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The Chicago Cubs officially placed All-Star pitcher Shota Imanaga on the 15-day injured reserve list on Monday, one day after he suffered a hamstring injury during the team's 4–0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

In return, the Cubs called up right-handed pitcher Gavin Hollowell from Triple A.

Imanaga ran to first base in attempt to help for a double play during the sixth inning, and in the process he injured his left hamstring. He was seen holding the back of his left leg. He went out of the game after this.

Here's a video of the play in question.

Imanaga's injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the Cubs as they're already without pitcher Justin Steele for the rest of the season after he underwent an elbow surgery.

Through eight starts this season, Imanaga posted a 2.82 ERA in 44.2 innings pitched. He's produced 34 strikeouts, while batters have 35 hits and 15 runs off of the ace so far.

The Cubs currently lead the NL Central with a 21–14 record, three games above the Cincinnati Reds.

Suspended Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is in line for a surprise return to action next month after not featuring for over a year, according to reports.

Mykhailo Mudryk banned for positive drugs test

Mudryk’s absence from Chelsea’s first-team setup has now exceeded twelve months, with the Ukrainian international last appearing competitively on November 28 last year before his career ground to a dramatic halt.

The 24-year-old tested positive for meldonium, a performance-enhancing substance prohibited under anti-doping regulations.

Following confirmation of his B sample analysis in June, the FA formally charged Mudryk, leaving him facing a potential ban ranging between two and four years if found guilty.

Throughout the ordeal, Mudryk has maintained complete innocence, and even voluntarily undertook a lie detector test which supported his version of events.

Ukrainian sports journalists have theorised that contaminated stem cell treatment administered during international duty may explain the adverse finding, suggesting the injection originated from cattle previously exposed to meldonium.

Chelsea sanctioned the record £88.5 million transfer from Shakhtar in January 2023, initially viewing him as a transformative attacking signing after hijacking Arsenal’s deal.

However, his Stamford Bridge career proved underwhelming even before the suspension materialised, with inconsistent performances failing to justify the enormous investment.

The club reassigned his prestigious number ten shirt to Cole Palmer following Mudryk’s suspension, signalling their acceptance of a prolonged absence.

Chelsea also reinforced their attacking options by striking deals for Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens in the summer, further blocking any potential pathway back into Enzo Maresca’s plans.

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Reports have suggested that, once Mudryk is eligible to play again, Chelsea could allow the forward to join sister club Strasbourg on loan in a bid to reignite his career.

Mykhailo Mudryk in line for January return as Sevilla eye Chelsea loan deal

Now, according to journalist JM Villalba and Canal Sur Radio, that eligibility could be as early as next month.

Speaking to the Spanish broadcaster, Villalba has reported that Mudryk will be able to play again after January 17, and this has piqued interest from La Liga side Sevilla.

The club are considering a deal for Mudryk once he comes back midway through next month, which is a surprise when factoring in how very little we’ve heard about the winger’s return timeline.

If Mudryk is indeed eligible for a January renaissance, BlueCo should certainly green-light a temporary move away for him.

He quite simply needs game time and renewed confidence following the lengthy layoff, controversy and serious drop down Maresca’s pecking order, with the Spanish top flight potentially providing that needed reintroduction to competitive action.

That being said, it should be a dry loan with no option or obligation to buy, with Chelsea poised to make a key decision about Mudryk’s long-term future.

He still has six years remaining on his current contract, giving the Blues plenty of time to do so.

