Month: August 2025

The Cleveland Guardians announced Thursday that they have released longtime first baseman Carlos Santana. In a corresponding move, the Guardians reinstated utility player Daniel Schneemann from the paternity list to take the 26-player roster spot vacated by Santana.

The veteran first baseman, who signed a one-year, $12 million contract ahead of the season, cleared waivers this week but was ultimately released by the club, making him a free agent. Other teams had the chance to claim Santana during a 48-hour waiver period, though doing so would have meant absorbing the roughly $2 million remaining on his deal with Cleveland.

Santana, 39, was batting .215/.316/.333 with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 52 RBI in 455 plate appearances for the Guardians this season. However, he hasn’t been a regular part of Cleveland’s lineup in recent weeks; in that limited time, he’s batted .186 with a .503 OPS.

Santana was originally acquired in 2008 by Cleveland from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade that sent Casey Blake west, and was a fixture in the lineup from 2010-2017. After a brief stint with the Philadelphia Phillies, he returned in 2019 via a three-team swap involving the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays, playing two more seasons in a Guardians uniform.

Across his career, Santana spent time with the Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, and most recently the Minnesota Twins, where he captured a Gold Glove Award for his work at first base in 2024.  Over 15 seasons in the majors, Santana has compiled a steady offensive record: a .241 batting average, .352 on-base percentage, and .426 slugging percentage, along with 335 home runs, 403 doubles, 1,134 runs batted in, and 1,130 walks.

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Iga Świątek’s streak of making the second round at Grand Slam tournaments nearly came to an end while facing Dutch challenger Suzan Lamens at the US Open on Thursday. Świątek, the world No. 2, had to fight through a tense match before narrowly winning with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory.

Świątek took the opening set 6-1, firing nine winners and two aces; but momentum shifted in the second set with a rash of errors — including 12 unforced mistakes and two costly double faults — opening the door for Lamens, who capitalized to take the set 6-4 and even the match.

Świątek jumping out to an early lead in the final set, but Lamens, 25, battled back to trim the deficit to 5-4 before Świątek finally sealed the match. Lamens had a spectacular showing, having never advanced beyond qualifying in a major. Her breakthrough came in Melbourne earlier this year, where she reached the second round of the Australian Open, but Thursday’s performance stands out as the highlight of her Grand Slam career to date.

Świątek will go on to continue her pursuit of another major title, since her breakthrough French Open crown in 2020. She has since collected five Grand Slam trophies and held the world No. 1 ranking from April 2022 to September 2023.

Next up for Świątek is a third-round matchup against Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya on Friday.

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Minnesota Vikings have acquired Carolina Panthers’ wide receiver Adam Thielen, along with a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick, in exchange for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick and a fifth-round pick in 2027. The move reunites the Vikings with Thielen, who spent the first nine years of his career in Minnesota, earning two Pro Bowl nods during his time there.

Thielen, 35, joined the Panthers in 2023. In his debut season with Carolina, the veteran wide receiver delivered 103 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns while starting all 17 games. Last year, his production dipped slightly as he battled a hamstring injury, finishing with 48 catches for 615 yards and five scores in just 10 appearances.

The Athletic’s Joe Person reported Wednesday that Thielen was due $8.75 million in 2025, the final year of his contract, which will primarily be paid out by the Vikings, The Panthers have already paid out $1.75 million in bonuses, while the Vikings will be responsible for the remaining $7 million.

The Vikings open their season on Sept. 8 against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars announced they have acquired wide receiver Tim Patrick from the Detroit Lions, in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick. Pending a physical, Patrick, 31, will join wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter Jr., Dyami Brown, Parker Washington and Austin Trammell on the Jags. Along with the Patrick trade news, the Jaguars also announced that they were waiving wide receiver Austin Trammell.

Patrick was an undrafted free agent when he signed in 2018, playing for several teams before making his debut with the Denver Broncos. Over 71 appearances, the eighth-year pass catcher totaled 176 catches for 2,403 yards and 15 touchdowns in four seasons with Denver, and one season with the Lions. Patrick re-signed with the Lions during the offseason after finishing with 33 receptions for 394 yards and three touchdowns in his second year with Detroit in 2024. He did not play in 2022 because of a torn ACL and did not play in 2023 because of a torn Achilles.

The Jaguars will open the season at home against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 7 in Jacksonville, Fla.

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