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Diamondbacks left-hander Andrew Saalfrank has shoulder surgery, will miss all of 2026

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed pitcher Andrew Saalfrank will miss the season after shoulder surgery, the team confirmed on Monday.

The 28-year-old was expected to be an important part of the team’s bullpen after compiling a 1.24 ERA over 28 appearances last season. The Diamondbacks did not say how Saalfrank got hurt, adding manager Torey Lovullo will address the injury on Tuesday.

It’s another hit for the pitching staff, which already is without relievers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez, along with ace starter Corbin Burnes, for the first few months of the season. All three are recovering from elbow surgery and hope to be back during the summer.

Saalfrank called the surgery a “tough pill to swallow” on social media, adding that “the game of baseball can be a brutal one, but it’s also given me some of the best moments of my life, and I don’t expect that to change moving forward.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

The arrival of AJ Dybantsa gives Wizards hope

For the first time in almost a half-century, the Washington Wizards could be closer to contending for an NBA title with the arrival of AJ Dybantsa. The team drafted the 6-foot-9 forward with the first pick of the 2026 NBA draft after finishing as one of the worst teams in the league in the past three years. They got the No. 1 overall pick after winning the draft lottery in May for the first time since 2010 -- when they drafted John Wall. The Wizards hope, with the arrival of Dybantsa, that they can start winning games and competing for the playoffs with a chance to win their first championship since 1978. In the past three seasons, they finished with a combined record of 50-196. “We’re definitely getting a difference maker on the basketball court. There’s no doubt about that,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said. “What I would want our fans to know night one is that he is a worker. He is a passionate person who loves basketball and will continue to work and get better.”
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