Cam Booser and the baseball story you need to know — and more

The Tampa Bay Rays made several franchise altering moves this offseason as they traded away Shane Baz and Brandon Lowe in separate trades made just hours apart. The deals also included Jake Mangum and southpaw Mason Montgomery.

The inclusion of Montgomery was significant because the Rays have a lack of left-handed pitchers on the roster. 

During the 2025 season, the Rays had a lack of left handed pitching as only four different southpaws took the rubber for them over the course of the season: Ian Seymour, Garrett Cleavinger, Mason Montgomery, and Joe Rock.

Of those four, Seymour is likely ticketed for the starting rotation in Durham, Cleavinger should return in the Rays bullpen (although he has also been the subject of trade rumors), and Montgomery was traded. Rock didn’t receive much of a look from the Rays last season, which could indicate he eventually converts to relief, but enters camp as a starter alongside Seymour.

Over the course of the offseason, the Rays addressed the lack of left-handed pitchers on the roster as they would add Steven Matz on a Major League deal and then a duo of hurlers on minor league deals, John Rooney and Cam Booser.

Matz is expected to be an integral part of the starting rotation. Rooney ended last season on the Injured List as he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs and to treat tennis elbow, Marc Topkin reported on January 30th that Rooney might not be ready to start the season. 

Then you have 33-year old Cam Booser, one of the oldest players in camp, and potentially the second southpaw on the bullpen depth chart.

How Booser Bubbled Up

You’d be forgiven for thinking Booser was a professional wrestler given his injury history, as he suffered a broken femur in high school requiring surgery, and later broke a vertebra during a session in the weight room. Later, he’d endure Tommy John surgery and then an elbow scope. Booser’s collegiate career came and went and he’d go undrafted. However, the Minnesota Twins saw enough to sign him as a non-drafted free agent in August 2013 .

Over his first few seasons in the Twins organization, Booser didn’t do much to stand out and then underwent surgery in 2015 after a horrific accident.

That offseason, while rehabbing from his surgery, Booser was riding a bike when a motorist ran a stop sign and plowed into the helpless Booser. The vehicle suffered a broken windshield and Booser suffered a broken sacrum. Booser eventually returned to the mound and again didn’t do much to warrant any positive attention from the Twins. Booser would be suspended for 50 games in 2017 due to testing positive for marijuana (minor league baseball stopped testing for marijuana in 2019).

Fed up, Booser stepped away from the game of baseball, and went home to Washington to pursue a career in carpentry. At least for a few years.

Then, after three years of retirement, Booser decided to become a coach at a training facility. One day on a whim, he decided to throw in front of a Rapsodo machine and clocked in at 98mph.

This led to Booser getting connected with Driveline in the hopes of resurrecting his career. Once Booser received the Driveline treatment, he was given an opportunity in the Indy Leagues

Kyle Rogers of Driveline filmed one of Booser’s outings, in which the resurgent lefty touched 99mph. This caught the attention of Carl Gonzalez, a one-time writer for Draysbay and current member of the Arizona Diamondbacks front office. Gonzalez alerted a scout for the Diamondbacks, Chris Carminucci, who informed his contacts of Booser’s potential, and the team would keep tabs on Booser.

Booser signed with the Chicago Dogs and became an instant sensation; however, although he had retired, the Minnesota Twins still controlled his rights. It took nearly a full offseason before the Twins finally granted Booser his release and the Arizona Diamondbacks quickly signed him to a minor league deal. Just like that, Booser was back on the track to the big leagues.

Of course, nothing in this story can be easy.

Booser returned to affiliated action in 2022 and spent the season in Double-A, until the Diamondbacks abruptly released him in July. He’d make 19 appearances and registered a 6.48 ERA | 6.60 FIP with a 25.6 K% & 18.8 BB% over 25 IP, so command was an obvious issue. However, instead of going back to carpentry, Booser ventured back to the Indy Leagues. This go around, he wasn’t quite as dominant but showed enough under the hood to garner the interest of the Boston Red Sox, signing a minor league deal in February, 2023.

