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Robert SanchezTue, June 30, 2026 at 8:56 PM UTC·1 min read

Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave an update on Tuesday on an episode of the "Talkin' Yanks" podcast regarding Aaron Judge's timetable from his fractured rib injury, saying it's "probably a couple weeks still from reimaging" while also mentioning that Judge is improving and feels better.

With Judge still a ways away from getting reimaging, that puts him towards the back-end of the four-to-six week timetable he was given after the diagnosis of his injury on June 4.

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"They'll determine when they feel like he's doing stuff that [warrants] 'Alright, let's go reimage it now.' We're not at that point yet," Boone said.

Even though Judge isn't cleared to get a reimaging of the fractured rib just yet, his skipper noted that he's "feeling a lot better this week" and continues to work on the lower half of his body.

"He's doing some lower-body stuff now in the weight room and moving better," Boone said.

Once the reimaging is done, the Yankees will have a better sense of how to proceed with Judge's rehab. Still, there's no set schedule at the moment for when he might return and that date could even bleed into August.

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Prior to the injury, Judge was slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI in 59 games. While he was still having a great season for most players, Judge's numbers were actually down from his career norms and it's fair to wonder if the fractured rib, which likely occurred earlier in the season, was having an affect on the three-time MVP.

Blackhawks, Bowen Byram agree to 6-year contract extension: Source

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Blackhawks, Bowen Byram agree to 6-year contract extension: Source

Bowen Byram smiles during a stoppage play against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bowen Byram is locked up in Chicago after the Blackhawks recently traded for him. Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images

By Scott Powers and Chris JohnstonJuly 1, 2026 8:28 am EDT Updated

When Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson recently acquired defenseman Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres with a hefty trade package, Davidson knew it was the first of two large prices he would have to pay for his future No. 1 defenseman.

There was what the Sabres wanted for Byram, and there was what Byram sought in a new contract. He was entering the final year of his contract before he could become an unrestricted free agent, and the trade made sense to the Blackhawks only if they could retain the 25-year-old Byram for many more seasons beyond the 2026-27 one.

On Wednesday, the first day Byram was eligible to sign an extension, the Blackhawks agreed to extend Byram for six more years with an average annual value of $12.5 million, according to a league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to address negotiations that aren’t public. For the time being, the contract makes Byram the highest-paid defenseman in the league, surpassing Erik Karlsson’s $11.5 million annual cap hit.

When he acquired Byram, Davidson explained it would probably cost a substantial price to re-sign him.

“It’s definitely a different dynamic than you would experience if there’s a player in your midst, and Bowen’s age, his expiration status being a UFA next summer at 26, is incredibly rare, incredibly valuable to a player, especially in this burgeoning upper limit salary cap market,” Davidson said June 24. “We can’t be ignorant to that. It’s something that we’ll have to be respectful of and also put our money where our mouth is, literally and figuratively, because we believe in this guy.

“We’re OK paying great players. And if there’s an opportunity to acquire and retain a player that we believe is elite and a star, then we will do so, and we won’t blink in doing it.”

With the trade and contract, the Blackhawks are banking on Byram to become a No. 1 defenseman. He was the first defenseman drafted in 2019, the No. 4 pick by the Colorado Avalanche, with a projection to be a No. 1 defenseman. He played a supporting role with the Avalanche during his first few NHL seasons and was traded to the Sabres in the 2023-24 season. In Buffalo, he was given more opportunity and ice time and produced more, but he still played behind Rasmus Dahlin, who finished third in Norris Trophy voting this season.

Chicago is Byram’s first chance to be a team’s No. 1 defenseman. The Blackhawks plan for him to play massive minutes, run their power play and help their young defensemen take the next step. Davidson expressed confidence that Byram is up for that challenge.

“He’s going to be provided an opportunity to again, grow his profile, grow into his game but provide an elite play-driving influence into our lineup,” Davidson said. “He’s already one of the top five-on-five play drivers in the league, and that’s before he even gets on the first power-play unit. So, we’re going to be able to provide that to him.

“We’re going to provide the opportunity to become one of the top defensemen around the league, and we feel 100 percent wholeheartedly that he can be that guy and he will be that guy. So, when you take it like that, a top-pair defenseman and we feel a potential No. 1 defenseman, there aren’t many pieces around the league that are more valuable than that.”

Byram was just as excited about joining the Blackhawks after the trade. His father played briefly for Chicago, and Byram always felt a connection to the organization. He hoped he and the Blackhawks could land on a long-term contract extension, too.

