LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Donald is still determining whether he is ready and able to return to the Los Angeles Rams, but coach Sean McVay says the team will welcome the superstar defensive lineman if he decides to end his two-season retirement.

While the Rams reported to training camp at Loyola Marymount University on Saturday, McVay said he has no idea whether one of the greatest defensive linemen in recent NFL history will decide to resume his career.

“If that is something that he wants to do, we’re going to try to be able to make that happen,” McVay said. “But I genuinely do not have an answer on whether he is or he isn’t. I know he’s preparing himself to be able to make that decision, and I know if he feels good, he’s going to be ready to rock. If not, he doesn’t owe us anything.”

McVay said Puka Nacua is expected to practice in training camp while the Rams work on the next contract for their All-Pro receiver, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The coach said NFL MVP Matthew Stafford is fully healthy, but still will sit out multiple practices in training camp as part of a modified preparation schedule to keep the 38-year-old quarterback fresh for the long season ahead.

The Rams also confirmed first-round pick Ty Simpson had formally signed his four-year, $25.4 million rookie contract as he begins a training camp competition with Stetson Bennett for the backup job behind Stafford.

But McVay was eager to talk about a player who wasn’t reporting to the Loyola Marymount dorms — Donald, who anchored the Rams’ defense for a decade before he retired somewhat abruptly in March 2024.

Donald apparently began to entertain the idea of a comeback early last month after the Rams acquired superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett in a trade with Cleveland. The prospect of lining up next to one of his few contemporary peers compelled the now-35-year-old Donald to begin an extensive workout program aimed at returning him to football shape.

“He is going through his process, and he is putting himself in a position to make a decision,” McVay said. “He’s earned the right to be able to do that. … He’s very diligent. Anything that he does, he does all-in, and so he’s going through a very strict regimen and process that’s similar to what he did when he played. See how his body responds and feels, and then we’ll see when we have more information whether or not we’re going to give it a go, or whether or not he’s going to continue to enjoy what he’s been doing for the last couple of years.”

Donald hung it up nearly 2 1/2 years ago after a very successful decade spent entirely with the Rams in St. Louis and Los Angeles. He racked up a team-record 111 sacks as the heart of the Rams’ defense, winning the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times while earning eight All-Pro selections and 10 Pro Bowl selections.

Donald led the Rams to a championship in the 2021-22 season, making the decisive defensive plays in both the NFC title game and the Super Bowl victory over Cincinnati in their home SoFi Stadium.

Donald has stayed close to the game and the Rams during his two years of retirement, living mostly in Los Angeles while regularly returning to his native Pittsburgh. The current Rams are eager to see whether they’re about to add another star.

“I mean, him being the greatest of all time, I’m sure he’d have a pretty good impact, right?” defensive lineman Braden Fiske said. “It’s only been two years, but if you’ve seen the (workout) videos, it doesn’t seem like he’s lost too much of where he’s at. … If that’s what he chooses to do, I’m sure we’ll be waiting for him. We’re just letting him handle his process. That’s totally on him. I don’t want to be the pushy one. If it happens, great. If not, you know, we’ll play some good football.”

Fiske is among the linemen whose snap counts could be affected if Donald returns, but the Rams appear to be wholeheartedly excited about the prospect of adding Donald to a roster already considered to be among the Super Bowl favorites.

When asked if Donald’s comeback decision might not be made until midseason, McVay reiterated that the Rams will support whatever Donald wants to do.

“I think if AD makes the decision to come back, he’s going to want to play the whole year, just knowing how he is and the mindset that he has,” said left guard Steve Avila, who played with Donald as a rookie in 2023. “I don’t think he’d be halfway in, halfway out with being part of the team, and that’s just what you expect from someone as great as him.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets slugger Juan Soto was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday because of a left calf strain.

Soto walked twice against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki in Friday night’s 4-2 loss at Citi Field before being replaced by pinch-hitter Jorge Polanco in the sixth inning with the score tied at 1.

After the game, Mets interim manager Andy Green said Soto felt discomfort pushing off when running to second base. He had been nursing the nagging injury since returning from the All-Star break last week.