The Triple-A Worcester Red Sox enjoyed the services of Booser throughout the 2023 season and the now 31 year old set a career high in innings pitched and appearances while greatly improving his command from the year prior while racking up a 26.7 K%. The Red Sox decided to bring Booser back the following year, but this time, he was given an invite to spring training.

He wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster, but just a few weeks into the season, the Red Sox made the decision to bring the 31-year old to Pittsburgh to make his first big league appearance.

A Spirited Debut

Booser had made it to the big leagues.

He took the mound on April 19th in Pittsburgh as the Red Sox took on the Pirates. Boston Manager Alex Cora gave Booser an opportunity to close out the game for Boston as they led Pittsburgh, 8-0, in the bottom of the 9th inning.

The first batter Booser faced was a former Rays first round pick, SS Alika Williams.

The very first pitch from Booser was a strike, a 96 mph fastball. Unfortunately it caught too much of the plate and Williams turned on it and sent it into the left field corner and raced to third for a triple. But Booser settled down after that and fanned Andrew McCutchen for his first career strikeout.

That was followed up by two weak grounders and Booser successfully sealed the Red Sox victory, albeit by allowing a run in an inning of work, a clearly cathartic moment for the journeyman.

Booser would spend the rest of the year on the shuttle between Boston and Worcester. Over 43 appearances, Booser compiled a 3.38 ERA | 3.80 FIP with a 23.5 K% & 8.7 BB% across 42 2/3 innings pitched; Booser also picked up a save.

Cam he make the Rays roster?

During the following offseason the Red Sox traded Booser to the Chicago White Sox, where he spent the 2025 season, and here was Baseball America’s blurb on Booser at the time:

Booser emerged as an unexpectedly reliable option in the middle innings for Red Sox manager Alex Cora in 2024. He attacks hitters with a mid-90s fastball, upper-80s cutter and a low-80s sweeper. Both his secondaries elicited whiffs roughly 31-32% of the time

Alas, Booser did not enjoy the same success South Side as he had in Boston.

Over 39 games, Booser compiled a 5.52 ERA | 6.26 FIP with a 24.5 K% & 13.3 BB% over 31 innings pitched. In November, the White Sox non-tendered Booser making him a free agent once again and thus the Tampa Bay Rays decided to sign the 33-year old to a minor league deal.

Given the Rays lack of left-handed pitchers in camp, there is a legitimate chance for Booser to make the Rays Opening Day roster depending on how Garrett Cleavinger and Joe Rock make it through the spring, and even if he does not, he’s a likely candidate to grace the mound for the Rays in 2026.

A crazy own goal, a controversial taunt, and Adil Rami being Adil Rami... discover the weekend's viral highlights.

Diego Moreira the Teaser 🤔

Scoring and providing an assist against OL in Strasbourg's victory, Diego Moreira didn't hesitate to taunt the supporters of his former club.

Stunning Bicycle Kick 🤯

We kick off these viral moments with this magnificent bicycle kick from Ragnar Ache during the draw between Cologne and Hoffenheim (2-2).

Savior Banger 🔥

Imagine, there are three minutes left to play and you score THIS goal to give your team the win. That's the beautiful story Kenedy experienced with Pachuca against Tigres in the Mexican league.

Konaté's Viral Celebration 😭

This weekend, Liverpool managed to snatch a last-second victory on Nottingham Forest's pitch thanks to a goal from Alexis Mac Allister.

Just a few minutes earlier, the Argentine thought he had opened the scoring, sending Ibrahima Konaté into a frenzy.

Save of the Weekend ✋

Despite Levante's heavy defeat against Barça (0-3), Matthew Ryan probably pulled off the double save of the season.

Adil Rami's Anecdote 😅

On the L1+ set, Adil Rami revealed what his pre-match music routine looked like. You'll see, it's surprising.

Laporta Sweeps Up 😭

Clearly, the new Camp Nou is far from being fully ready. So much so that Joan Laporta had to sweep in front of his seat to lend a hand to the club's staff before Barça's match.

The Terrible Image of Ruben Loftus-Cheek 😢

Hit by Parma's goalkeeper at the very start of AC Milan's match, Ruben Loftus-Cheek had to be stretchered off.

