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Giants designate LaMonte Wade Jr., sign Dominic Smith as Buster Posey seeks to jolt offense

Published

6 months ago

June 4, 2025

Giants designate LaMonte Wade Jr., sign Dominic Smith as Buster Posey seeks to jolt offense

As a cornerstone catcher on three World Series championship teams, Buster Posey was as renowned for his level-headed perspective as he was for his clutch hitting and receiving skills.

But patience does not always equal indecisiveness.

The San Francisco Giants’ first-year president of baseball operations made a series of bold roster changes Wednesday morning to jolt a slumbering offense, designating struggling first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment and replacing him with Dominic Smith, who had opted out of his Triple-A contract with the New York Yankees earlier in the week.

The Giants made two other changes to address an underperforming bench, designating backup catcher Sam Huff and optioning infielder Christian Koss to Triple-A Sacramento. They will be replaced by catcher Andrew Knizner and lefty-hitting outfielder Daniel Johnson, neither of whom were in spring training with the club but had joined Triple-A Sacramento on minor league contracts last month.

The most significant and likely the most difficult move involved saying goodbye to Wade, who achieved folk hero status as “Late Night LaMonte” for his uncanny run of clutch hits in the late innings on the 2021 NL West championship team that won a franchise-record 107 regular-season games. Wade received only 381 plate appearances that season but finished sixth among NL players in Win Probability Added. And he emerged as a strike-zone savant to rival Juan Soto while posting on-base percentages of .373 and .380 over the past two seasons.

But Wade’s production fell off a cliff over the past two months while he hit .167/.275/.271 with one home run. The 31-year-old’s window of opportunity with the club was closing as other options came online. Outfielder/first baseman Jerar Encarnacion, who fractured a finger in spring training, rejoined the team this week. Top prospect Bryce Eldridge hit his way into a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, and veteran Wilmer Flores has proven to be much more productive than just a right-handed platoon partner.

Wade’s struggles were easier to cover up in April when the Giants got off to a hot start and scored consistently. But the club has scored just 32 runs over its last 16 games, putting considerable pressure on a pitching staff that ranks second in the major leagues with a 3.03 ERA. The Giants haven’t scored more than four runs in any of their last 16 games, their longest since a 19-game stretch in 1965. And they are coming off two gut-wrenching home losses to the San Diego Padres, wasting Logan Webb’s effort in a 1-0 defeat on Monday and then letting a 2-0 lead slip away in the ninth inning of a 3-2, 10-inning loss on Tuesday that probably had more to do with their inability to tack on runs than closer Camilo Doval’s rare hiccup.

Before Tuesday’s loss, Posey met with reporters and said the club was “trying to exhaust all options” to jump-start an offense that hasn’t received much from Wade, catcher Patrick Bailey, and most notably, $182 million free-agent shortstop Willy Adames.

But the question has been floating out there ever since Posey took over the big chair from Farhan Zaidi in October: How would Posey handle the moment when he had to make difficult decisions about players who were among his former teammates? In a role that often requires callousness, how much would sentiment get in the way?

Perhaps that question has been answered now. Posey, of course, was among Wade’s teammates in that record-setting 2021 season. But that didn’t make any difference on Wednesday. Not with the Giants’ offensive challenges threatening to erode their early-season gains.

Although Posey showed no signs of panic as a player, he also likely absorbed his share of lessons from former manager Bruce Bochy, including this oft-repeated line: “If it isn’t working, change something.”

Dominic Smith celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run during spring training with the Yankees. (Jonathan Dyer / Imagn Images)

So the Giants will give at least a short-term look at Smith, a 29-year-old veteran of eight major league seasons with the New York Mets, Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds who didn’t make the Yankees roster out of camp and was buried on the depth chart there. Smith hit .255/.333/.448 with eight home runs in 189 plate appearances at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is expected to see time at first base and provide a little more left-handed power potential off the bench.

Johnson is a lefty-hitting 29-year-old Vallejo native who appeared in one game for the Baltimore Orioles last year and 35 games for Cleveland over the 2020-21 seasons. He was playing for Durango in the Mexican League when the Giants signed him to a minor league contract on May 2; he hit .272/.312/.534 with six home runs and five stolen bases in 109 plate appearances for Sacramento.

Knizner, 30, has spent parts of six major league seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers and was released by mutual consent from his minor league deal with the Washington Nationals in mid-May. He combined for a .378 average and .512 on-base percentage between Triple-A Rochester and Sacramento and represents a contact-hitting upgrade over Huff, who had struck out 25 times in 53 at-bats.

And what about Wade? It’s unlikely he’d be scooped up on waivers because a claiming team would take on the remainder of his $5 million salary. But because he has more than five years of service time, he can reject an outright assignment to Sacramento and become a free agent. He’s almost assuredly played his last game as a Giant.

