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Shohei Ohtani, still facing uncertain pitching timeline, says biceps is also an issue

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LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani’s timeline to return to a big-league mound remains the biggest unknown for the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of MLB’s Aug. 3 trade deadline. That picture did not get any clearer Tuesday, when Ohtani said his health concerns go beyond just his left knee.

Ohtani said he is still recovering from the right biceps discomfort that earlier this month caused him to be removed early from a game and miss another one entirely. It was the first time the Dodgers star had taken questions since since July 10.

“My biceps (is) not 100 percent,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Just similar issue with the knee. Do we consider pushing this? It is still July. So I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”

The four-time MVP has not pitched in a game since July 3, and has not thrown off a mound since a 31-pitch bullpen session in Philadelphia last Wednesday. He was slated to throw another bullpen session on Saturday in New York, but those plans were scrapped when his knee and biceps did not feel 100 percent.

“If I was completely, no issue, 100 percent, I think things would have gone the way it was supposed to,” Ohtani said. “But if I’m at 90 percent, which means 10 percent not quite there, then there’s not really a necessity to force the issue.”

The Dodgers have shut down Ohtani from throwing outside of some plyo balls. Manager Dave Roberts did not have a timeline for when Ohtani would throw his next bullpen session. How long it takes for Ohtani to feel 100 percent remains to be seen.

Ohtani continues to be in Roberts’ everyday lineup as a designated hitter, which he has said does not affect the knee. Ohtani entered Tuesday with a .711 OPS in July, his worst month offensively since August 2020 (.695). Ohtani led off Tuesday’s 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners with a solo home run off Luis Castillo, but had been 7-for-38 (.184) since receiving an injection to treat his balky left knee during the All-Star break.

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Roberts said there are no plans to give Ohtani a few days to let his body catch up.

“Until I hear otherwise, he’s going to be in the lineup,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers still feel Ohtani serves them more in the lineup right now than in the rotation. They also do not want Ohtani pitching with a compromised knee for fear that doing so would risk a more serious arm injury. The more time Ohtani misses, however, the more he will need to build back up.

“You’re looking at over three weeks (without pitching) right now, so there has to be a bill,” Roberts said. “So I just don’t know. I don’t think anyone can kind of foresee what that looks like.”

Ohtani’s status is not expected to alter the Dodgers’ plans prior to Monday’s trade deadline, even as other clubs are expected to enter the bidding for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The organization is still confident Ohtani will pitch again this season, even if there is no clear timeline.

“Given where we’re at in the calendar, if the knee continues to get better, the arm continues to feel better, I would expect him to pitch,” Roberts said.

When Ohtani’s ready, the Dodgers can use last year as a template.

The Dodgers ramped up Ohtani in 2025 following his return from a second major elbow surgery, essentially treating those starts as rehab outings while Ohtani did not count toward the Dodgers’ 13-pitcher limit as a two-way player. He can return to the rotation even while not fully built up, opening games with one or two innings and essentially progressing with each outing.

Meanwhile, reinforcements are on the way. Blake Snell, who is recovering from surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow, is expected to make a four-inning rehab start with Class-A Ontario on Wednesday in what could be his final step before a potential return. Tyler Glasnow will also take the mound Wednesday at Dodger Stadium for his second live session against hitters before a potential rehab assignment of his own after missing multiple months with back spasms.

“I feel very confident,” Roberts said. “Obviously with Snell being more built up, everything that I’m hearing from the medical staff. I think Tyler is in a really good spot physically, on his way back to going out. And then Shohei, I just think that we’re trying to be prudent. So overall, in total, I feel very good for the rest with all three of these guys as starting pitchers.”

The Dodgers are also cautiously optimistic that Gavin Stone could start a rehab assignment soon after missing all of 2025 this season thus far after shoulder surgery.

Beyond the rotation, there was more positive news for the Dodgers.

Kiké Hernández made his return from the injured list Tuesday, using a hyperbaric chamber and stem-cell injection as part of a rehab program that got him back well ahead of schedule on a Grade 3 oblique strain. Hernández said he initially feared the injury had cost him the season, which triggered a panic attack. He was left constipated for six days, he said.

“Sitting in traffic, I had to call my wife, and I could barely talk,” Hernández said. “But I was like, “Look, this is what happened. I don’t know what’s going on with my body. Maybe I’m too old.”

Closer Edwin Díaz, the club’s prized signing last winter, is expected back Wednesday after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow.

Franchise catcher Will Smith is also finally pain-free and resuming baseball activities, Roberts said. Smith has been out since June 5 with an inflamed disc in his neck and has missed enough time that the Dodgers have at least explored potentially upgrading their backup catcher spot behind Dalton Rushing until Smith returns.

