the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the All-Star break, marking at least six straight games out.
"We've just been monitoring it, and it just hasn't improved enough for us to play him," Rivers said. "If this was a playoff game, would he play? Probably yes. But this is not. And we want to make sure he's playing in the playoffs."
Antetokounmpo, who has been out since Feb. 2, is expected to return to action shortly after the All-Star break, sources said. Milwaukee's first game after the break is Feb. 20 against the Clippers.
"We're really hoping that when we come out of the break, we have our team," Rivers said. "That's the hope."
Commissioner Adam Silver will choose Antetokounmpo's replacement for the All-Star Game. Antetokounmpo was to play on Team Chuck, the eight-man squad drafted last week by TNT analyst Charles Barkley for the All Star Game's new four-team format.
Antetokounmpo missed one game over the past week with a right knee issue before being ruled out the last three games with the left calf injury.
Antetokounmpo, who was selected to his ninth straight All-Star Game after leading the fan vote, is averaging 31.8 points per game (second in the NBA behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) on 60.8% shooting and 12.2 rebounds.
He missed Milwaukee's first-round loss in last season's playoffs to the Indiana Pacers with a left calf strain.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
How Jimmy Butler landed with the Warriors, and why Kevin Durant was 'blindsided' by trade talks

THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS' annual celebrity poker tournament features heavy hitters from all over Silicon Valley who pay a premium to play Texas Hold 'em alongside Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors' players and coaches. All the proceeds go to the team's charitable foundation. No player has won the tournament, although Gary Payton II made the final table once. Usually, the winner is one of the many poker professionals who enter; a titan of venture capital or technology; or owner Joe Lacob's wife, Nicole Curran, who has won it twice.
This year, the tournament was quite the scene. Because just after 9 p.m. on Saturday, word started spreading across the floor of the Chase Center that the Dallas Mavericks had just traded 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. Table by table, hundreds of people all began to pull out their cell phones to see the news, and then take videos of the players reacting in real time.
Curry was stunned. Moments later, he walked to Draymond Green's table and asked whether he had seen the trade. Green hadn't, so he walked to Curry's table and inspected the post from ESPN's Shams Charania on Curry's phone.
Dozens of videos of these moments were captured by people in the Chase Center that night and posted on social media. Neither Curry nor Green could maintain a poker face -- at least as far as the Doncic trade was concerned.
But unbeknownst to almost everyone in the room, there was another poker game playing out in the Warriors' world. This one was just as high-stakes as the massive pot the Lakers and Mavericks had just played, and it involved a clandestine motive to make their own trade deadline shocker by landing Kevin Durant.
By Saturday night, as people around the world were digesting the implications of the massive Doncic trade, multiple sources told ESPN that the Warriors were already deep into negotiations with the Phoenix Suns to reunite Durant with the franchise with which he won two Finals MVPs and championships in 2017 and 2018. The teams had secretly been talking since early that week. Durant and his longtime business manager, Rich Kleiman, only learned of the stunning talks when the Suns played the Warriors on Jan. 31.
It was a lot to digest. So Durant and Curry discussed the idea the next day, hours before the poker tournament. Curry wanted a read on how Durant would feel about returning to the team he had chosen to leave after the 2019 Finals, sources said.
Durant told him it didn't "feel right" and that this "wasn't the time" to revisit their basketball partnership, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the conversations. He added he was happy in Phoenix and wasn't looking to play elsewhere.
It was a soft "no," one that discouraged the Warriors' decision-makers, but didn't fully deter them from pursuing talks with the Suns. They hoped Durant's feelings about a reunion might change once he learned the extent to which Phoenix had engaged in trade conversations with multiple teams without involving him.
For weeks, the Suns and Warriors and Miami Heat had been playing a high-stakes poker game over Durant and disgruntled Heat star Jimmy Butler. Those talks were well-known as were Suns owner Mat Ishbia's public and private statements over the past year that he wanted Durant to retire as a Sun. But with the Suns free-falling in the Western Conference picture, the Warriors saw an opportunity to play two hands at once.
This was a triangle of increasing desperation and rising stakes: one team desperate to end an exhausting, embarrassing saga with its superstar, one team desperate to upgrade its roster and appease its stars, and one team desperate to extend a flailing dynasty by acquiring a new star.
In the end, the Warriors and Heat chopped the final pot, ending the Butler drama, while the Suns will begin a new, possibly uncomfortable one with Durant.
Brian Windhorst and Monica McNutt break down the Wednesday night trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors.
WHILE THE TEAMS were playing poker, Butler had been playing chess. And in both, there is only one objective: to force your opponent to submit. They are zero-sum games. Butler is a zero-sum man.
He wanted out of Miami.