The incident occurred in the 19th over of the tri-series final, when a catch which Fakhar took wasn’t deemed legal, leaving him unhappy

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2025Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman has been fined 10% of his match fee and docked one demerit point after he was found guilty of breaching level 1 of the ICC code of conduct during the tri-series final against Sri Lanka on November 29.Fakhar was found to have breached article 2.8 of the code of conduct, which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an international match.” He admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by the match referee, so there was no need for a formal hearing, said an ICC release.The incident occurred in the 19th over of the final when Fakhar back-peddled from short-third, dived and seemed to have taken a stunning catch off Dasun Shanaka’s leading edge. The third umpire was called to check for the catch, and he deemed that the ball brushed the ground when Fakhar dived, and ruled it not out. Both Fakhar and the bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi weren’t happy with the decision and made it known to the on-field umpires.The very next ball, Shanaka swiped across the line and was clean bowled. Fakhar looked at the umpire and sarcastically appealed for the decision. Pakistan eventually won the final by six wickets as batting first, Sri Lanka collapsed in a heap, losing 9 for 30 to be bowled out for 114. Babar Azam shepherded the chase with an unbeaten 37, taking Pakistan over the line in 18.4 overs.This was Fakhar’s first offence in a 24-month period. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50% of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has backed star forward Kylian Mbappe to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu as the French superstar closes in on the Portugal icon's incredible Madrid record. Mbappe experienced a slow start to his journey as a Madrid player but by the New Year, he had fully adjusted to life in the Spanish capital and ended the 2024-25 season strongly. In the current campaign, he has scored 25 goals so far.

Mbappe close to breaking Ronaldo's record

Mbappe has revealed in the past that he considered Ronaldo as his idol, alongside France legend Zinedine Zidane and that the two iconic footballers inspired him to play for Real Madrid. "I live a dream every day to play here. Zidane was my idol, I started because of him. This club has an aura, it's the best in the world. Since Cristiano arrived, I followed every game; he was my other idol. I met Zidane here when I was 13. I spent a week in Valdebebas and could only speak to Zidane because I didn't speak any other language than French. There were opportunities to stay but it wasn't possible because of my family. I couldn't come alone," the Frenchman had said earlier this year. He completed his dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2024 after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.

Now, after spending just over a season at the Spanish capital, Mbappe is already close to breaking an incredible club record that was set by Ronaldo in 2013. The Portugal star had scored 59 goals in La Liga in a calendar year. In 2025, Mbappe has scored 55 goals and still has four matches left to play in 2025. 

AdvertisementGetty Images'He's among a chosen few'

Ahead of the club's upcoming clash against Celta Vigo, manager Alonso heaped praise on the France captain, as he said: "Kylian is on his way to making history at Real Madrid, just like Cristiano did. With his ambition, his statistics … he's among a chosen few. Working with him on a daily basis is great. His desire to influence others, his contagious energy, is something he shares with Cristiano. There, I see similarities."

He added: "Cristiano is Cristiano, and Kylian is Kylian. They're both exceptional. We're very lucky to have Kylian, and we have to make the most of it."

Alonso's right-back headache

New signing Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up a fresh injury as he sustained a thigh injury against Athletic Club earlier this week and is now ruled out for two weeks. The former Liverpool full-back was devastated by the fresh injury setback as he wrote on Instagram: "Absolutely gutted about this one. The timing of it hurts but I will work hard to come back stronger and better! See you in 2026 Madridistas."

With Trent and Dani Carvajal both out injured, Alonso might have to field midfielder Federico Valverde as a make-shift right-back in the next few matches. Reacting to the situation, Alonso said: "We'll have to assess what decision we take, but there are other options. Fede always puts the team first … I remember great games he's had against Barça, Juve. He's generous and wants to help the team. It was a good game, complete, an all-round [performance]. Now we want to find consistency. We've have to be where we need to be in April or May."

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GettyMadrid looking to overtake Barcelona in La Liga

Real Madrid will now look to stabilise their league form as they enter a crucial stretch of winter fixtures, with Mbappe expected to continue carrying much of the attacking responsibility. Their upcoming matches include three home games and Alonso will hope to pick up maximum points from those fixtures. With his goals keeping Madrid firmly in the title hunt, the club will hope that Mbappe’s historic year becomes the catalyst for a stronger run heading into 2026.