The international suffered an alveolar fracture, leaving him with a broken jaw and missing teeth. The image is striking, and the Milan midfielder is expected to miss two to three months of competition, thus seeing his chances of participating in the World Cup diminish.

Own Goal of the Year ☠️

The video speaks for itself, so we'll let you enjoy this masterpiece.

Traditional Outfits for Ronaldo and Mané ✨

After Al-Nassr's victory over Al-Hazem (4-0), Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané were honored by the club's supporters with traditional outfits.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

Police are investigating a spate of online abuse directed at Premier League footballers over the weekend, with authorities issuing a stark warning to offenders that "anyone who believes they can hide behind their keyboards should think again".

The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) confirmed it had received four separate reports of abuse targeting top-flight players within the last three days.

Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland midfielder Romaine Mundle were the latest to be subjected to online vitriol on Sunday, following similar incidents involving Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana and Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri on Saturday.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, head of the UKFPU, condemned the behaviour on Monday, stating: "There is absolutely no place for racial abuse, either online or in person, and anyone who believes they can hide behind their keyboards should think again.

“The UKFPU condemns this abhorrent behaviour and we will ensure that, through our dedicated team of officers, we do everything possible to identify those responsible and bring them to justice."

Arokodare, who missed a penalty during Wolves’ 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Sunday, subsequently received racist messages from multiple accounts.

Sunderland later revealed Mundle had been the victim of similar attacks after his substitute appearance in the 3-1 loss to Fulham.

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out, which has consistently called for social media platforms to take more robust action, issued a statement on Sunday evening.

It read: "We stand in solidarity with Wolves’ Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland’s Romaine Mundle. This has been an appalling weekend after four players called out the racist abuse they’ve received on social media.

“But the sad fact is, we know it happens regularly. The message from them is loud and clear: action must follow. Players cannot be expected to tolerate this behaviour, and nor should anyone else."

Fofana, who shared screenshots of messages sent to his Instagram account, expressed a pessimistic view on the ongoing issue.

"2026, it’s still the same thing, nothing changes. These people are never punished," he posted.

"You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything."

Mejbri also shared abusive messages, writing on his Instagram story: "It’s 2026 and there are still people like that. Educate yourself and your kids, please."

The Premier League issued its own statement, pledging to assist Wolves’ and Sunderland’s investigations, promising "serious consequences" for those found guilty, and reaffirming: "Football is for everyone – there is no room for racism."

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman added: "The racism experienced by these footballers is abhorrent.

“The Prime Minister has supported footballers before who have had the courage to come forward and call out discrimination and racism and this is no different.

“Premier League clubs have said they want to work with social media sites, including Meta, the Premier League and the police to identify those responsible.

“And Meta has said that it will continue to work to protect people from abuse. Ministers will be holding them to account to ensure it happens."

In a related development, Nigel Dewale, who sent online abuse to England defender Jess Carter during last summer’s Women’s Euro, is scheduled for sentencing on 25 March after pleading guilty to a charge of malicious communication in January.

His arrest and subsequent conviction followed an investigation launched by the UKFPU last July.

The UFC is back in Mexico City for the third straight year, and a homegrown former champion tops the lineup.

Here's how to watch UFC Fight Night 268, which sends the promotion to Mexico for the first time in its new Paramount broadcast era.

Broadcast and streaming info

UFC Fight Night 268 has a main card that streams at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+. The prelims stream on Paramount+ at 5 p.m. ET.

Stay tuned to MMA Junkie for additional broadcast details later this week.

Main event: Brandon Moreno

• Record: 23-9-2 MMA, 11-6-2 UFC
• Opponent: Lone'er Kavanagh (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
• Division: Flyweight
• Key wins: Steve Erceg, Amir Albazi, Deiveson Figueiredo (twice), Kai Kara-France (twice), Brandon Royval
• Misc.: Ex-champ Moreno was set to fight Asu Almabayev, but takes on replacement Kavanagh, instead. He’ll be looking to bounce back from a second-round knockout loss to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323, which snapped a two-fight streak that had him back in contention.