By now, the details of the chess game he played with the Heat are well-known: He missed 10 days in late December after leaving a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with what he and his camp described as an illness. On Christmas, Charania reported Butler's unhappiness and desire for a trade. Team president Pat Riley issued a statement meant to squash those trade rumors. But when Butler returned to the team, he engaged in what the team later called "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks," and Miami suspended him for seven games on Jan. 3.
After meetings with Riley and owner Micky Arison did not resolve the situation, Butler briefly returned to the team. On Jan. 22, he angered the team when he went to a charity event and skipped the team's flight to Milwaukee. The team denied his request to fly himself to the game later in the day, but when he ignored it, Butler was suspended for another two games. Butler was slated to return from that suspension Jan. 27, but during a morning shootaround to prepare for a game that night against the Orlando Magic, he became upset after learning he lost his starting job as Heat coach Erik Spoelstra started to go over the game plan. Butler left the floor, dressed and went home. That afternoon, the Heat suspended him for the third time, this time indefinitely. Officially, that will go down as the final straw in this saga.
Miami submitted and agreed a trade was the only way out of the situation. It was yet another stormy exit, similar to his departures from the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, when those relationships soured.
What hasn't been understood is why Butler so badly wanted to leave the franchise he had led to two Finals appearances in six years.
"Read whatever you want to read, believe what you want to believe, but you're not around me every day," Butler told ESPN. "There's always two sides of every story and only one side's been told."
Asked when he would tell his side, Butler demurred. "I doubt I will. But if I do tell it, I'm going to tell it to Shaq."
Throughout this saga, Butler has often spoken publicly in riddles or coded messages. This one isn't hard to decode.
Shaquille O'Neal also had a falling-out with Riley. They famously nearly came to blows after practice one day in Miami in 2008, avoided only because Alonzo Mourning stepped in between them. This story is told often in Heat circles. As is the story of the eight-hour practice that Riley put the team through after a player complained about the drudgery of NBA life. Dwyane Wade called it the "iron fist." Others lump it all together under the umbrella of "Heat culture."
Butler's desire to be traded from Miami has been interpreted as a repudiation of Heat culture. And in many ways, that is true. But he insists he had other reasons.
"I did what I was supposed to do," Butler said. "We didn't see eye to eye on some things."
One of those was a potential extension, which Riley famously said in May the Heat weren't ready to discuss yet for a player who played in only two-thirds of the regular season. Riley also criticized Butler for saying the Heat would've beaten the New York Knicks or the Boston Celtics if he had been healthy in the playoffs.
Butler was taken aback by the criticism at the time, but he insists that's not why he soured on the franchise or Riley.
"I don't need Pat to make nothing right with me," Butler said. "I expect everybody to talk. They're still going to talk and I'm going to do what I always do and put my head down."
In his meetings with Riley and Arison in early January, Butler explained that he had grown frustrated with the Heat's inability to acquire more help for him after the 2020 and 2023 Finals runs, sources said. That frustration grew when he believed the team had deemphasized his role in the offense this season.
According to ESPN Research, Butler averaged just 56.5 touches this season and brought the ball up the floor just 11.4 possessions per game, both his lowest marks in a season since joining the Heat.
Instead of the offense running through him, Butler was used more as a spacer in either corner for 7.6 on-ball screens per game this season, his highest mark in a season since joining the Heat. His 17.0 points per game was his lowest since 2013-14, his first season as a starter.
Heat sources counter that they had to adjust the offense because Butler missed so many regular-season games. He played an average of just 58 over his first five seasons in Miami. The last time he played 65 -- the NBA's current minimum to qualify for postseason honors -- was 2018-19, when he split the season between Minnesota and Philadelphia.
While Butler was frustrated by a reduced role, Heat sources insist that Riley's message to Butler throughout the season was that he needed to be more involved with the team.
When Butler sprained an ankle Nov. 8 at Denver, he asked to rehab at his home in Southern California, where he had a facility and team in place. He didn't want to rehab in hotels for the long road trip to Minnesota, Detroit and Indianapolis. It was not an unusual request by Butler, and the Heat had previously granted him such leeway. Spoelstra initially agreed to it, but this time, team sources said Riley declined the request, insisting that it was important that he stay connected to the team while he rehabilitated.
Butler did not take it well. But he continued his strong play for the Heat once he returned -- even putting up a monstrous 35-point, 19-rebound, 10-assist game against Detroit on Dec. 16.
The next game was a fateful one against Oklahoma City that started the clock on what would become a six-week chess match. Butler played just seven minutes and didn't attempt a shot.