“It’s certainly getting to be whole,” Roberts said Tuesday afternoon.

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Uefa World Cup boycott may be raised over Fifa’s private investment plan

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Uefa’s 55 member associations will hold an emergency meeting later this week to discuss Fifa’s controversial proposals to sell stakes in its major competitions.

Football’s world governing body has said it wants to create a new commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including the World Cup, and external investors will be able to buy stakes in it.

That has prompted fears that too much influence in those competitions will be handed to private investors, although Fifa says it will enable more money to be distributed to football associations around the globe.

European football’s governing body took the remarkable step of issuing a response to Fifa’s plans before they had been published on Tuesday, responding to initial reports in the Financial Times and the Times as it condemned the plans, saying they had “crossed a line”.

The meeting will be held virtually and offer the opportunity to work out a plan of action.

Given the strength of feeling – the Football Association says it was not consulted before Fifa released its proposals shortly after Uefa’s statement was made public – it would be a surprise if the possibility of a boycott was not at least raised.

While Uefa knows it only accounts for a quarter of Fifa’s 211-country membership, the body includes most of the world’s most successful teams.

Six of the eight quarter-finalists – and the winners, Spain – at this summer’s World Cup were European. In the 2022 and 2018 editions the figures were five and six respectively.

Uefa knows any competition Fifa puts together would be far less valuable if its members were not involved.

Fifa’s argument that it is compelled to look at proposals that would help it grow the game globally has led to fears that, in the search for greater revenue, its major competitions – the men’s and women’s World Cup and corresponding Club World Cup – could be played more often and include more participants.

That would have huge implications for the football calendar, which is already squeezed, partly because of the expansion of European club competitions.

One senior source within the English game told BBC Sport that the threat posed by Fifa’s plan is one of the biggest the game has faced and is on a par with the European Super League, which created such controversy in 2021 and was scrapped within 48 hours.

It seems improbable that Fifa will back down in the same manner.

Fifa said its plan is to extend global development funding to $10bn (£7.5bn). It is also planning to offer each of the 211 member associations the opportunity to access up to $20m (£15m) in one-off capital.

This latest escalation extends a difficult relationship between Fifa and Uefa, which responded angrily to attempts to host the World Cup every two years when the idea was floated by former Arsenal manager and Fifa’s current chief of global football development Arsene Wenger in 2021.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final this month in protest at a number of controversial moves.

They included US President Donald Trump stepping in to help turn USA forward Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban into a suspended ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 encounter with Belgium.

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Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton signs new contract until 2028

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England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has signed a new two-year contract with Chelsea.

The 25-year-old was out of contract this summer, and The Athletic reported earlier this year that the Euro 2025 winner had been offered a new short-term deal with the eight-time Women’s Super League (WSL) winners.

Hampton joined Chelsea from Aston Villa three years ago ahead of the 2023 World Cup, during which England reached the final but fell to a 1-0 defeat to Spain.

Since her move, Hampton has established herself as England’s No 1 and one of the WSL’s most impervious goalkeepers.

In her three seasons with Chelsea, Hampton has collected five pieces of silverware with Chelsea, including three league titles, while also helping Sarina Wiegman’s England retain their European title last summer.

Hampton’s feats earned her the inaugural Yashin Trophy at last year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, recognising her as the best goalkeeper in the world over the previous year.

On her new deal, Hampton said: “Chelsea have always been my dream club to play for in England so to be able to extend for another two years is a proud moment.

“When I moved to London from the Midlands, it was my first time moving away from home and everyone at Chelsea made it feel like a home away from home and somewhere I have been able to grow not only as a player but as a person.

“I am happy and I know there is so much more I can achieve and so much more as a team we can achieve. I am going to do everything I can to help Chelsea get back to being as successful as we have been in the past.”

Chelsea lost their hold on the WSL title for the first time in seven years last season as Manchester City, under new head coach Andree Jeglertz, claimed a first league triumph in a decade.

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor will be aiming to restore Chelsea’s dominance in England in her third season in charge and Hampton’s form between the sticks will be critical in doing so.

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BBC Sport quiz: Who am I? Guess The Hundred star cricketer No 9

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Welcome to a special cricket edition of our Who am I? game.

The rules are simple. For each day of The Hundred there’s a cricketer, taking part in this year’s tournament, who we want you to identify in as few attempts as possible.

After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. The sooner you guess the answer, the more points you score.

Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.

Take part and return for more tomorrow.

Today’s player and clues set by BBC Sport’s Marc Higginson.

After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Sports Quizzes page and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.

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