(Top photo of LaMonte Wade Jr.: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

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Nebraska volleyball’s perfect season ends in Elite Eight heartbreaker

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7 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

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Badgers news: Wisconsin upsets Texas, to play Kentucky in Final Four

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1 hour ago

December 16, 2025

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The Wisconsin Badgers wore black for a reason on Sunday: they went to a Texas Funeral.

The No. 3 Badgers upset the No. 1 Texas Longhorns 3-1 on Sunday, sending them to the Final Four against the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats in an impressive win.

Wisconsin, facing the team that swept them earlier in the season, came ready to play. Falling behind 10-7 in the first set, the Badgers went on a four-point run before the two sides engaged in a back-and-forth battle, with neither side leading by more than two before Wisconsin had a monster end to the set.

Leading 18-17, the Badgers had an impressive 6-0 run thanks to a trio of Texas attack errors, a Mimi Colyer kill, a Kristen Simon service ace, and a Carter Booth kill. The Longhorns tried to mount a comeback, scoring five straight points, but Colyer got the set-winning kill, and Wisconsin started up 1-0.

The Badgers got off to a good start in the second half, starting off with a 10-6 lead. After the Longhorns went on a 4-1 run to cut the lead to one, the Badgers controlled the remainder of the set, starting with a 3-0 run of their own. From there, Wisconsin led by at least three for the rest of the set, with Carter Booth and Mimi Colyer having a flurry of kills, and they ultimately took the second set 25-21 to go up 2-0.

But, the work wasn’t done just there. The Longhorns were still a big threat, and they showed that in the third set, taking an early 8-6 lead after going on a 4-1 run. Wisconsin fought back with a 4-1 run of their own moments later, retaking the lead 12-11, with Colyer recording four straight kills.

However, a five-point Texas run right after proved to be the difference in the set, as the Longhorns took a 16-12 lead and never relinquished it, despite Wisconsin fighting to cut the deficit to one at 20-19. Texas closed out the set on a 5-1 run, taking the third set and we had a ballgame.

Things did not look good at the start of the fourth set, as the Longhorns started the set on a 4-0 run, picking up where they left off in the third set. That’s when the tables turned. Wisconsin completely flipped the script on a 13-4 run to take a five-point lead, with reserve Trinity Shadd-Ceres having two clutch back-to-back kills.

Moments later, that lead was extended to 18-11, thanks to a Colyer kill and two more attack errors from Texas. The Longhorns had a four-point run, but the deficit was too much to overcome, as the Badgers closed the set on a 6-3 run to win the fourth set 25-19 and take the match.

Colyer had another impressive game, following her 27-kill performance against Stanford with a 23-kill performance on Sunday. Una Vajagic came up huge in the end, getting 15 kills while hitting .458, while Booth had 11 kills of her own.

Elsewhere, Charlie Fuerbringer followed her 61-assist game on Friday with 57 assists on Sunday, while Alicia Andrew had a team-high five blocks. Wisconsin had 25 attack errors and 10 service errors, but they were still too much for Texas to handle.

Now, they’re heading back to the Final Four, with the Kentucky Wildcats up next on Thursday.

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Huskies Place Six on Academic All-MAC Team

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1 hour ago

December 16, 2025

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Women’s Volleyball | December 15

CLEVELAND, Ohio—Six members of the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team have earned spots on the Mid-American Conference (MAC) All-Academic team following the 2025 season.

The Huskies volleyball team has had six or more honorees on the Academic All-MAC in each of the last ten seasons.

The Academic All-MAC honor is awarded to a student-athlete who has excelled in both athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests in that sport.

A total of 78 athletes from around the conference were honored.

Athlete, Year, Major, GPA
Kylie Schulze, Junior, Marketing, 3.81
Rylea Alvin, Sophomore, Psychology, 3.746
Emma McCartney, Sophomore, Biomedical Engineering, 3,709
Ava Grevengoed, Sophomore, Kinesiology, 3.515
Ella Strausberger, Sophomore, Marketing, 3.442
Alexa Hayes, Senior, Criminology, 3.389

Stay up-to-date with Huskie volleyball all-year long! Follow us on Twitter/X at @NIUVolleyball, on Facebook at NIU Volleyball, and on Instagram at @NIUVolley.

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Javin Richards Named America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week

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2 hours ago

December 16, 2025

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LOGAN, Utah – Utah State track and field senior Javin Richards has been named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, Dec. 14. The award is voted on by a state-wide media panel.

With their sponsorship of the student-athlete of the week, America First Credit Union donates funds directly to support student-athlete scholarships.

Richards broke the Utah State record in the indoor heptathlon, taking second place at the BYU December Invitational last week. His overall score of 5,536 points bested John Strang’s performance from 2009 and improved on his previous best of 5,330 points that had ranked second all-time. The Perry, Ohio, native set personal bests in the 60 meters, long jump, shot put and 1,000 meters en route to his record-setting performance. Richards currently ranks ninth in the country in the event.