During their meeting Jan. 7, Riley tried to convince Butler to stay the rest of the season, sources said. The Heat walloped Butler with a stunning seven-game suspension, infuriating the players' union and leading to a filing of a grievance. But Riley had hoped to mend fences and posited that if the meeting went well, sources said, there was a chance they could end the suspension early and Butler could fly to Salt Lake City the next day and join the team. Riley has a long history of challenging players, but also moving past disputes, including interludes with players such as O'Neal and Wade.
Over the past 30 years, Arison had seen Riley work and hoped he and Butler could come to an understanding. On vacation on his yacht in the Caribbean, Arison made plans to dock in the Bahamas so Butler could fly out to meet him, sources said.
But the meeting didn't go well, sources said. Butler reiterated his trade request and said he would never sign another contract with the team. Arison tabled his discussion with Butler, who remained suspended.
There are differing accounts of exactly what transpired in the meetings between Riley and Butler and the subsequent meeting between Butler and the Arisons -- Micky and Nick -- on Jan. 16.
Everyone agrees that each meeting contained emotional, heated discussions. The Athletic earlier Friday morning reported that Butler described Riley as "unhinged" during their meeting. However, Heat sources told ESPN that the same word -- "unhinged" -- is how they described Butler's behavior in his meeting with the Arisons.
Stephen A. Smith breaks down why Jimmy Butler on the Warriors doesn't change the outlook for the team this season.
THE WARRIORS AND Suns were among the first teams to show interest in Butler once it became clear the Heat would honor his trade request in early January. Butler preferred a trade to the Suns, sources said, because they indicated a willingness to give him a long-term extension and there was an opportunity to play alongside Durant and Devin Booker. For that to happen, however, Phoenix would have to find a team willing to accept their underperforming third star, Bradley Beal, and the $110 million remaining on his contract that came with a no-trade clause. The Heat were never one of those teams.
The Suns knew trading Beal was going to be difficult. He was steadfast in his desire to use his no-trade clause to stay in Phoenix. Still, they canvassed the league.
For weeks, the Suns tried to construct multiteam trades that would land Butler in Phoenix and Beal on some other team. But when the Heat would cross-check with the teams Beal would supposedly join in these constructions, they'd get conflicting information.
What was the point of discussing specifics if Phoenix hadn't yet solved the biggest impediment to the deal: Beal's no-trade clause?
The Heat, who had discussed trading for Beal in 2023 before he landed in Phoenix, were not interested in acquiring him, in part for the same reason they stopped their initial pursuit of him. Beal had indicated that even if he'd waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a move now, he would retain it in his new home. That was a nonstarter for Miami, and for most of the NBA.
Of all the teams Phoenix canvassed, sources said only the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks would consider taking on Beal if he'd waive his no-trade clause to go there. The Suns clung to that hope for weeks, hoping that if they could improve their package to incentivize these teams to participate, and other trades the Wizards and Hawks were working on fell through, then maybe there would be a path to a deal.
Even then, there was still the matter of whether Beal would waive his no-trade clause and accept the trade.
The Heat stayed patient throughout this process but never relented on being unwilling to take back Beal -- and his no-trade clause -- in what would've been a simple 1-for-1 trade.
Butler grew frustrated, sources said, taking the Heat's refusal to make a deal with Phoenix and send him where he wanted to go as a personal affront.
All along, the Heat had been talking to other teams about "concepts" for Butler. Each of those teams had an interest in Butler, but were leery of proceeding with a formal offer if he preferred to be elsewhere.
Miami liked Golden State's concept, which centered on Andrew Wiggins and the Warriors' 2025 first-round pick, which right now would land in the lottery. Wiggins was the kind of young, athletic, small forward the Heat would need to replace Butler.
There was an irony to this. When Butler first came to the Heat in summer 2019, Butler was in Riley's office celebrating the signing of the four-year, $142 million deal that landed him in Miami. The two men cracked open a bottle of Screaming Eagle cabernet from Riley's personally curated wine cellar inside the Heat offices. Riley was telling stories, and he asked Butler who was his most talented teammate. Butler answered quickly: Wiggins, the 2014 No. 1 pick and his teammate with the Timberwolves.
Riley was surprised, those who were in the room remembered, and joked that Butler might need to be cut off from any more wine. But Butler insisted. Wiggins' talent was incredible. Five years later, they were traded for each other.
Wiggins has gone on to become an All-Star and NBA champion, though his previous two seasons left the Warriors looking for an upgrade. From the Heat's perspective, he didn't need the ball as much as Butler, which Miami believed would make for a seamless transition on a team that has been led offensively this season by first-time All-Star Tyler Herro.
Earlier this week, with the trade deadline looming Thursday, and the Suns no closer to convincing Washington or Atlanta to take Beal, the Heat engaged more seriously with Golden State.
That's when Miami learned that the Suns and Warriors were deep into negotiations for Durant.