Soto is hitting .283 with 21 homers, 52 RBIs and an NL-best .947 OPS in 84 games this season. He missed 15 games from April 4-21 with a right calf strain, and the Mets went 3-12 without him — losing their last 12 games during that stretch.

Soto sat out Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Milwaukee but was back in the lineup Friday after the Mets had a day off.

The lone All-Star for the last-place Mets this year, Soto exited the team’s first game after the break in the eighth inning on July 16 at Philadelphia. New York was off the following day, and he returned to the lineup as the designated hitter on Saturday and Sunday against the Phillies. He played left field Monday in Milwaukee and was the DH on Tuesday.

To replace Soto on the active roster, the Mets recalled corner infielder and outfielder Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse. Wagaman was hitting .162 with two homers and four RBIs in 21 major league games this season.

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This story corrects Soto’s batting average and removes an incorrect reference to Bo Bichette grounding into a double play in the second inning Friday night. Bichette grounded into a double play in the third inning.

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

The Athletics activated All-Star first baseman Nick Kurtz from the 10-day injured list prior to Saturday’s road game against the Minnesota Twins.

Kurtz sustained a right thumb capsule sprain and was placed on the IL on July 10 and the injury forced him to miss the All-Star Game. He had been elevated to American League starter when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (back) of the Toronto Blue Jays backed out.

Kurtz is batting second and serving as the designated hitter on Saturday.

Kurtz exited a 6-1 loss at Detroit on July 8 after 1 1/2 innings after he appeared to hurt the hand while trying to field a throw in the bottom of the first. The following day, he was the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a 4-1 loss to the Tigers.

Kurtz, 23, is batting .266 with 20 homers and 66 RBIs in 92 games. He was the unanimous 2025 AL Rookie of the Year with a .290 batting average, 36 home runs and 86 RBIs in just 117 games.

Third baseman Max Muncy was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. He was recalled by the A’s earlier this week and went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in two games.

Muncy, 23, is batting .223 with five homers and 20 RBIs over 48 games. He has a .218 average in 111 big league games over the past two campaigns.

–Field Level Media

The American League West-leading Texas Rangers placed starting third baseman Josh Jung on the 10-day injured list on Saturday — retroactive to Wednesday — with a left calf strain.

In a corresponding move, the Rangers recalled infielder Josh Smith from Triple-A Round Rock before Saturday’s home game against the second-place Seattle Mariners.

Jung, 28, exited Tuesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox after three innings with a left calf issue and has not played since. In 92 games this season, the 2023 All-Star is hitting .294 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs. He is eligible to return to the active roster on Aug. 1.

Texas’ first-round pick (No. 8 overall) in the 2019 MLB Draft, Jung has hit .264 with 58 home runs and 196 RBIs in 417 games with the Rangers.

Smith, 28, is in his third stint with the Rangers this season, batting .230 with one run and eight RBIs in 40 games. The versatile five-year veteran has played five positions in 2026, mainly seeing time at second base (34 games/30 starts).

In 496 games with Texas since being acquired from the New York Yankees in 2021, Smith has hit .236 with 32 homers and 136 RBIs.

–Field Level Media

In the thick of the American League West and AL wild-card races, the Houston Astros placed right-handed starter Spencer Arrighetti on the 15-day injured list Saturday with nerve irritation in his foot.

Arrighetti, 26, left Friday’s start against the Chicago White Sox after one inning and 33 pitches due to the foot issue.

In a corresponding move, Houston recalled left-handed reliever Bryan King from Triple-A Sugar Land.

In 17 starts this season, Arrighetti is 7-5 with a 4.60 ERA, allowing six or more earned runs in three of his final four starts before the All-Star break. The 2021 sixth-round pick, who debuted with Houston in 2024, is 15-23 with a 4.66 ERA in 53 games (52 starts).

The 29-year-old King has made 42 relief appearances with the Astros in 2026, posting a 2-3 record with a 3.40 ERA. Across his three MLB seasons, all with Houston, he is 8-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 138 relief outings.

