#roster-depth

#roster-depth

The Braves bench in recent years has been rather lean. A pre-trade William Contreras and a somewhat resurgent Ramon Laureano are the best of recent memory. But most of the other bench options. are remember by the way that swung their plastic swords rather than the lumber. Your bench doesn't really matter as much if you're winning 90+ games. This season's team might be a little different though, both in depth and their place in the playoff chase.

T.J. Watt will miss his second straight game as he continues to recover from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung during a dry needling treatment last week. Watt, who didn't practice this week, was ruled out for the Pittsburgh Steelers' game at the Detroit Lions on Sunday along with guard Isaac Seumalo (triceps) and cornerback James Pierre (calf). Watt, who had surgery on his lung Dec. 10, was at the team practice facility Thursday for a visit from the Pittsburgh Symphony

"I just remember him wrecking our practice," Williams said Monday. "He was a thorn in our backside as o-linemen because he diagnosed so quickly. He took away our ability to help because he was getting to the spot he needed to be so quick." The 49ers (9-4) returned from their bye weekend with a brief "bonus" practice and will take Tuesday off before beginning preparations to host the Tennessee Titans (2-11) Sunday at Levi's Stadium (1:05 p.m., Fox). The four practices will determine whether Kendricks makes his 49ers debut.

Sometimes, the process and the game mean more than the results. The Rangers may have lost in overtime to Colorado, but they showed some of that swagger we haven't seen in a while, tying the game with less than a minute remaining to secure that point. The Rangers battled hard for their point, getting yet another point in this week long gauntlet, making it five of six points with one more game against Vegas coming up later tonight.

Vazquez, 25, was acquired by the Orioles in a minor trade with the Cubs last offseason. A 14th-round pick by Chicago back in 2017, he didn't make his big league debut until last year in an 11-game cameo with the Cubs. He got a larger look in a bench role with Baltimore this past year, but still has yet to establish himself as more than a depth option at the big league level.

"If you come watch me for a day, you are probably not going to notice that I was on the field. If you come for a month or two, you will probably leave saying I am a pretty good player."

During the first half of Wednesday night's 122-112 loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Miami Heat were dealt a massive blow with Bam Adebayo exiting the game with a left foot injury. Adebayo was injured after taking a step during a pitch back to guard Norman Powell in transition. He hobbled off the court and headed to the locker room and did not return. Adebayo played just eight minutes, finishing with two points and one rebound, making one of his five shot attempts.

"It was clear White fell out of favor in New England," Walder wrote in his recap of the reported deal. "He was buried on a strong depth chart, with Harold Landry III and K'Lavon Chaisson having nice seasons on the edge and Milton Williams and Christian Barmore playing well inside. "But considering that the 6-2 Patriots should be harboring deep playoff expectations," he added, "the compensation they received does not make up for the loss in depth. Should injuries strike, they might wish they had White back."

A San Jose Sharks lineup that was light on experienced NHL players fell behind by three goals in the second period and was unable to fully recover in a 3-2 preseason loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday at the Honda Center. The Sharks allowed goals to Cutter Gauthier, Radko Gudas, and Frank Vatrano in a span of 2:51 to fall behind 3-0 by the 9:13 mark of the second period.

As the Miami Heat prepare for a new era of basketball, head coach Erik Spoelstra relayed a message that fans have been awaiting to hear - it's one that points to new schemes and, hopefully, an entirely different approach to the game for the franchise. Spo hinted as much as the team tipped off training camp with media day. In the words of Spo, he's excited to install a "different plan for a different team."

The St. Louis Blues were an extremely good team last season, making the playoffs in a tightly-packed Western Conference. However, they did not get far in the playoffs. GM Doug Armstrong wanted to make the roster stronger without draining the prospect pool. He may have done that without breaking the bank. Depth is more important to this Blues team as they look for a better playoff outcome this season.

The Toronto Blue Jays might just have the horses to pull themselves over the finish line. Talk about a total team effort, Toronto took down the Houston Astros 4-3 on Tuesday night in the opener of their three game series at Rogers Centre. Toronto needed everybody in the lineup - quite literally - in order to squeak this one out. Every available player from the bench made their way into the game and that might be more of the norm from this point onwards.