When the Suns were first mentioned as a possible Butler destination, they made it clear they did not want to trade Durant; the intention was to pair Butler with Durant and Booker, team sources insist, building a better Big Three than the Beal-Booker-Durant trio had proven to be. But with the team still hovering near .500, and particularly after two consecutive losses to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Suns believed they had to do something, sources said. Trading Booker, the 28-year-old who became the franchise's leading scorer over the weekend, was a complete nonstarter. It would either be Beal or Durant. And because Beal was proving impossible to move, they began to explore trading Durant with the Warriors and other teams.
THERE IS NO good way to move a future Hall of Fame player who has professed a desire to stay with your franchise despite a second straight underachieving season. But there are definitely bad ways to go about it. Not telling that player or his agent, and having them find out through other sources would qualify as a bad process.
Internally, the Suns have already conceded that point.
"We should've gone through [Durant's business partner, Rich Kleiman]," one team source told ESPN.
Instead, a frantic 48 hours ensued in which, as Charania reported, Durant had to send a final word he had no desire for a reunion with the Warriors and did not want to go back to the Bay Area.
"Probably the same reasons he left," a Warriors source conceded. "It would've been a f---ing circus."
Durant, however, would have been open to playing for the Heat, sources said, so Miami debated cutting the Warriors out and dealing Butler to Phoenix for Durant, sources said.
Riley, after all, had wanted Durant for years. In 2016, Riley landed one of the famous meetings in the Hamptons where Durant took pitches from various teams and the Warriors closed by getting Curry to sell Durant on a partnership. Riley had tried again in 2019 when Durant left Golden State for the Brooklyn Nets, but Riley pulled off a shrewd sign-and-trade for Butler that summer instead.
It was there to be done, Durant to Miami, and the teams traded proposals, sources said. But Phoenix, which paid for Durant in 2023 with four first-round picks and three pick swaps to Brooklyn, was seeking significant compensation for the player, who is now 36 and under contract for just one more season. Ultimately, the Heat felt they would be mortgaging their future by going down the path with Durant, sources said, and they didn't move forward in the talks. The third attempt to land Durant would not be the charm for Riley and Heat.
The three-way talks even expanded to loop in Washington. Those talks included Butler, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, two first-round picks (from the Warriors) and two second-round picks (one each from the Heat and Warriors), and pick swaps going to the Suns, sources said. The Warriors would've received Durant, while the Heat could've received Wiggins, Cleveland's 2025 first-round pick (via Phoenix), Dennis Schroder and Kyle Anderson.
The Heat, however, wanted the Warriors' 2025 first-round pick, not the Cavs', which is likely to be No. 29 or 30. This is one of the problems with multiteam trades -- sometimes two teams want the same piece.
The Warriors didn't like the deal, either, uneasy at the steep price Phoenix was asking for Durant. At one point, sources said, Golden State debated acquiring Butler from Miami in a standalone deal, then using him as leverage in its conversations with Phoenix for Durant. This would've effectively blocked the Suns' long-standing desire to pair Durant with Butler and given some leverage to the Warriors as they angled to get a Durant deal done.
Ultimately, with just hours to go, the three-way talks collapsed.
Eventually, Miami and Golden State iced out Phoenix and did the deal for Butler they had talked about for weeks. The Heat were comfortable with the package they had discussed with Golden State, centered on Wiggins and the Warriors' top-10-protected draft pick. The last piece was getting Butler totally on board, and that happened Wednesday morning when Golden State started discussions on a new contract for Butler. By the evening, there was an agreement, two years and $111 million and time for more Screaming Eagle.
It was simple on paper, but not in practice.
The Warriors were in Utah getting ready for a game against the Jazz when the trade was agreed upon. Curry was in the middle of his famous pregame shooting routine. Wiggins was, too. Schroder was in the shower. Kerr called his team into the locker room to inform everyone of the trade.
"It's tough," Kerr said. "You develop these relationships with guys. They give you everything and commit to the team. They got families."
In Phoenix, the phones were quiet. The Heat were no longer engaging the Suns on Durant. The Wizards, who had been in discussions about joining the deal and taking Jusuf Nurkic off the Suns' hands in a move that would save cap space, also moved on, and traded Valanciunas to the Sacramento Kings. The Warriors, having agreed to Durant's wishes to avoid a reunion, were focused on the Heat.
In the evening, word started to leak that Butler was nearing a contract agreement, a sign the Warriors would be landing him and the Suns were out. The Suns were deflated, sources said. For weeks they had exhausted themselves in discussions to find a way to turn Beal into Butler, several times thinking they might have a pathway in sight.
Then, they explored turning Durant into Butler and other pieces that could've retrofitted their roster and given them some options this season and beyond.
