Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor is back in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Mets

June 3, 2026 | 3:33 PM

SEATTLE (AP) — Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor is back in the lineup and batting third in Wednesday’s series finale against the New York Mets.

Naylor exited Monday’s game with back spasms after hitting a game-tying home run off reliever Brooks Staley in the seventh inning. After returning to the dugout, his back stiffened up.

He took the day off Tuesday but was available off the bench.

“I think he feels much better than he did yesterday,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said.

Naylor is batting .254 with six home runs and 25 RBIs. He got off to a frigid start, hitting .102 with two RBIs through Seattle’s first 15 games. The 28-year-old turned it on in May, batting .296 in 108 at-bats.

Acquired last July in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Naylor batted .299 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 54 games for Seattle in 2025. He signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract in November.

Naylor has helped the Mariners win a season-best eight straight games and build a 2 1/2-game lead in the AL West.

Also, catcher Cal Raleigh is making progress toward returning to the lineup. He was placed on the injured list May 14 with a right oblique strain.

He took swings off a tee last Friday at the Mariners’ spring training complex in Arizona. He has since returned to Seattle and has been doing pregame work over the past few days.

Wilson said a rehab assignment is likely for Raleigh while the Mariners embark on a 10-game road trip beginning Friday at Detroit.

“All of this is pointing to good news,” Wilson said.

In 41 games this season, last year’s AL MVP runner-up is hitting .161 with seven home runs, 18 RBIs, four doubles, 18 walks and 16 runs. He struggled immensely from April 28 to May 12, going 0 for 38, the longest hitless streak in the majors this season, until breaking out with two singles in a 10-2 rout of Houston.

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Ryan Fox wins first career major at 2026 Open Championship

CNN
July 19, 2026 | 1:48 PM

(CNN) — Ryan Fox took home the Claret Jug after draining a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Sunday.The 39-year-old Fox beat out American Cameron Young to win his first career major title, becoming only the third New Zealander to win a men’s major golf championship.Fox came into the final hole tied with Young, after the 29-year-old finished the round at 6-under 64 a few hours before.The Kiwi powered his drive into the middle of the fairway and then set up the biggest putt of his golf career so far with an approach shot that landed about 12 feet from the pin.As the putt fell into the hole, the crowd in Southport, England, gave Fox a rousing ovation as he raised both arms in the air to celebrate the achievement.The putt capped off four birdies in the last six holes for Fox.Fox was at a loss for words while speaking to the NBC Sports broadcast after the win.“I don’t really know what to think at the moment. I’ve got a lot of people to thank. First of all, my family. My wife and kids are in Florida at the moment. I spoke to my kids last night and they said, bring back a trophy. I think that’s a pretty cool one to bring back for them,” Fox said. “My family back in New Zealand and all my supporters back there. I know it’s been a long night for them, but I’m glad it was worthwhile.”Fox finished with a 2-under 68 after trailing Sam Burns, who held a two-stroke lead coming into Sunday’s final round.Fox also becomes the third-oldest major winner in the last 10 years, trailing only Phil Mickelson at the 2021 PGA Championship and Tiger Woods at the 2019 Masters.“Just an unbelievable week. The golf course was fantastic. The English weather was fantastic. You guys out there were fantastic. The support was amazing. This is pretty cool. I’m sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone, but thank you very much,” Fox added.It is another disappointment for Young, who is still looking for his first career major title despite winning The Players earlier this year. Young finished one shot back of the win at the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews and held the lead heading into the final round at the Masters back in April.It is also another let down for Burns, another golfer looking for his maiden major win.The Louisiana State University alum came into the round ahead by two strokes but quickly lost it and went birdie-free for the final 12 holes.“(Fox) is a well-earned champion and hats off to him,” Burns said. “He did what he needed to do down the stretch and ultimately just came up a couple short today.”Defending champion Scottie Scheffler stayed within striking range throughout the round, but wound up with a 3-under 67 on Sunday to finish tied for fourth with Tommy Fleetwood.After a drama-filled tournament, Bryson DeChambeau finished tied for 14th while Rory McIlroy, who has been critical of the LIV Golfer all tournament long, ended tied for 40th.Fox’s journey to first major winFox’s road to his first career major title wasn’t the easiest. It came with many bumps and U-turns.While speaking to CNN’s Don Riddell ahead of the Desert Classic in Dubai in early 2025, Fox opened up about his mental health issues, including being an older rookie after spending years on the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour of Australia.“I think being a rookie at 37 years old on the PGA Tour was, I probably wasn’t quite prepared for what that was again,” Fox told CNN.“I knew all the golf courses, knew how to travel work, knew where to stay, and everything was new on the PGA Tour, and that was probably a shock to the system more than anything.”Fox comes from a lineage of athletes within his family tree, including his father, Grant Fox, who was a main kicker for the New Zealand national rugby team and his grandfather, Merv Wallace, a former New Zealand cricketer who later coached the national team.Fox spoke out on the “pressure” a golfer faces, mentioning the 2024 death of former PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray, whose parents later confirmed it was death by suicide.“It can be a stressful life. It’s all performance-based. There’s a lot of pressure on – Looking after your mental health is really, really important, and having people to talk to and all of that is part of that,” Fox said.“It’s a shame it got to that point with Grayson that, you know, we’ve had to have those, those pretty tough conversations now, but it will help – hopefully it helps someone else in a similar situation going forward because we certainly don’t want to see it again.”CNN’s Kyle Tatelbaum and Don Riddell contributed to this reporting This write has been updated with additional reporting The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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