BASEBALL
Royals reassign Witt, 3 more
The Kansas City Royals reassigned four of their top prospects to their minor league camp Monday, including touted shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., whose brilliant spring training nearly caused the club to put him on the opening day roster. The Royals also sent outfielder Kyle Isbel and pitchers Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch to the minor league camp. Witt, 20, is universally considered the Royals' top prospect, but he's blocked at his natural position by young shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. Witt has spent time at second base during spring training, where light-hitting defensive standout Nicky Lopez is the incumbent. Isbel, 24, hit .333 with 2 homers and 3 RBI in 17 games this spring, but his reassignment amounted to a numbers game -- the Royals are content with Andrew Benintendi (Arkansas Razorbacks) in left field, Michael Taylor in center and Whit Merrifield in right. And while he could have been the fourth outfielder, much like Witt, the Royals want him to get regular work. Kowar and Lynch were both long shots to make the opening day roster, but they figure to be linchpins of the pitching staff for years to come.
BASKETBALL
Irving to miss road trip
Kyrie Irving will miss the Brooklyn Nets' three-game road trip this week while dealing with a family matter. The Nets said Monday that Irving would not accompany the team for games tonight at Portland, Wednesday at Utah or Friday at Detroit. Brooklyn has already been playing without fellow All-Star Kevin Durant because of a strained left hamstring but has won 15 of its last 17 games. Irving missed seven games in January after leaving the team for personal reasons. He didn't specify the reason for that absence, though he did say there was "family and personal stuff" going on.
FOOTBALL
NFL reports draft plans
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be leaving his man cave to announce this year's rookie draft class within shouting distance of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The league announced some its plans for this year's three-day event in Cleveland, which will include some of the prospects being in person after last year's draft in Las Vegas was held virtually because of the covid-19 pandemic. Some of Cleveland's iconic downtown locations, including the Rock Hall, FirstEnergy Stadium and the Great Lakes Science Center, will be incorporated into the three-day festivities from April 29-May 1. Goodell will be on hand to welcome the league's newest players -- but from a short distance. Building on the success of last year's virtual event, when the commissioner read players' names from the basement of his home, other draft picks will participate remotely from around the country. The league said the three-day event will be open to the public, and protocols from the experiences of hosting the Super Bowl in Tampa will be in place.
Lions announce signings
The Detroit Lions have signed kicker Randy Bullock and quarterback Tim Boyle. The Lions also announced the signing of wide receiver Breshad Perriman on Monday. Bullock spent parts of the past five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. Prior to that, he appeared in games for the New York Jets and Houston Texans. Bullock went 21 of 26 on field goals last season, including 3 of 5 from 50 yards and beyond. The Lions need to replace two-time Pro Bowl kicker Matt Prater, who went to the Arizona Cardinals. Boyle spent the first three seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers. He has appeared in 11 career games and has attempted four passes. Perriman had 30 catches for 505 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Jets last season.
Patriots given extra pick
The NFL says it has awarded the Patriots an additional compensatory pick for this year's draft due to a correction by the league's management council. League spokesman Michael Signora said in a statement that there was a miscalculation of the average yearly compensation. As a result of the correction, New England, which was originally awarded two compensatory picks, has also been awarded the first compensatory pick of the fifth round, 177th overall. The Falcons' first compensatory selection in the fifth round has moved down two slots to 182nd overall. By agreement with the NFLPA, the Bears will retain their compensatory selection at the end of the sixth round (228th), previously the 32nd compensatory awarded, and now the 33rd. Compensatory selections are awarded to a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year. Those spots are positioned from the third through sixth rounds of the draft based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.
TENNIS
More surgery for del Potro
Former U.S Open champion Juan Martin del Potro will undergo another operation on his right knee this week, but said Monday he still hopes to play at the Tokyo Olympics. The Argentine has been sidelined since hurting his knee in the first round at Queen's Club in June 2019 and has already had three surgeries on the injury. He posted a message on Instagram saying he will have surgery again on Tuesday in Chicago. "We've tried conservative therapy but the pain is still there," Del Potro wrote. "[The doctor] knows I want to play tennis again and be able to play the Olympics, so we agreed that surgery should be done as soon as possible." Del Potro, 32, beat Roger Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open final for his only Grand Slam title but his career has been blighted by a number of long-term injuries since. This is the fourth time he has been sidelined for at least eight months. Del Potro said he contemplated retirement after his father died in January, but that he wants to get back on the court. The tennis tournament at the Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to start July 24. Del Potro won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and then silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, losing the final to Andy Murray.