The Suns had scored some major transactional victories over the previous two years. They landed Durant in a blockbuster. They won an inventive bidding war for Beal. They creatively pulled in Royce O'Neale in a nice piece of business last February. Over the summer, they scored when they got Tyus Jones to come for a minimum contract.
But this time, they were left in the cold. And to make matters worse, they have a mess to clean up with Durant, who wanted to stay in Phoenix and make it work, but instead saw his name in trade rumors.
Durant was "blindsided," as Charania reported on "NBA Today," that the Suns had trade discussions about him. But ultimately, Durant did not change his mind about reuniting with the Warriors.
Despite long odds, the Suns never folded. But hampered by the realities of second apron restrictions, what was once a three-handed final table turned heads-up. Phoenix was out.
Jimmy Butler talks for the first time since his trade to the Warriors and expresses how eager he is to return to the court.
BUTLER RUSHED THROUGH Los Angeles traffic Thursday night to meet his new team. If he could make it by 6:30 p.m., the Warriors would have time to introduce him publicly before their 7 p.m. tipoff against the Lakers.
He made it with time to spare, beaming as he walked past the marquee inside Crypto.com Arena.
"I'm so happy," he told ESPN's Malika Andrews, who asked whether he was happy to be there or happy to be out of Miami.
"Both!" Butler said.
How he'll fit into the Warriors' motion offense and culture remains to be seen. Golden State was drawn to Butler for all the same reasons Miami was in 2019. The Warriors have lacked confidence and discipline in pressure situations this season. Butler has both of those in spades. The Warriors have lacked a secondary scorer to carry the team when Curry is off the floor. Butler will be the best option they've had since Durant. In the best-case scenario, Butler will fit into the Warriors like Dennis Rodman fit into the Chicago Bulls in 1995, when they acquired him to jolt their flailing dynasty. Kerr was there for that experiment. He saw how Phil Jackson managed Rodman, letting the free-spirited power forward be himself while also earning his trust and buy-in to the team's concepts.
It's not hard to imagine a worst-case scenario, however. The Warriors are tied with Sacramento for 10th in the West and the final play-in tournament slot. Butler said all the right things about his respect for the Warriors' championship pedigree, but he used to say good things about Heat culture, too.
For now, the Warriors are optimistic. The Heat are relieved. The Suns and Durant are still uncomfortably together, at least until the summer. And Butler is happy.
"You want to be wanted," Butler said. "You want somebody to want you to help you win, to let you be the player that you are capable of being. I get to be that here and I'm going to be that here for a long time. Hopefully, for the rest of my career.
"You would hope that that's what that was in Miami but it's not. That's OK. That chapter is behind me and we're going to turn the page."
In last year of deal, Cubs' Hoyer under pressure

MESA, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer, who has yet to make a playoff appearance as he enters the final season of his five-year contract, knows that 2025 looms large for the team and his career.
After nearly a decade-and-a-half in Chicago's front office, after working under former team executive Theo Epstein, and with a new-look roster, Hoyer knows the expectations.
"Does it feel different than it has in the past?" Hoyer asked Sunday during the Cubs' first day of spring training. "A little bit. I've been here for 14 years and sort of generally in my career, I haven't had much uncertainty. And so I think with uncertainty does come a level of anxiety. I think that would be a lie to say that it doesn't."
Hoyer was tasked with rebuilding the team after its championship core from the past decade got stale. It has been a slow progression as the organization hasn't signed any top free agents over the past few winters.
Instead, the Cubs have built through the draft while signing selected free agents such as Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki. This past winter, they showed more aggression in the trade market, dealing three players for former Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker, who might be with the team for only one season. It displayed an urgency around the organization for the first time in several years.
"Wins are going to be in a premium in the National League, in particular this year," Hoyer said. "And so I think we're in a competitive window. I think we've gotten better each year. I think we're at a place where we have a chance to be really good and trying to really maximize our resources within our budget to make sure that we could do that."
Could that budget include free agent third baseman Alex Bregman? He could push the team over the 90-win total after back-to-back 83-win seasons -- and the team has an opening at that position. Hoyer was noncommittal about adding before the Cubs open the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan next month. But the team has a recent history of a late spring signing when it brought back Cody Bellinger in February last year.
"I think offseasons have drifted later, whether it's waiver claims, trades, free agent signings," Hoyer said. "Things happen a little bit later now, but I think given that it's Feb. 9, I think we're focused on the guys that are here."
Those guys in camp will likely determine whether Hoyer gets a contract extension. A playoff appearance would get him one -- if he isn't signed before then. But an underachieving season could also seal his fate. Hoyer didn't shy away from that conversation.
"Has it caused some introspection along the way?" Hoyer asked. "I think that's fair to say, but ... we have a great front office, we have an incredible manager and a great coaching staff. I think we put together a really good team.