“Chicago is a place I’ve wanted to be for a long time,” Byram said on June 24. “I plan on being in Chicago for a long time. I’m hoping when the time comes, we can figure something out, for sure.”

Jul 1, 2026

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College football realignment refresh: July brings Pac-12 relaunch, new FBS members

Welcome back, Pac-12. Kirby Lee / Getty Images

By Chris VanniniJuly 1, 2026 Updated 8:21 am EDT

It’s July 1, and for the fifth consecutive year, conference realignment has brought summer movement within the Football Bowl Subdivision.

What started with Texas and Oklahoma’s shocking jump from the Big 12 to the SEC in 2021 has continued to trickle down across the rest of college football, especially in the Group of 5 conferences, which are now a Group of 6. Welcome back, Pac-12.

Eleven more FBS schools officially moved Wednesday, along with some non-football-playing additions, bringing the total to 47 FBS moves since the initial Texas and Oklahoma reveal and growing the FBS to 138 teams (up from 130 in 2021). That’s more than one-third of college football’s top level.

To catch you up on this year’s moves, here’s a look at the changes effective this month.

Pac-12

Out: None
In: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State, Gonzaga (non-football)

In 2024, the Pac-12 lost 10 schools to the Big Ten (four), Big 12 (four) and ACC (two), leaving just Oregon State and Washington State. What had started with USC and UCLA’s departure for the Big Ten snowballed into an existential crisis by 2024. Rather than close up shop and join the Mountain West, Oregon State and Washington State spent 2024 in a scheduling partnership with the Mountain West for football and with various leagues for other sports. A year later, the Pac-12 added five Mountain West schools. There were lawsuits, which were recently settled.

To reach the FBS-mandated minimum of eight members, the Pac-12 also added Texas State from the Sun Belt. The league will have a “flex” rematch game to close the regular season, giving everyone eight conference games. Basketball powerhouse Gonzaga is also coming over as a member in all sports, though the Zags don’t have football.

Pac-12 members as of July 1

School
Boise State
Colorado State
Fresno State
Gonzaga (non-football)
Oregon State
San Diego State
Texas State
Utah State
Washington State

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Mountain West

Out: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State
In: UTEP, North Dakota State (football only), Northern Illinois (football only), UC Davis (non-football)

After nearly collapsing following the Pac-12 departures, the Mountain West struck a favorable deal with Air Force and UNLV to keep them in the fold, then added UTEP from Conference USA and brought Hawaii in as a full member (rather than a football-only one) to stabilize. The league also added Northern Illinois from the MAC as a football-only member. Then, in a late move earlier this year, the Mountain West added North Dakota State as a football-only member coming up from the Football Championship Subdivision. A recent NCAA rule change will allow the Bison to be bowl eligible this season, rather than the previous two-year wait for an FCS transition.

Mountain West members as of July 1

School
Air Force
Grand Canyon (non-football)
Hawaii
Nevada
New Mexico
North Dakota State (football only)
Northern Illinois (football only)
San Jose State
UC Davis (non-football)
UNLV
UTEP
Wyoming

Conference USA

Out: Louisiana Tech, UTEP
In: None

CUSA is the only conference to have had a membership change in each of the last five years. This time, UTEP took the Mountain West offer, which made sense geographically. Louisiana Tech then announced last year it would join its fellow Louisiana G6 schools in the Sun Belt. That also led to a lawsuit, which was similarly settled in time for the Bulldogs to move this offseason.

Conference USA members as of July 1

School
Delaware
FIU
Jacksonville State
Kennesaw State
Liberty
Middle Tennessee
Missouri State
New Mexico State
Sam Houston
Western Kentucky

Sun Belt

Out: Texas State
In: Louisiana Tech

The Sun Belt saw Texas State leave for the Pac-12 but remains a 14-team league after adding Louisiana Tech. The conference has leaned into its tight geographic footprint, and these moves make its members even closer.

Sun Belt members as of July 1

School
Appalachian State
Arkansas State
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Louisiana
Louisiana-Monroe
Louisiana Tech
James Madison
Old Dominion
Marshall
South Alabama
Southern Miss
Troy

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MAC

Out: Northern Illinois
In: Sacramento State

Northern Illinois had been the MAC’s westernmost program. Now the Huskies are leaving the conference for the second time and will be replaced by a team out in California for football. The Hornets had been trying to move up from the FCS in recent years but didn’t have an FBS conference home. North Dakota State’s move, complete with a sizable payment to the Mountain West, created the blueprint for Sac State to do the same, and the MAC was willing to take it.

MAC members as of July 1