Blue Jays place catcher Kirk on IL, bring up Valenzuela

Alejandro Kirk, the Blue Jays’ All‑Star catcher, suffered a dislocated and fractured left thumb during the 10th inning of a 5‑4 loss to the Chicago White Sox. He was placed on the 10‑day injured list on Saturday and will see a hand specialist in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Monday for further evaluation.

In response, the Jays recalled Brandon Valenzuela from Triple‑A Buffalo, where he has yet to reach the majors. The club also assigned newly signed left‑hander Patrick Corbin to Single‑A Dunedin after signing him to a one‑year contract.

PARIS (AP) — Without its top striker, Strasbourg extended its unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 matches with a 3-1 win over Nice in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Joaquín Panichelli tore his right ACL while training with Argentina last week and underwent surgery on Thursday. He will miss the World Cup and maybe the start of next season, too. Panichelli leads the French league with 16 goals.

In his absence, winger Martial Godo and Samir El-Mourabet delighted the home fans to keep eighth-placed Strasbourg in contention for a European spot.

Godo hit the crossbar after 24 minutes and broke the deadlock soon after with another header into the far corner. They went into halftime 3-0 ahead after scores from midfielders Julio Enciso and El-Mourabet, the latter striking a beautiful half-volley from outside the box.

More good news for Strasbourg was the sight of captain Emanuel Emegha, who will join Chelsea next season, returning from a four-month injury layoff when he went on in the 77th.

Defender Antoine Mendy pulled one back in the 82nd for Nice, which slumped to a 15th defeat. Strasbourg and Nice will face off again in the French Cup semifinals on April 22.

Leader Paris Saint-Germain increased its lead to four points on Friday after Ousmane Dembélé scored twice in a 3-1 win against Toulouse. The game was brought forward to give PSG more recovery time ahead of next Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal with Liverpool.

The result lifted PSG four points clear of Lens, which travelled to fifth-placed Lille later Saturday for the Derby du Nord.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Edmonton Oilers will be without forward Zach Hyman in Saturday’s 8 p.m. MT showdown with the Vegas Golden Knights. Coach Kris Knoblauch said the winger will miss the game with an undisclosed injury, but would be ready if it were a playoff match.

Center Leon Draisaitl is expected to resume skating in the next few days, though he will not join the team on the final road trip. The 30‑year‑old, who has missed time since March 15, had 35 goals and 62 assists before injury and is a key piece as Edmonton looks to stay atop the Pacific Division.

Georgia picked up a big early commitment from Atlanta Langston Hughes four-star offensive tackle Kelsey Adams back in October.

He remains committed to the Bulldogs, but he’s also not closing the door on his recruitment. Adams is out visiting other programs this spring and he’s in Baton Rouge to give LSU another look this weekend.

The 6-foot-5, 280-pounder posed alongside new Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin on Saturday:

LSU is not the only program working to flip Adams from UGA. He’s also giving the likes of Miami, North Carolina and Ohio State the time of day ahead of his senior season. LSU is certainly near the top of the pack, however.

Adams also took a late-January trip to Baton Rouge and he’s set to be back for an official visit in early June. UGA continues to make Adams feel like a priority, but so do the Tigers.

His official visit schedule is as follows: Georgia (May 29), LSU (June 5), Miami (June 12), North Carolina (June 17), Ohio State (June 20).

“After the spring, I’ll look at all my options and decide if I’ll take any more trips. I’m committed to Georgia but a little bit open still,” Adams told Rivals back in January. “The biggest thing for me is finding the school that makes me feel at home, not just with football but outside of football as well.”

Adams is the No. 125 overall prospect and No. 13 OT in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 12 player in Georgia.

LSU working to build momentum under Kiffin

With Kiffin and the new staff now settled in on the Bayou, LSU will look to make a splash once again on the recruiting trail. The Tigers still managed to ink the No. 12 class in the 2026 Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

So far in the 2027 cycle, LSU has two commits: Irmo (S.C.) four-star EDGE Jaiden Bryant and Cotton Valley (La.) Evangel Christian Academy four-star quarterback Peyton Houston.

Bryant is now the No. 14 recruit in the Rivals300. He was once a South Carolina lean, but quickly locked in with LSU once it hired position coach Sterling Lucas.

“Coach Lucas is a coach I trust and believe in,” Bryant told Rivals previously. “South Carolina wasn’t one of my first offers, but he was recruiting me before that. He started recruiting me early, and he’s like family. He’s easy to talk to, we have a nice relationship, and he’s always been a coach I knew I would love to play for.”

Houston committed back in September and has remained in the class despite the coaching staff changes. He’s now the No. 99 recruit and No. 7 QB in the nation.