"I think every arrow is sort of pointing up on this organization right now. So, I just think there's a lot more opportunity for me and for [GM] Carter [Hawkins] than there is risk, and I'm super proud of what we built with a lot of really good people. So that's kind of how I look at it."

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Enrique Hernandez, their ever popular super-utility player, have a deal in place, pending a physical, a source told ESPN on Sunday.
Hernández hinted at his return by posting a Dodgers hype video on X.
Hernández, 33, will return to the Dodgers for the fourth time, having been acquired twice via trade and twice via free agent deals.
The Dodgers have long been drawn to Hernández's versatility and have grown to appreciate how his personality blends within their clubhouse, but it's his knack for elevating his game in October that attracts them most.
Hernández has a career .238/.308/.405 slash line during the regular season but is at .278/.353/.522 in the postseason. Last fall, when the Dodgers secured their first full-season championship since 1988, Hernández played a major role in several victories, ultimately posting an .808 OPS in 14 games.
On the current Dodgers, who have made a multitude of star-studded additions for a second straight offseason, Hernández will likely spend most of his time at second base or center field, drawing most of his starts against left-handed pitchers.
The Dodgers are soon expected to also bring back Clayton Kershaw, who is coming off knee and foot surgery and isn't expected to be ready to join the rotation until around June.
Paul Coll claims first title of season after Motor City Open win

He had to do it the hard way even if there was no top seed Diego Elias after the Peruvians withdrawal.
World No.4 Paul Coll captured his first title of the season after defeating Mexicos Leonel Cardenas in a marathon 91-minute encounter at the DR21 Motor City Squash Open 2025 in Detroit.
No.2 seed Coll, a strong favourite in the 25th edition of the Silver-level event after the withdrawal of four-time champion Diego Elias, was pushed all the way throughout the brutal encounter at the Birmingham Athletic Club, eventually taking the match by an 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 scoreline.
The four-game win was a demonstration of Colls relentless hitting, physical power and mental steeliness, with the New Zealander having to fight back from 1-0 down, game ball down in the second, on his way to capturing the title.
Narrow margins separated the two players throughout the match, but it was No.2 seed Coll who managed to draw upon his experience at the pivotal moments. The 32-year-old moved away from 7-7 and 8-8 in the third and fourth games, respectively, to claim his first Motor City Open title at the third time of asking.
Its been pretty tough for me all week, said Coll after he had to topple Briton Jonah Bryant early in the draw in another marathon.
I havent been on my top form, but Im very proud of how I got through it mentally. To get the title here today in my third final here at the Motor City Open, Im really happy.
Leonel [Cardenas] was impressive. I thought he was getting very tired, but he never gave me any cheap errors. I had to hit winners to win it. Credit to him because he was playing very well and very tough. It was nice to see him playing like that. He made it very tough today, a bit tougher than I would have liked, but it was a good battle.
Colls name will now join an elite list of champions on the Motor City Open trophy, with the likes of David Palmer, Jonathon Power, Amr Shabana, and Mohamed ElShorbagy, having all won the Detroit-based event in the past.
Result: Final
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [7] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) 3-1: 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 (91m)
Gatland future in doubt as Wales leave Rome in ruins

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) boasted on Friday that an agreement had been reached with the four regions over the future of the game.
Were they anticipating what was coming when they timed the announcement for the eve of the Italy match?
And, tellingly, the deal has still not yet been signed and there was little detail included in the announcement.
WRU chief executive Abi Tierney and chairman Richard Collier-Keywood were in the Rome crowd on Saturday and are also facing criticism for the state of the national game.
Former Wales captain Ken Owens said: "After the review, they didn't do anything. They didn't say they have a plan and it's going to take time, but they didn't back Warren either. It's like they will see how it goes in the Six Nations and have another review.
"It's going to take five to 10 years to sort out the shambles we're in at the moment, at least.
"That's what Italy have done. When they were losing every game in the Six Nations, they went to the academy, to the under-18s and under-20s and built from there."
Ex-Wales lock Andrew Coombs added: "It's the CEO of the business that has to make the decisions and Abi Tierney was not doing her job when Warren Gatland offered to resign [following the last defeat by Italy in March 2024] and give his contract back to the WRU.
"Abi Tierney said 'no, we're right behind you' but there's no CEO in the world that does that."
Fin Smith's composure gives England vital new dimension - Dawson

It showed that England have the ability to dominate teams in those "championship minutes" the times that really matter, the ones that France fluffed in the first half.
Marcus Smith is a game-breaker. He score tries, he is on all the posters and is so exciting to watch - his is probably the one name that kids growing up who want to get into rugby know about.
But at that level yesterday, it is very difficult to integrate those type of players into key decision-making roles.
While George Furbank recovers from his injury, I think Marcus Smith will play at full-back, but I don't necessarily think he is the long-term solution there.