Rafael Devers's discontentment with the Boston Red Sox front office began in the spring, when the club asked him to move from third base to designated hitter in the wake of signing Alex Bregman. Devers acquiesced, and things seemed to be in a better place until May. The club again asked him to take up a new position, first base, following the season-ending injury to Triston Casas.

And as it turns out, the Red Sox' second ask of Devers wasn't the only thing that apparently upset the star slugger before his surprising trade to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Red Sox rookie Kristian Campbell, who has spent most of his time at second base, apparently volunteered to play first base following the injury to Casas, a move that upset Devers, sources told Joon Lee of Yahoo! Sports.

According to Lee, Devers took Campbell's offer not as a team-first move by a young player, but as a "slight to his own stature."

In a series of public comments in which he was openly critical of the Red Sox front office, Devers in May had this to say about Boston's Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow.

"I just feel like it's not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position," Devers said at the time. "It was the GM that I spoke with. I'm not sure what he has with me. He played ball and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn't easy."

Some veteran Red Sox players reportedly took exception to the way that Devers handled the situation publicly. Clearly, a disconnect between Devers and the front office played a role in the surprising trade. But it seems that there was also a disconnect between Devers and the Red Sox players.

Liverpool thought they were back, two goals to the good, but these new habits have seeped into the fabric of Arne Slot’s project, and they are proving tough stains to wipe out.

Still jubilant from their win against Chelsea in midweek, Daniel Farke’s Whites met Liverpool with the expected passion and combativeness, fuelled by a raucous home support, and while the champions weathered that early storm and struck twice through Hugo Ekitike, back in the starting line-up, they succumbed to more defensive disaster, drawing the game 3-3.

The Frenchman has been a shining light throughout a dreary campaign for the Redmen, overshadowing record signing Alexander Isak, but Liverpool’s frontline still lacks balance and connectivity, and that’s why FSG are gearing up for a winter raid on Bournemouth for Antoine Semenyo.

The latest on Semenyo to Liverpool

It has emerged that Semenyo, who has been Bournemouth’s talisman this season, has a £65m release clause in his contract that becomes active during the winter transfer window.

Cue the circling sharks.

Liverpool are joined by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in their vested interest, but the Reds have been reported to be leading the race for a player earmarked as the perfect successor to Luis Diaz, who joined Bayern Munich in August.

A big-game player with so much dynamism, the Ghana international, 26, has been declared the “best winger in the country” by Chris Waddle, and you would sense that he would only go from strength to strength in a leading role on Merseyside.

Ibrahima Konate’s latest blunder illustrated the desperate need for new defenders, but Slot will feel that Semenyo’s signature is equally important for the Anfield side, whose balance is all wrong in the final third.

And there’s one man in particular who is flattering to deceive.

Liverpool star must be replaced by Semenyo

Liverpool have been in a rut this season, and Cody Gakpo has been carried along in the stream, popping up with some moments in front of goal but lacking the multifacetedness that a winger like Semenyo would bring to the table.

Against Leeds, Gakpo failed with all six of his attempted crosses and lost the ball 13 times. He created only one chance for his teammates (data via Sofascore).

There is a pointed lack of nuance to the Dutchman’s game. Oh, he’s talented, to be sure, and dynamic enough, but Semenyo far outstrips him in such areas, so powerful and athletic and clever with his movements and decisions.

Matches (starts)

14 (12)

14 (14)

Goals

4

6

Assists

3

3

Touches*

42.2

48.9

Shots (on target)*

2.4 (0.4)

2.4 (1.4)

Accurate passes*

19.1 (79%)

19.7 (78%)

Chances created*

1.8

1.3

Dribbles*

1.1

1.6

Recoveries*

2.7

5.0

Tackles + interceptions*

1.1

2.0

Duels won*

4.9

6.5

Gakpo knows where the back of the net is, and he is skilled in playmaking too, but Semenyo is the talk of the town and rightly so, standing out in a Bournemouth team that might have lost their way in regard to three-point hauls, but remain one of the most interesting attacking outfits in the country.