Main event: Lone'er Kavanagh

• Record: 9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC
• Opponent: Brandon Moreno (23-9-2 MMA, 11-6-2 UFC)
• Division: Flyweight
• Key wins: Felipe dos Santos, Jose Ochoa
• Misc.: Kavanagh was scheduled to take on Bruno Silva in March, but was yanked from that fight to fill in for Asu Almabayev in his first UFC main event. After wins in his first two UFC fights after DWCS, he suffered the first loss of his career this past August when Charles Johnson knocked him out in the second round.

Co-main event: David Martinez

• Record: 13-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC
• Opponent: Marlon Vera (23-11-1 MMA, 15-10 UFC)
• Division: Bantamweight
• Key wins: Rob Font, Saimon Oliveira
• Misc.: Martinez will put his nine-fight winning streak on the line against his most accomplished opponent to date. His promotional debut on the heels of DWCS came a year ago in Mexico CIty and resulted in a first-round knockout and post-fight bonus. At Noche UFC this past September, he made it two straight in the UFC. 

Co-main event: Marlon Vera

• Record: 23-11-1 MMA, 15-10 UFC
• Opponent: David Martinez (13-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC)
• Division: Bantamweight
• Key wins: Pedro Munhoz, Dominick Cruz, Rob Font, Frankie Edgar, Davey Grant, Sean O’Malley
• Misc.: It’s been a tough stretch for Vera, who is only a few years removed from a four-fight winning streak that saw him win four straight bonuses, as well. But since then, he’s just 1-4 and has three straight decision losses, including a 2024 title shot against then-champ Sean O’Malley. 

UFC debut: Imanol Rodriguez

• Record: 6-0
• Opponent: Kevin Borjas (10-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC)
• Division: Flyweight
• Misc.: The 26-year-old from Mexico was on Season 33 of “The Ultimate Fighter” a year ago, then made his way to the UFC through a first-round knockout on DWCS this past October. All six of his pro wins are by stoppage, including five knockouts.

UFC debut: Ryan Gandra

• Record: 8-1
• Opponent: Jose Medina (11-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
• Division: Middleweight
• Misc.: The 30-year-old Brazilian picked up a first-round knockout on DWCS to win his contract. He has a seven-fight winning streak and a 75 percent finishing rate.

UFC debut: Javier Reyes

• Record: 17-4
• Opponent: Douglas Silva de Andrade (29-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC)
• Division: Featherweight
• Misc.: A first-round knockout on DWCS this past September against Justice Torres, who was his third opponent, got the 32-year-old Colombian into the UFC. 

UFC debut: Damian Pinas

• Record: 8-1
• Opponent: Wesley Schultz (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) 
• Division: Middleweight
• Misc.: The 23-year-old Pinas, from Suriname, has all eight of his wins by stoppage, including a first-round finish on DWCS to get into the UFC.

UFC Fight Night 268 lineup

MAIN CARD (Paramount+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Brandon Moreno vs. Lone'er Kavanagh
• David Martinez vs. Marlon Vera
• Daniel Zellhuber vs. King Green
• Felipe Bunes vs. Edgar Chairez
• Kevin Borjas vs. Imanol Rodriguez
• Santiago Luna vs. Angel Pacheco

PRELIMINARY CARD (Paramount+, 5 p.m. ET)

• Ryan Gandra vs. Jose Medina
• Macy Chiasson vs. Ailin Perez
• Kris Moutinho vs. Cristian Quinonez
• Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Javier Reyes
• Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Sofia Montenegro
• Francis Marshall vs. Erik Silva
• Damian Pinas vs. Wesley Schultz

UFC Fight Night 268 main card betting odds

• Moreno -245, Kavanagh +186
• Martinez -295, Vera +220
• Zellhuber -500, Green +380
• Bunes +190, Chairez -250
• Borjas +300, Rodriguez -430
• Luna -480, Pacheco +330

UFC Fight Night 268 preliminary card betting odds

• Gandra -530, Medina +360
• Chiasson +134, Perez -172
• Moutinho +420, Quinonez -650
• Silva de Andrade +190, Reyes -250
• Kareckaite -350, Montenegro +255
• Marshall -530, Silva +360
• Pinas -265, Schultz +200 

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Mexico: How to watch Moreno vs. Kavanagh, lineup, odds, more

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