Fin Smith showed there is a difference in the way you can compete. There has to be an element of calmness and control. For all his individual gifts perhaps because of them - that isn't Marcus Smith's forte.
I don't think it will be a difficult decision for Steve Borthwick.
In opting for Marcus Smith over Freddie Steward at full-back, you sacrifice aerial security for more of an attacking threat, but I think that is a price worth paying for this England team.
Long-term though, particularly with the Northampton connection, I foresee George Furbank coming back into the team at 15.
Test match rugby is tough.
It is uncompromising high-performance environment. We are now more mindful of looking after each other in the work place and that is vital and important. But this is sport and it is a strict meritocracy. If there is someone who will serve the team better, you are out. And that is OK.

CLEWISTON, Fla. Mark Smith patiently waited his turn to take the lead and collect the $10,000 King of the 360s title Saturday night at Hendry County Motorsports Park.
The event, which moved from East Bay Raceway Park this season was co-sanctioned by the United Sprint Car Series and the Top Gun Sprints.
Smith methodically worked his way to the front from his fifth starting spot to take the lead on lap 22.
Friday night winner Tyler Clem led for six laps, but had to settle for second and third went to Matt Covington.
Blake Hahn and Dale Howard completed the top five.
Ive got to thank Terry Whitherspoon for letting me drive his car this weekend, Smith said. Things got pretty intense in the second half of the race, and I could see I needed to be patient when I saw what was going on in front of me. I just waited to make my move at the right time.
In preliminary action, Sam Hafertepe was the fast qualifier among the 34 entrants from 16 different states with a lap around Hendry County Motorsports Park in 13.147 seconds.
Scotty Thiel took the lead at the start of the race followed by Clem, Hafertepe, Smith, and Covington. The first of two caution flags came out on lap five when Chase Moran and Garrett Green tangled in turn two. The second caution flag came out on the restart when Robbie Smith spun in turn two.
On the next restart, Thiel took to the high side of the track from the point, while Clem worked the bottom groove in second. Franek passed Covington for the fifth spot. Clem chipped away at Thiels lead and got the better bite off the bottom of turn four on lap nine to take the lead.
Hafertepe got by Thiel for second on the 12th circuit and then sailed around the outside of Clem to take the lead on lap 14. Mark Smith drove by Thiel on lap 15 to move up to the third spot, as the leaders caught the cars on the tail of the lead lap. This brought about wholesale position changes among the top five divers in the second half of the race.
Thiel regrouped and passed Smith and Clem to take over the second spot on lap 16, and Covington got by Franek to move back into the top five on lap 17. Lap 20 and 21 saw Clem and Thiel swap the second spot. Hafertepe bounced off the backstretch wall on lap 22 and Clem pounced to retake the lead, and Mark Smith moved up to second.
Smith was on the charge and passed Clem for the lead on lap 23 and Covington took over the third spot on lap 24. Hahn and Howard moved up to the fourth and fifth spots respectively on lap 26. Smith took a 1.875-second margin of victory under the checkered flag over Clem in a race that took 14 minutes and 39.243 seconds to complete.
The event was broadcast by SPEED SPORT affiliate DoneRight.tv.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 43 Mark Smith, Sunbury, PA (5); 2. 6 Tyler Clem, St. Petersburg, FL (2); 3. 95 Matt Covington, Glenpool, OK (4); 4. 52 Blake Hahn, Sapulpa, OK (8); 5. 47 Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS (9); 6. 28 Davie Franek, Wantage, NJ (10); 7. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (12); 8. 11 Trey Meredith, Dade City, FL (16); 9. 15h Sam Hafertepe, Sunnyvale, TX (3); 10. 45x Kyler Johnson, Quinter, KS (13); 11. 51t Scotty Thiel, Sheboygan, WI (1); 12. 116 Nick Snyder, Marco Island, FL (17); 13. 9w Lane Whittington, Denham Springs, LA (7); 14. 4 Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (14); 15. 83 Mark Ruel Jr., Jacksonville, FL (11); 16. 41 Luke Hill, Odessa, FL (21); 17. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (23); 18. 23 Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC (25); 19. G6 Brandon Grubaugh, Ocala, FL (15); 20. 68c Robbie Smith, Ocala, FL (22); 21. 51 Dustin Burtron, Seminole, FL (20); 22. 16 Tyler Porter, Pinellas Park, FL (24); 23. 4p Chase Moran, Fultonville, NY (19); 24. 5h Colby Thornhill, Enumclaw, WA (6); 25. 82 Garrett Green, Dade City, FL (18).

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. Patrick Emerling took the lead late in the race and held on during a green-white-checkered finish to win Saturdays NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season opener at New Smyrna Speedway.
