muscle

Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing went through the second-opinion carousel — “opinions on opinions,” as he put it — after his elbow started bothering him on Aug. 2 while playing catch in the outfield before a game against the Red Sox.

“We then come to an agreement that surgery is not necessary,” Rushing said Tuesday. “So, we’re going to rehab the muscle on the inside of my forearm. And the details as to timeline, I don’t really have any for you. But at the same time, I can say it feels 10 times better than it did a week ago. And as soon as I can be throwing a baseball, I will be.”

Rushing said that Sunday was the first time he’d felt pain while throwing — “didn’t feel a pop or anything, but felt pretty serious as it kind of tightened up on me a little bit.”

Manager Dave Roberts said last week that Rushing’s MRI scan showed a slight ulnar collateral ligament tear. Rushing added Tuesday that something similar had appeared on previous scans, without symptoms.

“It’s something we’ve known about, but it hasn’t gotten worse over the years,” Rushing said. “And so it puts my arm in just a fine spot, and obviously, we just worry about the muscle.”

Strengthening the surrounding muscle and addressing the inflammation in the area should help stabilize and take pressure off the inside of his elbow.

On Monday, Rushing started swinging, which he said didn’t bother his elbow. His eventual throwing progression will give him and the Dodgers more information on his availability the rest of the year and any potential offseason interventions — “I don’t think [surgery] will be necessary,” Rushing reiterated when asked specifically about the offseason.

While Roberts said last week that he thought the chances of Rushing catching again were “very small,” Rushing was more optimistic.

“Yeah, if I can throw, I’m going to be able to catch,” he said. “So I’m not too worried about it. And two months at least of playing baseball, and that’s what I’m going to worry about at the moment. And when the season’s over with, and we have another World Series, then we can worry about what the next step is.”

Klein hopes to avoid surgery

Dodgers relief pitcher Will Klein.

(Kyusung Gong / AP)

Dodgers reliever Will Klein hopes to avoid surgery to remove the loose bodies in his right elbow.

“We’re going to rehab and let the inflammation calm down and get back to where it’s manageable this year and try to build back up and see where that puts us,” he said. “It’s feeling a lot better right now. So that’s encouraging.”

Klein has been on the injured list since the start of the month, with what the Dodgers called right elbow discomfort. The Athletic was the first to report a more specific diagnosis.

Klein said he’d known about the small pieces of bone in his elbow, which had previously been manageable. But they’d calcified and become larger, causing inflammation.

His exact timeline to return is in flux, but Klein is scheduled to start throwing weighted plyo balls this week.

“I’m going to do everything I can to get back and pitch again this year,” he said.

Lionel Messi was substituted during Inter Miami’s latest Major League Soccer match because of “muscle fatigue” in his left hamstring, his club said on Monday.

There had been fears that the 2022 World Cup winner had suffered an injury during Inter Miami’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia Union.

However, the MLS club announced that medical tests showed that it was nothing more than “an overload associated with muscle fatigue”.

“The timeline for his return to physical activity will depend on his clinical and functional progress,” Inter Miami said.

Having set up two of Miami’s four first-half goals on Sunday, Messi clutched his leg in the 73rd minute after taking a free-kick and was immediately withdrawn in the team’s final game before the World Cup break.

The 38-year-old went straight down the tunnel but appeared to be walking normally.

“He really was fatigued,” Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos said after the game when asked about Messi’s condition. “He was tired; the pitch was heavy and when in doubt, the standard approach is always to ensure you don’t take any risks.”

Messi has not formally confirmed he plans to play for defending champions Argentina in the World Cup, which begins on 11 June.

However, he is widely expected to make a record-equalling sixth appearance at a World Cup, with the tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Argentina’s squad is due to be named next week, with their opening game against Algeria on 16 June.

Since moving to Miami in 2023, the Barcelona legend and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has carefully managed his workload but has still spent spells out of action with hamstring issues.

He has 12 goals and eight assists in 14 MLS games this season, only one behind the leader in each category, having scored a league-leading 29 goals and assisted 19 times in 28 games during the 2025 regular season.