Conversely, Liverpool are a structural mess, and their Netherlands winger is failing to provide the width and energy and solutions that were presented with a regularity that led to the Premier League title last season.

As analyst Josh Williams put it, it was an “annoying” display from Gakpo, and the 26-year-old needs a contrasting profile down the left if Liverpool are to restore their presence as superstars.

Liverpool ace who's fallen off a cliff looks like "Fabinho in his final year"

Liverpool’s draw against Sunderland illustrated a litany of problems Slot is still dealing with.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 4, 2025

England assistant coach says lack of warm-up matches is ‘the way of the modern game’

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2025England have defended their limited Ashes preparation ahead of the start of their warm-up game against the Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth on Thursday. The three-day match-up is England’s only match practice ahead of next Friday’s first Test at Optus Stadium, which assistant coach Marcus Trescothick described as “the way of the modern game”.Ashes tours have historically started with a series of warm-up fixtures between travelling squads and either domestic or invitational teams, but they have been greatly reduced in recent series as boards look to streamline schedules.England have largely eschewed warm-up fixtures since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took over as head coach and captain, preferring training camps and intra-squad matches, but have generally started series strongly. They have won all the first Test in each of their last five overseas tours, including in India, Pakistan and New Zealand last year.”It’s the way that the series are generally done – for us and for other opposition teams – around the world nowadays,” Trescothick told reporters in Perth on Tuesday. “With the volume of cricket that’s played [elsewhere], you don’t have the time for preparations like potentially playing two or three first-class games, which has happened in the past.”I think you generally roll with a prep game, or some facilities – whatever you have available – and you go from there. Of course, most of the guys have been playing in New Zealand for us. Some of the guys have come out from England, but it’s the way of the modern game nowadays.”Michael Vaughan, who opened the batting with Trescothick on England’s 2002-03 tour to Australia, has questioned the value in playing on a club ground which will “bounce really low” ahead of the first Test on an Optus Stadium which is expected to be fast with steep bounce.Related

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But Trescothick said England were “very happy” with their preparation: “We’ve had facilities here with the nets, and obviously then the nets out in the middle, and then we’ve got the preparation game here as well.”In my day, playing at the Waca was very unique and very different, but you prepare yourself for those sorts of changes in facilities and pitches as you go along. We’ll have three days of prep at Optus, just to get used to pitches and we go along with that, and we’ll go from there. We’re very happy at the moment.”Ben Duckett, who will open the batting in next week’s first Test, arrived in Perth last week and said that facing England’s fast bowlers in the nets has provided “pretty good” preparation following a white-ball tour to New Zealand.”I don’t know what the right answer is,” Duckett told the podcast. “We play a lot of cricket at the minute, and we’ve obviously just come off the back of our summer. We’re certainly not lacking any gametime.”I don’t make those plans, but I’m pretty happy getting ready in the nets. If we’re facing Jofra [Archer], Woody [Mark Wood] and those guys everyday, I think that will be pretty good prep.”England’s preparation has been heavily criticised by former players, with Ian Botham suggesting their slimline schedule “borders on arrogance”. It stands in clear contrast to Australia’s build-up, with 14 members of their 15-man squad for the first Test involved in the ongoing round of Sheffield Shield fixtures.

Everton boss David Moyes opened up on Jack Grealish's injury fear after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's blow during the Chelsea clash. The Toffees went down 2-0 against the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto were on target for the hosts. This was Everton's sixth defeat of the Premier League season as they dropped to eighth in the league.

Palmer stars in Chelsea's win

Chelsea and English star Palmer scored his first goal for the Blues since September as the attacker returned from injury to help his side beat Everton 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday. Amid an injury-hit season, the Blues talisman opened the scoring before the excellent Malo Gusto doubled the hosts' advantage. The Toffees barely laid a glove on Enzo Maresca's team as they claimed their first victory in five matches in all competitions.