It was Emerlings eighth career Tour victory.
Emerling grabbed the lead on lap 182, but the New Smyrna Beach Visitors Bureau 200 was extended by six laps to 200 circuits of the half-mile track because of a late caution flag.
But despite the two-lap dash to the checkered flag, Emerling held off Craig Lutz by .380 seconds to earn the victory.
I just have to thank everyone involved for this opportunity, Emerling said. This wouldnt happen if it werent for Rich Gautreau, my family, and this whole awesome crew right here.
We have the best crew in the garage, best team, best everything. Thank you for everyone involved. This is incredible. This is what we expected to do.
Justin Bonsignore, Luke Baldwin and Austin Beers completed the top five.
Spencer Davis won the pro late model feature that was also on the card.
The finish:
Patrick Emerling, Craig Lutz, Justin Bonsignore, Luke Baldwin, Austin Beers, Stephen Kopcik, Eric Goodale, Ryan Newman, Ron Silk, Andrew Krause, Tyler Rypkema, Brian Robie, Trevor Catalano, Tommy Catalano, Matt Hirschman, Max Zachem, Mark Stewart, Tyler Catalano, Ken Heagy, Dave Sapienza, Mike Marshall, Tyler Barry, Norman Newman, Gary McDonald, Chris Hatton, Jeremy Gerstner, Kyle Bonsignore, Frank Fleming, Chase Dowling, Brian Sones, Jacob Lutz.

BRADENTON, Fla. The second annual SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout concluded tonight with Shawn Reed capturing his first professional Top Fuel career win, Ron Capps defeating Austin Prock in an epic Funny Car final and Troy Coughlin Jr., winning Pro Stock over No. 1 qualifier Cory Reed.
A near capacity crowd at Bradenton Motorsports Park was treated to a full day of elimination rounds and a free concert from Andy Ross, the American Rebel, at the conclusion of the three-day mega racing event.
In the Top Fuel final Reed was facing Floridian and multi-time Top Fuel national event winner Josh Hart. Hart had posted the two quickest elapsed times in the first and second round of race day.
Both 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters jumped off the starting line together and it was Reed getting to the finish line first with a strong 3.699 second run at 330.39 mph just in front of Harts equally impressive 3.724 second run at 321.27 mph. Reeds pass was the quickest of the day in Top Fuel as cooler temperatures created optimal racing conditions.
This is flat out incredible right now, said Reed. Its impossible to think ahead because you havent done anything. I have to thank Red Line Oil, Matco Tools, All American Automotive. Thanks to all the fans. Man, its been great with all these people out here. Im more than blessed right now, and Im probably happy as Ive been in a long, long time.
Im so happy for my crew guys. They put up with a lot last year. I lost a lot of races for them, said Reed. We won a race, and they cant take that back from us. And this is a pretty big race, too, by the way, its the eight best, guys in the NHRA.
Three-time Funny Car world champion Capps was looking to stop the Funny Car driver with the most momentum heading into the final in Austin Prock. As the defending event winner and reigning Funny Car champion Prock was looking to go back-to-back in Bradenton, but Capps and crew chief Dean Guido Antonelli took the win in a spectacular final round.
Capps turned on the win light with a 3.870 second run at 330.47 mph to get to the stripe first in front of Procks 4.003 second, 316.60 mph pass.
At the top end Capps was overjoyed and surprised to realize he had stopped one of the hottest drivers in the category. Nice new-look NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra started the season with three win lights and a trip to the PRO Superstar Shootout winners circle.
This event is special. Its the second year weve done anything like this, but you have an all-star cast, said Capps. Back in the day, as a kid, you know, I read about the Orange County races and all the stuff, where everybody showed up. This SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout is what its all about. A lot of our sponsors are big supporters of this event, so thank you, SCAG, for putting all that money up. Were gonna love it, but our NAPA guys, (crew chief) Guido. I cannot say enough about how hard hes worked, and this is the fruit of our teams labor.
The professional final rounds started with Pro Stock showcasing the young talent of Cory Reed, driving for KB Titan Racing and Troy Coughlin Jr. representing Elite Motorsports.
Reed, a second year Pro Stock driver, was looking for his first career win after a dominating performance on the track over the past two days. Coughlin Jr. secured the win immediately when Reed jumped the starting system, forcing a red-light disqualification.
His winning time was a pedestrian 11.859 seconds at 121.67 mph after his yellow JEGS Chevrolet Camaro overpowered the track just as he was passing the Christmas Tree.
You know winning this race is so surreal, said Coughlin Jr. I havent even really let it sink in yet. Were gonna enjoy this. Thank you to the PRO group, and all the sponsors involved especially SCAG. This was a huge win and its a great way to start the season. Cory is a great guy and a tough competitor, and this class is awesome.