Fans can follow the Utah State track and field programs on X at USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on X at USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.

Nominees from other sports for USU Student-Athlete of the Week included:
MEN’S BASKETBALL – Senior forward Garry Clark (St. Louis, Missouri) helped Utah State to an 83-78 neutral-site victory over Illinois State at the Delta Center on Saturday. Against the Redbirds, Clark scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds, including seven offensive boards, to go along with two assists and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench. Clark shot 7-of-8 from the floor, 0-of-1 from 3-point range, and 4-of-4 at the free throw line in the win.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – Junior guard Aaliyah Gayles (Las Vegas, Nevada) led Utah State with 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds in its 80-73 home win against Idaho. Gayles went a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line, including 4-of-4 in the fourth quarter, as she scored eight points in the final frame to help clinch the win. Gayles also added two steals and one assist in the victory.

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD – Freshman Adia Ross (Tokyo, Japan) broke the Utah State record in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.48 at the BYU December Invitational last week. In her first-ever indoor 60-meter competition, she bested the previous school record of 7.49, which was set in 1987 by Lola Ogunde, to place fourth in the event finals.

2025-26 America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week Winners

Sept. 1 – Miles Davis, Football

Sept. 8 – John Miller, Football

Sept. 15 – Bryson Barnes, Football

Sept. 22 – Bryson Barnes, Football

Sept. 29 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Oct. 6 – Kaylie Kofe, Volleyball

Oct. 13 – Tess Werts, Soccer

Oct. 20 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Oct. 27 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Nov. 3 – Mara Štiglic, Volleyball

Nov. 10 – Rine Yonaha, Soccer

Nov. 17 – Garry Clark, Men’s Basketball

Nov. 24 – MJ Collins, Men’s Basketball

Dec. 1 – Andrea Simovski, Volleyball

Dec. 8 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Dec. 15 – Javin Richards, Track and Field

– USU –

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Georgia Freshmen and Signees Shine at SPAR European Cross Country Championships

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3 hours ago

December 16, 2025

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LAGOA, Portugal – Georgia cross country freshmen Kristers Kudlis and Anastasia Nilsson competed alongside Bulldog signees Bertold Kalász and Alex Lennon at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships early Sunday morning.

Nilsson was the first Georgia athlete to compete, racing in the Women’s U20 competition (4450m). She crossed the finish line at 15:56 to place 33rd overall, scoring third for Sweden and helping the team to a third-place team finish with 44 points.

Meanwhile in the Men’s U20 race (4450m), Georgia had three representatives, all of which finished within the top-30.

Signee Lennon led the group with a 15th place finish at 13:37. His performance served as the second-best scoring effort for Great Britain and Northern Ireland that helped the team to a second-place finish with 45 points.

Fellow signee Kalász also delivered an impressive effort with a 13:38 to place 17th overall. Kalász was the first finisher across the line for team Hungary in the competition.

Kudlis finished 29th place crossing the finish line at 13:54, which was first for team Latvia.

News and updates from Georgia’s track and field and cross country teams are always located on X/Instagram at @UGATrack.

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Nebraska Women’s Volleyball Upset Eliminates Highest-Spending Team

Published

3 hours ago

December 15, 2025

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The NCAA women’s volleyball tournament will go on without the sport’s highest-spending team, after undefeated Nebraska, the event’s top overall seed, was stunned by Texas A&M in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Nebraska was 33-0 heading into the game and is also the sport’s financial powerhouse. The university spent $5.91 million on its women’s volleyball team in the 2023-24 season, the most of any program in the country, according to Sportico’s College Sports Finances Database. Nebraska is the only public FBS school to spend more on women’s volleyball than women’s basketball, and first-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly earned a base salary of $700,000 this season.

The team also brought in $2.57 million in ticketing revenue, which is the third-highest for any women’s sports team at a public FBS school, trailing only Iowa’s and UConn’s women’s basketball teams. The Aggies, for contrast, made just $288,000 from ticket sales.

Women’s volleyball has taken off in recent years, with top college programs spending more and multiple pro leagues raising millions to get off the ground. Average viewership for the 2025 college regular season on ESPN was up 36% year-over-year. Nebraska, which drew 92,003 fans to a game at Memorial Stadium in 2023, has been a big part of the sport’s success.

Texas A&M is no slouch when it comes to volleyball spending, though, ranking in the top 10 in budget each of the past four years and seventh at $3.75 million in the most recent season for which data is available. On the other side of the bracket, Wisconsin is the No. 3 highest-spending program in the nation at $4.68 million and will face Kentucky, whose $3.21 million in expenses ranked 11th. The fourth semifinalist, Pittsburgh, is public but does not provide its financial details via open records requests.

The semifinals and final will be played on Thursday, Dec. 18 and Sunday, Dec. 21, respectively, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, less than a four-hour drive from Lincoln, Neb.

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