Reacting to his performance against the Toffees, Palmer told BBC Sport after the match: "The game is never finished. We had many chances, we missed. But overall I'm happy with the clean sheet and the performance. We said many times with Cole [Palmer] we are a better team. Unfortunately, he was out for many games for us, but now he's back and for sure he will help us. 

"Maresca was also quick to laud the performances of Reece James and Malo Gusto – who scored and bagged an assist against Everton. They are good players and when they are good players they can play in every position. They can play full-back and midfielder. [Malo Gusto] took the chance and his assist for Cole, so I am very happy for Malo. If we are not able to win, win, win that still doesn't mean we're not ready to compete for titles. When you don't concede it's not just about one player, it's about all the team. Joao Pedro's press, Alejandro Garnacho's press."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMoyes opened up on injury problems

Everton dealt with a couple of injury blows during Saturday's clash, starting with Dewsbury-Hall's injury as he was forced off the ground in the 16th minute and was replaced by Carlos Alcaraz. Star winger and Manchester City loanee Grealish also complained about a hamstring after the full time whistle.

Providing an update on Grealish's condition, Moyes said: "Jack felt his hamstring so we just need to be careful with these boys."

On Dewsbury-Hall's situation, Moyes added: "It disrupted us for about 10, 15 minutes. “I thought we'd started the game well. In that period we just lost the goal… it’s hard to be disappointed with a lot of the stuff we've done. But I'm disappointed because we didn't win, disappointed because we've got a couple injuries, but not disappointed with how the players are going about it."

Maresca analyses Chelsea's performance

Speaking on his team's performance against Everton, manager Maresca told reporters: "This is the reason why I praise the players because with so many problems they are doing very well after a complicated week. Since I joined the club the last 48 hours has been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn’t support us. So very happy for Malo in that moment that the effort from Malo and the rest showed that they are all there and want to help this club. Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn’t support me and the team. The Chelsea also boss was then asked if the issue was an internal problem or related to supporters and explained: In general. I love the fans and I am very happy with the fans."

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Getty Images SportChelsea's hectic December schedule

Chelsea still have four games to play before the end of the calendar year, starting on Tuesday with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff City. The Blues then finish off 2025 with Premier League fixtures against Newcastle, Aston Villa and Bournemouth.

The Houston Astros appear to be wasting little time after losing All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes to injury.

The Astros are acquiring third baseman Ramon Urias from the Baltimore Orioles, according to a Wednesday night report from Jon Heyman of the . Urias, 31, is slashing .248/.300/.388 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs this season.

Urias is primarily known for his defense; he's turned more double plays this year than any other American League third baseman. In 2022, he won a Gold Glove for his defensive work, registering 1.9 defensive bWAR for the first winning Orioles team in six years.

Houston outlets have reported Paredes may miss months with a hamstring injury after making his second All-Star team in his first year with the Astros. He has not played since July 19.

His squad, despite a raft of injuries this season, leads the Seattle Mariners by 4.5 games in the American League West division.

It was more than 2500 days between IPL fifties, but Nair had churned out runs away from the limelight

Karthik Krishnaswamy14-Apr-20253:33

Nair: If team doesn’t win, your individual runs have no value

“Dear cricket, give me one more chance.”Karun Nair tweeted this on December 10, 2022, when he was at his lowest ebb as a cricketer. Here was a Test-match triple-centurion and a giant of the domestic game – a central figure in back-to-back treble-winning seasons for Karnataka – left out of his state team, across formats. He had only just turned 31.It was only natural, then, that this tweet gained a lot of traction on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Nair had played his first IPL game in nearly three years, and scored his first IPL half-century in nearly seven years – 2520 days, to be precise, the longest gap between IPL fifties for anyone, ever.

Our hearts are full pic.twitter.com/cau5zlrmcE

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 13, 2025