–Field Level Media

Salvador Perez, who hit the first home run of his career at Comerica Park in Detroit in 2011, set the Kansas City Royals’ all-time record with No. 318 on Saturday at the same venue.

In the Royals’ 3-2 win over the Tigers, Perez tied the game at 2 in the seventh inning with a 401-foot solo shot to left off right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan.

Perez’s blast broke a tie with Hall of Famer George Brett, who hit 317 homers for Kansas City from 1973-93. Like Brett, Perez has played his entire career with the Royals since debuting in 2011.

The 36-year-old is batting .210 with 15 homers and 44 RBIs in 98 games this season. He is a nine-time All-Star and a five-time Gold Glove catcher.

In 1,805 games with Kansas City, Perez has hit .261 with 748 runs and 1,060 RBIs.

–Field Level Media

Orlando City SC signed homegrown defender Bernardo Rhein to a first-team contract through the 2027-28 season.

The deal includes team options for the 2028-29 and 2029-30 campaigns.

“Bernardo has earned this opportunity through his dedication, consistency and the progress he’s shown at every stage of our development pathway,” said Orlando City general manager Ricardo Moreira.

“Having started in futsal, Bernardo brings flair and intensity to our backline. From the Academy to OCB and now the First Team, he has embraced every challenge and continued to grow as a player and as a person. This signing reflects our commitment to developing talent from within, and we’re excited to support Bernardo as he takes the next step in his career with the Club.”

The 18-year-old made his MLS debut on April 22, 2026, against Charlotte FC. He becomes the 19th Orlando City Academy product to advance through the full development pathway.

–Field Level Media

The Athletics signed former American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel to a minor league contract, ESPN reported Saturday.

The 38-year-old left-hander, a two-time All-Star, last pitched in the majors for the Milwaukee Brewers on July 13, 2024.

He has 13 years of major league experience, most prominently with the Houston Astros (2012-18). In 2015, he went 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA and 216 strikeouts, en route to winning the AL Cy Young Award.

The veteran will now attempt another comeback with the Athletics. Per ESPN, he will report to Triple-A Las Vegas.

With the Astros, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Brewers, Keuchel is 103-92 with a 4.04 ERA and 1,254 strikeouts in 282 games (267 starts).

–Field Level Media

No. 4 seed Anna Bondar of Hungary outlasted Elina Avanesyan of Armenia 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (2) in a three-hour, 29-minute match on Saturday to advance to the final of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open in Germany.

Bondar will face fifth-seeded Tamara Korpatsch of Germany, who advanced in her semifinal match when Mayar Sherif of Egypt retired in the second set with an injury. Bondar reached the final at Hamburg for the second consecutive year.

Bondar was down 5-3 in the opening set against Avanesyan before rallying then taking the final four points of the tiebreaker for the set. Bondar also lost serve to fall behind 2-0 in the deciding set then won the first five points of the tiebreaker to advance.

Korpatsch dominated the opening set 6-1 then went up 2-0 in the second set before Sherif was forced to bow out. Sherif was coming off her first title in four years at the Iasi Open in Romania.

Prague Open

Lilli Tagger of Austria pulled off an upset of No. 2 seed Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and earned her way into the final with a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4) semifinal victory.

Both semifinalists from the Czech Republic fell in their home country with No. 5 seed Tereza Valentova losing 7-6 (4), 6-3 to No. 8 seed Daria Snigur of Ukraine.

After losing the opening set, Tagger rallied by breaking Krejcikova’s serve to go up 4-2 in the second set. She broke serve again in the fourth game of the final set then won the final three points in the tiebreaker to win the match.

Snigur and Valentova each broke serve twice in the opening set before Snigur won the final four points of the tiebreaker. Snigur then broke Valentova’s serve twice in the second set, including once to take a 5-3 lead before serving for the match.

–Field Level Media

Miami Marlins minor league pitcher Eiver Mosquera has received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance.

This season with Class-A Jupiter and the rookie-level Florida Complex League Marlins in 12 games (nine starts), the 19-year-old was 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA, 30 strikeouts and 16 walks in 38 innings.

Mosquera joined the organization in 2024 as a $150,000 international signing out of Venezuela.

–Field Level Media